Many Kremer Subdivision Residents Object to Improvement Plans

A number of residents expressed their opinions Thursday at an open house about proposed sewer and street .

The project will combine and will be bid out as a complete package to help keep costs down, said Tony Bunkelman, assistant village engineer.

Still, special assessments are expected to run between $5,200 and $5,500 per lot.

"Final numbers will depend on the final bid, but I expect the costs to be roughly the same as when we did Johnson Drive a couple of years ago," he said.

Mike Steiner, project manager at Foth, the engineering firm designing the work, said the idea is to add eight to 10 feet to the 22-foot wide roads to provide parking lanes. He said the neighbors he spoke to were mostly just interested in gathering information.

"Johnson Drive is an example of what we'll do throughout the subdivision," he said. "It makes for more consistency for stormwater management and looks, too. People are really inquisitive since this is the first time most of them have seen the plans at all."

Sandy and Rick Gorske have lived on Ellis Avenue for 32 years, and Sandy Gorske said while she understands fixing the sewer, she is totally opposed to widening streets and adding curb and gutter. Her primary objection is the cost.

"Too many people are struggling and can't afford it," she said. "Why do we need wider streets? Most of our driveways are fine for when we have visitors who need to park."

Rick Gorske, though, said he's undecided about how he feels.

"I see why the sewer needs replacing because you can see it by the cracks in the streets," he said. "The system is failing, but I'm not sure yet what I think of the road improvements."

Brian Buschke is not unsure. He is totally against doing anything more than repairing and improving the sewer and water systems.

"Why? We already have too many people who don't stop at stop signs," he said. "Having wider streets will only make people go faster. Plus, this is going to be a financial burden on too many residents."

Bunkelman said there are 143 parcels in the subdivision for a total of 151.5 special assessment units. Most of the lots are considered standard quarter-acre lots, but some people do have double lots, which accounts for the higher number, he explained.

"In that case, unfortunately, they will have to pay two assessments," Bunkelman confirmed.

Construction is expected to start next spring and be completed sometime next fall.

The next step: The Village Board would need to hold a public hearing on the special assessment and it would need to approve the final assessment. That hasn't been set yet because they would need to put the project out for bid, which will likely happen sometime this fall.

A number of neighbors living in the Kremer subdivision have turned in a petition opposing the sewer, water, and road upgrades the Village wants to do. The Village has put it on the agenda for 7 p.m. Sept. 18 at the East Side Community Center, 6156 Douglas Avenue.

*This version of the story includes an update in the next step.