Politics & Government

Village Board Pursues Most Intensive Storm Sewer Fixes

Village staff will move forward with exploring the $23 million and $36 million stormwater sewer options.

The Whitefish Bay Village Board signaled its intentions to pursue the most aggressive storm sewer upgrades possible, which could range anywhere from $23 million to more than $36 million.

The engineering consultants hired to analyze the village's storm and sanitary sewer systems presented at a meeting earlier this month, with cost options of $22 million, $23 million and $36 million.

At Monday night's meeting, trustees directed village staff to determine the feasibility of moving forward with the $23 million fix, which would protect most homes in the village during a 100-year storm, and the $36 million option, which would protect homes from a 500-year storm similar to the flooding the village experienced on July 22, 2010.

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Village staff will use the information to begin researching if those levels of protection are feasible, as there may be physical limitations that prevent the pipes as large as 9 feet in diameter from being installed underground. Depending on what is physically feasible, the village will begin to define the price tag of the project and how it will be paid for.

Citing Donohue's report, Trustee Kevin Buckley said the difference between the $23 million option and the $36 million option ultimately comes down to 399 homes that would not be fully protected under the $23 million option.

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"I think the capsulization of this discussion is, it's a $13 million difference between $23 million and $36 million to protect 399 more homes," he said. "From my perspective, I think that you err on the side of bigger capacity rather than smaller capacity."

Village President Julie Siegel suggested the board move forward with the $36 million to see if it is feasible. She said transparency will be important as the process moves forward, due to the high price tag associated with the project.

"I'm very concerned we are going to price people out of their homes, because you're not just looking at $23 or $36 million here. You're looking at double or triple that," she said.

In addition to the stormwater sewer repairs, the board will also have to choose sanitary sewer options ranging from $49.1 million to $57.5 million. Even then, additional costs be incurred, including the replacement of private laterals – a cost incurred by individual homeowners.

Resident Robert Crawford said he also supported the $36 million option, and while acknowledging that homeowners who did not get flooded may be hesitant to move forward with that option, he said they all contribute to the sanitary sewer system.

"We're all in this together and I praise your willingness to proceed," he said.

Resident Garry Davis of Sheffield Avenue said his house was surrounded by 3 feet of stormwater in the July 2010 rain event, which he said caused about $80,000 in damage to his home. He supported the $36 million option.

"I can't afford to live here if every time we get a two-inch rain the rain water in the street comes all the way up to my front door, which it has done a dozen times in the last 15 years," he said. "The question isn't just 'How much will it cost over 20 years to amortize it', the question is 'Can you afford not to do it?'"

When a resident raised concerns about whether recent roadwork, particularly in the , will have to be torn up to accomodate future sewer work, Village Engineer Dan Naze said the Engineering Department has been planning for the future.

"Weve been careful, especially in the last two years, not to do anything that would be redundant or would lead us to tear up something that we just constructed," he said.


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