St. James Farm to get water service from Wheaton

St. James Farm is scheduled to get water next year from Wheaton as part of a roughly $2.9 million plan to connect the property to the city's distribution system.

DuPage County Forest Preserve commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved an intergovernmental agreement between the district and city that allows the property to get municipal water service.

"This is a great opportunity for us to continue to expand the accessibility of St. James," Commissioner Tim Whelan said before the vote. "It's a great addition, and I'm thankful for the city of Wheaton working with us to do this."

The forest district bought the farm from philanthropist and conservationist Brooks McCormick in 2000 for $43 million.

The district took possession of the roughly 600-acre property along Winfield Road after McCormick's death in 2006.

While visitors can enjoying hiking, bicycling and other outdoor activities at the property, they aren't yet able to spend time inside the historic buildings, including an indoor horse riding arena.

One reason the buildings have been closed to the public is because the farm gets its water from underground wells.

Getting municipal water would allow for life-safety improvements at the buildings. Then the structures can be opened to the public and used for programs, officials said.

To get the water, the district plans to spend roughly $2.9 million to design and build a water main to connect Wheaton's distribution system to the farm. The money also would pay for tap-on fees and permitting costs.

The plan calls for the water main to generally follow Hoy Avenue, from the intersection of Wiesbrook and Butterfield roads near Wheaton Warrenville South High School.

Officials said they expect construction of the water main and a sanitary line to start in the fall and take about 10 months to complete.