Sycamore City Council approves $99K agreement for 2022 water main, street improvements design, bidding

SYCAMORE – As a class-action lawsuit against the city related to water quality continues, Sycamore city officials recently approved a $99,200 agreement with Baxter and Woodman out of Crystal Lake to complete design and bidding services for the City’s 2022 water main and street improvements plan.

Sycamore Acting City Manager Maggie Peck said city staff originally presented the plan earlier this year, which covers 2022 through 2025. She said the first project that would be completed is the water main on Illinois Route 64, Sabin Street, Exchange Street and North Governor Street.

Peck said the city would be able to complete the construction phase of the project in-house if they went with Baxter and Woodman for design and bidding.

“This is about 25% less than what we budgeted for,” Peck said.

The Sycamore City Council voted, 8-0, to approve the service agreement during their Monday meeting. There was no additional public discussion amongst aldermen before the vote.

The update comes amid continued concern by Sycamore residents expressing dismay over drinking water quality concerns and conflicting lead level water test results, which has some residents calling on the city to address whether water coming into their homes has lead in it. City officials have said the water is safe to drink per state-certification standards, although some residents question its safety, saying that no amount of lead is safe for human consumption.

After months of public outcry over concerns about water quality, a class-action lawsuit was filed against the city of Sycamore by multiple residents in October 2020.

City officials previously denied the water, which many residents reported is brown and has a foul odor and texture, is unsafe to drink per state-certification standards. City staff also looked at getting a forgivable loan from the state to replace lead water lines throughout the city. The City Council also recently approved implementing a separate program that would give at least a $1,000 utility bill credit for homeowners that replace lead water service lines on their private property.

One of the Sycamore residents who led the charge in addressing drinking water concerns in the city will be taking a step back in her local involvement with those issues.

Sycamore resident Jennifer Campbell wrote in a June 20 social media statement posted to several community groups that she and her family are moving out of Illinois. She wrote she will still remain one of the named class representatives in the class action lawsuit.

“About the water situation; there is not much else I can say or do,” Campbell wrote.

Campbell wrote “attorneys will do everything within their legal power” to continue advocating for Sycamore residents to receive access to safe, clean water. She said she will still contribute to the social media groups meant to help distribute information about water-related issues in the area, though her posts won’t be as frequent due to the move.

According to federal court documents obtained by the Daily Chronicle, Campbell, of the 400 block of Edward Street, and Pennington, of the 600 block of Park Avenue, filed the lawsuit with class attorneys Steve W. Berman out of Seattle, Washington, and Vazquez on Oct. 30 on several counts that include fraud, deceptive business, negligence and public nuisance.

“The general allegation is that the city has been providing unclean unsafe and ... unusable drinking water,” Mark Vazquez, a Chicago attorney for named class plaintiffs Jennifer Campbell and Jeremy Pennington, said. “And [residents] are seeking [monetary] damages for that and for the city to fix that.”

Vazquez said the city has denied all of the claims from the class’s side. He said the city has not filed a motion to dismiss the case.

Sycamore city officials repeatedly have declined comment on the lawsuit, citing the ongoing nature of the case, including recently elected Sycamore Mayor Steve Braser.

Vazquez said the case is still in the discovery phase with parties exchanging documents and evidence. He said that generally takes several months but the involved parties are set to give the U.S. district court judge an update soon.

“We have a status hearing before the court on July 1,″ Vazquez said Friday.

After evidence and document exchange, Vazquez said the next step in the case’s progress would be out of court witness testimony.

The number of people in the Facebook group Citizens for Clean Water Sycamore, Illinois climbed up to more than 1,000 members since its September 2020 creation. The social media group is not directly connected to those affiliated with the class-action lawsuit.

Campbell wrote the Facebook group “Citizens for Clean Water, Sycamore” will “remain as a source of community support.”

“As I stated when I spoke for the first time before the Mayor and aldermen at the City Council meeting on Aug. 17, 2020, the city of Sycamore is a wonderful place to live,” Campbell wrote. “Sycamore will always have a special place in my heart.”