Removal of 15 Homes for Melvina Reservoir Improvements A 'Done Deal,' Burbank Mayor Says

Mayor Harry Klein presiding over Burbank City Council meeting. | Burbank Beat

A Burbank resident received a letter from Mayor Harry Klein informing her that her home will be demolished in order to expand the Melvina Ditch Reservoir at 87th Street and Nashville Avenue to relieve flooding Burbank and Oak Lawn.

The mayor’s latest letter on City of Burbank letterhead and dated July 22, 2015, states that the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago would be acquiring 15 homes in Burbank that fall within the footprint of the proposed expansion area.

In May, Klein sent out a similar letter informing homeowners that the water reclamation district board had approved an ordinance seeking expansion of the reservoir. Included in the ordinance were the PINs of 15 homes proposed for demolition, published on the Burbank Beat website.

At this time, no homes in Oak Lawn are targeted for removal for Melvina Ditch Reservoir improvements.

MWRD Director David St. Pierre issued a statement calling Klein’s first letter “premature” and that “no specific properties have been identified for removal.” The MWRD also said that a “series of public hearings” would be held with residents to discuss plans to reduce local flooding, with Burbank residents having the final say on property removal.

Klein acknowledged that he had not consulted with the water reclamation district before mailing his letter to homeowners in May, but wanted to warn them ahead of time.

In June, residents were invited to an MWRD open house at Reavis High School in Burbank to provide feedback on six possible reservoir improvement plans. Residents were invited to submit “ballots” stating which plan they favored.

St. Pierre acknowledged at the open house that the MWRD favored “Alternative E,” which called for the acquisition of 15 homes to increase the area of flood storage. Anticipated benefits include protecting 512 homes from reservoir overtopping. The plan would also reduce overflow across 87th Street into Oak Lawn, Burbank Beat reported.

Now, the Burbank mayor apparently has sent out another letter informing the 15 homeowners of the MWRD’s decision to implement “Alternative E,” calling it a “done deal.” (See the mayor’s letter.)

“I write to you, again, so as to inform you of this happening prior to your hearing it from any outside sources … ,” Klein’s letter says. “The MWRD, or its agents, will be contacting you, in the near future, with further information as they proceed with the acquisition of your property.”

Burbank resident Bonnie Gall, who owns two of the properties slated for acquisition, said she received mayor’s letter on Saturday, as did the other homeowners. Since learning in May the homes may be condemned for reservoir improvement, Gall says that the MWRD has “stopped taking my calls.”

“I’d feel differently if they flooded,” Gall said. “I can’t believe anything the mayor or [MWRD director] St. Pierre says anymore. They don’t want to give a straight answer to residents.”

The total cost of the proposed project is $22 million. The water reclamation district anticipates receiving a $10 million grant from the grant towards the construction cost of the Melvina Ditch Reservoir Improvements Project.

An intergovernmental agreement between the MWRD, City of Burbank, and Village of Oak Lawn will be negotiated for the design, construction, maintenance, and other considerations of the project.

In lieu of immediate financial contributions to match the MWRD’s expenditures for reservoir improvements, an intergovernmental agreement may require municipalities to invest in long-term storm water infrastructure from their own respective budgets.

Patch has reached out to water reclamation district officials for comment.

As for Gall, she’s resigned to losing the homes that her father left to her when he passed away.

“I’m getting out of Cook County,” she said.

Mayor Klein Letter 07-22-2015