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Berwyn resident urges faster lead-service-line fixes, cites personal test and cost barriers
Summary
A longtime Berwyn homeowner told the city council she has detectable lead in her blood and asked how the city's program will reach older homes, noting private replacement costs of about $8,000 and concerns about selection fairness.
Judith Fusley, a Berwyn resident, told the City of Berwyn council during public comment that a flyer from Robinson Engineering Company led her to get a blood test showing detectable lead and left her worried about the city’s lead-service-line replacement plan.
Fusley said she has lived at 1633 East Avenue since 1952 and described being told houses with very young children would be selected first for replacement. “I think there should be some sort of seniority rather than if I have a 1 year old child, which I do not,” she said, adding that private replacement costs were “$8,000 private pay.”
The concern is that the program will initially cover about 200 homes, leaving many long-term residents waiting years. Fusley asked whether residents could organize to negotiate lower contractor prices and how the city will prioritize older homeowners and those without young children.
In her remarks Fusley noted that Berwyn gets filtered water from Lake Michigan but said lead in plumbing is “the silent killer” and warned it can cause long-term health effects. She said her blood lead test was “not at the critical stage, but it’s there.”
Council members did not debate or take formal action on the topic during the meeting; the item was raised as an open-forum public comment. The transcript does not specify the city’s selection criteria for the initial group of 200 homes, whether subsidized replacement is available for seniors, or the precise source(s) of funding for the program.
Clarifying details recorded in the meeting: Fusley said private replacement of the service line is about $8,000; she referenced a mailed flyer from Robinson Engineering Company; she said roughly 200 homes would be in the “first dip” of replacements; she has lived in her home since 1952 and does not have a young child.
The remarks were part of the meeting’s public-comment period and did not generate a directive or formal vote. Councilmembers or staff did not state specific timelines, eligibility criteria, or whether the city will provide cost-sharing for older homeowners during the meeting.
Council meeting context: the comment came during the open-forum portion of the April meeting; no follow-up motion or staff presentation was recorded. Residents seeking more detail should request public works or the city’s water-service-line replacement coordinator for the program’s prioritization rules and funding details.
