Hinsdale trustees approved a $34,450 contract to study drainage problems near Garfield Avenue and 56th Street after summer storms left standing water in the neighborhood.
The Village Board awarded the contract to engineering firm HR Green of New Lenox at its Tuesday, Oct. 6, meeting. The village said it will focus on the Garfield and 56th Street intersection and surrounding area, as first reported by Patch.
"There's a lot of standing water, and of course, this summer's storms have only made this problem stand out more," Trustee Neale Byrnes said at the meeting. Byrnes chairs the village's Environment and Public Services Committee, which oversees drainage and infrastructure items.
Trustee Alexis Braden voiced support. She called the contract a smart approach.
What the study will examine
HR Green will review the area's drainage system and produce a report identifying potential improvement projects. The village has not disclosed what specific fixes the firm might evaluate or how far the study area extends beyond the intersection.
No timeline for the study's completion has been announced. The village also has not said when trustees might consider construction projects based on the findings.
Second HR Green drainage contract in two years
The Garfield Avenue study is the second neighborhood drainage contract the village has awarded to HR Green since 2024. In October 2024, the board approved a separate $26,425 contract for The Lane Drainage Study. That project examined a 60-inch storm sewer draining a portion of northeast Hinsdale near the Phillippa and Fuller Road intersection. The Illinois Tollway funded half of that study, up to $25,000, through an intergovernmental agreement.
No similar outside funding source has been identified for the Garfield Avenue study.
The Oct. 6 agenda also included a first reading for a separate village-wide sewer cleaning contract covering roughly 80,000 linear feet of sanitary, storm and combination sewers.
Hinsdale government week ahead
Upcoming Village Board, Plan Commission and other public meeting dates for the week of Oct. 12 were not available in village records as of publication. Residents can check the Village of Hinsdale website for updated agendas and meeting schedules.
