La Grange Park kicked off a multi-year effort to make the village’s sidewalks and curbs accessible to people with disabilities at a public forum last week at Village Hall to gather input on the project.
Travis Helmkamp, project manager for civil engineering firm Oates Associates, a civil engineering firm, said just because sidewalks are in place, that doesn’t mean they are accessible.
“If there’s a sidewalk and there’s a 4-inch vertical gap between the sidewalk panels, yes there’s sidewalk, but there’s also a 4-inch trip hazard there, so it’s not a usable and accessible sidewalk,” he said. “This is a big planning study, to identify those locations, so that going forward, the village just has more information.”
He stressed the long-range nature of the project.
“You can’t fix the entirety of the village in one year. What we’re trying to do tonight and what we’re identifying over the next few months, is the priorities of the village — where people are trying to get to.”
The endeavor, financed completely by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, is scheduled to generate a long range plan by July. The village’s next step is to organize a steering committee of residents, business leaders and other interested parties to participate in four public meetings next year.
After a final plan of action is presented next summer, officials will begin implementing physical changes to village walkways.
When the plans are finalized, La Grange Park will treat the work just like any other project, putting bids out to find the lowest responsible bidders for any given project, officials said.
In addition to CMAP absorbing the cost of the study, Oates will assist the village in obtaining grant funding for the projects.
Director of Public Works Rick Radde said his department has for years been making sure any road projects done by the village were ADA compliant, but noted additional funding would be sought for the multiyear sidewalk project.
“That’s something we will have to seek out some grant funding for,” he said. “We will be contracting that out.”
Public Works superintendent John Jandak spoke of the causes of problem sidewalks.
“We have a lot of aging sidewalks, we have a large amount of miles in total sidewalks, and we’ve got aging, old mature trees that have huge root systems that are pushing these sidewalks in different directions,” he said. “It causes vertical displacement, sidewalks getting raised, people tripping. We also have aging concrete where it’s old and just cracks.”
While the opening meeting was sparsely attended, Deputy Village Manager Maggie Jarr urged citizens to make their concerns known.
“We are seeking interested residents to participate on the project’s steering committee, and they should reach out to the village if they’re interested in reviewing project documents and providing feedback on the priorities of the plan,” she said.
Jarr noted there would be a survey available online and on paper at the Village Hall, beginning in December, in addition to the four public forums planned for the first half of 2025.
Jarr also said parties interested in the steering committee, the survey, or the public meetings could contact her through email, mjarr@lagrangepark.org
Hank Beckman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
