Hello neighbors!
This month, I’d like to update you on 3 topics your Village government has been working on:
First, a status report on the proposed water system upgrade project. Thanks to the 30 plus citizens who turned out at the Sept. 29 Public Hearing to provide input and ask questions. There were some good suggestions that we are acting on, including not taxing homes with private wells until they connect to the system. We will apply for and are hopeful of getting access to a 1.85% interest loan from the IEPA to lower our borrowing costs vs the public bond market, which we believe will be more than double that rate. One issue that came up at both the Sept. 21 and Sept. 30 meetings was: if construction bids and other costs exceed the proposed borrowing cap of $3.7MM, how would the Village Board select parts of the project to defer? We are increasingly concerned about this possibility, given indications of a recent double digit rise in costs for similar projects. The primary work to replace the oldest and smallest water mains cannot be deferred very long. This is the bulk of the cost. It should also help slash repair costs which are down thanks to previous upgrades, but still ran $40,000 last year. The iron removal (15-20% of the estimated cost) is a very popular option that will provide quality benefits to everyone on the system. The looping of dead ends (20-25%) is helpful to homes in certain neighborhoods. One idea under investigation is rerouting the proposed 2nd line under Rt 59 to lower the cost but retain most of the benefit. Still, we may be faced with some tough choices and are committed to making those decisions transparently and with community and expert input. Please call Utilities Chair Trustee Paul Kierig, or me, to answer any questions or come to any of our regular Village Board meetings in the coming months. Also please remember that we are still in the 60 day waiting period following the Sept. 29 Hearing to allow time for petitions against the proposal. If you would like to sign such a petition, please contact the Village Hall for helpful procedural info.
Second, thanks to an Eagle Scout project led by William Gaffney and overseen by the Barrington Area Conservation Trust, we have a beautiful new amenity in town: a 0.3 mile loop nature path ready for your use in our Barclay’s Woods nature preserve. Trail access and parking are at the end of Pebble Creek Dr. in Country Club Estates. Please, get out to see it, and also please, respect the privacy of the adjacent homes. Eventually there will be signage and perhaps even additional loops. While you are enjoying this awesome grove of ancient oaks please remember thanks are due to those who funded saving it, including the Yancey, Kainz, and Nelson families, and our partners at the Tower Lakes Community Foundation, BACT, Citizens for Conservation and Cuba Township.
Third, Sept. 12, 2016 will be the 50th birthday of the Village of Tower Lakes. Pati Schaefer has agreed to lead the planning committee for activities commemorating this milestone. I hear they are thinking about a Community picnic with big band music. Watch for more announcements in 2016 and please contact Pati, Chris Burgoon or Carol Schmidt if you would like to volunteer to help. I’m sure this golden anniversary of incorporation will be a great tune up for the 2024 TL Centennial party!
David Parro
Village President