'Stink Of Brainard' In East La Grange: Resident

LA GRANGE, IL – As he has before, La Grange resident John Pluto on Monday expressed concerns over flooding in his neighborhood in the east part of the village.

At a Village Board meeting, he pointed to neighbors in the audience with similar fears.

"Everybody's got a stake in this with the flood control program we're going to start," said Pluto, who lives in the 700 block of East Avenue. "When we hear about water control and engineering, we get scared. You're talking about bringing a lot of water from the west to the east. We've really got to know where the water is going before you bring it there."

He was likely referring to the long-awaited 50th Street storm sewer, which is expected to provide flooding relief for south of 47th Street. The water would drain into the Heidelberg Materials quarry in McCook.

Last summer, La Grange prevailed in a years-long lawsuit over Heidelberg. The village said the company, without permission, cut the village's pipe to the quarry in the 1990s. Heidelberg appealed to a higher court, further delaying the storm sewer.

In his comments, Pluto blamed a storm sewer on 51st Street for flooding problems in his neighborhood.

"I think we need to do a study on that sewer. It drains Brainard Avenue," a westside street, he said. "It's got the stink of Brainard on it."

He gave photos of flooding in his area to Village President Mark Kuchler, who said the village's engineer could analyze them.