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Restroom, well project outlined

Posted 3/19/19

While the Town Council had no problem approving an intergovernmental agreement with the Sanitary District to proceed with a project to upgrade recharge wells and construct public restrooms in …

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Restroom, well project outlined

Posted

While the Town Council had no problem approving an intergovernmental agreement with the Sanitary District to proceed with a project to upgrade recharge wells and construct public restrooms in Fountain Park, one citizen raised questions about the cost of the project.

Bob Shelstrom said documentation from the Sanitary District shows preliminary estimates for the work totaling $3.7 million. He also implied corruption, suggesting the town be renamed “Chicago Hills” in a letter to the editor in The Times.

Shelstrom said the restrooms are unnecessary and the work to repair the well vaults should cost no more than $100,000 each.

Shelstrom told the council they should take the opportunity to set things straight with the project.

“I think the council has the responsibility to look out for the people who voted for you,” he said.

Sanitary District Manager Dana Trompke told The Times the district received two divergent estimates in early January, based on a 50 percent complete design threshold. Almost immediately Trompke sent an email to the company providing the $3.7 million estimate, rejecting it.

“That’s significantly higher than anticipated and that cost would kill the project,” Trompke wrote.

She said the district has provided consultants with 90 percent design plans, and those are currently being reviewed.

With 90 percent she said there are more opportunities to trim unknowns and have a better definition of the true scope, equipment specifications and other items.

Those estimates are not complete.

“The District is still working with contractors to come up with a final investment amount,” Trompke said. “The costs discussed at the March 5, 2019 town council meeting had already been rejected by the District for not proving enough value.”

Improvements

Trompke has advocated for the above-ground environment for the well equipment from the start. She notes that confined space regulations and dangers of noxious fumes make renovation of the well vaults necessary. She said the underground vaults are subject to flooding as well as corrosion, which is a concern with the presence of electrical equipment.

“The project will make access to the wells safer for Sanitary District employees, will save District customers money by reducing O&M costs and provide much-needed restrooms for Fountain Park visitors,” Trompke said.

She said employee safety is the number one concern, but other reasons include improving operations by needing only one employee instead of two for conducting tasks associated with the well equipment. It also allows staff to maintain the equipment more efficiently. Also, taking it out of the underground environment will extend the life of that equipment.

Before entering the underground vaults employees must measure the environment to check for hydrogen sulfide and methane gases as well as CO2 and oxygen levels.

Trompke also said that if they were to keep the underground environment and eliminate the bathrooms, updated codes would require not just a vault but an actual basement to be excavated. The existing vertical ladders would have to be replaced with a staircase, which would take considerably more room. Also, spacing requirements for electrical equipment would need to be improved.

Restrooms

Currently the single restroom in Fountain Park is located adjacent to the parking lot at the southwest corner by the playground and Splash Pad.

The proposed restrooms at the well sites are located at the northwest corner near the amphitheater and at the northeast corner between a ramada and parking lot on the east side of the park.

While Shelstrom cited standards that indicate the single restroom is adequate for normal park use, it is uncertain whether there was any accounting for the size of the 62-acre park.

Town officials say they have heard from people for some time that additional restrooms would be a desired amenity for visitors. The town has not been able to finance such a plan, but has taken the opportunity to partner with the Sanitary District on this project.

Construction costs would come from Sanitary District funds, and the town would take over maintenance and operation of the restroom facilities when completed. Town Manager Grady Miller has estimated those costs at about $5,000 per year total.