Western Springs Group Opposes Landscaping Plan

WESTERN SPRINGS, IL – A Western Springs homeowners association opposes the way in which the village plans to restore a property after a water main project.

At Monday's Village Board meeting, Lisa Den Besten, a board member for an association in the Commonwealth Avenue subdivision, urged the village to use sod rather than seeds to replace damaged grass for a property in the 5300 block of Commonwealth.

She said the area in question is a slope, so watering and rain would likely wash away the seed.

"Planting seed is unlikely to be successful, at least in a reasonable amount of time," said Den Besten, a former village trustee.

The restoration of the grass is part of Western Springs' 53rd Street and Flagg Creek water main project.

Den Besten said sod would be better for other areas of the project, but the subdivision's "selfish perspective" is focused on the Commonwealth property.

Sodding is a lot more expensive than seeding.

Responding to Den Besten's concern, Village Manager Ellen Baer said officials were revisiting the cost of sodding vs. seeding, as well as how much of the area would be sodded.

"We'll do a little more homework on this," she said.

Matthew Supert, the village's top public works official, said the private property side of the site in question was planned to be sodded. The issue is the village's right-of-way along the property.

The seed would be matted in for stabilization, he said.