Forest Park workshop focuses on siting replacement water storage after reservoir failure; council gives staff guidance but no vote

Forest Park leaders spent a special workshop evaluating where to locate replacement water storage after a malfunction at the Jackson Boulevard pump station flooded the community center and exposed structural problems in the village’s aging underground reservoir.

The council heard technical briefings from Village Administrator Rachel Penner and consultants from Burke Engineering, reviewed three principal sites — the current Jackson site, village-owned land at the Altenheim property and the CTA parking lot — and discussed trade-offs among constructability, soil remediation costs and long-term community use. No formal vote was taken; councilors asked staff to return with cost estimates, funding options and more detailed designs.

Why it matters: Director Stella told the board the overnight failure of a pressure transducer triggered erroneous zero readings that opened an import valve and allowed floodwater into the pump station and community center, forcing immediate remediation and insurance claims. Staff also reported visible cracks in the reservoir cover and said shoring has been installed under the community-center portion to protect the building and nearby childcare space. "There was water coming from everywhere in the buildings," Director Stella said during her presentation.

Engineering and regulatory context: Consultants and staff said Forest Park currently holds roughly 2.3 million gallons of storage but needs about 3 million gallons to meet recommended emergency and fire-suppression reserves. Burke Engineering recommended building two 1,000,000-gallon reservoirs to meet that target because expanding the existing Jackson vault would be technically difficult and could put the community center out of service during lengthy work.

Options and trade-offs: The Altenheim sites and the CTA parking lot both score well for construction access; the Jackson site is cramped by a railroad and adjacent buildings. Burke Engineering noted the CTA site carries higher soil-remediation and tipping fees that can add about $1 million (engineering estimate) to above-ground options. "ComEd relocation is unlikely to be completed before December," Burke’s Jim Amelio said when discussing related utility work that has delayed a separate bike-path project.

Design, cost and phasing questions dominated the discussion. Staff said the Invest in Cook grant for the bike path is a flat ~$250,000 and would not be increased, while recent inflation and scope changes pushed the path estimate toward roughly $700,000. For the reservoirs, councilors asked whether the village could phase construction (build one 1,000,000-gallon unit now and add another later) to spread costs. Staff said phasing is feasible if the design anticipates future expansion but warned that some rework would be required if the council later switches from an underground to above-ground design.

Funding pathways: Councilors discussed applying for an IEPA low-interest loan (discussed around $10 million in staff materials), pursuing WRDA (Water Resources Development Act) support that would require congressional engagement, and chasing other grants. Staff said the village passed on some potential funding because it could not identify a site and perform required design work in time.

Council guidance and next steps: Several members expressed a preference for burying reservoirs at the Altenheim site to preserve surface uses and limit visual impacts; others favored the CTA lot or rebuilding at the Jackson site to preserve marketable village land or reduce remediation costs. Mayor Hoskins and other councilors stressed fiscal caution. "I just don't see where we're gonna get the money to do it," the mayor said, urging prudence while also acknowledging the urgency of replacing failing infrastructure.

Public input: Dozens of residents, many from the Grove neighborhood adjacent to Altenheim, urged the council to prioritize resident concerns about views, noise and property values. Several speakers said an underground installation that preserves surface green space would be preferable to visible above-ground tanks. "If you put it into the CTA parking lot, that is area that is not...there's no houses directly around it," one resident said, urging the council to consider impacts on nearby households.

What the council asked staff to do: councilors directed staff to (1) develop refined cost estimates for Altenheim (above- and below-ground), CTA and Jackson options; (2) identify remediation and tipping-fee assumptions; (3) pursue applicable grant and loan opportunities (IEPA, WRDA and other programs) as appropriate; and (4) return to the council with design alternatives and a recommended sequencing plan. The council stopped short of selecting a final site and said more information is required before formal action.

The workshop also included updates on other village-owned parcels and a separate bike-path discussion; the Invest in Cook IGA for the bike path currently expires 12/31/2025 and staff said they will gather additional cost comparisons and potential redesign costs. The council scheduled further review and public engagement before taking a final vote on reservoir siting or related construction contracts.