Armstrong Park light fix waiting on stormwater project
A lighting outage in Carol Stream's Armstrong Park can't be fixed because the break in the electrical line sits underneath a large mound that won't be moved until a long-delayed stormwater project begins, officials said.
The outage has primarily affected light poles that illuminate the park's roller hockey court and baseball fields.
Crews from ComEd haven't been able to fix the break because of its location under the clay mound, which sits on the south side of the park at 391 Illini Drive near the former site of the Aldrin Community Center.
No Carol Stream Park District leagues have been affected by the power outages, since games were previously moved to McCaslin Park at North Avenue and St. Charles Road following completion of a $3.5 million renovation project there last year.
The electrical line break was thought to be in a certain location underneath the mound — and it was moved once — but the break was actually in a different spot. Now parks officials are waiting for the mound to be moved again, according to Julie Vogl, the park district's spokeswoman.
The mound consists of $350,000 worth of clay that is excess from other DuPage County projects. It will be used during construction of the $7 million stormwater management project at Armstrong, which includes two aboveground reservoirs and a siphon that will release stormwater to a downstream point in Klein Creek.
The project has faced delays in recent months while local officials waited for necessary state approvals. The park district, village and county boards authorized the project by way of an intergovernmental agreement in 2011, and final plans were approved this year following extensive engineering.
Mary Mitros, DuPage County's stormwater outreach coordinator, said Thursday county bidding documents are now being finalized and contractors will be asked “any day now” to put in bids.
Once a construction firm is chosen for the project and approved by the county board, work will commence.
That's when ComEd is expected to have access to the electrical line to be able to restore power to the park, Vogl said.
Meanwhile this week, the park board approved a $14,500 contract with an engineering consultant to design plans for moving an electrical transformer box out of a flood-prone area of Armstrong Park.
The box currently sits in the floodway near baseball fields, and sometimes costs the park district as much as $15,000 to repair each time it's damaged. The consultant, Primera, will evaluate moving it somewhere “high and dry” to prevent future damage, Vogl said.