Story posted Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Residents Pack Meeting, Demand Fix To Flooding
By CRAIG ADAMS Journal & Topics Reporter
Upset residents packed the council chambers on Monday, June 29, voiced their complaints, and demanded action from the Park Ridge City Council to fix flooding problems after the latest big rain on June 19.
Twenty-nine residents spoke to the council. Some told of returning home from vacations to find water and fecal material in their basements. Some reported overland flooding pouring into their windows while others had water seeping into their basements through the floors and walls.
"We live in fear," said Debra Smentec. "Every time we watch the weather and hear there's going to be rain, I start putting pumps around my basement."
Jon Teich took an optimistic approach to his personal disaster. "I was overjoyed that the raw sewage was only up to my ankle instead of up to my knee," he said.
Mayor Dave Schmidt assured residents that besides the ones attending the meeting, he has received dozens of phone calls and emails from people. "Everyone's very concerned about the flooding issues here in town," he said. Schmidt, who used the Park Ridge flooding as a campaign issue, recently appointed a task force to study the problem. The city also recently hired a consultant to study certain areas and suggest solutions. "I want to assure the residents that even before this storm... we were beginning the process of finding the solution to the problem."
Residents felt the city should take emergency steps to fix the problem and seemed to be agreeable to higher taxes to get the job done.
"The flooding issues here are an emergency situation and, I think, a public health issue," said Tom Joyce. "Our responsibility is to send you a check for our taxes and it's your responsibility to control these issues."
"I know that we'll probably spend years, 20 to 50 years, and tens of millions of dollars," stated Charlie Melidosian. "I don't have years to wait for that money to come." He asked the city to waive permit fees for residents installing flood control devices and try to find other creative ways to help.
Public Works Director Wayne Zingsheim tried to answer residents' questions about the storm that dumped just under four inches of water on the city during the wettest spring in recorded history. He explained that although the Deep Tunnel remained open, the sewers in the city were still overloaded by the amount of water flowing into them in such a short time. "It was an intense, over-capacity rain," he said.
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