Villa Park residents ask village for more flood relief

Doug O'Reilly is so frustrated with flooding problems on his street, he says he's willing to help the village for free.

"In the winter, if they give me a Bobcat, I'll go clean the streets," he said. "But I'll do my street first."

He and his neighbors already are out on Washington Street checking sewers and clearing away leaves and debris. The machine would make the job easier.

"I've seen village staff drive by. Never once have they gotten out to help us," O'Reilly said. "I haven't seen a street sweeper since November. I'll admit he drove down it yesterday at 40 mph."

Two dozen Villa Park residents urged their village board this week to get to work on solutions to long-standing, widespread flooding problems in the community.

Several residents lodged complaints Monday night against the village for failing to do its part to slow the floodwaters. Several mentioned that public works crews had not been down their streets for months to help residents clear debris from clogging the sewer system.

Public Works Director Vydas Juskelis said crews have been out when the weather permitted but haven't gotten through the entire community since the recent storms.

Crews responded to 150 reports overall during the last two storms combined. Of those, there were more than 80 flooded streets, 40 flooded yards and 47 sanitary sewer backups, Juskelis said. They cleared 25 stormwater inlets during the Feb. 27 storm and 19 during the March 7-9 storm, he said.

"You have a great policy but you haven't been doing it ... keeping those drains clean," Michele O'Reilly said.

Residents also suggested the village take down some sycamore trees with exceptionally large leaves that clog drains. Others urged the village to work with the state to find a way to get the water from their yards to Sugar Creek on the other side of Route 83.

Some asked for the status of road and sewer projects and when they might get some relief. Some got good news, while many learned they'd have to wait for more investigations.

Work on the South Myrtle Avenue project will resume next month and should be complete within 75 days, Juskelis said. Work on Michigan Avenue, from Park Boulevard to Madison Street, is scheduled for next year, he said.

The village also is working with several individual property owners for joint projects, where costs are shared, but funding is limited.