County board meeting includes building project, radio system, and interim administrator updates

Kirsten Wisniewski | March 27, 2025

As the county prepares for further transitions of leadership, on March 25 the Cook County Board of Commissioners heard updates on the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), emergency radio systems, and the interim administrator position.

Law Enforcement Center

The county board received an update on one of the several building projects they have planned. The planned renovation and expansion of the Law Enforcement Center (LEC) is part of the CIP.

At this phase in the project the board has already seen architectural drawings and offered feedback. The March 25 meeting included updated estimated costs for different elements of the addition, renovation, and deferred maintenance.

The estimated cost presented to the board was just under $8 million.

Watkins said the estimated cost fell in line with expectations. He added that, while there were still decisions to be made that would impact exact costs, he believed the final price tag would not be significantly different than the estimate.

One factor that has the potential to impact the project’s cost is tariffs on some construction materials. Despite the many unknowns, Watkins said that at this point, it is not yet a major concern for the county.

He said, “At this point, there’s no there’s no tangible numbers that have come forward that our construction manager has been able to find that would have pushed numbers differently, pushed cost differently, and so that was reflected in the the numbers that they presented to us.”

Radio upgrades

Another update came from the Management Informations Systems (MIS) department.

Radio Communications Analyst Jay DeCoux previously told WTIP about a grant the county received to update the Allied Radio Matrix for Emergency Response (ARMER) system. At the most recent meeting, DeCoux told the board that the grant was ready for formal acceptance, which will allow for a county-wide radio update.

“The county is getting just shy of 390,000 in grant dollars to replace the radios for our public safety folks that are due to be replaced, and it keeps us all on the same platform,” Watkins explained.

He said that combining the needs of the different emergency responders across the county strengthened the grant application, and would mean consistent radios across all the different first responder departments.

A new interim administrator

At the end of the March 25 meeting, the board also took some time to discuss how to proceed with a search for a new administrator, and how to replace Watkins as interim administrator.

Watkins let the board know his intention to return to his role as MIS Director full time after the commissioners opted not to hire one of the finalist candidates they interviewed during their initial administrator recruitment effort.

The commissioners put out a call for a new interim administrator among county employees and community members. At the most recent meeting they selected Rena Rogers to take on the role. Rogers has previously served as interim administrator, and the commissioners voted unanimously to appoint her to the position once again.

Watkins said he expects the transition as he leaves the role to go smoothly. He cited both Rogers’ time in the role previously and their history of working together.

“Rena, you know, for a whole host of reasons, was a really good choice. She’s got a good working relationship with the board, the existing board members. She’s really, I think, Commissioner Sullivan said, a known quantity.” said Watkins. “I expect it to be a smooth transition and to go really well.”

WTIP’s Kirsten Wisniewski spoke with Interim Administrator Rowan Watkins. Audio of that interview is below.