The project was bid in Spring 2022 for Fall work and leveraged RTPD’s membership in OMNIA Partners. Kearns knew the OMNIA Partners contract would help the bid run smoothly. “Like thousands of other public entities, we rely on our OMNIA Partners membership to deliver the best value across literally hundreds of different kinds of purchases,” said Kearns. “Being an OMNIA supplier for building projects made it really seamless to work with Garland, and gave us peace of mind that we would have the best available pricing to make our budget work.” With the contract in place, Lemere and the Garland technical team got to work matching the color and scheme for The Zone. The RTPD had selected a two-tone blue and gray scheme with sharp angles that would bring The Zone’s existing structural curves to life. While the gray was a standard offering for Tuff-Coat, the specific shade of blue would require custom color matching. RTPD provided a sample of the desired blue color, which was sent to Garland’s technical team in Cleveland for matching. The tech team was able to identify a specific shade of blue from a leading paint provider’s architectural fan deck, and formulation of “Zone Blue” began.
With all the pieces in place, the work could begin. Cracks were sealed first, followed by application of the Tuff-Coat. While Autumn weather in Illinois can be unpredictable, Lemere was not worried. “Tuff-Coat dries to touch in as little as 30 minutes, and to recoat in 2 hours, with excellent hang and adhesion to the EIFS. We knew we would be able to move quickly and deliver the project on time.” Garland partners with Naperville, IL contractor Futurity 19 on the project. Said Futurity 19’s Vice President, Jason Scherencel, “Our team had a great plan, and we were able to move really systematically through the project to deliver the crack repairs and the architectural look that River Trails Park District wanted. We’re proud to have played a part in a project that is such a destination for the local community.”
