Protect Our Water

Environmental Protection Agency State and Tribal Assistance Grant Application

Public Documents & Meetings Gallery of Images

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Executive Summary

Located on the shores of Lake Michigan below a bluff lies the Village of Glencoe's only water treatment facility and the community’s only public beach. The water treatment facility produces approximately 1.7M gallons of water per day for Glencoe’s residents, schools, park district facilities and businesses, and serves as an emergency source of water for neighboring municipalities. Access to these critical and historical facilities is limited to a single asphalt roadway that traverses the bluff. The condition of this roadway and its associated infrastructure (including retaining and crib walls) are in dire need of repair.

Our project has a single but critical goal: Fix the failing infrastructure which provides critical access to the water treatment plant and beach. In 2018, coastal engineers confirmed the stability issues, likely associated with bluff creep and surface-water drainage issues. These issues are manifesting themselves in the form of structural damage to the roadway and associated retaining walls located on the bluff.

Public Documents & meetings

2014-15: Focus groups, stakeholder interviews and community survey issued by Glencoe Park District to Glencoe community to develop Master Plan for district.
2014: Village of Glencoe reviewed a Water Supply Planning Report developed by Strand Associates, which identified existing conditions and infrastructure needs with the Village's 1928 Water Treatment Plant facility. Read Plan
2015: Master Plan approved at public Glencoe Park District Board of Commissioners Meeting. Read plan
2016: Village of Glencoe commissioned the Water System Distribution System Plan developed by Strand Associates, which establishes a timeline for maintaining the Village's water distribution infrastructure (water mains, elevated water tower, and storage). Read Plan
2017: Village of Glencoe Board of Trustees approves Water Rate Analysis. Read plan
2018: During a public meeting, Glencoe Park District Board of Commissioners approved ADA Transition Plan, an audit on all existing sites mandated by the American Disabilities Act. The plan included a ten-year retrofit for the District to improve access at all sites, including the roadway to Glencoe Beach. Read plan
2018: Glencoe Beach and Bluff Restoration Condition Assessment and Recommendations Summary presentation is given to Glencoe Park District Board of Commissioners at a public meeting. Read plan
2019: In accordance with the Bluff Restoration Conditions and Recommendations report, Glencoe Park District repairs the flooring, roof, and mortar on the Halfway House, a historic structure located in the middle of the roadway.
2020: The Village of Glencoe and Glencoe Park District repair the north overlook foundation for the north Schuman Overlook above the roadway and replace 25-feet of retaining wall on the roadway following the phased plan from the Bluff Restoration Conditions and Recommendations report. Native erosion-resistant landscaping is added to that portion of the bluff.
2021: The Glencoe Park District repairs the South Overlook foundation above the access roadway, as recommended in the Bluff Restoration Conditions and Recommendations report. Native erosion-resistant landscaping is added to that portion of the bluff.
2022: Village of Glencoe and Glencoe Park District budgets, approved by elected Village Trustees and Park Board Commissioners, include a total of over $700,000 in direct funding to support roadway repairs.