TRANSMITTAL LETTER FOR BOARD MEETING OF AUGUST 31, 2017
COMMITTEE ON ENGINEERING
Mr. David St. Pierre, Executive Director
Title
Authority to enter into an Intergovernmental Agreement with the Chicago Park District for a project to remove the North Branch Dam and stabilize banks along the North Branch Chicago River and the North Shore Channel from Lawrence Avenue to Peterson Avenue (16-IGA-22)
Body
Dear Sir:
Authority is requested to enter into an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with the Chicago Park District (CPD) in support of the United States Corps of Engineers (USACE) River Riparian and Habitat Project (16-IGA-22). Authority to negotiate an IGA with CPD to set forth the obligations of the CPD and the District as Non-Federal Sponsors was granted on February 16, 2017, and the District has agreed in principle on the IGA. In addition, authority to enter into an Intergovernmental Agreement in the form of a Project Partnership Agreement (PPA) with the USACE and the CPD and to make payment to the United States Army Corps of Engineers in an amount not to exceed $2,500,000.000 was granted on April 20, 2017.
The project entails use of 45 acres, approximately 43 of which are owned by the District. The CPD currently leases much of the property. The project consists of restoration of approximately of one acre of stream bed by removing concrete within the channel, installing riffles and step pools, and providing cobbles, gravels and sands; removal of the North Branch Dam; streambank stabilization through restoration of CPD-leased and owned land into savannah habitat; restoration of CPD-leased river bank by gentling riverbank slopes, removing invasive species, and establishing native bank vegetation; and restoration of aquatic beds.
The total project cost is estimated at $15 million. CPD has committed $2.5 million for local matching funds, and the District will provide the remaining required $2.5 million local cost share. Both CPD and the District will receive credit toward the cost share for real estate and work-in-kind. USACE would provide the remaining $10 million. USACE has received funding for the base project, which consists of removal of the dam, the rock riffle portion, and vegetative improvements in the vicinity of the North Branch Dam. Additional phases are dependent on USACE receiving funding in future years.
The Corps plans to start construction in Fiscal Year 2018. Removal of the North Branch Dam is proposed in Summer, 2018. The duration of the project is approximately five years to allow the riverbed to be transformed and the vegetation to be planted and fully established before being turned over to the Non-Federal Sponsors. The IGA specifies that the District will be responsible for the maintenance of the rock riffle and step pool in the vicinity of the current dam, and CPD will be responsible for maintenance of the vegetative improvements.
Based on the foregoing, the Engineering Department recommends that the District be authorized to enter into an Intergovernmental Agreement with the Chicago Park District for a project to remove the North Branch Dam and stabilize banks. It is further requested that the Chairman of the Committee on Finance, Executive Director and Clerk be authorized to execute said agreement on behalf of the District, as well any document necessary to effectuate the transaction and conveyance, upon approval by the Director of Engineering as to technical matters and by the General Counsel as to form and legality.
Requested, Marcella V. Landis, Acting Director of Engineering, WSS:KMF
Recommended, David St. Pierre, Executive Director
Respectfully Submitted, Frank Avila, Chairman Committee on Engineering
Disposition of this agenda item will be documented in the official Regular Board Meeting Minutes of the Board of Commissioners for August 31, 2017