Arlington Heights to discuss more flood fixes Wednesday
Arlington Heights residents will get a chance to hear about more potential fixes for neighborhood flooding during a community meeting Wednesday that will outline nearly $16.3 million in solutions to trouble spots in seven parts of town.
The dollar figures are estimates in a Christopher Burke Engineering study of seven separate sewer systems that have had flooding issues in the past. It will be up to the village board later this year to decide which, if any, of the fixes to pursue.
The study, first commissioned in 2012, looked at the following areas: Burr Oak Drive and Dryden Place; the 2600 block of North Stuart Drive; Hintz Road West of Arlington Heights Road; the Greenbriar/Roanoke/Wilke area; the University Drive detention basin; the 600 to 1100 blocks of North Forest Avenue; and Regency Park East.
The study outlines small fixes for some areas, such as adding inlets or connecting to existing storm sewers, which could cost less than $100,000. On the other hand, another proposed solution would be an extension of the University Drive detention basin into a village-owned parcel or vacant lot, at a cost of up to $6.8 million.
Officials will go into further detail about the study and its recommendations for each area at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, in the board room of village hall, 33 S. Arlington Heights Road.
The costs outlined in the Burke study are in addition to results from a separate study by CDM Smith Engineering, which were presented to the public last month.
The earlier study looked at eight neighborhood areas along the village's combined sewer system that have had consistent flooding issues.
Fixes outlined in that study added up to either $11 million or $13 million and may have additional costs for residents to install overhead sewers at their homes.
During the village election last year, trustees running for office said infrastructure costs would be the biggest concern in the next few years. Village officials have said there is no funding mechanism in place for the expensive fixes that are needed.
During the January meeting, Village President Tom Hayes said the road to fixing Arlington Heights' flooding issues has been long but will be worthwhile in the end.