Gurnee wants remaining sandbags gone

Sandbags and other flood-fighting measures were welcome sights in various parts of Lake County in August.

But with the floodwaters long gone, some property owners who recently were found by a state agency to still have sandbags outside might face legal action if they don't get rid of them.

At least one resident and an American Legion hall in Gurnee, both near the Des Plaines River, were warned by village officials this week the sandbags are considered floodplain debris and must be removed by Oct. 16 or legal action will be taken.

Gurnee sent the warning letters to Emerald Avenue resident Elmer Fallos and the American Legion after receiving notification about the sandbags from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Assistant Village Administrator Patrick Muetz said.

Fallos said Thursday he thought the village's letter was heavy-handed. He said while he declined an offer to have village employees take his sandbags for free last month, no one gave him a deadline for removal.

To avoid a court confrontation, Fallos said he'll pay to have a company remove the sandbags today or Monday. He said he refused a village offer to collect the sand since receiving the letter because he was upset at how the situation was handled.

"They are (threatening) legal action instead of a friendly knock at the door," said Fallos, 45, a lifelong Gurnee resident.

Muetz said the village gave Fallos a fair chance to get rid of his sandbags without charge. Gurnee and Fox Lake are among the Lake County towns that can issue floodplain violation cease-and-desist orders, officials said.

Des Plaines River flooding occurred Aug. 25 in some portions of Gurnee near Route 132 and Old Grand Avenue. Fallos' home and the legion hall are near the river.

Muetz said village employees delivered pallets to affected property owners Sept. 7 to begin the sandbag-removal process. The village finished the cleanup Sept. 14.

John Lentz, the Department of Natural Resources' floodplain management adviser, said he checked Gurnee, Fox Lake and other areas after the water subsided last month. He didn't know how many potential floodplain violations he spotted,

Lentz said he provided his findings to Gurnee as part of a community assessment visit. That led to the letters sent by the village to Fallos and the American Legion.

American Legion Post 771 Commander William Frangquist said he wasn't familiar with Gurnee's letter about the sandbags. He said more than 100 sandbags were placed close to the Des Plaines River after village workers collected another batch in front of the American Legion's building.

Muetz said Gurnee is willing to provide the legion with a helping hand to remove the sandbags.

"We offered assistance to everyone during major clean-up efforts," he said, "and will once again make arrangements to assist those final few that declined the assistance initially, but still have sandbags that need to be removed."