Freeport water main replacement plan raises concerns from residents
FREEPORT — Some residents are questioning the planning behind a $8.75 million city water project scheduled to begin this month that city officials say will help complete a multiyear infrastructure project.
About six miles of new, 12-inch polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe will replace 6-inch iron lines that are 80 to 100 years old, according to city Engineer Shaun Gallagher and Water and Sewer Director Tom Glendenning.
The project helps complete the water improvement elements of “The Big Four,” a project that began in 2011. It included adding a new well and water tower, Gallagher said.
Aldermen approved funding Sept. 8; the project will be financed by the Public Water Supply Loan Program of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. To help pay for the 20-year loan, $6 will be added to the monthly water bill of all residences with a water meter in the coming weeks. That fee is expected to generate $792,000 annually, Fehr Graham’s Adam Holder said.
Affected streets include Harlem and Burchard avenues, West Stephenson and West Empire streets, Park Crest, Park Boulevard and portions of Laurel Street.
Gallagher said the city is installing the new water lines under the parkway — the land between the street and the sidewalk — instead of under the main roads so the lines will be easier to repair. Additionally, new curbs and gutters will be installed, and the city hopes to replace the concrete sidewalks with 8-foot-wide asphalt trails, which are about half the cost of sidewalks.
“We looked at potential connectivity to the park system,” Gallagher said. “We’re digging up parkways, and I have to put something back.”
Freeport Park District Executive Director Jack Carey said he and Gallagher will meet this week to begin drafting an intergovernmental agreement that the Park District Board and City Council would have to approve.
If installed, the trails become the Park District’s responsibility to maintain.
Carey doesn’t anticipate the trails adding a significant financial burden.
Installing trails within the city “are improvements that are a part of progressive-thinking communities,” he said. “We’re supportive of the idea … and we’ve got the equipment, staff and manpower to maintain” the trails.
However, Stephenson County District C representative Ed Mulligan, and his wife, Marsha, are concerned about how the changes will affect the quality of life in the neighborhoods, including their property in the 600 block of South Burchard.
They also feel that residents were not given proper time or warning to comment on the potential construction plans, although Glendenning said a period for public comment occurred a year ago during the initial planning stages.
“I think they should put the water main back in the center of the street, and if they don’t have the money to renovate (the road), patch it until they have the money,” Ed said.
The Mulligans also expressed concern that up to 15 trees on their street will be torn down, which Gallagher acknowledged is an unfortunate byproduct of moving the lines to the parkway. However, Gallagher said the city plans to plant new trees along each corridor.
The Mulligans, who distributed a letter among their neighborhood encouraging residents to attend an information meeting Tuesday at the Freeport Art Museum, also questioned the location of the new lines. They are worried that the new trails will still be dug up when issues occur.
Glendenning said he doesn’t anticipate water main breaks that require digging up roads because the PVC pipe is more durable. City leaders also considered regulations about spacing between water and sewer lines.
“There are so many other utilities” under the roads, he said. “We have to maintain at least 10 feet between the water and sanitation lines, and we can’t just lay (new lines) right on top of the old ones.”