Lake County subdivision to pay for water system

As a Friday deadline loomed, more than half of the homeowners in Hawthorn Woods' Glennshire subdivision each coughed up $11,600 to help fund construction of a new water system.

Lake County officials, who are overseeing the $3.6 million project, received payments from 142 of the neighborhood's 227 homeowners. That's more than 62 percent, and more than officials expected.

The number skyrocketed in the days leading up to the deadline. A week ago, fewer than 30 people had paid.

"It's been a very good turnout, and I'm very pleased," county public works Director Peter Kolb said. "Now we're moving ahead (with the plan)."

Residents who didn't pay the $11,600 lump-sum fee will be charged $85 a month for the next 30 years to pay their share - a total of $30,600 each, including interest.

The monthly fee will be added to water bills, officials said.

Christopher Donovan, leader of a local homeowners group, wasn't surprised by the surge of people meeting the deadline. Some paid the lump sum because they're planning to sell their homes in the next five or seven years and think the long-term payment plan could hurt their chances, Donovan said.

"They don't want this hanging over their homes," he said.

Donovan said he knows some homeowners who put the $11,600 payment on a credit card to avoid the county's interest fee.

County officials had planned to borrow about $3.1 million to help fund the project. Because so many homeowners paid their share of the bill upfront, the loan amount will be smaller, Kolb said.

In addition to what the residents are paying, the county is contributing $1 million to the project.

Construction could begin this month and is expected to take one year to complete.

The system is being constructed to replace shallow wells in the area that lack proper chlorine disinfectant.

Last year, residents filed a class-action lawsuit against the county, saying the government should fund the entire cost of the project.

The lawsuit hasn't been resolved.