La Grange Upped Pressure On Firms That Caused Damage

LA GRANGE, IL – For more than three months, La Grange pressed two companies to fix a storm sewer that they caused to collapse.

In emails, one of the companies repeatedly said the repairs were close at hand, only to delay.

Soon after the village's lawyer got involved late last month, the companies, Ledcor and DraftPro, started work.

The village had given the companies right-of-way permission to install a fiber optic conduit on Shawmut Avenue, from Hazel to Kemman avenues. The project was for Verizon.

Through a public records request, Patch obtained emails between the village and the companies since June. The firms admitted they caused the collapsed sewer, which resulted in a sinkhole that the village covered with a steel plate.

In a June 16 email, Richard Colby, the village's public works director, informed the companies of the problem and said it must be corrected immediately. He requested a plan and timeline by the next morning.

In a response to Colby, Ledcor's representative said he would schedule repairs as soon as possible.

"At this time, it appears that crews can be on site early next week," the representative, Adam Higham, said in an email.

On Aug. 5, he wrote that repairs would happen in "relatively short order."

Meanwhile, Colby continually asked where the repairs stood.

On Aug. 22, he said it had been two months since the village pointed out the problem and nothing had been done.

"What the Village seeks is restoring without having to accept future liability, as we didn't cause the damage," he said.

In mid-September, he told Ledcor that the "delays and cost avoidance are unacceptable in terms of public safety."

On Sept. 23, the village's attorney, Benjamin Schuster, got involved. He warned that La Grange would fine the companies $200 to $500 a day. If the firms failed to fix the damage immediately, the village would issue citations for the ongoing offenses, Schuster said.

He said the Village Board would consider approving a contractor at its Sept. 26 meeting. Trustees voted for a contractor, saying they would drop the agreement if Ledcor and DraftPro came through.

Earlier the day of the meeting, Ledcor's Higham responded that the work would start Sept. 29.

On Thursday, Charity Jones, the village's acting manager, said the companies began their work on Oct. 3.

"The repairs are not yet completed, but are expected soon," she said in an email to Patch.