Flossmoor Mayor Michelle Nelson gave an update on work being done on the detention basin near Heather Hill School when she addressed the Heather Hill Civic Association meeting Feb. 5.
Nelson said the first phase of the Berry Lane portion of the work was done in 2023. The stormwater design system incorporated permeable pavers and the water storage for the Berry Lane Drain Improvements project.
The next phase, a detention basin on land along Lawrence Crescent next to Heather Hill School is complete, but drainage apparatus needs to be built that will connect the Berry Lane system and the Flossmoor Road viaduct to the basin.
Nelson said two things need to be connected to the basin — a pipe that starts at the south end of Berry Lane and runs east on Maryland Avenue, and an underground junction box where Lawrence Crescent and Maryland Avenue meet.
“So, the only water that’s collecting in the basin right now is rainwater,” Nelson said.
The connection work is anticipated to start in April or May, and last three to four months, Nelson said.
“We know there’s going to be coordination with the schools and with the residents,” Nelson said. “We will work really hard to make sure it goes as seamlessly as possible.”
Each phase is expected to take about three to four months. Viaduct traffic will be down to one lane for four to six weeks.
Some residents’ concerns centered around grant money, with the village making a bid for each phase before starting work. If the grant money isn’t being used for the basin some suggested restoring the green space at Heather Hill.
Nelson said the grant money could not be used for that.
“When you get a federal grant, or a state grant it’s a timing issue of when that money is going to get released,” Nelson said.
Nelson used phase four as an example which has an Army Corps of Engineers grant. That project will go out to bid in March or April and will start in June.
The fifth phase will go out to bid in the fall. Staff is hoping to get the work done smoothly, but the project will be weather dependent. Nelson said work slows down when the temperature drops below 45 degrees.
Related stories:
Heather Hill detention basin coverage
