Arlington Heights to consider waiving permit fees for flood victims

Waiving permit fees for flooding victims looking to rebuild or repair damaged homes is a good idea, members of the Arlington Heights Village Board agreed this week, but without taking any immediate action on the proposal.

The idea came from Rosemary Harth, who said she is the last original resident of the Westgate neighborhood hit by flooding from last month's record rainfall.

Homeowners from that area, especially between Euclid Avenue, Campbell Street, Wilke Road and Yale Avenue, appeared before the village board Monday asking officials to take steps to prevent more flooding.

They were joined by residents of the Park Manor neighborhood near Dryden School, 722 S. Dryden Place.

While some suggested individual fixes such as checking for broken sewer pipes under the streets or installing more stormwater drains near their houses, others said there might be more general causes of the problems.

Trustee John Scaletta agreed the parking lot at Dryden School is higher than the street, and the ball fields should hold water during heavy rains. He also said the effect of the hill at Westgate Park should be checked, as some residents said water flows down into the neighborhood since the park's construction.

When the Dryden School parking lot was installed in 2005, detention was provided, said Jim Massarelli, the village's director of engineering. The village is talking to Arlington Heights Elementary District 25 about the situation, and the drainage system will be studied to be sure it is working properly, he said.

Massarelli said if the areas of the village with combined sanitary and stormwater sewer systems had separate systems like newer parts of town, it would not have made significant difference on July 23. All the sewer systems are designed to handle 2.5 to 3 inches of rain in 24 hours, and the record July 23 rain was almost 7 inches in just over three hours.

Residents disagreed when Village Manager Bill Dixon said 90 percent of the sewage backup problems would be alleviated if residents install overhead sewers. With these systems waste exits the house at about the first-floor level rather than through a lower point in the basement. The village reimburses homeowners half the $5,000 cost of installation.

Codes were changed in the late 1970s or early 1980s to require overhead sewers in new construction, said Massarelli.

Trustee Norman Breyer suggested a blue ribbon committee to study the drainage system in affected neighborhoods, but as with the possible fee waiver, no immediate action was taken.