Residents urge action on flooding; board notes ongoing quarry litigation and long‑term infrastructure limits

Residents described repeated, severe basement flooding at multiple locations in La Grange and urged the Village Board to take action beyond property‑level fixes.

Jenny Bergstrom told the board her family’s basement filled with 8 feet of water during a storm and said private remediation—commercial sump pumps, exterior piping and retaining walls—had become costly and insufficient. "We're out of options," she told trustees, asking the village to find a solution rather than wait for litigation outcomes.

Harold Finley, who said he worked on deep‑tunnel projects, warned that pending high‑density development would add stormwater volume before regional capacity upgrades are available. He said the McCook Reservoir expansion and other regional measures will not be available for several years and cautioned that local short‑term fixes could move flooding problems to neighboring blocks.

President Kuchler acknowledged ongoing litigation with the quarry over the 50th Street project and said the board would hear an update from appellate counsel in closed session. Manager Knight told the board that IDOT’s 47th and East Avenue project is delayed by utility relocations and that IDOT currently expects stage 2 of that work to start in March 2026.

Trustees did not adopt an immediate new capital project at the meeting. Residents and trustees repeatedly identified infrastructure capacity and regional sequencing (reservoir work, sewer projects) as constraints on near‑term local solutions.

The board then moved into closed session to discuss pending litigation and real‑estate matters; trustees said no formal action would follow the closed session.