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VOL. 17 • NO. 21
382387
WWW.THEINDEPENDENTNEWSPAPERS.COM
THURSDAY, OCT. 8, 2020
White Pines residents hold rally opposing Village plans Mellenthin: ‘What’s going on is not fair’
By Dee Longfellow FOR THE BENSENVILLE INDEPENDENT
A rally of residents in the White Pines section of Bensenville was held recently, relaying their opposition to the Village of Bensenville’s plans to upgrade the area’s aging water system. Just last week, Village President Frank DeSimone said he had signed the final documents to secure a loan of $5.8 million to help fund the repair and replacement of the system from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IL-EPA). The White Pine Civic Association has been fighting for many years – in and out of court — with the Village over the water system and, even though they have lost their battles in court, residents of White Pines still demand their voices of opposition be heard. Gina Mellenthin, president of the association, is demanding a forensic audit of the money and of the engineering. “What’s going on is not fair,” she said. In a flyer about the neighborhood gathering, Mayor DeSimone was accused of “coming after our homes with foreclosure,” according to Mellenthin, saying White Pines residents are expected to “accept the conditions of the Village.” In order to pay for the work being done, White Pines residents have two options: 1) homeowners can volunteer to be annexed and pay for the work through property taxes; or 2) pay a higher surcharge through an increase to their water bill over the next 20 years. Bensenville Village Manager
Evan Summer pointed out that any municipality in Illinois can place a lien on property that is delinquent in paying water bills. He reacted to Mellenthin’s comments saying, “We have never
ever tried to foreclose upon on one of those liens.” Mellenthin added that she sees the opportunity for a land grab by the Village, with its invitation for White Pines homeowners to seek
annexation voluntarily. There is another group known as the White Pines Community Alliance, which broke away from the Association. One resident belonging to the Alliance said his yard
often “looks like Lake Michigan” because the mains run through the area. The work clearly needs to be done, according to that resident because he’s “tired of frequent breaks and leaks.”
SUBMITTED PHOTO Bensenville Independent
While maintaining social distancing, residents of the White Pines community in Bensenville came out for a rally to express their opposition to the Village’s plans to replace their water system. The area indeed needs the water system, but homeowners are unhappy with the plans to fund the project.
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