Hinsdale trustees turn down funding request from Graue Mill residents

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Updated: April 10, 2012 11:52AM

The village likely won’t apply for a $1.44 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Administration that would have been used to cover 75 percent of a $1.93 million project for flood control measures in the Graue Mill area.

Hinsdale Village Board members said Tuesday they were not interested in the village contributing $61,000 toward the work.

While no vote was taken, board members agreed they were not prepared to approve the request on such short notice. Such funding requests normally first must go to the village’s Environment and Public Services Committee, which makes recommendations to the Village Board.

Graue Mill residents began seeking a solution to flooding problems after the 243-unit Graue Mill Country Condominium complex suffered more than $5 million in damages from Salt Creek flooding in July 2010.

The condominium property is located east of York Road, west of Salt Creek and north of Ogden Avenue. Twenty-five of the 47 acres on the site are in the floodplain; however, multiple properties were built before FEMA issued floodplain and floodway designations.

The original plan by the Graue Mill Homeowners Association was to seek a FEMA grant that had an application deadline of June. Thomas Burke of Christopher B. Burke Engineering said a pre-application for that grant was submitted in August 2011 to FEMA.

“We were told it looked reasonable,” he said. “We originally had a June 2012 deadline for the application, but we got a call about two weeks ago, telling us that a $15 million grant fell through that was supposed to be used for something else, and we had to file the application by Feb. 8 to get part of that money and that our chances were better for this grant than if we waited until June.

“We can’t complete the application without including all of the funding sources, which we don’t have now. I am surprised by the response by the village.”

Peter Schroth, president of the homeowners association, said he wasn’t sure what would be next for residents.

“I am very surprised by the board’s response to our request,” he said. “This is a unique opportunity to get 75 percent through federal funds.”

Along with the 75 percent from FEMA, the homeowners association’s plan was to have the remaining 25 percent paid for by DuPage County, Hinsdale and the homeowners association.

DuPage County tentatively agreed to contribute $361,825, which is 75 percent of the $482,433 portion to be covered by local sources. Final approval was to be considered at the Feb. 14 DuPage County Board meeting.

The initial proposal from the homeowners association included a request for $96,486 from the village, with homeowners contributing $24,122. However, before Tuesday’s board meeting the request from the village was decreased to $61,000, an amount the homeowners said they would match.

An earlier intergovernmental agreement between the DuPage County Department of Economic Development and Planning, the village of Hinsdale and the Graue Mill Homeowners Association provided $41,860 to be spent for the services of Christopher B. Burke Engineering, which conducted a flood investigation study and provide recommendations to correct flooding problems.

Larry Klinger of the Graue Mill Homeowners Association said damage from the July 24, 2010 flood resulted in 26 cars being totaled and 17 of the 35 villas on the 47-acre Graue Mill complex being completely flooded along with miscellaneous other damage. He said residents paid out $2 million after the flood to cover costs not covered by insurance.

Along with having concerns about the short notice for the requested funds, trustees also questioned why Graue Mill residents didn’t say they were prepared to pay $500 each toward the project costs, which would mean no funds would be necessary from the village.

“If it’s not worth the extra $250 to the residents to have this work done, why should it be worth $61,000 to the residents of Hinsdale?” Trustee Doug Geoga asked.

“As stewards of the village’s finances, there are some problems village residents have that are not the fiscal responsibility of the village to address,” Geoga said. “I don’t subscribe to the notion that flooding is flooding. There is some need to look and try to understand the contributing factors to it. This is a development that is on the edge of a river. I’m not sure this is really a village problem at all. We have competing needs for village infrastructure problems.”

Trustee Lauren LaPlaca said she was surprised Graue Mill residents weren’t willing to commit to contributing the additional $250 each toward the project.

“A $500 commitment per resident for a $2 million project seems like a bargain to me,” she told Graue Mill residents at Tuesday’s meeting. “I think residents assumed that the village would approve this; that was a risky bet. It doesn’t preclude you from coming back to us at a later date.”

Schroth said there was no in-depth discussion among homeowners at a Monday meeting about a $500 contribution by each.

Village President Tom Cauley agreed with trustees.

“We certainly appreciate what the Graue Mill residents have been through,” he said. “We run a pretty tight ship here; this is a lot of money to commit on such short notice. If we had unlimited funds, we certainly would be there for you, but we don’t.”