TRANSMITTAL LETTER FOR BOARD MEETING OF OCTOBER 16, 2014
COMMITTEE ON STORMWATER MANAGEMENT
Mr. David St. Pierre, Executive Director
Title
Authority to assist the Villages of Brookfield, Elk Grove Village, and Franklin Park with shovel ready projects and the City of Burbank with design of improvements to the Melvina Ditch Reservoir under the Stormwater Management Phase II Program
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Dear Sir:
On September 19, 2013, the Board of Commissioners granted authority to assist with 35 stormwater management projects submitted to the District by local municipalities, townships, and other agencies throughout Cook County. Since then, the District has negotiated Intergovernmental Agreements (IGAs) to provide funding towards construction of shovel-ready projects, and has retained several consultants to assist with the design of conceptual projects.
In addition to the 35 projects referenced above, the villages of Brookfield, Elk Grove Village, and Franklin Park (Villages) have designed or are currently designing flood mitigation solutions to address stormwater problem areas in their communities, and have requested assistance from the District to implement their respective projects. Based on the severity of the flooding and the stormwater benefits to be derived by the projects developed by each of these communities, the Engineering Department recommends that the District provide assistance through its Stormwater Management Phase II Program to move these projects forward. Detailed information on each of the projects under development by the respective Villages is attached.
The City of Burbank experienced extensive flooding on August 22, 2014 and also during previous storm events in the vicinity of the District's Melvina Ditch Reservoir. The Engineering Department recommends that preliminary engineering be initiated and expedited to evaluate expansion of the Melvina Ditch Reservoir. The scope of work will include preliminary engineering to identify improvements to the Melvina Ditch Reservoir, along with a detailed analysis of system-wide alternatives within the Melvina Ditch watershed to mitigate flooding. A separate request for authorization to enter into an agreement with an engineering consultant to perform this work will be submitted for the Board of Commissioner's consideration at a future meeting.
It is hereby requested that the Board of Commissioners authorize the District to negotiate IGAs with the Villages, and to initiate preliminary engineering for improvements at the Melvina Ditch Reservoir in the City of Burbank, to allow the District to assist in the furtherance of these stormwater management projects. Assistance for the aforementioned shovel-ready projects would be in the form of construction funding as defined through the negotiations between the District and the respective Villages. As a condition of the IGAs, the Villages will be required to assume the perpetual maintenance and operation of the project, amongst other provisions. Once the parties agree in principle, authority to enter into IGAs will be sought from the District's Board of Commissioners.
Requested, Catherine A. O'Connor, Director of Engineering, WSS:JPM
Recommended, David St. Pierre, Executive Director
Respectfully Submitted, Michael A. Alvarez, Chairman Committee on Stormwater Management
Disposition of this agenda item will be documented in the official Regular Board Meeting Minutes of the Board of Commissioners for October 16, 2014
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