Mount Prospect flood relief project gets financial boost

Mount Prospect will receive a grant of more than $3 million from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago to pay for nearly half of a flood mitigation project on the village's east side.

The stormwater improvements at Aspen Trails Park are part of wider relief efforts related to Levee 37 along the Des Plaines River. The work also includes upgrades at Burning Bush Trails Park.

Public Works Director Sean Dorsey said the village will receive more than $3 million from MWRD, which will cover 48% of the construction costs of the Aspen Hills project.

"The MWRD has been a good partner to work with," he said, adding that the agency contributed more than $1.3 million toward the Burning Bush work.

The projects, being done in collaboration with the River Trails Park District, involve building areas for additional stormwater storage at the parks, which should reduce neighborhood flooding during heavy rainstorms.

Dorsey said he hopes to see work at Aspen Trails begin later this year, while construction at Burning Bush is "on the tee" for this summer. Another related project is construction of a supplemental pump station at Levee 37 that promises to increase the pumping capacity at the levee.

"This is so great to see this moving along," Mayor Arlene Juracek said. "It just means we're getting to the finish line."

She praised the effort that involved the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the MWRD, Prospect Heights and her predecessors as mayor.

Trustee Richard Rogers, who lives in the area of Mount Prospect that stands to benefit, gave credit to Dorsey and said residents are looking forward to the work getting done.

"I know, talking to my neighbors, because I'm just three blocks away from Park Avenue, and they are so happy that this is coming to pass," he added. "Most of them have been complaining all these years, and now we have something to celebrate."