Village of Lincolnshire Committee of the Whole met May 26.
Here is the minutes provided by the committee:
Present:
Mayor Brandt
Trustee Hancock
Trustee Leider
Trustee Raizin
Trustee Grujanac
Trustee Harms Muth
Trustee Pantelis
Village Attorney Simon
Village Clerk Mastandrea
Village Manager Burke
Chief of Police Leonas
Public Works Director Woodbury
Treasurer/Finance Director Peterson
Assistant Village Manager/Community & Economic Development Director Gilbertson
Assistant Public Works Director/Village Engineer Dittrich
*This was a remote video-conference meeting*
1.0 ROLL CALL
Mayor Brandt called the meeting to order at 7:53 p.m., and Village Manager Burke called the Roll.
2.0 ITEMS OF GENERAL BUSINESS
2.1 Planning, Zoning and Land Use
2.2 Finance and Administration
2.3 Public Works
2.31 Presentation of the Village-Wide Drainage Study (Village of Lincolnshire)
Assistant Public Works Director/Village Engineer Dittrich provided some background and a summary of the Village-Wide Drainage Study. Portions of the study have already been shared with residents on Lincolnshire Drive at a neighborhood meeting held in February. The study will be used in the capital planning and budget preparation.
Village Manager Burke read the public comments into the record that were received electronically as follows:
• Mariola and Erick Gantt, residents at 69 Lincolnshire Drive – “Over our several years living on Wiltshire Drive and most recently on Lincolnshire Drive, it has become painfully obvious that the storm sewer infrastructure in at least the Riverwoods subdivision is woefully obsolete, not designed for the current levels of rainfall and runoff we are experiencing, and likely in many areas the existing system is damaged from deterioration over several decades. We are experiencing flash flooding too frequently, often during moderate rainfall events. Regardless of other issues concerning water inundation, including the berm and its condition, and things influencing the Des Plaines river watershed upstream, the drainage of the neighborhood needs to be addressed. We can address these other issues separately, the berm included, and possible mitigation of what's happening upstream. But the village has completed this drainage study that has produced some excellent engineering results presented at the preliminary meeting February 26th, and we think action should be taken as soon as possible. We are grateful for the effort and expense the village and Public Works Department has taken to obtain the results of this study and look forward to the next steps.”
• David Ginople, resident at 81 Lincolnshire Drive –“As new owners of 81 Lincolnshire, my partner and I are distressed by the lack of concern over flooding. We did our due diligence and research regarding flooding prior to our purchase. We have since learned that Indian Creek is a drainage channel for run off from multiple northern suburbs. Also, the sewers currently cannot handle the drainage from neighboring homes. Yet, you want to channel more storm water toward Lincolnshire Dr. and the Des Plaines River. What are your plans for flood mitigation to prevent damage to homes along Lincolnshire Drive?”
• Mr. George Hefner, resident at 11 Briarwood Lane – “I am submitting comment for the public record on agenda item 2.31, the presentation of the Village Wide Drainage Study by the Public Works Department. I live at 11 Briarwood Lane and have a detention easement and conservancy area behind my home which drains into a storm sewer at the southeast corner of my property. Multiple other properties on Briarwood Lane, Surrey Lane and Durham Court also back up to this conservancy area. The conservancy area and area designated as a detention easement on my plat of survey has always taken on storm water runoff from the back sides of adjacent properties as designed, however, over the past several years the amount of water and retention of water has become acutely worse such that often a reservoir of water develops. Not only is this harmful to the mature trees (many have died) but it has resulted in a swamp like transformation of what used to be a beautiful conservancy area. Furthermore, I am aware of one neighbor who has been experiencing recurrent flooding of their finished basement due to this issue. I have contacted the village personnel multiple times and they have been very helpful. Apparently, the storm sewer that drains this area gets recurrent downstream occlusions that requires the village to clear the line after every significant rainfall. Although this helps, I do not feel it is a long term solution and am concerned that more residential flooding may easily occur to other properties if this is not addressed. Recently, I became aware of retrograde flow of storm water runoff from the Briarwood Lane storm sewer system back into the area behind my property. I believe the area is not designated as a detention basin, however, it has now become one. When significant rainfall occurs, storm water can be seen flowing in a retrograde fashion from the storm sewer drain back into the conservancy area at a rapid rate. I suspect that recent development of land in Lincolnshire has contributed to the amount of rainwater that needs to be managed, however, the current system cannot handle this increase. With an inadequate and flawed storm sewer pipe downstream from my property, the water is diverted to the path of least resistance and lowest elevation, the conservancy area behind the properties of Briarwood Lane, Surrey Lane and Durham Court. I was unaware and did not participate in the July 2019 open house hosted by the village to receive input from residents. Thank you for accepting this comment at this time in the process. I am hopeful that the village will consider the concerns that I have expressed, also knowing that many of my neighbors have similar concerns, so that a solution can be soon found.”
• Chris Acampora, resident at 225 Surrey Lane – “We have been discussing this issue for years. I’m not asking the city to fix our yard. I’m asking the city to fix the detention area. The water backs-up and overflows in the wrong direction, passing through 227 Surrey Lane and onto our property overtaking the residential storm sewer that is meant to handle the normal storm water runoff between our two properties. The ditch 227 put in doesn’t help but it isn’t the cause. Please consult the maps you sent to George (11 Briarwood) - no water from the detention pond should be hitting our property, or 227’s we are in the opposite direction of where the water should be flowing. Please see the attached pictures from May 17th to see the amount of runoff we received during heavy rainfall and flash flooding- no residential solution can fix that. Nor should a resident have to help the Village circumvent water from a failing system especially when we have not granted permission for our property and basement to be the Villages backup detention pond. This is a long known issue. We have put in significant expenses that you helped consult on - namely the French drain 3 years ago. We also put in two drain boxes in front of the basement window, have experienced dead and dying landscaping, repeated basement flooding and currently can’t use our basement due to new mold growth. Our wood basement window is rotting and needs replacement. The side yard looks hideous. The dirt has been washed away down to the cement posts. This is an urgent issue - we have been patient for years, we have paid for all the fixes and we have heard too many times about other issues in the city, pulling out debris, unclogging pipes etc. The city budget isn’t my problem. You need to convey to them that you need to money to fix what is drastically wrong even if that is not city-wide, but more locally restricted to our home. I am hopeful that what you present at tonight’s meeting will not only address that, but will do so with a sense of urgency to this particular detention area, in light of foreseeable summer rainfall. We trust, the owner of 227 will fix his issue, but again, this is not the cause. We are also not asking for the Village to work on our yard and property line, but we are stating clearly that our yard and home are not available for damaging runoff from a failing detention system.”
Mr. Darren Olson, assistant department head in the Water Resource Division of Christopher B. Burke Engineering introduced Dave Buckley, project manager for the Village-Wide Stormwater Study project.
Mr. Olson provided the Village-Wide Stormwater Study presentation of results including the scope of the study, data collection and engineering analysis, causes of flooding, preview of potential drainage improvements, capital improvements, other drainage improvements, funding, and a summary of possible next steps.
Trustee Raizin asked what the order of urgency was based on the results of the study. Mr. Olson noted the Village is best spending the money within the right-of-way because you want to allow your drainage system to accept drainage from the private properties and bring it to the river. Christopher B. Burke Engineering is working with Village staff to develop a matrix to prioritize projects identified in the study. One of the things that sticks out is the length of time Lincolnshire Drive is flooded and enter in an equation of what properties are benefited from the improvements. Mr. Olson stated to keep in mind some of the projects closer to the river will take longer to obtain permits.
Trustee Hancock stated the past three years in May, there have been record rainfall and asked if these were 10-year rain events or 100-year rain events. Mr. Olson noted the rainfall occurring over the entire month of May might not even be a 10-year event. May 10 – May 16 had over 6” over the whole Des Plaines River watershed within Lake County, so this did get up to a 10-year flood elevation, but none of the events have resulted in a 100-year rain event. The event this past May was essentially a 10-year flood event. Trustee Hancock noted concern that 10-year events would occur more, the mitigation strategy in the area might not address this, and asked if there is anything to be done to increase berms or redirect the river to address this possible occurrence. Mr. Olson stated in regards to statistics of the events, this is precisely why the data has recently been updated which is used as part of the study. Engineers are now using more recent rainfall models to develop storm water system designs. The design is not based on the outdated information but the current rainfall standards. Mr. Olson stated in regards to the berm and the river, this is a bigger issue. If we try to mitigate flooding on the Des Plaines River, all the berms are in the floodway, they are on private property, and there is a lot of regulations that would be required to elevate the berm which would eliminate flood storage. This then makes a project like increasing the berm more of a county or regional issue.
Mayor Brandt asked if the Lincolnshire Marriott golf course was addressed in the study. Mr. Olson stated they did not and noted it was his understanding the golf course is conducting their own study. Assistant Public Works Director/Village Engineer Dittrich noted the goal of the Village study was to look at the residential flooding. Mayor Brandt noted concern for the recent project done at the Lincolnshire Creek/Coventry area. Assistant Public Works Director/Village Engineer Dittrich stated the goal of that project was to handle the rain events that inundated the yards. It was not intended to solve the entire problem. What was done was an effort to reduce the amount of water coming over the banks of the creek. Mayor Brandt asked if this project worked. Assistant Public Works Director/Village Engineer Dittrich stated it has helped, but not eliminated the issue.
Mayor Brandt noted concern regarding the major flooding north of Route 22 due to development and asked if this area was looked at. Mr. Olson stated this area was looked at in the study, and it was verified this area had 10-year level of service in the storm sewers. This area is in need of detention area basin maintenance.
Assistant Public Works Director/Village Engineer Dittrich stated his opinion would be for the Village to adopt a multi-tiered approach with addressing the improvements needed. Many of the detention areas are smaller scale and could be addressed quicker.
Mayor Brandt asked if any Park Development Funds could be used on any of the recommended detention basin projects. Assistant Public Works Director/Village Engineer Dittrich stated he was not sure and would have to look into this and report back to the Board.
Trustee Harms Muth asked if we went down the path of doing the capital improvement projects, if the river is still high, would these improvement do anything helpful for the residents that are in the floodplain. Mr. Olson stated the only capital improvement project that is affected by the river, is the Lincolnshire Drive south project, all the others are designed to function regardless of what the river level would be. The Lincolnshire Drive south project is the one where if the river got up to the 10-year elevation, the pump would not be able to keep up. Mr. Olson stated the other capital improvements of adding new storm sewers would continue to function as designed.
Trustee Pantelis noted the report states much of the water is coming from the north and asked if anyone else is looking to address the flooding problem. Mr. Olson stated Lake County Stormwater Management Commission (LCSMC) is very actively involved in managing what is going on in the county and looking to Wisconsin to establish some cooperation between the watershed stakeholders north and south. They would be the best to speak of this effort.
Trustee Hancock asked if there has been any assumptions for projects north of Lincolnshire that may push water down the Des Plaines River to Lincolnshire as a result. Mr. Olson stated the current model assumes that there would be no increase in flow rates coming down stream based on future development which is largely based on the fact that all new development in Lake County Illinois is required to install storm water detention and infiltration. Wisconsin has some different regulations, but requires some storm water management.
Mayor Brandt noted concern regarding how projects to the north are being handled. Trustee Leider noted concern regarding trying to manage something we have no control over; the Des Plaines River, which is not going to get better but only get worse and then spending money to try and fix the issues on Lincolnshire Drive. Trustee Leider stated he feels bad for the residents on Lincolnshire Drive, but the Village has to think carefully on prioritizing money spent.
A conversation regarding impacts of the river, the Marriott golf course possibly taking on some of the river, and how the Village can be effective with the money spent on possible projects ensued.
Trustee Grujanac asked if it would be beneficial to bring in Lake County to see if Lincolnshire could work together with them.
Mr. Olson noted they were the consultant for LCSMC. They looked at the Foxconn study when looking at developments north of the border and possible impacts from that on Lake County, IL. There will be impacts on Lake County from this with Lincolnshire being one of the southern areas impacted.
Trustee Grujanac asked if there is open space north of us that can be developed. Mr. Olson confirmed there was still open space north of Lincolnshire that could be developed within this watershed. This would then affect the water flow coming to Lincolnshire.
Mayor Brandt asked how old the storm sewer system was on Lincolnshire Drive/Cumberland area and areas recommending improvements. Assistant Public Works Director/Village Engineer Dittrich stated he was not sure when additions were made to the original system and would have to investigate and report back to the Board.
Mayor Brandt asked what the plan for next steps was for the Village.
Assistant Public Works Director/Village Engineer Dittrich stated next steps for Lincolnshire are to take feedback from the Board, finalize the report to prioritize improvements within the report, and work the projects identified into the Capital Improvement Plan.
Trustee Raizin asked how long some of these projects will take. Mr. Olson stated the design for some of the more complex projects can take up to 2 years. A conversation regarding possible coordination and time frame for some of the projects followed.
Current issues on Lincolnshire Drive/Cumberland Drive were then discussed.
Trustee Hancock asked if the Marriott has given any indication regarding what they are contemplating for their site. Mayor Brandt stated they are doing a study and looking at some options which cannot be currently discussed.
Mr. Buckley stated with regard to the Lincolnshire Drive project, they did look at how many times Des Plaines River exceeded the elevation of the berm and it only occurred 6 times since 1991 which is according to the gauge data. This is when the elevation comes over the berm and becomes a part of the river. Trustee Leider noted this berm is also in disrepair and needs work. Mayor Brandt asked if Stonegate Circle is included in the study. Mr. Buckley stated he would have to check if Stonegate Circle is included. Mr. Olson stated the current storm drain does not have capacity to get the water off of Lincolnshire Drive no matter what the elevation of the river.
A conversation regarding the pump station, levels of the river effecting Lincolnshire Drive, and the proposed Lincolnshire Drive projects followed.
Trustee Hancock noted a term “making the detention of suitable use” was used in reporting and asked Mr. Olson why this term was used. Mr. Olson said the term meant “state of good repair” meaning bring it back to what it was originally designed to instead of bringing it up to current standards. Trustee Leider stated his opinion would be if they were going to fix it, it should be done right or to current standards. Trustee Hancock asked if this could be done. Assistant Public Works Director/Village Engineer Dittrich stated this was possible. It would be a matter of looking at all the costs benefits and impacts.
A conversation regarding distribution of fees for possible improvements followed.
Trustee Raizin asked if there are any areas of open land in the Village that could support a larger detention area. Assistant Public Works Director/Village Engineer Dittrich noted the Des Plaines River area is where Mr. Olson was trying to work with and there is nothing in the Village to work with for this purpose.
It was noted that any improvements on Lincolnshire Drive; in the floodplain, would need Federal, State, and County permit approval to move forward.
Assistant Village Manager/Community & Economic Development Director Gilbertson noted a comment came through from Karnig Kerkonian, resident at 77 Lincolnshire Drive that states “I live on the river. Thank you to the Board and CBBEL. The comment regarding the water not coming over the berm is correct. I have lived here for nearly 9 years and it has not cleared my berm. With that said, Lincolnshire Drive has been closed numerous times each year and there are places where the berm needs repair; however, that does not take away from the fact that our storm sewer system is under par. That much is clear from the study. Nearly 200 families are impacted in the Lincolnshire Drive area. Our objective can only be mitigation in making this situation better. It’s not about a final solution. We cannot let perfection be the enemy for the good here. Mitigation, a 10-year flood which this study provides a path to do is necessary.”
Mayor Brandt thanked everyone for the time and efforts for this meeting and noted staff will provide the next steps.
2.4 Public Safety
2.5 Parks and Recreation
2.6 Judiciary and Personnel
3.0 UNFINISHED BUSINESS 4.0 NEW BUSINESS
5.0 EXECUTIVE SESSION 6.0 ADJOURNMENT
Trustee Grujanac moved and Trustee Harms Muth seconded the motion to adjourn. Upon a voice vote, the motion was approved unanimously and Mayor Brandt declared the meeting adjourned at 9:50 p.m.
https://www.lincolnshireil.gov/government/about/agendas-minutes-packets-video?format=raw&task=download&fid=2424
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