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Barrington finalizes plan to improve flood-prone neighborhood

Final approval has been granted to a plan in which Barrington village government and the park district swap property in an effort to improve a flood-prone area of town.

Village government will transfer ownership of Richard Meinhard Memorial Park, at Bristol Drive and Concord Lane by Northwest Highway, to the Barrington Park District. In exchange, the park system will give open space just to the north at Richard Miller Park to the village.

The village will create a stormwater retention pond at 8-acre Miller Park in an effort to reduce the flooding risk around East Lincoln Avenue, Summit Street and East Russell Stree near Northwest Highway. The property was renamed in 1995 for Miller, who served as the park district's executive director for 37 years.

As part of a package of other items, the Barrington village board this week approved a special-use permit allowing the plans for both parks to proceed. Trustee Jason Lohmeyer praised how village and park officials struck the land-swap deal.

"I think that's a great use of resources for all our citizens, where different government bodies are able to work together for the common good of the entire community," Lohmeyer said. "And it benefits both entities in a very productive and logical way."

On the park district's end, the plan is install playground or other equipment at Meinhard, which would serve as a neighborhood park. The nearly 1-acre park was named in 2001 in honor of beloved mathematics teacher Richard Meinhard, who worked at Barrington High School for 30 years.

Meinhard was 69 when he died of complications of a stroke in October 2000.

Plans call for the retention pond to be built as part of a second phase of a project for sewer and water line upgrades in the village's southern end next year. The park district will keep Roy Wilmering Scout Cabin and its immediate surroundings at the park.

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