East Dundee replacing Hill Street lift station

Construction has begun on the antiquated lift station in the middle of East Dundee's town square.

The equipment that serves as an integral part of the village's sewage and water systems dates back to the 1950s and has since been kept in an aboveground pump house directly in the middle of Hill Street. The equipment soon will be replaced and moved entirely underground, Village President Lael Miller said.

That area will then be leveled and paved, allowing Hill Street to run all the way through, he said.

"That'll help with parking and congestion," Miller said. "It really opens up traffic and offers more opportunities for development."

The current lift station equipment is so old, it's no longer manufactured, Miller said. If residents want their water to run and their toilets to flush, he said, it'd have to be replaced anyway.

Village Administrator Bob Skurla said the project serves another purpose: To finish phase one of the village's redevelopment plan, which includes street and infrastructure projects.

The improvement project, which Miller said costs approximately $900,000, was included in the budget with $2.4 million set aside for downtown development. Village officials earlier approved a short-term bond for the project, which will be paid back using tax increment financing and business development district funds, Skurla said.

"We're completing the area around The Depot so it becomes more of a town square," he said. "This will really open up the west side of the (Fox River Trail) bike path and get more parking over there, too."

The project should be completed by mid-December, Skurla said.