Graue Mill homeowners pursue FEMA grant for flood control improvements

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Updated: March 17, 2012 10:10AM

The Graue Mill Homeowners Association didn’t let a lack of financial support from Hinsdale stand in the way of pursuing a Federal Emergency Management Administration grant that would cover 75 percent of a $1.93 million project for flood control measures in and around the Graue Mill area.

One day after the Hinsdale Village Board turned down a request from the homeowners to contribute $61,000 toward the project, the Feb. 8 deadline for submitting the grant application was met, with the homeowners agreeing to pay that amount along with $61,000 to which they orginally committed.

Along with funding it hopes to get through FEMA, homeowners have a tentative commitment from DuPage County for $361,825, which is 75 percent of the $482,433 to be covered by local sources. The contribution from homeowners will be about $500 each. Local funding sources had to be included as part of the FEMA grant application.

Thomas Burke, of Christopher B. Burke Engineering, who has been working with the Graue Mill homeowners, said it will take up to a year to be notified by FEMA if the grant application has been approved for the project, which would take about 16 months to complete.

“We have to demonstrate to the county and the state that what we’re planning won’t have any negative impact on anyone else,” Burke said. “We’ve done a preliminary analysis and put a model together.”

SavWay Fine Wines & Spirits, 3821 S. York Road, Oak Brook, which is just south of the Graue Mill condominiums, experienced substantial flooding during the July 2010 rain. Mary Claire Malloy, vice president of the business, said she plans to have the engineering plan for the Graue Mill flood improvements reviewed by an engineer with whom she has worked.

“We’ve taken some steps ourselves to improve things on our property,” she said. “We didn’t have any problems at all this past summer with any of the storms, but you have to plan for something happening again. I think it’s important for neighbors to be aware of what each other are doing.”

Burke said plans for the Graue Mill project includes construction of concrete or brick walls of 1 to 2 feet in height around some of the buildings on the southeast side of the condominium complex, installation of berms in some areas, and grading and pump improvements.

“At the far north end, we want to take water from the Oak Brook Park District and divert it to Salt Creek,” he said.

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. However, late notice was received of a $15 million grant for something else that had fallen through. The Feb. 8 deadline had to be met to be considered for some of that money. Hinsdale trustees decided against providing any financial support on such short notice.