Many people are comfortable about having their kids play in the back yard, but that’s not the case in the National Acres Subdivision in West Chicago.
A detention basin next to the home of Erl Pedersen at 644 N. Oak often fills with water more than three feet high after a rain, creating a potentially dangerous situation for neighborhood children.
Pedersen and neighbor Al Heitz also complain the slope is nearly impossible to negotiate with a lawn mower.
But after Pedersen recently approached the City Council, he and his neighbors learned they might have to resolve the issue themselves.
“We do have about $10,000 in our budget that can be used for drainage problems in private developments,” said Mayor Steven Lakics. “But the problem is that money is generally allocated for projects that have more of an impact on the public. This involves just six homes.”
Pedersen presented an estimate to council members from Lockhart’s Landscaping in Winfield that suggests more than $4,700 would be needed to install a retaining wall, which would reduce the slope of the ditch, making it safer and easier to maintain.
But as city engineer John Moore explained, the ditch was present before Pedersen built his house, and the city is under no obligation to install anything.
“We’re going to . . . look at possibly four options,” Moore said. “They include regrading, installing a wall, putting down stone, or planting some kind of ground cover.”
