On Friday, February 24, the City of Champaign, along with the City of Urbana, the Village of Rantoul, and Champaign County, hosted a Contractor’s Breakfast at El Toro Bravo. The event was attended by 32 contractors from 24 different local businesses, Mayors Deb Feinen of Champaign and Laurel Prussing of Urbana, and City Manager Dorothy David. In addition, Champaign City Council Member Kyles, Urbana Alderman Ammons, Champaign NSAB President Foster and Member Ames were present. Also in attendance were representatives for the Cities of Champaign, Urbana, the Village of Rantoul, Champaign County, the Regional Planning Commission of Champaign County, Habitat for Humanity, AHDVS and lending institutions.
The breakfast was hosted to thank those working with government bodies for their efforts, and to invite other contractors to participate. The cities are especially interested in recruiting minority and women contractors. For those contractors not familiar with current projects, presentations were made to give the scope of work and information on licensing, certification and insurance requirements. For small contractors, information was also available about assistance available to assist with licenses, certification, and insurance. Additionally, details were provided about revised “Rehabilitation Specifications.” Staff emphasized the importance of providing detailed information on projects, such as start and completion dates and turning over manufacturer’s warranties to the clients. The importance of lead safe work practices was also emphasized. Fifteen businesses expressed interest in working with government bodies and more were interested in lead certification information.
