Stormwater Commission

STORMWATER COMMISSION MEETING SUMMARY June 22, 2009 The following persons were present: Richard Wlodarski, Scott Jochim, Mousa Nazzal, Andrew Vitale, Chuck Ostman, Steven Vinezeano, Chairman Joe Lo Verde and Mayor Callero. I. Friday storm discussion: Over 2.5 inches of rain fell on the area during the morning and 5 inches overall charging some sewer systems. Public Services stated that very few basement floods were reported. The two know were due to a failed sump pump and overland water from cemetery near Albion. Nordica reported flooding Monday morning in kitchen from rear yard flooding near Forest Preserve District. Stormwater was once again seen cascading from Maryhill down Main and Washington and a berm was discussed. Opening the sewer on Maryhill did not provide enough relief to prevent this. The Park District once again pumped out water for neighbor near Greenwood Park. No flooding on Kirk Lane. General Government was out on the street during the rain storm to check for flooded streets. These were reported back for blockades. Vehicles parked on streets where flooding occurred were noted, but any attempt to reach the possible owners were not successful. Should the Village consider warning signage for vehicles on streets known to flood? Several residents were seen moving blockades and driving through flooded streets causing wake concerns for homeowners. Residents reported flooding in several streets and rear yards. These locations were much the same as already noted over the past several months. Our Lady of Ransom once again flooded toward Sunset. Is a planted swale, berm, raised curb or a combination of these the best solution? A meeting will be set between the Mayor and Father Chris to discuss further. Father Chris is willing to work with the Village of Niles to reduce flooding in the area. Western flooded again and there was discussion about relocating the ditch and adding a berm on Village property. II. Latest mapping – “Chronic Issues”: S.Vinezeano discussed how he working with GIS to solidify a “chronic” flooding map that goes beyond the September 2008 flood data. This was done by scrutinizing each of the surveys and all recent resident data. Some data is still with commission members. GIS will map all surveys that listed “in house” flooding 4+ times in past 10 years. The goal is to have a map for the next scheduled meeting. III. What have we accomplished?: The Commission was asked to provide a list of all (no matter how small) stormwater successes over the past year. Joe Lo Verde provided a list of park improvements being considered to reduce flooding: Kirk Lane Park – 200 feet of storm sewer piping and 4 drainage structures along rear property of homes along Jonquil Terrace. Nico Park – Surveys taken of grade and 350 feet of storm sewer will be installed with 4 drainage structures and tied to village system. Jonquil Terrace Park – a proposed improvement includes 400 feet of storm sewer and 6 drainage structures. Grennan Heights Park – a sidewalk is being considered with regrade of entire property line to provide retention area at Kedzie and Oketo. IV. What legislation are we working on?: Chapter 49 Stormwater Management Ordinance proposed by Engineering will be reviewed at the next scheduled meeting. This ordinance would establish standards for stormwater on properties to ensure neighboring properties are not negatively impacted. MWRD does not go far enough to protect combined storm sewers. Community Development is working on an ordinance for depressed garages, pervious surface requirements, and the need to replace clay sewer service lines. Village downspout requirements will be reviewed by Chuck Ostman. Sump pump discharge remains an issue due to rear yard flooding versus frozen sidewalks. V. Commissioner reports/comments: S.Vinezeano introduced the news paper articles from 1998 through 1999 provided by resident Pat Finkler on Oconto. Much of what has been noted in the articles is mapped by this commission. The Chairman asked about the studies mentioned in the articles. Maybe the studies would be helpful for this work? Manpower in the Engineering Department was brought up due to amount of work in the department and the lack of one Engineer position that remains empty. It was noted that when the time comes, a private firm will be employed to complete some additional work in the future. There was discussion about recommending that a moratorium on permit fees for stormwater work for homes. This may become retroactive for those who have already purchased permits recently (September 2008?). This would be anywhere from $40 to $100. VI. Next Scheduled Meeting – Monday, July 13th. ƒ Review final map ƒ Review final list of recommendations ƒ Review priority matrix