New Lenox Board Approves Nearly $325,000 in Urgent Infrastructure and Sports Complex Upgrades

New Lenox Village Board of Trustees Meeting | March 9, 2026

Article Summary: The New Lenox Village Board authorized substantial capital expenditures to address failing roadway infrastructure and significantly enhance the Crossroads Sports Complex, waving formal bidding requirements to expedite both time-sensitive projects.

Capital Improvements Key Points:

• Sports Complex Expansion: The Motz Group was awarded a $286,729 contract to install and concrete over 290 base anchors across the facility’s ballfields.

• Emergency Culvert Repair: The Board approved a $37,540 contract with Bisping Construction to replace a failing 40-inch culvert on Sunset Trail.

• Streamlined Procurement: Trustees voted to waive the formal bidding process for both projects to ensure work is completed ahead of the spring sports season and to prevent further roadway deterioration.

The New Lenox Village Board on Monday, March 9, 2026, unanimously approved a pair of infrastructure and facility contracts totaling $324,269, bypassing the standard formal bidding process to fast-track safety improvements at the Crossroads Sports Complex and execute an emergency road repair.

The largest expenditure was a $286,729 proposal from The Motz Group for comprehensive base anchor additions and concreting at the Crossroads Sports Complex. Operations Director Brian Williams explained the facility requires 93 new base anchors installed at 65-foot and 70-foot lengths to accommodate both youth baseball and adult softball, maximizing the configurations of the 29-field facility.

In addition to installing the new anchors, the contract covers concreting for both the 93 new anchors and the 203 existing base anchors.

“This work is needed to eliminate the twisting of the bases that causes them to loosen in the ground and become unsafe,” Williams told the Board, noting the proposed changes were not included in the original construction of the complex.

Mayor Tim Baldermann emphasized that as the premier regional facility attracts top-tier tournaments, the Village must adapt to the specific needs of professional organizers.

“What we’re seeing is we’ve built beautiful fields out there, but as we’re getting these top-tier groups that are coming in, they’re making suggestions of things that we need to do, and in order to keep them going, I think it makes sense to upgrade as we go along,” Baldermann said.

Because The Motz Group had already performed highly rated, specialized turf modification work at the complex earlier in the year, and due to a limited number of contractors capable of the work, the Board voted to waive the formal bidding process.

The Board took similar legislative action to address a failing piece of public infrastructure on the Village’s north-south thoroughfares.

Public Works Director Mark Brow presented a $37,540 proposal from local firm Bisping Construction for the replacement of a 40-inch culvert on Sunset Trail. Brow reported that the culvert began showing signs of failure several years ago, causing a sinkhole that the Village patched.

“Now, it’s showing even more signs of deterioration,” Brow reported. “There’s at least three potholes, one of them being within 10 feet of one of the structures over there. And we just don’t have the adequate equipment to remove and replace a pipe this large.”

Because the repair was expedited due to sudden deterioration, staff solicited direct quotes from two local companies. To keep the final contract cost down, the Village’s Public Works department will provide the physical materials needed for the job and will handle the disposal of the excavated spoils.

Both contracts, along with the motions to waive the formal bidding processes, were approved in a series of 4-0 roll call votes, with Trustees Lindsay Scalise, Bryan Reiser, and Katie Christopherson voting in favor alongside Mayor Baldermann. Trustees Keith Madsen, Amy Gugliuzza, and Jim Wilson were absent.