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Addison holds public hearing on $1.2 million in CDBG water‑main projects; resident raises smart‑meter health concerns
Summary
Addison officials held a public hearing and approved a resolution to submit two Community Development Block Grant applications totaling $1.2 million for water‑main replacement and street resurfacing. At the village board meeting a resident said her water was shut off after refusing smart‑meter upgrades and urged officials to address health and opt‑out concerns.
The Village of Addison on Sept. 17 held a public hearing and later voted to authorize two Community Development Block Grant applications seeking $600,000 each to replace aging water mains and resurface neighborhood streets.
Nick, a village presenter, told the board the projects would cover Roseanne Drive, Lenore Street and Mavis Lane in one area and Natalie Lane and Natoma Avenue in another, including water‑main replacement, curb and gutter, select sidewalk and driveway apron replacement, ADA landings and driveway improvements. He said Baxter & Woodman engineering assessments identified repeated water‑main breaks and listed the locations as high‑priority projects. The applications are due Sept. 30, 2024.
The village moved and closed the public hearing after no members of the public spoke during the hearing portion; the board later adopted a resolution authorizing submission and execution of the two CDBG applications. Staff said each project would seek $600,000 in federal CDBG funding, for a combined request of $1.2 million, and that construction is estimated across fiscal years 2026–2028 depending on the project schedule.
Why it matters: The projects target neighborhoods that have experienced multiple water‑main failures, and grant funding would reduce the local capital burden for large‑scale water and street work. If funded, the work would also include ADA improvements and drainage repairs in the affected blocks.
During audience participation, resident Olive (Ellen) Kaiser of 427 South Lincoln Street told the board her household has been without water since June 3 after she and her family declined upgraded wireless meters. She said she and her husband have sought to reduce wireless exposures in their home for health reasons and that she has compiled notebooks and studies she described as documenting negative health findings. "We would appreciate having water back," she said, adding she dropped off documentation at village offices.
Kaiser asserted that federal standards for wireless technology have not been updated since the early 1990s and expressed concern about nonthermal effects; she linked family health problems to meter installations but did not present medical records or a village review finding. There was no staff response in the record that rescinded the disconnection or described the village's meter‑policy or opt‑out process during her remarks.
What the board approved: The resolution authorizes village staff to submit two CDBG applications to the DuPage Community Development Commission for the named water‑main replacement and resurfacing projects and was approved by the board following committee recommendation. The public comment by Kaiser did not result in a recorded change to the village's meter policy during the meeting.
Next steps: Staff will complete and submit the CDBG applications by the Sept. 30 deadline and proceed with grant administration steps if the awards are made. The resident who testified requested follow‑up about restoring her household water; the transcript records her plea but does not document a staff follow‑up commitment at the meeting.
