Stormwater Commission

STORMWATER COMMISSION MEETING SUMMARY Thursday, August 1, 2013 The following persons were present: Chair Joe Lo Verde, Steven Vinezeano, John Stanislawski, Chuck Ostman, Richard Wlodarski, Robert Callero, Andrew Vitale, Fred Kudert, Tom Polcyn, Mousa Nazzal, Scott Jochim and Jeff Wickenkamp and Patrick Lach of Hey and Associates. The meeting was called to order at 8:30 a.m. I. Approve Meeting Summary of May 8, 2013: The summary was approved to be posted on the Stormwater Commission web page. II. Old Business: i. Flood Control Assistance Program Update. Ostman updated Commission on the program. 300 applications have been processed thus far and the remaining, based on process speed, are estimated to be completed by the end of September. He stated that he has not received any part-time applicants for the additional position created to handle the extreme number of applications submitted. Vinezeano provided clarification on issue of multi-family applications. He stated that page 2 of the Flood Control Assistance Program states, “Homeowners who currently occupy single-family and multi-family homes are eligible to participate in this program.” There was a misunderstanding on whether or not multi-family homes with renters were considered “commercial properties” since they were revenue generating. Those property owners where the homeowner occupies the multi-family home are now to be approved for the program. The Chair requested residents who wished to speak to come up. The son of a resident at 7740 Oconto shared his issues with the property. He stated that during the worst of the rains, the water will surround the property and enter the crawlspace and flood the home. His mother is elderly and these recent floods are costing a significant amount of money. Vinezeano mentioned that the Village has identified some homes as possible buyouts. However, until the Village has a policy and a Hazard Mitigation Plan (currently working with the Cook County Emergency Management Agency on a plan) buyouts are too costly. There was recently a pre-application for mitigation grant funds submitted by the Village to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. Three homes have been identified in the short period of time the Village was given to complete the application. These three homes will not benefit from any Village capital improvement plan or flood control assistance. These homes would require significant capital to make them safe from flood conditions, so purchase of the homes may be the best option. Jeff Wickenkamp provided a slide presentation on why the area bordered by Mulford, Milwaukee, Jonquil, and Harlem flood. It was stated that the sewer on Oconto could be increased, but this would not reduce flood stage, just flood duration. A resident at 7736 Oconto shared his story about how he struggles with the flooding due to his disabled 4-yearold son in a wheelchair. He is in this area due to the special school. He stated that the water gets from six to twelve feet from reaching his ground floor. Vinezeano reiterated that the project was provided with $15M for the first round of projects. These projects were chosen based on the most number of homes that would be helped from direct flooding. He stated that it is estimated that $60M would required to fix the entire Village of all flooding. Some homes may require a buyout program, which is why buyout programs exist with FEMA. A resident offered their back yard for storage, but Jeff stated that it would take eight full residential lots just to help hold the amount of water necessary in the area from flooding homes. Resident from 7740 Octavia stated that she has street flooding and lost a car and her basement flooded. The Chair asked for Hey and Associates to identify all the areas with homes that are impacted in this way and provide recommendations with costs of work. The solutions will then be reviewed at that time for consideration. He does not favor having to displace residents, but it may be the only option. Resident from 8149 Farnsworth, just south of Maryhill Cemetery, stated that he flooded as did his neighbor with 30 inches of water in 2008. He stated that the water suddenly went down when the “magic” gate was opened. He stated that he has frequent power outages, so he has a power generator. He requested map details for his area and future flood relief that will benefit him.  Resident from 9401 Western Avenue asked what is being done in his area. He stated that he has flooded seven or eight times since 2008 overland. Vinezeano stated that based on their last communication, he was hoping that his home would qualify for buyout when the County Hazard Mitigation Plan is complete. He also stated that his home was included in the recent grant request for buyout funds with the State. Resident from 8426 Osceola stated that she got raw sewage in 2008. She stated that she was approved for the cost share, but her father was against it and she had to remove her father to get the work done. She said that her block is not part of Tier I or Tier II projects. She mentioned the Clean Water Act and wondered when Niles will be separating the sewers as is required by law. She requested to see a map of flooding patterns. She does not like the idea of helping herself and then adversely impacting her neighbors due to the check valve. She did not flood in April, but did flood in June. Resident from 8500 Oleander stated that they did not flood in April, but did flood in June. They stated that water from an easement came into her windows. Resident at 8506 Oleander had twenty six inches of sludge in April and three feet in June. She has lost three water heaters, two furnaces, two washer and dryers. She was approved for the check valve and purchased a generator. She is concerned for her fellow residents being dropped from insurance companies. The Chair stated that the Village is committed to the relief program. He stated that the Tier I program was five to six years away and now is only two years away. The Village will continue to help, but we must have patience. Those we cannot help will be answered personally. Vinezeano made a statement about the cost share program that those who have submitted their names for a waiting list after the July 28 deadline date will be considered for the program this year if funds allow and other applicants drop out or are found not to qualify. ii. Small Projects  a. Greenwood. Jeff stated that they are working on fitting a check valve onto a sewer with the sewer department. Rich stated that the work over at Callero Drive is working on three quotes. iii. Tier 1 Capital Improvements. a. Cleveland Sewer Project. Jeff stated final engineering should be ready by March. He is comfortable with the timetable of the project and meeting the excelled goals set forth. The sizing of the pipe went from 54 inches to 72 and is now 60 inches. This may change back to 72 inches. He stated the larger pipe does not provide any benefit at this time, but there would be room for future connections. b. Main/Lee Project. The detention basin at Maryhill is the first phase to be moving in 2014 as planned. This last rain caused substantial surface flooding at Milwaukee and Main in June. The second phase will be the expanded sewer capacity on Lee and Ottawa Main and Harlem. Work must be coordinated with Catholic Cemeteries, MWRD, IDOT, and IEPA. He stated that he required details from Tom of the Maryhill restrictor. Rich mentioned the street flooding at Monroe and Main and Jeff stated that the Maryhill project with the basin and lower bigger pipes will help street flooding in this area and drain faster. Vinezeano stated that he has the large flooding project maps in his office, which show how the improvements reduce flooding with 25- and 100- year rains. c. OLR. Jeff stated that he is responding to a flooding issue at the church. He stated that the church must get this fixed before they allow additional water to the site. He stated that he will have a final concept drawing for Fr. Chris to review within a week. Chuck reported that a plumber found the issue at the church and will correct it. The OLR church project requires a legal agreement for the property and an internal permit with Niles. iv. Green Infrastructure/MWRD. This was tabled. III. New Business: i. IEMA HMGP Grant Pre-Application. This was tabled. ii. Hey & Associates Study of Mulford/Oconto. This was discussed in Old Business during resident comment. iii. Creek/Detention Pond Maintenance (Ballard/Greenwood). Jochim discussed how MWRD did a fine job removing all the brush in the area, but silt remains to be a problem. He stated that this slows down the drain rate for the streets, but MWRD plans to address this in 2015. Public Services cannot access this and would require special equipment and permits to clean the silt. iv. Abandoned Detention Pond (Behind Ft. Dearborn on Gross Point Road). Jochim stated that he stopped the detention from being filled by the owner. He is working with the owner to develop plans to be given to Hey & Associates. IV. Open Discussion: The Chair briefly mentioned the Chicago Tribune article about green infrastructure. V. Next Scheduled Meetings: TBD