EVANSTON, IL — The Evanston Ecology Center is set to close to the public for eight months as it undergoes a multimillion-dollar renovation project that promises to modernize the 50-year-old facility, city staff announced.
The comprehensive overhaul of the city-owned building is scheduled to begin next month and be complete by October.
Upgrades include a new reception and waiting area, renovated classrooms and offices, updated bathrooms, crawlspace waterproofing, structural repairs and upgrades to electric mechanical systems making it a “zero on-site carbon emissions” building. The project also aims for LEED Silver certification.
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Since it was originally built in 1974, the Ecology Center has been renovated at least twice before, according to a memo from city architect Shane Cary.
In 2001, the city added a new multi-purpose room, corridor and vestibule, converted a laboratory to a class room and turned a lecture room into offices. The classroom was expanded in 2015, bringing the building to its current size of 6,200 feet.
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In early 2022, city facilities staff found some “significant failures” in its flooring, apparently due to damage from moisture, Cary told the the City Council.
In response, an earlier proposed renovation was paused until officials could assess the scope of the problem’s with the buildings, and in September 2022 alderpeople approved a contract with consultants to investigate.
In June 2023, staff presented findings from consultants HPZS Architects, laying out the cost of fixing the building and achieving LEED environmental certification. The original estimate came back with a $3.4 million price tag, of which $2.9 million would be spent on construction.
The next month, the City Council revised its arrangement with the consultants, the contract was advertised in December, and the city received bids for the project last month.
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Then, at last week’s meeting, councilmembers approved a $2.3 million contract with Evanston-based Central Rug & Carpet, also known as Bodala LLC, to carry out the work.
During the construction, activities that would have been held at the Ecology Center will be moved to other Evanston Parks and Recreation Department facilities, including Lovelace Park Field House, the Lighthouse Fog Houses and various community centers, according to staff.
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