Hampshire to fix leaky basements

Businesses in downtown Hampshire could receive financial help from the village to combat leaky basements.

The village board on Thursday discussed a reimbursement program to offset the costs of plugging floor drains to prevent water from entering the basements of about five businesses on State Street.

Although a stormwater sewer line connected to floor drains in the downtown area was recently disconnected, Village Administrator Eric Palm said some business owners have said water continues to find its way into their properties.

"Whenever there is a heavy rain ... some of that water comes into the basements through the floor drains," Palm said. "It is the desire of the business owners for the village to start doing something."

The board agreed to research the cost of digging near the foundation of the buildings to the sewer line and plugging up the connection. Palm estimated the cost of such work would be about $500 to $1,000, though others estimated the cost could be higher.

"Each building is unique, and each building will have its own system," Village Engineer Brad Sanderson said.

The board, however, declined to reimburse a business owner who said he had spent about $2,000 in cleaning up a flooded basement that he says was caused by the disconnected stormwater sewer drain.

"If your next-door neighbor did something that does damage, you would not feel so about it either," said Ray Witaske, a local attorney.

In addition to the reimbursement, the village will line the stormwater sewer line on the east side of State Street, which should alleviate the flooding issues for businesses on the east side of the street, Palm said.

The cost of the project will be $6,680 to line about 680 feet of stormwater sewer line.