Carpentersville bike park improvements to fix erosion, drainage issues

Carpentersville has committed to tackling erosion and drainage issues in the lowlands of Keith Andres Memorial Park after receiving state funding for the more than $1 million project.

The bike park has become a regional cycling hub in the last several years, thanks to an ongoing series of infrastructure upgrades made by the volunteer group Chicago Area Mountain Bikers. Sections of the park are filled with miles of mountain biking trails, hills, jumps and other features suitable for cyclists of varying levels.

The village also has had a hand in the transformation of the once-degraded park property, including beautification efforts and the completion last year of $70,000 worth of improvements to the entrance at Sacramento Drive.

But at the bottom of the park's ravine, away from the bike trails, erosion and flooding issues have created unsafe and unusable land conditions, engineering manager Ed Szydlowski said. Decades-old stormwater infrastructure no longer functions properly, he said, and broken concrete clutters the area.

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency this year awarded Carpentersville $649,507 to assist with the restoration of the ravine and stream. Those funds make up about 60 percent of construction costs, Szydlowski said, and the remaining expenses will be funded by the village.

Carpentersville hired Christopher B. Burke Engineering Ltd. last year to complete a preliminary engineering study, which was necessary to apply for the grant, Szydlowski said. Last week, trustees approved a $156,000 deal with the Rosemont-based firm to complete the next phases of design and engineering work.

The project is expected to include removing and fixing the damaged infrastructure, realigning the stream, regrading the land and stabilizing the banks to prevent future erosion, Szydlowski said. The improvements are similar to the work completed along Carpenter Park a few years ago.

"This really is a water quality thing," he said. "It's another project to promote clean water and stabilize the banks to prevent erosion."