Mayor: New Lenox Could Pick Sewer Plant Site In May

NEW LENOX, IL - New Lenox village officials are giving second thought to their original plan of building a new regional sewer plant near the Royal Meadows subdivision. On Monday night, the village of New Lenox hosted an informational meeting at Lincoln-Way West High School. Between 400 and 500 people attended, mostly residents who live on the south edge of New Lenox. No decisions about the proposed regional sewer treatment plant were made at the meeting, but the residents who attended made their feelings loud and clear to the village board as well as Mayor Tim Baldermann.

They were not enthusiastic about putting a new sewer plant near Delaney Road. They fear a regional treatment plant would substantially decrease the value of their properties by regularly bringing them bad smells, particularly around the Royal Meadows subdivision.

This week, the mayor told New Lenox Patch that the village plans to spend the coming weeks trying to negotiate a land deal to give the village board another option as an alternative site.

That particular site is near New Lenox's existing sewer plant 3. Plant 3 is west of Cedar Road and north of Route 6 near Interstate 355.

The other option still on table concerns expanding the village's existing Jackson Branch plant.

Of all three current options, expanding Jackson Branch is the least expensive option. It could cost in the $121 million range. Building a new regional sewer plant off Delaney Road, which would anger the subdivision residents, could cost about $134 million.

Building near I-355, the third option being explored, would be the most expensive project, around $139 million, the mayor said. On the plus side, the area near plant 3 is isolated. It is not bordered by nearby homes, but rather by several acres of forest preserve.

At this stage, New Lenox village officials are optimistic they can negotiate a contract to acquire the additional land to move ahead with the site near 355, Baldermann said.

"I'm confident that we can put that land under contract to make it a viable option," the mayor told Patch Wednesday.

Baldermann said he was appreciate of the tone and discussion at Monday night's meeting. Now, "we'll see if we can secure the third site and see if there's enough buildable land, which we believe there is," he said. "I'm guessing we might need about 20 to 35 additional acres.

"My hope is that we have the land under contract within a month," Baldermann told Patch. "If I had to guess when the board might be able to make a decision, we're probably looking at the first or second board meeting in May."

Image via John Ferak, New Lenox Patch editor