ISSUE
The stormwater subcommittee met with the City on Wednesday, December 9, 2015 in Council Chambers with public present to continue discussions concerning the City’s request to use park property for stormwater detention.
DISCUSSION
Five residents attended the meeting and four spoke during public comment. All five sites under consideration were discussed, beginning with York Commons. As noted in the December 8 email to the Board, as part of its December 7 Consent Agenda, the City Council unanimously approved (12-0) a Public Works Committee report containing terms in keeping with the Park Board’s latest proposal for York Commons. Most critically it included the extension of the Maintenance Facility lease until 2108. Since then, discussions concerning the terms of the intergovernmental agreement (IGA) have been finalized between both agency staff and attorneys (IGA copy attached). Highlights of the agreement are on the attached page.
Discussion then continued concerning Golden Meadows Park where there was general agreement concerning the conversion of the site per the Park Board’s proposal. The City indicated that the proposal needs to be officially considered by the City Public Works Committee. Your subcommittee also committed that, once an IGA for Golden Meadows Park is approved, the Park District will commence discussions with IDNR about the concept of “escrowing” City funds while we work to acquire replacement property, in order to expedite the provision of stormwater relief.
As concerns the other three parks under consideration (East End, Crestview and Wild Meadows Trace) City officials requested that the Park District forgo replacement of, and compensation for, those sites and instead work with the City to either ask IDNR to make an exception to their policy against bringing off-site stormwater to OSLAD funded sites and/or to work with the City to identify ways for the two agencies to work together to further improvements to the parks that could also facilitate the construction of stormwater basins. Your subcommittee listened to the City’s ideas and eventually requested that the City respond to the District’s November 19 proposal in writing and submit any proposed new approaches for the Board to consider.
The next subcommittee meeting will be held Thursday, January 14, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. at City Hall.
