City to link Sunset Park retention pond to storm sewer system
By Kellen Olshefski
Editor
Met by opposition from some alderman, the council voted 4-2 in favor of connecting the retention pond in Sunset Park to the city’s storm water sewer system at a cost of $24,000 at Monday’s meeting.
Both Aldermen Tom Myrin and Hoss Rehberg voted in opposition of the option of connecting to the storm sewer system.
The topic was first discussed at the Aug. 10 Elkhorn Municipal Services and Utilities meeting, at which time the committee opted in favor of connecting to the storm sewer system over the option of a French drain.
While the French drain would cost the city about $16,000 less, in the long term, City Engineer Paul Vanhenkelum said connecting to the storm sewer system would be the best option, getting the job done properly the first time as in a heavy rainfall, water could sit in the retention pond for several days with a French drain.
At Monday’s council meeting, Myrin asked why the retention pond wasn’t done right in the first place.
Vanhenkelum said with the previous retention pond working fine, the engineering firm made the assumption the new retention pond would follow suit and didn’t do any soil borings at a cost of $15,000. While most of Walworth County is a gravel-base, he said they designed a pond that was a little deeper and unfortunately, they’re still in some bad material and water isn’t draining as expected.
While they could have done soil borings, Vanhenkelum said the city would have spent the $15,000 on soil borings and would still have likely had to pay the $24,000 to connect to the sewer system.
Alderman Scott McClory, Bruce Lechner, Greg Huss and Michael Kluck all voted in favor of a motion to approve.
