'No perfect solution' to lift station

Tensions continued to flare Tuesday night as residents and Long Grove officials clashed on a site for a sewage lift station.

The station is proposed for Checker Road to serve the sewer lines for the Menards site at Lake-Cook Road and Old Route 53 as well as the residents of Country Club Estates, if they ever find the need to connect to a sewer system.

Several residents in nearby Country Club Meadows have been protesting the site over concerns that the station would cause a traffic safety problem and be hazardous to an existing pond.

"There is no perfect solution," said Joe Chiczewski, the village's engineer. "Several locations were visited."

Ultimately, the board agreed to talk to the Lake County Forest Preserve again to try to buy land so that the sewage station could be placed there. However, Village President Maria Rodriguez warned that the forest preserve was not likely to agree.

"It's not that I don't share your concerns," she said. "We went through it in detail. We listened to what you had to say."

Residents, though, didn't agree that the board was listening.

Many suggested other sites, but trustees and the engineers for the village and Menards said there are cons to every site. The present location is the most feasible when compared to the other possibilities, they said.

Residents presented their own cons for the Checker Road site, which included the station becoming a safety hazard because of its proximity to an S-curve on the road. The residents are also unhappy that it is being built along the scenic corridor; some referred to it as becoming the new landmark for their subdivision.

Trustee Stephanie Hannon, a resident of Country Club Meadows, agreed that the whole subdivision didn't want the station near it.

"It's one of the most scenic areas in Long Grove," she said.

There are also concerns that the station is near a pond and would affect the ecosystem.

The engineers have agreed to move the station 40 feet west to handle safety concerns, and they told residents that there will be no impact on the pond.

Residents also contended that Long Grove has the ability to locate the station elsewhere if the village is willing to spend enough money.

"If we could do it, we would," Rodriguez said. "It's not a financial reason."

Rodriguez said she will be meeting with Lake County Forest Preserve officials again on Friday. She said she's already approached them about buying land, and the district rejected the idea then.

If the district says no again, then Rodriguez said the village has run out of options.