The village of Chatham has already replaced the box cluvert on Gordon Drive, south of Walnut Street, and now has plans to widen the road. Ted Schurter/The State Journal-Register
CHATHAM – Chatham officials have begun compiling a multimillion-dollar wish list of capital improvement projects, some of which could be completed in the next five years.
The plan would outline possible improvements to existing facilities, including parks, water and sewer lines and roads, that have been left out of previous budgets.
Technology upgrades, more parks and trails and long-range goals, including an eventual arterial road to link Illinois 4 and Interstate 55 on the south side of the village, are among other possibilities.
Village Manager Del McCord said officials want to organize these “want to” items so the village board has priorities to refer to as funding and grants become available.
Village department heads compiled what they considered key needs and categorized them by the budget fund they fall under – capital projects (which includes public properties and streets), water and sewer, electric and tax increment finance.
The draft was unveiled during Tuesday night’s village board administrative committee meeting.
Several trustees emphasized that growth should not come at the expense of current facilities. Trustee Tom Kavanagh said many of Chatham’s newer subdivisions are approaching 20 years old, meaning their roads will all need major repairs about the same time.
“If some of the older parts are let go and we don’t keep up, we really are only as good as… the area that needs the most work,” said John Seiz, an advocate for the “Old Chatham” part of the village.
Kavanagh asked if Chatham could consider borrowing money to pay for improvement projects right away versus waiting for funds to become available.
Trustees Joe Schatteman and Dan Holden pointed out drainage problems at the baseball diamond in West Park.
Public works director Meredith Branham said those fields are in a flood plain, so Schatteman suggested exploring another use for the land, such as a splash pad. A dog park, skateboard park and a community center also were added to the list of potential projects.
Upgrades to Mansion Road and adding a third lane to Gordon Drive were among top priories for streets. Lower on the list was construction of the south arterial road.
“We know this is a long shot,” McCord said of that project, which he said is decades away.
Branham noted the street department’s eight pieces of equipment together have 125 years of service, and Police Chief John Holm said his department would like to replace the “handycams” used in squad cars with video cameras that automatically turn on once squad-car lights are activated. Such video systems, which cost $4,000 to $5,000 each, could be useful if an officer is involved in an accident, he said.
“I think it’s just a ticking time bomb, us not having that type of equipment,” Holm said.
Under electric department projects, Kavanagh said he thinks a fiber backbone, which has an estimated $600,000 price tag, should be given higher priority. That could help the village attract businesses, he said.
The fiber backbone also would reduce the cost of a village-wide security system, which would include alarms for the water towers, substations and parks. Previous quotes put the cost for such a system at $70,000 to $80,000, McCarthy said.
Trustees said they would like to know what improvements residents are willing to pay for, possibly through a community survey or a solicitation in the village newsletter .
“The next step is, we’ll incorporate (the list) with public input and trustees’ input and adjust the priorities of the list,” McCord said after the meeting. “We’re just trying to get all the ideas out there so that everybody is aware of what projects are out in front of us.”
Here’s a sample of possible improvement projects in Chagham, according to a draft list village department heads presented to trustees earlier this week. Projects are ranked by priority within each budget category.
Capital Projects Fund : Accounts for capital improvements to Chatham’s streets and public properties have about $783,000 available through April 30, 2016.
Public properties projects:
*Repair tennis courts in Chatham Community Park, $50,000, no funding source identified yet.
*Drainage project through Community Park, $200,000, no funding source.
*Purchase additional cemetery ground, $250,000, could be partially funded by cemetery trust.
*Add more basketball courts in the village, $50,000, no funding source.
*Develop a passive park near village electric shop, $100,000, no funding source.
Street projects:
*Gordon Drive culvert replacement, $188,000, village funds (first phase complete).
*Trail in tunnel under Plummer Boulevard railroad overpass, $130,200, grants and village funds.
*Storage facility, $200,000, no funding source.
*Upgrade Mansion Road from Illinois 4 to village limits, $1 million, no funding source.
*Add third lane to Gordon Drive from Ramblewood to Hurstbourne, $300,000, no funding source.
Water and Sewer Fund : A total of $716,452 is budgeted for sewer projects over the next five years, along with $750,000 for the water system.
Water projects:
*Water main extension from Walnut to Magnolia, $80,000, funded in fiscal 2013 and 2014
*Replace outdated water meters, $972,000, replacement over next 10 years.
*Share of village-wide security system upgrade, $40,000, no funding source.
Sewer projects:
*Replace 30,000 feet of sanitary sewer lining over next 20 years at 1,500 feet a year, $1.95 million, no funding source.
Electric Fund : Future projects reserve budgeted for $821,926 over the next five years. Alocation to maintain and expand the electric system over the next five years is $975,000.
Electric projects:
*Capacity banks for substation, $160,000, funding available over next five years.
*Change Willow Glen electric lines from overhead to underground, $240,000, funding available over next five years.
*Tie in Plummer to Walnut, $40,000, funding available over next five years.
*Replace REA line on South Main to Covered Bridge, $86,000, funding available over next five years.
*Rebuild AC&RR feeds, $125,000, funding available over next five years.
Tax Increment Finance Fund : The TIF expire in November 2015, and the fund’s four-year projection shows $1.467 million will accumulate until its end.
Possible project:
*Replace water main on Illinois 4 from Mulberry to Cottonwood, $250,000.
*Improvements to West Walnut Street, $1.175 million.
Copyright 2011 The State Journal-Register. Some rights reserved
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