The stormwater subcommittee met with the City on Thursday, January 14, 2016 in Council Chambers with public present to continue discussions concerning the City’s request to use park property for stormwater detention. DISCUSSIONSix residents attended the meeting and two spoke during public comment. All five sites under consideration were discussed, beginning with York Commons Park. The subcommittee shared the Board’s position statement on the requirement of a shut-off valve for the proposed detention basin at York Commons (see attached) and, as the City and Park District continue to have a philosophical difference over inclusion of the valve, much conversation took place. The subcommittee agreed to the City’s request for information from V3 Engineering concerning its opinion on the valve and reiterated that the Board was firm in its position. As regards to Golden Meadows, the City indicated that the Board’s proposal (with which the City’s stormwater subcommittee members have agreed) needs to go to their Public Works Committee and will do so within the next month. Finally, as it relates to the three remaining sites being discussed (East End, Wild Meadows Trace and Crestview) on January 13, the subcommittee received the attached letter from the City Manager restating the City’s request that the Park District forgo replacement of, and compensation for, these sites and instead work with the City to ask IDNR to make an exception to their policy against off-site stormwater to OSLAD funded sites. As noted in earlier communications to the Board, this request was also supposed to include the City identifying ways for the two agencies to work together to discuss improvements to the parks that could also facilitate the construction of stormwater basins. According to the City this was inadvertently left out of the letter, but it was agreed that the City Manager and the subcommittee would discuss it. The next subcommittee meeting will be held Thursday, February 18 at 7 p.m. at City Hall. Subsequent to the subcommittee meeting, on Tuesday, January 18 the City Council met and, at the direction of the stormwater subcommittee, during public comment, Rogers read the statement reiterating the Board’s position on the valve at York Commons. Later in the meeting, the City Council voted 10-0 (with four absences) approved the IGA without the valve. This vote was preceded by a presentation by Mayor Morley and Alderman Jim Kennedy (chair of the Public Works Committee) on the concept of the valve that rapidly deteriorated into a series of very critical remarks about the Park District and Board made by numerous members of the City Council. After the Council vote, the Mayor indicated that a letter concerning the vote would be sent to the Park District. No letter has been received as of the writing of this memo.
