11/17/2010
The Public Building Commission (PBC) Board of Commissioners approved a contract at the September board meeting for the construction of the new Chicago Park District Haas Park Fieldhouse located at 2402 N. Washtenaw Avenue in the Logan Square community on the City’s northwest side.
Construction is scheduled to begin this week and the new fieldhouse is expected to be complete and open for public use in fall 2011.
The 11,300 square foot building will be constructed using steel frame and masonry construction. The design for the fieldhouse includes a gymnasium with bleachers and striping for basketball and volleyball courts. A curtain wall at the lobby entrance and multi-purpose room will allow for visibility into the park and generous daylight into the main building spaces.
Also included in the new fieldhouse are club rooms, an exercise equipment room, gym storage, reception area, an administrative office, public restrooms for community use and program offerings by the Chicago Park District.
The fieldhouse is designed to achieve minimum LEED Silver Certification, a green building standard awarded by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), and includes a mechanical system targeted to reduce energy consumption and native and adaptive planting in the landscaping immediately surrounding the fieldhouse.
“Being good stewards of the public fund is central to the way we operate at the Public Building Commission of Chicago,” said Executive Director Erin Lavin Cabonargi. “So when we build new public projects, we include elements of environmental sustainability and economic sustainability. These goals are linked because when implement strategies that are good for the environment, it lowers life cycle costs, reduces costs for utilities and minimizes the drain on our natural resources.”
The PBC includes the following contract provisions and incentives for the promotion of economic sustainability in the City of Chicago:
- Bid incentives for the employment of apprentices;
- Bid incentives for the employment of minority and female workers;
- Contract provisions that require that at least 50% of the labor force be residents of the City of Chicago;
- Contract provisions that require community hiring, helping to employ those closest to the work at hand;
- Contract provisions that require local General Contractors awarded PBC projects to subcontract at least 25% of the contract value to local subcontractors. Non-local General Contractors must award at least 35% of the work to local subcontractors;
- And, contract provisions that require minority and women owned business participation.
The Public Building Commission of Chicago manages construction and renovation projects for the City of Chicago and its sister agencies. Mayor Richard M. Daley serves as the PBC’s chairman. Erin Lavin Cabonargi serves as the Executive Director of the PBC. Additional information about the PBC and its projects can be found at www.pbcchicago.com.
