The city of Naperville plans to demolish an old Public Works Department office building near the Fifth Avenue train station to create space for 250 daily commuter parking spaces, according to a memorandum from the city manager’s office.
Because the aging building at 414 E. Fourth Ave. has been minimally maintained, it would require “more aggressive maintenance and repair options if the facility was to remain usable,” the memorandum says.
The Public Works Department offered three options for the structure:
Spend $675,000 to do major repair work — including a new roof — and $30,000 annually for maintenance to make it usable for five to 10 years;
Spend $32,000 to replace heating elements in the west garage and interior and exterior lamps and $30,000 annually in maintenance so a portion of the building could be used for one to five years. One part of the structure would be unusable because of the condition of the roof, heating, lighting and building security.
Spend $495,000 to demolish the building and pave the property for use as a parking lot. If train commuters pay $2 a day to use 250 parking space daily, the lot could generate $131,000 in annual revenue. The city would recoup its expense in about four years, according to the memorandum.
“Staff agreed that proceeding with option three serves the best interest for the city,” the memorandum says.
The building became storage space for several city departments and the Naperville Park District in 2009 when the Public Works Department moved to a new building at 180 Fort Hill Drive.
It’s also used to stage the equipment and supplies the city uses for snow removal operations at the train station and is a training location for the Naperville Police Department twice a week, according to the memorandum.
Bids to take down the two-story office building and two garages are due by June 4. The Naperville City Council is to vote on it June 18 and, if approved, demolition should be complete by Sept. 9 and the parking lot ready for use by Oct. 31, city documents said.
Naperville’s snow removal contractor has been told it will need to find new space to store equipment and alternate locations for park district storage are being considered, the memo said.
Police training currently held at the building will be moved to 420 N. Center St., which was recently acquired by the city. The police department will also use the vacant Boecker building.
