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Residents urge closer scrutiny of Copper Ridge West and complain about local road work
Summary
During public comment at the May 11 Lemont board meeting, resident Dave Wilkes raised road maintenance and drainage problems tied to recent patching and gravel washout; resident Laura Regal urged trustees to reconsider Copper Ridge West deviations and to account for long-term infrastructure and school costs before approving major variances.
Two residents used the Lemont public-comment period on May 11 to press the board on local infrastructure and a proposed subdivision.
Resident Dave Wilkes described safety and maintenance problems along High Road and nearby corridors: a 20-acre fire near a refinery that he said did not trigger odor alerts, washed pea gravel blocking a culvert on New Avenue, a sinking road patch and other pavement issues. Wilkes said road surfacing and shoulder material have washed into drainage channels and warned that trucks and the Copper Ridge development changes could worsen flooding around homes and village facilities.
Resident Laura Regal delivered a prepared statement raising fiscal and engineering concerns about the Copper Ridge West proposal. Regal said the plan includes "14 deviations," which she described as ‘‘not a minor adjustment,'" and urged trustees to require a full accounting of long-term costs for infrastructure, stormwater, maintenance and school impacts before granting large deviations from standards. She compared Lemont's lower impact-fee approach to stricter practices in nearby Plainfield, suggesting the village may be shifting long-term costs to current taxpayers and future residents.
Neither public commenter asked for an immediate vote; both requested additional scrutiny and follow-up from staff and the board. The board did not record votes or formal action on the Copper Ridge West proposal during the public-comment period at this meeting.
