Stormwater Management
Executive Director Rogers reported that he attended the City of Elmhurst Public Works Committee meeting on Monday, November 23, 2015. The City’s Stormwater Committee has agreed to send the Park Board's current proposal for York Commons to the City Council for its December 7, 2015 meeting. The proposal calls for an extension of the lease to the maintenance facility for an additional 79 years to coincide with the lease of the fire station and the removal of funding for recreational amenities.
The committee also had a brief discussion on the Board’s proposal for the other park sites. The City’s main concern was the compensation for the proposed sites. The Park Board proposed compensation to be 1.5 times the fair market value of the property to be converted. Those funds would then be used for the acquisition of replacement property. The City will pay no less than the appraised cost and no more than 1.5 times the appraised cost. If the actual cost of the replacement property falls in-between those two amounts, the Park District will receive the lesser of the 1.5 times the appraised cost or the actual replacement cost.
The District will coordinate with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources on possible replacement property for each site. Executive Director Rogers stated that IDNR has indicated a willingness to be flexible given Elmhurst’s current situation. The District is committed to finding qualified replacement property. In response to Commissioner Kies asking if multiple properties can replace one parcel, Rogers stated it would be dependent on the Board’s consideration to accept multiple properties. IDNR has already confirmed that it will consider all options presented.
