Sequoit Creek uncovered, bypassed to establish new channel for gateway park in Antioch

Unless you're involved, it's difficult to know exactly what is happening at a prominent corner in downtown Antioch.

Contours are being shaped, and piles of rock and earth, hunks of concrete and other activities on the site only hint at the big picture.

Although much more needs to be done, village officials say progress is being made on a complicated project to uncover Sequoit Creek as the focal point of a $12.5 million gateway park.

Heavy equipment appeared on-site more than a year ago and the overall project is 10% to 15% complete. As with many big projects, preparation and behind the scenes detail have taken awhile.

"I think people now are happy to see movement over there," said Mayor Scott Gartner.

Before this point, about 3,000 tons of contaminated soil were removed, and more has been identified. Other considerations also surfaced.

"The utility relocation from overhead to underground is complex, and that took us a while to resolve," said Village Administrator Jim Keim.

The focus now is creating the channel through which a realigned Sequoit Creek will flow within the 3.5-acre project area bounded by Main (Route 83), Depot and Orchard streets.

"We're working on the downstream section now," explained John McCormick, project superintendent for Boller Construction Co. "The creek is being pumped all the way around. It's a bypass system."

That's done via a series of pipes between the culverts at Orchard and under the Main Street bridge. That will be the case until all utility conflicts are settled and the site is clear to proceed.

Excavation continues to establish a 60-foot-wide, curving creek channel, and work is starting on stone outcroppings, overlooks on Orchard and Main streets and foundations for bridges.

About 1,000 feet of the creek was buried and flood control is a priority, village officials say. Lake County provided $2.75 million via the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for creek improvements.

"This project will alleviate the public safety and flood hazard posed by a system of deteriorating culverts through which Sequoit Creek currently flows through downtown Antioch and will benefit more than 150 properties," according to the project description.

Sequoit Creek enters Antioch from the southeast, and the water powered a grain mill in the 1800s. The mill foundation was uncovered during excavation and removed. So were two old wagon wheels, McCormick said.

Because it spans a large watershed area, the creek can be active and have a significant flow or almost no flow during dry times, Keim said.

"There's more to it than most people think. It's not as simple as digging a creek channel," Keim said. "We had to get the geometry right so that it was an attractive feature no matter the flow."

The creek was buried about 50 years ago to make way for commercial development, including a gas station and auto dealership. The culvert was extended when Orchard Street was built in the 1990s.

The businesses closed about 20 years ago. Village leaders, realizing it was an important location, bought three homes on the east side of the site in 2009. Safety concerns with sink holes from failing culverts pushed the issue, and the village, in early 2020, bought seven parcels known as the Pittman property for $510,000.

"We bought it knowing we had environmental issues to resolve," Keim said.

A consultant was hired in early 2022 and a to-be-named gateway park emerged as the preferred option. Besides a community gathering place, the park is expected to provide an economic boost for downtown and prompt private investment.

"There's more to come from downtown," Keim said. "This is not a one and done."