October 8, 2014 Park Board Meeting

There were three letters received and read as part of public comments and three visitors provided comments to the Park Board. To view a complete transcript of these letters and public comments please click on the Complete Board Minutes attached below.

Unfinished Business – Stormwater Management Discussion

The stormwater subcommittee will be meeting October 13, 2014 at 7:30 a.m. at City Hall.  Today, the District received two letters from the City announcing another Cayuga resident meeting on October 13, 2014 at 7 p.m.  Additionally, the City will hold a community meeting on October 15, 2014 at City Hall.  Commissioner Spaeth provided the Board with an aerial map of the York Commons/Washington Park neighborhoods from the 2010 storm event produced by the City’s engineer Burke Engineering.  The subcommittee will provide the Park Board with tools to aid in making the decision regarding detention basins in the parks including a decision matrix, top recommendations, and pros and cons for each option.  Final options will be presented to the Park Board and then taken to the City when the subcommittee will request a commitment from the City for the rest of the solution.  Commissioner Spaeth stated that the Board wants to be part of the solution but does not want York Commons to be the total solution. 

A detention basin in the parks will aid the City in reducing overland flooding only but the proposed eight acre foot basin in York Commons is not enough.  Using an aerial map of those neighborhoods, Commissioner Spaeth explained the three flooding areas – Washington Street, Vallette and Swain, North and Madison, and Crescent Street illustrated with 8 to 12 foot puddles.  Puddles formed in the 2010 storm event because the trunk sewer could not get the water to Salt Creek.  The Vallette and Swain overland flooding is above the McKinley Street trunk sewer preventing the area to drain.  Washington Street is south of the trunk sewer but still somewhat connected.  If the trunk sewer is full at Vallette and Swain, Crescent Street water has nowhere to go in its attempt to flow west.  There are two solutions for York Commons and the McKinley Street trunk sewer area that could solve Crescent Street’s flooding - 1) a detention basin or 2) a larger sewer.  The York Commons basin will solve Crescent Street’s problem and a very small portion of Washington Street (less than 20%), but it will not have an effect on Vallette and Swain.  Commissioner Spaeth stated that he would like to connect York Commons with a total solution for all of these residents that are in the line of sight between McKinley Street and Salt Creek.  The only way to solve those areas is a bigger trunk sewer along with significant storage.  If all of Madison School was completed and all of York Commons, over 50% of homes would remain unprotected.  That is not a good total solution.  If the City wants to solve it, they need to continue the McKinley Street truck sewer expansion all the way to Washington Street to solve the problem completely and continue on two more blocks to York Commons.  If the Park District went ahead and did York Commons and the City went ahead and did those other two blocks, it would be disappointing to have put a basin in York Commons because the additional solutions are a small amount to tag.  If all of Madison School and York Commons was used for storage, it still would not solve Vallette and Swain’s problems.  V3 engineer Greg Wolterstorff added that the storm sewer on McKinley does not solve the problem because of pumping constraint capacities at Salt Creek.  The key is storage for this area in the system downstream or in the system itself.  The capacity has to be improved to get it to the pumps. 

Commissioner Kies stated that cooperation is key and appreciates residents providing feedback.  Commissioner Kubiesa asked for a clarification on Commissioner Spaeth’s statement of wanting to go back to the subcommittee meeting and suggesting the City install a bigger sewer pipe down McKinley and not touch York Commons.  Commissioner Spaeth responded that he would like to give the City options, preferably do it all, compensatory storage does not need to happen at each pumphouse as long as the net is held within bounds.  Other options are needed to store stormwater possibly in Elmhurst’s reservoir, south of the reservoir, the Quarry, anywhere along the Salt Creek watershed are opportunistic areas.  The Park District would like confirmation that the City is committed to the list of additional solutions as part of this process.  Park Board Meeting Minutes and updates will be posted after Board minutes are approved.

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