Brookfield has taken another step forward as the leader of the regional Des Plaines River Trail extension project despite a lack of clarity on who is financially responsible for the work.
At the village board’s Oct. 28 committee of the whole meeting, Brookfield trustees agreed to proceed with one of three options for a connector route along 31st Street that would serve cyclists and pedestrians alike. They chose the most expensive but safest option, which would run along the south side of the road, next to eastbound traffic, from Prairie Avenue to First Avenue, allowing for a bike connection to Brookfield Zoo Chicago’s north entrance.
Trustees were simply asked to direct staff on which option to proceed with; the board did not commit to paying any costs for the project.
Ciorba, the firm hired by Brookfield for engineering on the project, estimates Brookfield will owe about $1.47 million for work on the route, about 20% of the total cost of about $7.34 million, according to agenda documents.
At the meeting, Village Engineer Derek Treichel told trustees the path’s classification left Brookfield on the hook to pay for it.
“The path on 31st Street is classified as a connector route, so it’s not part of the Forest Preserves [of Cook County’s] main trail system. What that means, as we’ve talked with them, is, this is something initiated by the village, as a desire by the village to have a connector to the main trail system,” he said.
He added that Brookfield staff expects to get grant funding for the remaining 80% of the cost, leaving the village to cover the entire local share; Brookfield rather than the county forest preserves would also be responsible for maintaining the route.
The connector route is just one portion of a regional effort to connect the Des Plaines River Trail, which runs for 55 miles from near the Illinois-Wisconsin border to the Jerome Huppert Woods in River Grove. Then, there’s a 6.5-mile gap in the trail until it picks up on Ogden Avenue in Lyons, where it runs south for another mile and a half.
Work on the project first began in 2020, when Brookfield entered into an agreement with Riverside, Lyons, LaGrange Park and the Forest Preserves of Cook County, taking charge of the project. The project halted due to a lack of funding at the start of 2023, but Brookfield resuscitated it in January after receiving extra funds from the county.
The other options presented to trustees included a route that would start on the south side of the road before crossing to the north side midway between Forest Avenue and McCormick Avenue before swapping back to the south side at Golfview Avenue. The third route would feature the same mid-route switch to the north side but would stop short at McCormick Avenue. The second option would have cost the village about $950,000, while the third option would run Brookfield roughly $590,000.
Treichel said the first option was the costliest due to “additional costs” associated with the route, such as the removal of trees on the FPCC’s property and the installation of retaining walls for berms along the path.
Treichel said the FPCC recommended the first option but said in response to a question from Village President Michael Garvey that he didn’t know what would happen if Brookfield chose another option against the FPCC’s wishes.
“They’re not going to be able to fund it, and that’s part of their mission statement. That’s not just Brookfield … and yet, [Village Manager] Tim [Wiberg] will acknowledge they’ve been a driving force in some of these meetings,” Treichel said. “I don’t want to call it combative, but there’s been some disagreements between village staff, where they want the route, and where the Forest Preserves [want it]. So, long answer, but I’m not sure.”
Despite the high cost associated with the first option, trustees identified it as the safest option for anyone who would use it and thus the best choice for Brookfield.
“I’m not in favor of option three, right off the bat, because it doesn’t connect it to the zoo … I don’t think that will ever happen if we don’t do it now,” Trustee Edward Côté said. “This isn’t just going to be used by people on bikes. It’s going to be used by people on foot. It’s going to be used by other means, and if they’re going to be expected to cross 31st Street twice to get to the zoo, I’m not in favor of that, because I think that could actually present more of a danger.”
Trustee Kit Ketchmark said he supported the creation of the connector route but took issue with the fact that Brookfield alone seemed to be on the hook to pay for it after he said it was identified as far back as 2015 as the most expensive portion of the extension project.
“When and where did this become Brookfield’s sole part to be the one connecting these routes? That doesn’t make sense. This is a huge county project. We’re looking to connect to the Salt Creek Trail north of 31st. You’re out of Brookfield real quick there; you’re into North Riverside. There are a lot of people that benefit from this besides Brookfield,” he said. “The funding on this is crazy. This should not be coming down to the Village of Brookfield for almost $2 million for that. The county seems to have washed their hands of so much of this to the point where they’re going to tell us, ‘If you take down trees, it’s going to cost you, but we want you to take those trees down.’ That does not make sense.”
After the board discussed potential funding sources, like partnering with Riverside or North Riverside or asking Brookfield’s county commissioner, Frank J. Aguilar, for help leveraging county funds, Treichel said the board’s decision would mostly impact which portions of 31st Street Ciorba will study in further detail.
“You can study the full length, and we can pursue funding at the same time. If we’re not able to get, for instance, Cook County to participate in the funding, then that can be a justifiable reason why we, at a later date, would reduce the limits of the path,” he said.
Trustees ultimately agreed to direct staff to continue with the most expensive option while looking into funding from sources across the region to complement the project’s overall goal.
