Pleasant Prairie board approves special assessments, green-lights 122nd Street water-main project

The Pleasant Prairie Village Board on Sept. 8 approved Resolution 25-20, authorizing special assessments to fund the 122nd Street water-main project, a roughly 7,700-foot extension intended to improve transmission and fire protection along the corridor.

Kurt, representing the village engineering department, told the board the project will install a 16-inch main (accounted as an 8-inch-equivalent for assessment purposes), cross the Des Plaines River and the Canadian Pacific Railroad by directional drilling and jack-and-bore work, and generally be located in the south ditch line of 122nd Street. He said the water-service lateral cost is $6,491.07 and the assessment rate used for frontage calculations is $112.78 per foot. Kurt presented the total package of assessments to benefited parcels as $856,776.37, with $765,901.39 in frontage assessments and $90,874.98 for laterals. He said final construction and permitting would aim for a 2025—6 start and completion by September 2026.

At the public hearing, property owner Mike Hughes (10657 122nd Street) asked four specific questions about the fee-schedule interest rate for deferred assessments, whether residents could adjust service-lateral locations, whether unit pricing might change at final assessment, and whether assessments typically boost property values. Kurt said the village's fee schedule and municipal code list the interest-rate rules and staff or the clerk's office can help property owners find the current rate; laterals typically can be adjusted in the field during construction if environmental constraints allow; and the unit price is expected to remain stable though minor engineering adjustments are possible.

Brent Bollin, a nearby resident who voiced support for the project, asked about hydrant placement and whether owners could keep private wells for irrigation. Kurt replied that hydrant spacing follows state requirements and is not typically substantially shifted for individual requests; residents may retain wells under a village well-permit regime that requires periodic cross-connection checks and the village does not charge extra to keep an existing private well in place.

Longtime resident David Anderson said he was concerned assessments were being placed on properties that may not immediately benefit because sanitary sewer is not proposed; he argued water alone may not spur development for parcels constrained by wetlands and floodplain. Trustee James Kramer and other board members responded that the assessment policy follows longstanding village practice of deferring activation until a connection, subdivision, or building permit occurs and that the approach balances fire-protection benefits with optionality for owners.

Trustee James Kramer moved to approve Resolution 25-20; the motion was seconded and carried on a voice vote. The resolution approves the assessment methodology described by staff, defers assessments until properties activate service or development occurs, and sets procedures for publication and billing of final assessments.

The board later awarded the construction contract for the project to Globe Contractors (see separate vote) and confirmed funding for the work is included in the 2025 capital improvement plan and provided by TID 5. Work will require lane closures on 122nd Street for the duration of construction, with access maintained to local homes.

The board's approval advances design and permitting steps; the clerk will publish the final resolution and mail assessment statements once the project is complete and final billing is determined.