La Grange Won’t Slow Down On Flooding Solution: Official

LA GRANGE, IL – La Grange’s president said Monday the village is making progress toward settlement talks with a company that officials blame for holding up a long-term solution to the local flooding problem.

At the same time, Village President Mark Kuchler said the village would not rely on movement toward negotiations with representatives of the Hanson Aggregates quarry in neighboring McCook.

He said there has been some talk that mediation between the village and Hanson could start in mid-October before a retired federal judge.

“While I remain hopeful that a settlement can be reached, I have instructed our attorneys to continue to pursue the litigation,” Kuchler said at the first Village Board meeting in six weeks. “We cannot slow down the litigation in the hopes of a settlement being reached. We need to push forward on both.”

He said it would be “wonderful” if a settlement were reached.

“However, if not, the village will be prepared to litigate and have a judge decide what should happen with our stormwater,” Kuchler said.

For years, the village has been engaged in litigation with Hanson. La Grange officials contend the quarry violated a 1920s village easement by cutting a drainage pipe on its property about three decades ago. This, officials say, has caused most of the southside flooding.

The village believes the solution is the 50th Street drainage project, which would take stormwater.

In late June, flooding again overtook many houses in south La Grange. A couple of days later, many residents showed up at a board meeting to express their frustration, saying the village was moving too slowly.

Since the recent flooding, a new group formed called Dry Up La Grange, which now boasts nearly 600 members on Facebook. Its members have met with a number of area officials to drum up support for their cause.

Its representatives attended Monday’s meeting, wearing the group’s neon green T-shirts.

One of the group’s speakers, Ali Bowe, said Dry Up La Grange believes the 50th Street project would provide the greatest flooding relief to the area.

“However, this is a long-term solution and one that is held up by litigation,” she said. "La Grange needs to move forward with short-term projects. We can’t sit on our hands while our neighboring communities beat us to this race."