OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Lake County Public Works and Transportation Committee Meeting - October 8, 2025

Committee Meetings — Wednesday, October 8, 2025
BodyLake County, Illinois
SessionCommittee Meetings
DateWednesday, October 8, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:08:19

Transcript — Verbatim
0:14

All right, good morning, everyone.

0:16

Today is October 8th, 2025, and I call the Lake County Public Works and Transportation Committee meeting to order at 8:30 a.m.

0:24

In addition to being able to attend in-person, remote attendance has been made available to the public via Zoom at the link on the agenda.

0:30

This meeting is being recorded through Zoom.

0:33

Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:37

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic or which it stands.

0:45

One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

0:50

Can I get a roll call, please?

0:53

Member Kasman?

0:54

Here.

0:54

Chair Clark.

0:55

Here.

0:56

Member Hewitt.

0:58

Member Hunter.

1:00

Vice Chair Main.

1:01

Present.

1:02

Member Roberts.

1:03

Member Watson.

1:04

Thank you.

1:05

We have a quorum.

1:06

Is there any addenda to the agenda?

1:07

There's none.

1:08

Any public comment?

1:09

There is not.

1:09

All right.

1:10

No chairs remarks or unfinished business.

1:12

New business is our consent agenda.

1:13

Item 8.1.

1:15

Can I get a motion in a second, please?

1:16

Motion by Robert, second by Kasmin.

1:18

All in favor?

1:19

Aye.

1:20

Any opposed?

1:21

Motion carries.

1:22

On our regular agenda is item 8.2, which is our director's report for public works.

1:38

Good morning, Chair.

1:39

Committee members, Austin McFarlane, uh director for Lake County Public Works.

1:45

Want to chat with you briefly about an item that is of concern to the department.

1:51

As you may recall, about a year ago, we did an inventory in all of our water main lines for lead and copper for the agency.

2:03

And at the end of that inventory, we add one system that had one service, lead service line in place.

2:14

And so we have been working with the owner of that property to address this issue, but the owner is not anxious or um designed to make any repeats to that lead service line anytime soon.

2:34

Normally we have uh sampling regimen from the for from the IEPA, which is 10 samples every three years.

2:44

But with this lead service line in place, the agency has adjusted our monitoring program, and now we're required to do 20 samples every six months.

2:59

The sampling is done by the residents.

3:02

They are required to collect samples of first flush in the morning.

3:07

And so the operators are there first thing in the morning to collect the samples if they're available.

3:13

If they are not there in the morning before the operators get there, then the operators do return later in the day when they get back from work to retrieve the samples.

3:26

The increased activity certainly has created some frustration for the owners of the properties back there, and some have requested that their names be removed from the sampling list.

3:41

Now, again, you know, the operators have to make multiple trips because if they go there in the morning and they're not there, they got a return if they go there in the afternoon, and so the cycle goes on and on.

3:56

Um are required by the EPA to collaborate with the customers as we've done with this particular individual, but they're also required to have uh a replacement plan in place for these lead service um pipes.

4:14

At this rate, our costs traditionally spend about 400 a year at this rate will exceed 5,000 a year with the additional monitoring.

4:26

And the biggest concern is that our sampling pool will reduce and we may not be able to meet the requirement of getting all 20 samples for the period.

4:39

Replacement of this line is approximately 10 to 15,000, and it may be less if we have our staff do the work.

4:47

So our recommendation is to remove the spipe.

4:52

Um, and the apartment expense, and this will satisfy and be a part, become part of our replacement program that we can submit to the state.

5:04

And so I'll pause there and entertain any questions, concerns that you may have with this recommendation.

5:10

All right, thank you.

5:12

Any questions I you have, Vice Chair Maine.

5:15

Thank you.

5:16

Um, Director McFarland.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Transportation Safety██████████████████████████████30%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████████████████17%
Public Engagement██████████████14%
Public Works█████████████13%
Water And Wastewater Management█████████9%
Public Safety█████████9%
Procedural████████8%
Summary of Proceedings

Lake County Public Works and Transportation Committee Meeting - October 8, 2025

The Lake County Public Works and Transportation Committee met on October 8, 2025, at 8:30 AM via Zoom with in-person attendance. The meeting was called to order by Chair Clark, with a quorum present. The committee addressed consent items, the director's report on a lead service line issue, multiple resolutions for speed zone changes, engineering contracts, and a long-range transportation plan update.

Consent Calendar

  • Item 8.1: Consent agenda approved unanimously.
  • Item 8.4: Fall 2025 Adopt-a-Highway program approved. Committee noted 79% adoption with 33 renewing groups and 13 new groups. Discussion about possibly changing the ordinance to allow year-round sign-ups without bi-annual committee approval; staff will bring back proposed amendments.
  • Item 8.10: Agreement with Graham C. Stores Company for property at 221 West Rollins Road regarding underground storage tank cleanup; authorized with a $100,000 bond requirement.
  • Item 8.13: Appropriation of $806,400 for maintenance supplies and $206,000 for de-icing materials for FY2025-2026.
  • Item 8.15: Destruction of executive session recordings from January 27, 2010 through November 29, 2023, and other dates, approved unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were made.

Discussion Items

  • Lead Service Line Replacement (Item 8.2): Director Austin McFarlane reported that an inventory of water mains found one lead service line. The property owner is not willing to replace it. Due to this, monitoring requirements increased from 10 samples every three years to 20 samples every six months, costing an estimated $5,000 annually (up from $400). Replacement cost is $10,000–$15,000. The committee supported moving forward with replacement, pending homeowner agreement. Vice Chair Main noted that using staff labor has an opportunity cost.
  • Winchester Road/IL 83 Intersection Improvement (Item 8.3): Change order #4 for $1,294,769.65 due to discovery of additional unsuitable soil (peat bog) during construction. The state has verbally agreed to cost-share an additional $1 million. The project is 75% complete and expected to finish by end of 2025. Committee approved the change order.
  • Speed Zone Changes:
    • Item 8.5: Drury Lane (Avon Township) – reduced from 35 mph to 30 mph for 0.043 miles south of Rollins Road, based on speed study and township request.
    • Item 8.6: Oak Spring Road (Libertyville Township) – reduced from 35 mph to 25 mph, consistent with adjacent sections. Vice Chair Main noted safety concerns for pedestrians and cyclists.
  • Gauges Lake Road Engineering (Item 8.7): Approved $3,237,837 contract with GFT Infrastructure for phase one engineering on Gauges Lake Road from US 45 to IL 21, and US 45 from Center Street to Washington Street. Study will include intersection improvements, school traffic, and non-motorized connectivity to College of Lake County. Discussion included e-bike safety on trails; Chair indicated a future conversation on trail regulations.
  • Russell Road Roundabouts (Item 8.8): Awarded $7,219,900.69 contract to Campanella & Sons for roundabouts at Russell Road/Kenosha Road and Lewis Avenue. Construction planned for 2026 with 90-day closures per roundabout. Includes 6-foot bike lanes between roundabouts.
  • Change Order for Russell Road Engineering (Item 8.9): Approved $53,379 increase for additional utility relocation and detour planning.
  • Cedar Lake Road Resurfacing (Item 8.11): Approved $636,741 contract with Baxter & Woodman for resurfacing 3.25 miles from Montreville Road to Hart Road, including drainage upgrades, guardrail, ADA ramps, and traffic signal replacement at Rowlands.
  • Butterfield Road Bike Path (Item 8.12): Approved supplemental appropriation of $30,000 for right-of-way costs to complete non-motorized improvements from Gregg's Parkway to Gulf Road.
  • Director's Report:
    • Darrell Road corridor roundabouts opened September 26, 2025, and received national roundabout corridor of the year award from ITE.
    • Envision 2050 long-range transportation plan: 750 survey responses received; virtual open house runs through October 21, 2025, at LakeCounty2050.com.
  • Executive Session: Held to discuss personnel and closed session minutes (items 10.1 and 10.2).

Key Outcomes

  • Approved: Lead service line replacement (conditional on homeowner agreement), change order for Winchester Road, speed zone reductions on Drury Lane and Oak Spring Road, engineering contracts for Gauges Lake Road and Cedar Lake Road, roundabout construction contract for Russell Road, change order for Russell Road engineering, supplemental appropriation for Butterfield Road bike path, Adopt-a-Highway program, environmental cleanup agreement, maintenance material appropriation, destruction of executive session recordings.
  • Approved: Executive session minutes from February 5, 2025 and August 6, 2025.
  • Next Steps: Staff to bring back proposed ordinance amendments for year-round Adopt-a-Highway sign-ups; future committee discussion on e-bike and scooter regulations on trails. Next meeting is a joint budget hearing on October 22, 2025.

Meeting Transcript

All right, good morning, everyone. Today is October 8th, 2025, and I call the Lake County Public Works and Transportation Committee meeting to order at 8:30 a.m. In addition to being able to attend in-person, remote attendance has been made available to the public via Zoom at the link on the agenda. This meeting is being recorded through Zoom. Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic or which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Can I get a roll call, please? Member Kasman? Here. Chair Clark. Here. Member Hewitt. Member Hunter. Vice Chair Main. Present. Member Roberts. Member Watson. Thank you. We have a quorum. Is there any addenda to the agenda? There's none. Any public comment? There is not. All right. No chairs remarks or unfinished business. New business is our consent agenda. Item 8.1. Can I get a motion in a second, please? Motion by Robert, second by Kasmin. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. On our regular agenda is item 8.2, which is our director's report for public works. Good morning, Chair. Committee members, Austin McFarlane, uh director for Lake County Public Works. Want to chat with you briefly about an item that is of concern to the department. As you may recall, about a year ago, we did an inventory in all of our water main lines for lead and copper for the agency. And at the end of that inventory, we add one system that had one service, lead service line in place. And so we have been working with the owner of that property to address this issue, but the owner is not anxious or um designed to make any repeats to that lead service line anytime soon. Normally we have uh sampling regimen from the for from the IEPA, which is 10 samples every three years. But with this lead service line in place, the agency has adjusted our monitoring program, and now we're required to do 20 samples every six months. The sampling is done by the residents. They are required to collect samples of first flush in the morning. And so the operators are there first thing in the morning to collect the samples if they're available. If they are not there in the morning before the operators get there, then the operators do return later in the day when they get back from work to retrieve the samples. The increased activity certainly has created some frustration for the owners of the properties back there, and some have requested that their names be removed from the sampling list. Now, again, you know, the operators have to make multiple trips because if they go there in the morning and they're not there, they got a return if they go there in the afternoon, and so the cycle goes on and on. Um are required by the EPA to collaborate with the customers as we've done with this particular individual, but they're also required to have uh a replacement plan in place for these lead service um pipes.

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