Village hires consultant for Wester Boulevard lift-station capacity study to clear path for development

The Village of Pingree Grove village board on May 20 approved a $12,500 professional-services agreement with Fairgram to complete a sanitary-sewer analysis for the Wester Boulevard trunk sewer and lift station, a study staff said is needed to assess whether the system can handle additional development flows at a nearby property commonly referred to as the ONS parcel.

Staff said the ONS property sits near the intersection of Illinois Route 47 and U.S. Route 20; developers have asked whether the site could connect to the Wester Boulevard lift station rather than extend sewer across adjacent private property toward the Daniel Boulevard system, an alternate connection identified in prior planning. The study will model projected flows, include peak factors and advise whether the Wester system can accept additional load without upgrades.

Village staff and the engineering consultant said the study should take a few months to complete and that it will produce a memo with capacity findings and suggested actions. Staff recommended the village fund the study now to expedite planning; they said the village could later seek cost-sharing or recapture agreements with developers if construction of physical improvements is needed.

Legal counsel explained recapture agreements are negotiable mechanisms to share costs if the village chooses to have a developer build certain infrastructure and then recoup costs from others who benefit. The board approved the study on a unanimous roll call vote.

Staff noted any physical construction of sewer extensions or upgrades would remain the developers’ responsibility unless otherwise negotiated in development or annexation agreements.