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Pleasantdale residents urge Lemont board to oppose proposed gas station and truck wash, citing groundwater and safety concerns
Summary
Multiple Pleasantdale residents spoke during audience participation at the Lemont meeting to oppose a proposed gas station/truck wash annexation and rezoning; residents cited groundwater contamination risks, proximity to schools and wells, and public-safety concerns. The applicant was not present and no zoning vote occurred.
Residents from the Pleasantdale neighborhood urged the Lemont Village Board on Monday to oppose a proposed annexation and rezoning for a gas station and truck wash that they say would sit near homes and schools and threaten private wells and neighborhood safety.
Why it matters: Residents told the board the proposal would place a service station and truck operations near houses served by private wells and near school routes; speakers cited public-health risks from fuel leaks and everyday spillage, potential crime and traffic impacts, and legal and technical studies that they said document risks from proximity to fuel-dispensing sites.
Residents and neighborhood representatives presented petitions and cited federal guidance and past litigation as reasons for caution. Sarah Lelousas (name as given in the record) said three petitions were circulating and that she had contacted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; she told the board the EPA advised testing private wells before construction and provided lists of lawsuits filed after gas-station leaks. Mary Elena Cordova Pardoon urged the board to “please reconsider opening that allowing rezoning… the gas station that will basically put a heavy burden on all that Pleasantdale” and described worries about additives and underground-storage-tank leaks.
Justin Alvested, who identified himself as a member of the DuPage County hazardous-materials task force and a hazmat incident responder, told the board, “Gas stations are hazmat sites, and they do not belong in a residential neighborhood.” He told the board that, in Illinois, about 5,500 stations were on the EPA list for active underground-storage-tank leaks and cited studies he said link proximity to stations with higher pediatric leukemia rates; he said the Pleasantdale site would place dozens of residences within 1,000 feet of the station and several dozen inside 500 feet.
Other residents raised concerns about 24-hour operations, gaming and increased traffic, and said their children use local school buses and walk or bike in the neighborhood. Several speakers asked the board to consider the “message” it would send to residents if the village approved rezoning for commercial truck-and-wash operations in a largely residential enclave.
Board response and next steps: Mayor John Agoski and staff told the audience the village had not received materials from the applicant and that the applicant was not on the meeting docket; no annexation or rezoning application was considered or voted on during the meeting. Trustee Shaughnessy clarified earlier remarks after residents raised concerns and apologized if comments had been taken as dismissive; he said he had responded personally to resident emails. The board said it will continue to communicate publicly when and if the applicant formally appears on a future agenda.
Ending: Residents said they would continue outreach, citing petitions and contact with state and federal agencies. No formal zoning or annexation action occurred at the Aug. 25 meeting.
