Concerns about forthcoming stormwater mitigation work at Madison Early Childhood Center caused some contention on the Elmhurst District 205 Board.
The debate centered on a memo prepared by V3, an engineering firm the district engaged to review plans for the Madison site, located at 130 W. Madison St. Work was to begin this summer, but the start date was pushed back to Sept. 26, as all parties are trying to find ways to revise construction schedules to not interfere with school operations.
School board member James Collins worried that the whole project would be disruptive to the students at the school, some of whom have special needs. He suggested the board was being “naive” and suggested asking the city not to do any work when school was in session.
Superintendent David Moyer said that the V3 memo came about because the district was concerned that the need to tear up the street to put in drainage infrastructure would be disruptive to drop-off and pick-up activities at the school.
Moyer said the city has committed to doing road work on Saturdays or after school hours and that they will provide assistance with directing traffic. The district, he said, will work with the city to make sure communication will go out to affected families.
Moyer acknowledged the timing was not ideal but assured the board that the city “is sensitive to our concerns and is committed to working this out.”
“We were expecting a summer timeline,” he said. “I don’t know why it’s been pushed back.”
Plans call for lowering the surfaces of open areas, such as soccer and ball fields, and replacing the subgrade below the playing surfaces with better draining soil. This will allow fields to be usable again within a day or two after a large rain event. City staff concluded the Madison site could provide flood reduction benefits to 63 homes in a 100-year storm event.
Board member John McDonough said that V3 seemed to be telling the board and the city to change the construction schedule. He noted that changes could be made in equipment staging, but the district should still be concerned about adverse impacts to the school.
“Once we go down that road there’s not much we can do,” he said, adding that he wanted the city to assure that the work will not disrupt school activities.
Other board members were satisfied with Moyer’s assurances that the city was aware of the district’s concerns.
“I want to have a discussion with the city,” said board member Emily Bastedo. “I don’t want to sit here tonight and tell them no.”
Bastedo recalled that Jackson School parents had regular emails about construction near the school, and said she would like to see similar measures with this project.
“I feel like we are micromanaging this,” she said.
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Collins noted that the project was already delayed.
“So we’ve had our first hiccup,” Bastedo responded “Do you want to cancel the whole project?”
Board member Chris Blum reiterated that the board just wants to know if the most disruptive activities can occur on nights and weekends. Board member Karen Stuefen asked to continue the discussion with the city and have a plan on how exactly both entities can mitigate any impact on school operations.
“This project was not going to transpire without some impact on the school,” Moyer said, adding that he would try to present to the board a clearer idea of the potential disruption to school activities.
The city has been working with both District 205 and the Elmhurst Park District to use open land for extra drainage and storage during heavy rains to relieve yards and streets that have been flooding frequently in recent years.
Under the terms of the agreement, city will bear the full costs of designing and constructing the detention facility. The city will also pay to maintain and repair the stormwater-related improvements. The city will have use of the area under an easement from District 205. Work was expected to start in June but won’t get under way until Sept. 26.
Carol Morency is a freelance report for Pioneer Press.