Rolling Meadows might condemn land for flood prevention
Rolling Meadows will condemn an easement on a 35-foot strip of land behind a condominium complex if the community's residents don't agree on a flood prevention project, the city council decided Tuesday.
If detention were improved on the south part of land owned by Brookwood Condominium Association, it could prevent flooding in neighboring Gettysburg, said Fred Vogt, public works director. The communities are south of Kirchoff Road and just west of Route 53.
The land is a natural waterway that collects runoff not only from Brookwood but also from unincorporated land nearby, Vogt said.
The city has been seeking a solution ever since a heavy rain in 2007 flooded streets and yards in Gettysburg, he said.
Since 2011, leaders of the condominium association have not responded to communications from the city, officials said. A condominium association officer declined to comment Wednesday.
Tuesday's ordinance calls for the city to try negotiations, and if they fail to use eminent domain to obtain an easement.
Aldermen passed the ordinance without comment but in the past have said the city must plan to recover any costs from Brookwood.
Trees that have sprung up in the detention pond on the Brookwood property must be removed, and the pond must be enlarged, Vogt said. The project will spread to a 10-foot strip in the backyards of homes in Gettysburg, but the city owns an easement for that land.
The city obtained an appraisal that valued the easement at $23,000. The construction is estimated at $120,000 to $150,000, according to documents presented at the meeting.
City officials believe that both Brookwood and Gettysburg should pay toward the project. However, Vogt said the state has given the city a $75,000 grant for stormwater improvements that must be spent before the end of 2014. In addition, Palatine Township might contribute.
Brookwood has about 120 condominiums and was built in the 1970s, he said. Gettysburg is a community of 25 homes from the late 1980s.