Park/City/School Committee Update
Commissioner Spaeth reported that the City's efforts to address the stormwater and sanitary sewer flood issues was the major discussion at the meeting. The City's consultant, Burke Engineering, did an interesting presentation of both issues. The presentation involved a large amount of data, which will require some time to work through. There are some ideas to potentially use some of the parks to take in some of the excess water, which may require digging 5 to 10 feet to hold the additional water. Drains would lay underneath the system allowing fields to drain completely and quickly. All of the options will need to be investigated. Property acquisition was another potential concept that was discussed. The bulk of the sanitary problems are in the southwestern Spring Road area, but the stormwater problem is widespread. The City is forced to look at the schools and Park District because that is where the excess land is.
Commissioner Kies asked if there was any discussion regarding funding. Commissioner Spaeth answered that no discussion ensued during the meeting regarding funding. Executive Director Grodsky added that the numbers are so large that it will take some time to go through the different options and choose the best.
Commissioner Spaeth asked if there were any parks that have had their ground dug out. Deputy Director Rogers stated that Washington Park in Downers Grove was a partner project with the Village of Downers Grove, which involved redoing a park completely by reducing the elevation of a ball diamond by 10 to 12 feet. This was a huge project. More can be read about it on the Village of Downers Grove website. We need to question how long the fields would remain flooded. Commissioner Kubiesa added that the question remains - is it less expensive to redo a park's surface (sod) as opposed to the number of homes that are flooded, thus costing millions.
