Hoffman Estates plans drainage projects in older neighborhood

With a change of policy and a new funding source, Hoffman Estates officials are hoping to quickly address drainage problems in the oldest part of the village.

The Parcel A subdivision - located south of Golf Road, north of Higgins Road and generally east of Roselle Road - is unique in the village for having roadside ditches for stormwater drainage instead of curbs and gutters.

Though located in the public right-of-way, maintenance of the ditches previously was considered the responsibility of the homeowners. But most have refused to pay the costly expense for such work, despite the impact on the general welfare of the area, Hoffman Estates Director of Engineering Gary Salavitch said.

On Monday, the village's public works & utilities committee recommended a change in policy to make the work eligible for village funding, a move aimed at eliminating perennial problems like flooding, icing and mosquito breeding in the area.

And with the village's new stormwater fee to pay for the work, the annual budget to tackle the projects is being raised from $25,000 to $50,000, Salavitch said.

The fee, created last year, is proportional to each property owner's lot size and amount of impervious surface - the true measure of its contribution to drainage issues, he added.

Among a list of 14 potential improvement projects, Salavitch chose three to do this year based on their priority and available funding.

The most costly of these, at $25,000, is the replacement of a sidewalk and regrading of the parkway on the 1900 block of Larchmont Road, where drainage currently is inadequate.

A $10,000 project on Des Plaines Lane would extend the storm sewer to an area where a backyard drains to the street and causes an icing problem.

A $20,000 project on Apricot Street would regrade a ditch that doesn't drain properly.

Though the cost estimates exceed the new budget by $5,000, Salavitch hopes to be closer to budget if bids for the work are favorable.

The village board will consider approval of the recommended policy and funding changes Monday, May 5.