Updated 2/23/2012
A Stormwater Commission open house is scheduled for Thursday, March 22, 2012, at the Niles Senior Center from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The purpose of the event with homeowners is to educate them about why there is chronic flooding in their neighborhoods and to give them an opportunity to respond to recommended engineering solutions before the solutions are finalized with the Village Board of Trustees.
There will also be public education tables stationed by the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA), the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD), and village staff. The education subjects will range from the importance of sump pump maintenance to the regional importance of the Deep Tunnel.
The Village Board of Trustees have passed a ¼ cent sales tax increase to fund a future approved Stormwater Relief Program, which is planned for consideration on May 22, 2012. Mayor Callero stated, “This open house is designed to give the public one last look at the short-term and long-term solutions before they are finalized.” He continued, “Stormwater Commission Chair Joe LoVerde and his commission have come a long way in three years. The funding has been approved and by May we will have a stormwater relief program. All that remains is implementation to begin this year."