ABOUT THE PROJECT

The Village of Oak Lawn has been impacted by severe urban flooding that has impacted hundreds of residents, filling homes and yards with stormwater. To address this flooding, the Village and Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) have approved a flood control project near Polaris Intermediate (PIE) School.

 

The project will include a stormwater storage detention basin in the sport fields at PIE, the layout of which has been mutually agreed upon after public presentations, renderings and a recorded stormwater easement. The fields will serve as temporary storage for overflow stormwater: a new storm sewer system will backflow into the fields once the sewer pipes fill up and slowly release back into the storm sewer system as the downstream system allows. The project will have no downstream impacts and will be permitted through MWRD. The new underdrain system will greatly increase the field’s ability to drain water and return to use.

 

In addition to the storm sewer upgrades and construction of the stormwater storage basin, the project will include new baseball fields, a football field, retaining walls (stepped walls for seating), stairways and ramps for maintenance vehicle access. Additionally, roads will be resurfaced where the storm sewer is installed along both 105th Street and Kilpatrick Avenue.

 

The Village is currently negotiating an intergovernmental agreement with MWRD to share construction costs. Final project design is ongoing and design is expected to be completed in August 2024. Construction is expected to begin in Fall 2024.