Are Vandals Trying To Sabotage DuPage County Flood Control Project?
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A DuPage County official suspects someone is trying to sabotage a flood control project that's nearly complete in Carol Stream.
DuPage County Board Member Jim Zay, who chairs the DuPage Water Commission, said it was thought at first that kids were behind the broken construction vehicle windows, doors, and control panels at Armstrong Park, where the Klein Creek Flood Mitigation Project began a year ago. Then, some trees and bushes were taken; and, recently, someone was seen running away from the flood control system's 60-inch pipe.
"Staff went down to take a look at it and – not where you can see it easily – they had to walk into the pipe about 15 feet – we found … two trees and six bushes lined up neatly, trying to block the flow of water out of the facility," he said.
Deputy Police Chief Dan Hoffman said investigators are following a couple leads, and will be doing an extra patrol at Armstrong Park.
"We did put an alert out, asking them to call us when they see anything suspicious, but we haven't had any calls from residents about that," he said.
Zay said he believes an area resident is causing all the trouble, because he or she does not like how the park might have changed the resident's view of the park, or access to the park from his or her property.
"People who lived up against it had a nice clear view back there, and now we've put a berm up, so my feeling is that somebody is not happy with this project, somebody in the neighborhood, and they are trying to do everything they can to sabotage it," Zay said.
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He said he suspects a nearby resident, because one time when a police officer was taking a look at some of the vandalism on a construction vehicle, he left to take another call, and when he returned less than an hour later, there had been more vandalism.
Zay said other incidents of vandalism include someone using a sledgehammer to try to damage a device that's supposed to slow the flow of water into Klein Creek, near the fire station on Kuhn Road.
"This was the best way to save hundreds of homes from flooding, and I guess somebody didn't like that, so they're out there trying to stop progress," he said.
Zay says the Armstrong Park flood control project costs $12.5 million and is 85% complete. He expects the park to re-open in the weeks ahead. He says it's designed to prevent flooding in hundreds of homes.
He said the $12.5 million flood control project is nearly complete, and Armstrong Park should reopen in the coming weeks.
