6/11/2015
The Board of Commissioners of the Public Building Commission (PBC) has approved the appointment of Felicia S. Davis as the new Executive Director of the PBC. The board approved the appointment at its regular meeting on June 9, 2015.
Davis, who was appointed to the position on May 27 by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, has a diverse background and has worked in various positions in city government, most recently as Commissioner of the Department of Buildings where, since 2013, she supported and promoted new developments in neighborhoods throughout the city, providing a good foundation for the public development work performed by the PBC.
Davis previously served as the first Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Public Engagement and has worked in a wide range of environments with diverse populations and built strong networks and partnerships along the way. She also served as the First Deputy Chief of Staff for Mayor Emanuel from May 2011 to June 2012 and as a member of the Mayoral Transition Team and Chair the Public Safety Committee in 2011.
“I am grateful for the support of the PBC Board of Commissioners and look forward to continuing the important and excellent work of this agency whose important projects help to make our county, city and communities better and safer places to live,” Davis said.
Davis returned to public service in 2011 after serving as Vice President of Administration at Kendall College. Prior to Kendall College, she served the Chicago Police Department (CPD), with distinction for 10 years. During her tenure at CPD, she worked in many roles, completing her law enforcement career as a Detective in the Department’s Violent Crimes section, where she also oversaw the Community Policing Strategies.
In her role as Executive Director of the PBC, Davis will oversee construction and renovation projects for the city of Chicago and its sister agencies, including the Chicago Park District, the Chicago Public Library, Chicago Public Schools and City Colleges of Chicago
In other business, the board also approved contract awards for three Chicago Public Schools projects designed to ease overcrowding and provide modern and improved school environments for students.
The board approved a contract award to Old Veteran Construction, Inc. in the amount of $12.98 million for the construction of the Jamieson Elementary School Annex located at 5650 North Mozart Street in the West Ridge community on the North Side.
The project will bring a three-story 38,000 square foot annex building with 14 classrooms, a science classroom, a music classroom and a kitchen and lunchroom. Exterior improvements include removal of the existing modular units, and a new play lot. Renovations to the existing building include the conversion of the existing kitchen into a classroom, installation of new ramp to provide access to five classrooms on the second floor, a new teacher’s lounge, technology improvements including new wireless access points and improvements to enhance access for the disabled.
Construction on the new annex will get underway this summer and the building will open in September, 2016.
The board also approved a contract award to Friedler Construction Co. in the amount of $13.26 million for the construction of the Arthur E. Canty Elementary School Annex located at 3740 North Panama Avenue in the Dunning community on the Northwest Side.
The project involves construction of a three-story, 40,000 square foot annex building with nine standard academic classrooms, five pre-k/kindergarten classrooms, a kitchen and lunchroom, a computer lab and a music classroom. The annex project will also include a new play lot, and renovations in the existing building, including the renovation of the existing kitchen/copy room into two classrooms, an updated security system with cameras along with the removal of existing modular buildings
Construction on the new annex will get underway this summer and the building will open in September 2016.
The third contract award approved was to OCA Construction, Inc. in the amount of $1.55 million for the construction of the Enrico Tonti Elementary School Modular Building located at 5815 South Homan Avenue in the Gage Park community on the Southwest Side. The new modular building will have four classrooms and be connected to an existing modular building and have full fire alarm, intercom, and other connections to the main school building. The project will be completed in time for the start of the 2015-16 school year on September 8.
About the PBC: The Public Building Commission of Chicago manages construction and renovation projects for the City of Chicago and its sister agencies. Mayor Rahm Emanuel serves as the PBC’s chairman. Felicia S. Davis serves as the Executive Director of the PBC. Additional information about the PBC and its projects can be found at www.pbcchicago.com. You can also follow the Public Building Commission of Chicago on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and Pinterest.
