Public Works Committee

APPROVED MINUTES OF THE PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MEETING VILLAGE OF NORTHBROOK COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS OCTOBER 11, 2011 The following members were in attendance: Chairman T. Heller, Trustees Buehler and Israel. Also present: President Frum, Trustee Ciesla, Village Manager R. Nahrstadt, Assistant Village Manager P. Kiraly, Public Works Director K. Hamill, Village Engineer P. Kendzior, and Assistant to the Public Works Director M. Morrison. Call To Order: The meeting was called to order at 6:16 p.m. by Chairman Todd Heller. Master Stormwater Management Plan (MSMP) Trustee Heller explained this meeting is to review and discuss the 22 projects proposed in the new Master Stormwater Management Plan (MSMP). This is to allow the Committee to review and ask questions and to see if any issues have arisen in the open houses, or if public comments relating to these projects have been received. Trustee Heller explained that at 7:25PM he will adjourn this meeting to go into the Regular Board meeting. Another meeting will be held on Thursday, October 13th to continue the discussion. The next meeting has been scheduled for Thursday in an effort to move the process along. Following Thursday’s meeting the Administration and Finance Committee will discuss putting it in the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Director of Public Works Kelly Hamill provided a PowerPoint, and reviewed the materials provided to the Board. He noted all of the comments received by the public have been provided in the materials. Director Hamill informed the Committee that there was a good turnout at the September 14th open house. He stated 29 people signed in, but there were probably 60 in attendance. At the September 24th open house there were 21 in attendance. Staff estimated over one hundred people in total attended both meetings. Each of the open houses had exhibits for all twenty-two projects on display. Staff answered questions and engaged in good discussions with the public on the various projects. Trustee Heller noted he attended the second open house on Saturday and commented there were a number of points made he would have never considered. Director Hamill then reviewed the Projects: Project 1 Westcott Park Storage (ranked #4): Director Hamill stated the locations impacted by the project are Sunset Fields and Northbrook Park Subdivisions. The main issue is the park is owned and operated by the Park District. An intergovernmental agreement between the Village and the Park District will be needed for this project. The recommendation is to have additional studies performed and look to reduce costs if the project moves forward.  Trustee Heller stated this project is 40% of our budget. He questioned if we are getting our bang for our buck. Village Engineer Kendzior explained this would address 91 properties that are experiencing flooding and 12 of those properties will see a reduction in structure flooding. Trustee Buehler questioned if Public Works knew how many of the flooding’s actually experiencing water in the home versus water in the back yard is flooded that is different. Village Engineer Kendzior explained that if you look at the diagrams, the pre project flooding is designated in red and the post project flooding is in blue. This indicates the flooding in the area. Trustee Heller questioned how confident the Village an intergovernmental agreement with the Park District on this project will happen? Director Hamill stated the two entities have had a number of discussions, but there are logistical concerns with the property. As we progress and if the project moves forward there will need to be more detail discussions with the Park District. At this point, the magnitude of project will require additional thought and discussion. Trustee Israel stated based on discussions he has had he believes the plan should move forward because it would be beneficial to neighborhood. He mentioned that one of the items brought up was to consider reducing costs on the project by providing open retention instead of underground stormwater detention at Westcott Park. Project II – Shermer Road Overflow Sewer Project 2, Shermer Road Overflow Sewer (ranked #2) Director Hamill stated this project will help mitigate flooding on the Shermer Road/Woodlawn Road area. Twenty-two properties are impacted and 17 of the 22 properties will experience a reduction in structure flooding. The Shermer Road Overflow sewer will require license agreements from the Canadian Pacific Railroad and Metra, and an easement from the Grainer property for the construction of the proposed sewer. Trustee Heller questioned if there was discussion on this project at the open houses? Village Engineer Kendzior explained how there four other projects are associated with this project. He listed the other projects and noted the issues related to them. Trustee Israel stated the benefit of this project is clearing Shermer Road since there is a Fire House located there. Trustee Buehler questioned where the water goes and Village Engineer Kendzior explained the water would be conveyed to the West Fork of the North Branch of the Chicago River and replaces the current overland drainage flow that extends through the opening at the Canadian Pacific Railroad and Metra rail line embankment. Trustee Buehler stated some believe these projects will magically take the water away, and how he has tried to explain that once the river is full, it is full. Many of these projects are aimed at getting the water to the river the most efficient way.  Project 3 – Techny Drain Phase IV (ranked #1) Director Hamill explained this project involves the construction of a 48-inch diameter storm sewer on Pfingsten Road that will divert drainage that currently enters the Techny Drain-South Fork and direct it to the new storm relief sewer on Techny Road. The relief sewer will be constructed as part of Phase III for the comprehensive Techny Drain project. The Phase IV project is currently under final engineering design and will be included as a bid alternate for the Phase III relief sewer and Techny Road Jurisdictional Transfer project. This project has been an issue for some time. It is a highly visible area. President Frum noted the Village receives a lot of correspondence on this a property. Village Engineer Kendzior stated this is one of the 100 year projects, noting it is not something they can say about too many of the others. Director Hamill mentioned prior discussions on the number of new homes that have illegal downspouts in this area. He stated staff hopes to address the downspout disconnections. Trustee Heller questioned if the downspouts were connected by code? Director Hamill stated they were connected illegally after occupancy. He stated it is staff’s intention to keep this ranked #1. Project #4 Cedar Lane (ranked # 16) Director Hamill noted this project will reduce flooding impacts on the roadway and to adjacent residential properties in front of 816-869 Cedar Lane. Three properties will experience a reduction in flooding; however none of the three include structure flooding Trustee Heller remarked this is a smaller project that may be able to be done quickly. Director Hamill explained consideration is being given to taking care of some of the small projects with existing funds through a contractor. Trustees Heller and Israel and Director Hamill discussed funding some of the smaller projects with existing funding. Project #5 – Cherry Lane Underpass (ranked #8) Director Hamill noted this is a notorious problem every time there is a substantial rainfall. Presently we pump out the underpass during a flood and they would be looking to reroute the water, instead of waiting for the river to go down. Trustee Ciesla questioned if this stop the underpass from flooding completely. Village Engineer Kendzior explained we can’t say, but it will definitely reduce the flooding. Trustee Heller stated this project affects a lot of people. It may not affect properties, but it affects transportation, which affects many. Director Hamill stated the flooding here is a public safety concern. He noted an easement from condominium owners to the north would be required to construct this project. Project #6 – Church Street (near Chapel court) (ranked # 15) Director Hamill stated this project is to reduce roadway pavement flooding on Church Street and on adjacent properties near Chapel Court. It impacts 5 properties and 0 structures. Trustee Heller questioned if this project could be included in the small projects he referenced prior. Village Engineer Kendzior commented staff was looking to hire a contractor to do the small projects as discussed earlier. Trustee Israel stated if this is not affecting structures or is not life threatening he would prefer to address the other projects first.  Project #7 – Curb Failure along West Fork of the North Branch of the Chicago River (WFNBCR) (Behind 1941 Cherry Lane) (Ranked #20) Director Hamill stated this project is to reduce roadway pavement flooding on Church Street and lawn areas on the adjacent properties near the Chapel Court intersection. A storm relief sewer and drainage structure improvements are proposed. Five properties will benefit from the project. This involves replacing curb along WFNBCR Addressed curb issues. To complete the work the Village will first have to obtain a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers. Trustee Heller questioned if it will stop flooding, or cosmetic to the roads. Director Hamill explained this project is more of a stormwater issue and could be considered low maintenance in comparison to the others. Village Engineer Kendzior stated the bank does need to be stabilized. 95 percent of the work is to stabilize the south slope on the north side of the west fork of the north branch river and it would require a specialized contractor. They discussed obtaining the permits required for the Army Corps of Engineers and possibly moving up the ranking. Project #8 - Dehne Subdivision (Dehne Road, Brentwood Road) (ranked #18) Director Hamill explained this area does not have standard streets and was originally parcel belonging to the county that was annexed into the Village. The project includes regarding the exiting ditch system, reinstating culverts and providing additional drainage. The Dehne Subdivision project is contingent upon the construction of the Northbrook Manor, Shermer Road Outlet, Shermer Road Overflow and Westcott Park projects being constructed. Trustee Heller stated he understands why the project is ranked 18 since there are a number of things that need to be addressed first before the work can be performed. President Frum noted some of the comments attached state the job scope needs to be expanded. Director Hamill explained staff is looking at getting a better assessment of what is out there to better understand the infrastructure needs. It can be expanded. Project #9 Dundee Road/Skokie Boulevard Intersection (ranked 14). Director Hamill explained this project involves coordinating with IDOT, who maintains the drainage system that serves this intersection, to schedule the necessary maintenance work. Trustee Heller and Director Hamill then discussed the effects this project could potentially have on the northwest corner development. Trustee Ciesla noted her company is located in this area and when it floods the water comes up to the building and causes impassible conditions on Skokie Blvd. Village Engineer Kendzior stated when the Edens Expressway floods, this affects this intersection and causes a traffic nightmare. It is very problematic. Project #10 - Keystone Road/Chartres Drive (ranked #5) Director Hamill noted this project also includes Koepke Road. He explained staff has met with the Park District when they were working on their master plan, to discuss additional retention in West Park which is in their proposed plan. 17 properties will experience a reduction in flooding and 5 of the 17 properties impacted will experience a reduction in structure flooding. Director Hamill noted some residents in this area saw 8 feet of water in their basements. There was some discussion on the water retention at Westcott Park versus West Park. Trustee Israel stated this project has a smaller number of properties that would benefit. Project #11 - Northbrook East (Midway Road/Whitfield Road, South Intersection) (ranked 3) Director Hamill stated the project involves the construction of a 3.5 acre detention facility on Village owned property located between Dell and Sunset Ridge Roads. One issue is mature trees would need to be removed which leads to the question of how do you address that natural screening. He stated that when this project is in its final design review staff will meet with the residents. 29 properties will experience a reduction in flooding and of the 29, 11 structures will be impacted. Trustee Israel noted the MSMP committee looked at alternative sites for the retention. The most logical site was located in the forest preserve; however that option was not even entertained by Cook County. The project does affect and impact trees, but other options were limited. President Frum stated based on the MSMP and a report from the Architectural Control Commission (ACC) she feels it is time to look at how residential development affects stormwater. She requested that the Committee discuss this further on Thursday to have staff and others work together on this issue. She noted that Village Engineer Kendzior commented how the economic downturn has helped with the stormwater issue. We need to make certain we are mitigating the problems in the future. Charles Henschel, 1113Blackthorn Lane, stated have been on his street for 21 years and he has seen many storms. Through the years a number of new homes have been built on the street that installed yard drains. Still, he is experiencing flooding in front his house. He noted his address is not indicated in any of the 22 projects. Director Hamill explained comments will be taken by the public after all of the 22 projects have been reviewed. Staff is looking for feedback from the public in hopes of addressing as many of the properties as possible that are experiencing flooding. Adjourn Trustee Buehler moved, seconded by Trustee Israel to adjourn the meeting at 7:29. On voice vote, all were in favor. Respectfully submitted, Debra J. Ford, Village Clerk