How many times have we heard some resident, when addressing a situation or condition that doesn’t meet his/her expectations, insist that “This is Park Ridge!” – with an almost palpable curl of the lip that adds the implicit rejoinder: “With the taxes we pay, this should be taken care of”?
That was one of the takeaways from the alley-paving portion of last Monday (June 7) City Council COW meeting, beginning at around the 2:01 mark of the meeting video.
The City has 53 gravel alleys remaining, which we understand to mean 53 blocks of such alleys. The City’s Public Works Dept. maintains those alleys by re-grading the gravel surfaces, generally without adding gravel so as not to build up the alley elevation.
For a number of years the City would pave 2 or 3 of these gravel alleys a year, with paving including a relief/storm sewer down the middle of the alley. That program was done via the creation of Special Service Areas (“SSA”s) voted on by the affected residents, with the City initially covering half the costs and the homeowner of the affected blocks paying the other half, over time, by an additional charge to their property taxes. That split later shifted to 75% City, 25% residents.
But the program was stopped altogether, along with a number of other non-essential expenses, once Mayor Dave Schmidt was elected and the City Council finally realized just how adversely the Uptown TIF albatross was affecting City finances.
But now some residents whose homes abut those alleys want them paved. And they are making variations of the “this is Park Ridge” argument in support of the City’s paving them – even though they bought their homes with the gravel alleys and, as best as we can tell, never received any firm commitment from the City to pave them.
And as is often the case with these long-delayed projects, some of the residents are now calling the paving of these alleys “needs” rather than wants.
Why are we not surprised?
Public Works director Wayne Zingsheim guestimates that each block of alley (with relief sewer) will cost around $400,000 to pave. That comes to around $21 million, which just happens to be one of the figures (albeit one of the lower ones) bandied about as the cost to provide flood relief for Mayfield Estates and the Northwest Park area. And that would be for paving those alleys with plain old non-permeable concrete. That new environmentally-friendlier permeable pavement that has been used in places like Chicago and Highland Park would be significantly more expensive.
Even if those alley residents approved SSAs for their respective blocks, the cost to the rest of the City’s taxpayers would be $15.75 million at a 75%-25% cost split; or $10.5 million if the split would be 50%-50%. With that 50/50 split, the average resident on those affected blocks could be expected to pay around $10,000, not including interest, as his/her share of the project, presumably over several years.
Fortunately, Acting-Mayor Marty Maloney asked the right questions: “How do we pay for it, and what does it do to the flooding problem we have in the City?”
The first of those questions should be asked about EVERY project, big and small. Because that’s the question that politicians and bureaucrats rarely ask. And when they do, they also often answer it with whatever they think they can sell to a gullible public.
We look forward to seeing what City Staff comes back to the Council with in August, when this matter returns to the Council’s agenda. And then we’ll also see how much the residents with those gravel alleys are willing to pay for their paving “needs.”
Or how quickly those “needs” become mere “wants.”
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21 comments so far
The second question is critical as well. I am admittedly not an engineer so only as an observer with a little common sense, I think there is a huge amount of run off from paved alleys that flows out of paved alleys……even with relief sewers. Simply go out for a walk, drive or jog during a medium to heavy rain. You will see rivers running out of paved alleys. What makes matters worse is that some of the properties are graded in such a way that the water runs off of them and into the alley. Paving those alleys will be adding to an already over burdened system.
Now would be a very good time (5:05) to take that suggested walk, jog or drive by the paved alleys in town.
I’d like to know after all these years what’s with wanting the alleys paved and why was no one asking for this sooner?
I don’t know about the other nearby towns but Chicago got their alleys paved sometime during the first Mayor Daley’s tenure, and that was long ago.
That’s why I’m asking.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Yeah, let’s talk about that economic third-world cesspool called Chicago – which just approved a $1.1 billion long-term bond issue at its junk-bond interest rate so that it might avoid defaulting on $900 million of existing shorter-term debt. For all those moronic Chicago taxpayers know, they might still be paying off rolled-over-and-over debt for the alleys paved during the first Mayor Daley’s tenure.
“This is Park Ridge!”
Everywhere I look in this town all I see are brick paver driveways that cost $20,000 or more. One could argue that even blacktop to replace gravel is too plebeian; we need permeable concrete pavers in every alley. Realistically, its just the legacy pensions and the TIF that is destroying our ability to beautify our town and fix our flooding problems. How many homes and businesses flooded last night?
EDITOR’S NOTE: No, it’s the legacy of a decade or two of infrastructure neglect, under-taxing, overspending on non-essentials, and the TIF giveaways.
Knowing the price of everything but the value of nothing is not right, but neither is disregarding the price of expecting somebody else (your fellow taxpayers) to pick up most of your tab.
I agree with you about Chicago. The corruption that has bankrupted this entire state started there with all the patronage, blue collar and pinstripe, and the borrowing that enabled the Chicago pols to avoid raising property taxes to the point that Chicago voters might have woken up and threw them out of office.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Your last point captures what this editor, as a Library trustee, meant in calling non-resident Library users – ESPECIALLY from Chicago – “parasites” who happily tolerated, if not encouraged, waste and corruption in their own government so long as their property taxes remained substantially lower than Park Ridge’s and they could use our computers and programs for free.
Let me see if I understand this. Five/ten/twenty years ago you buy a home in Park Ridge that is serviced by a gravel alley. There is nothing in your deed, or in any city ordinance, that obligates the city to pave that alley. You sit back and let those five/ten/twenty years go by without complaint. Then, suddenly, you realize that gravel dust has been blowing into your backyard and garage for those past five/ten/twenty years, which inspires you to demand that the city must immediately remedy that dangerous and deadly condition?
EDITOR’S NOTE: Not sure that’s it exactly, but it sounds pretty close.
While your bringing up the Library is waaaay out of spec, your basic message about paving the alleys is totally correct. When my block had it done I had just moved in and the young dad across the way had just had a heart attack. We were both thrilled to be assessed $5K for something we didn’t want. And today it’s $10K. It divided neighbor from neighbor then and will do the same now if it goes through.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Sorry, Class Warrior, but the way this country works is that the majority rules – so long as that majority does not overstep the Constitutional protections of the minority, which a special propety tax assessment for alley paving clearly does not.
So stop your class-warfare whining about the divisiveness of having to pay your fair share for a paved alley, pull on your big boy/big girl pants, and get over it.
Look at the people that live along Oakton that were at last months meeting. They’re all mad that the County removed the weed trees along Oakton and now are all saying their quality of life is being diminished with the lights and sounds of the auto traffic. They want a 10 foot sound wall constructed for two thirds of a mile….
You may not be the most hypocritical person on the planet, but you’re definitely in the top 100. Nobody, but nobody, whines more than you about paying your fair share of something you don’t want but the other taxpayer does. And I hope you don’t think you’re scaring anyone with your Class Warrior name-calling. Nobody, but nobody, is more of a class warrior than you. You’re just in a different economic class than Constant Reader here.
EDITOR’S NOTE: We challenge you to cite even ONE example of our arguing against anybody paying their “fair share” of anything for which a majority of taxpayers have voted.
We’re simply calling a spade a spade, which shouldn’t scare anonymous pebble-throwers like yourself who don’t have the nerve to sign their names to the tripe they spout.
“So stop your class-warfare whining about the divisiveness of having to pay your fair share for a paved alley, pull on your big boy/big girl pants, and get over it.”
It’s not class warfare to complain about being charged $5,000-$10,000 for a paved alley that isn’t wanted. It’s class warfare to try and shame the super rich folks of the country club pay for my alley because, well, they have more money that everybody else.
That being said, I wouldn’t object to a surcharge on the richest homes in town to pay for the alleys being paved. It’s never gonna happen, and I’m not going to be the one to file the petition to make that happen, but I’d vote for it.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Of course you’d vote for it, because you’re a class warrior (no caps, because 6:05 p.m. already has earned the “Class Warrior” designation).
If a majority of an SSA’s voters approve the SSA, then it IS “wanted.”
I would happily cite your most obvious attempts to subvert the people’s will but given the influence you seem to have everywhere but with the schools, I don’t want to draw your ire toward any more innocents. (Refer to exhibit “top 100 hypocrites.”) However, I don’t agree that the “super rich folks” should be charged for somebody else’s alley. They should be charged, however, for their mega-building’s effect on the flooding, not just the current set-aside token but whatever the actual cost of remediation is for conditions they can be reasonably found to have aggravated. That’s called capturing the externalities — ALL the real costs, not just the obvious and arbitrary sticker price.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Puh-leeze! You can’t cite jack – “happily” or othewise – about this editor’s “attempts to subvert the people’s will” because there are none. And you know it.
And if you really were so concerned about each “mega-building’s effect on the flooding,” you’d show up at City Hall and advocate for changes in the Zoning Code that currently permit such structures. But you won’t, because you don’t: it’s just another convenient class warfare talking point for you.
We get that you’ve mastered the tactic of repetition in your default use of “class warfare,” but it’s not a silver bullet for everything you disagree with. In fact, it gets to be wallpaper after awhile. Not that I mind. And be sure I show up where I think I can actually make a difference. As do you.
EDITOR’S NOTE: We’re still waiting for your citation to specific instances where this editor has attempted “to subvert the people’s will” – as you alleged in your 12:44 p.m. comment.
And since you don’t have the stones to identify yourself, when and where you “show up” will continue to be unprovable.
Can someone fill me in on the Oakton St. Situation?
It’s new to me.
https://youtu.be/j3WO1wC8VXQ?t=15m30s
at the 15:30 segment
EDITOR’S NOTE: And thank you for that Oakton issue reference.
IDOT, I believe, cut down the trees that are on the south side of Oakton, behind the houses on Kathleen. The trees did not appear to have been planted there based on what species they were, where they were growing (up through fences), and how they were growing. Residents have expressed concern over this as the trees have been there a long time and provided a noise and visual barrier. However, there is a gas pipeline in the right of way, so for maintenance and access purposes, IDOT says nothing but grass should be planted there.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Thank you, Ms. Cline!
I don’t wanna sound critical especially since I’m on the Southside of town but in the 41 years I’ve been in PR I’ve always remembered Oakton between Prospect and Oriole with no trees and the only thing that I remember seeing those white signs with red sign holders warning that there’s a natural gas pipeline and the only trees that might of existed were behind the fence that separates Oakton from the backyards that face it.
Regardless I don’t see why he’s now concerned about vehicles running into the back yards of the homes there.
I’ll take his word if he’s seen increased truck but there’s probably been a fare amount of traffic on Oakton for more then half a century.
Now I’m love to know how long this man has lived in that neighborhood
Now I’m talking 70’s and 80’s
The 10 foot wall is a great idea. Change the zoning code and special assess the owners for it. Good luck trying to get a grant from the state of illinois for that!
Of note, I just assumed the weed trees along oakton were ash trees, i didn’t know it was some easement related issue.
Assuming that the math of $10,000 per homeowner is correct, what does it do to the values of these houses/lots? I would imagine each lot is worth significantly more than the cost. Also, how about bringing development into this town. I see several alleys where I guarantee that builders would build new (i.e. higher tax base) houses….IF the alleys were paved. People do not want to develop on the gravel alleys.
EDITOR’S NOTE: A “guarantee” from a nameless commentator is worthless.
It sounds like you bought a house with a paved alley. So either you were an idiot when you bought it, or you were/are an opportunist who got a bargain price (because of no paved alley) and now are trying to get the City (a/k/a your fellow taxpayers) to bear the cost of paving the alley to juice your property value.
C. Developer who knows how easy a sale PR would be to a young city family?
EDITOR’S NOTE: …equally willing (like yourself) to pay less for a house with an unpaved alley and then try to get the City to pave it?
I bought my home in 1983. The alley was not paved. I don’t remember when it was, but sometime later (prior to 1990) we were asked to sign up for our alley to be paved. We had a few neighbors object due to the cost. So our block put it on hold and forgot about it until the objectors moved away (actually died).
Fast forward a few years and we signed up again without objection. We were put on a waiting list. Meanwhile, every alley around us was paved. The area bounded by Touhy on the South, the railroad tracks on the North, Greenwood on the East and Dee Rd on the west, has only 2 alleys that are not paved. When the paving program ended, we were told we would be first on the list should it begin again. It’s not like we’re asking for something no one else has, nor are we unwilling to pay the same share our fellow residents paid. Don’t forget, our taxes contributed to the alleys that have been paved already.
If the program never existed, we wouldn’t be asking, but it did and we are. I don’t see anything wrong with asking to resume a halted program. Were not asking to start or develop a new one.
EDITOR’S NOTE: A decent point, Mr. B, but not quite the golden ticket.
The reason the program was stopped was because of money concerns driven in large part by the stupidity and recklessness of those folks who brought you the Uptown TIF and its tens of millions of dollars of long-term bonded debt. That was a game-changer, and will remain one for another decade or so.
Two of the main perps, fmr. mayor Ron Wietecha and fmr. city mgr. Tim Schuenke, screwed the pooch and then flew the coop (mixing metaphors) – the former to Barrington, the latter to Wisconsin. But most of the other folks are still around, although they don’t seem to brag all that loudly about their red-headed stepchild like they did when they were telling everybody about all the millions of dollars of surpluses it would generate.
Alley Paving will be a topic for discussion at the next Public Works Committee Meeting – Wednesday March 16th 7pm at City Hall. Here is a link with some meeting info: http://www.parkridge.us/assets/1/Events/PWalleys.pdf
EDITOR’S NOTE: Thank you, Mr. Bellino.
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