Park Ridge Village Board members will spend about $4,000 to determine whether a new Fire Department building should be built on the Village Hall property.

Board members voted unanimously Monday, June 20, to award a preliminary design bid to Lampert Lee, an engineering firm, for $3,900. In the next several weeks, representatives from the firm will sit down with Fire Department personnel and village board members to discuss what the building should look like, what should be included, and different cost-effective options to consider when ultimately making the decision on whether to build, Village Board President Kathy Budelier said.

“Lampert Lee will sit down … and work with us on building a building we can afford,” she said. “They would walk through all of that to design something that hopefully we … can get what we want in a range we can afford.

“It makes sense to spend a little bit to give us information we need to say whether we can afford this,” she said.

In May, the board received six initial construction proposals that varied in price from about $100,000 to $600,000.

Lampert Lee’s construction proposal came in at about $250,000, with about 10 percent of that – $25,000 – for the design, specifications and bidding process, depending on the extent of the process.

Should the preliminarily-designed building prove affordable, the dollars spent on that initial design would be rolled into the total cost if Lampert Lee was chosen to do the work, Budelier said.

The initial construction proposals differed in what was included in the building, with one proposal listing the basic structure and others specifying additional costs for plumbing, electric and excavating. Board members in May decided to query at least three firms for costs for preliminary designs to get a better handle on the real costs involved in constructing a Fire Department truck bay that would work for the village.

At that time, board member Gordon Renfert voted against getting design proposals saying he had no interest in constructing a new Fire Department building based on the initial cost proposals. Though he approved the nearly $4,000 cost for preliminary design work Monday, he did indicate whether those feelings had changed.

Board members are still working with two options for the Fire Department engine and space needs:

* Replace Engine 1 and convert the existing Engine 1 into a hose wagon. Initial estimates were about $240,000. Figures presented in May drop that dollar amount to about $200,000.

* Build a new vehicle bay building, replace Engine 1 and convert the existing Engine 1 into a hose wagon, initially estimated at about $270,000 total. Proposals reviewed in May show the total could double to about $500,000.

Should the village decide building is the better option and choose Lampert Lee for the work, the firm will take officials through the specification and bidding process. Village officials said the bidding would not be done before January 2017 when the prevailing wage law is repealed.

Last summer, the Legislature repealed prevailing wage requirements for local governments and required the federal prevailing wage — rather than one set by the state — to be used for state-funded projects. Prevailing wage laws set minimum pay requirements for construction workers on most public projects.

After January, local governments would be exempt from prevailing wage laws, which could result in a lower bid for the project.

The delay until after the new year would not impact the construction timeline, according to Fire Chief Brian Lepper.

“You’re going to have a hard time getting anyone to build anything before then anyway, he said. “They’re already into their projects.”

The additional time will allow village officials to take their time and have multiple meetings if necessary to explore different building options.

The Village Board next meets at 6 pm. Monday, July 25, at the Village Hall, 24 Crestwood Drive.