C’ville likely to extend deadline to replace gravel drives

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Updated: March 17, 2012 10:17AM

CARPENTERSVILLE — The village probably will extend an early summer deadline requiring homeowners with gravel driveways to replace them with hard surfaces.

But some residents are still upset over the requirement that will cost them thousands of dollars.

Dawn Wucki-Rossbach, the village’s community development director, noted that in 2008 an ordinance was approved stating gravel driveways had to be replaced with concrete, asphalt, brick pavers, or a combination of the three. The ordinance also says all nonconforming driveways have to come into compliance no later than June 1, 2012.

“There were notices mailed to residents informing them of the change,” she said.

Officials cited a number of reasons for the ordinance, including the lack of maintenance of some of the gravel driveway areas in the village and the nuisance gravel creates on streets and sidewalks.

At the time the ordinance was put in place, the village had 265 homes with gravel parking surfaces.

“Currently we have a total of 184,” Wucki-Rossbach said.

Karen DeBias is one Carpentersville resident who has not yet made the change. The single mother is balking at the $5,500 price tag she said it will cost for materials and installation of an asphalt driveway because of the village ordinance.

DeBias attended a recent Carpentersville Village Board meeting to express her frustration.

“Given the current recession, the number of foreclosed properties in Carpentersville, the hundreds of individuals currently living in Carpentersville who are living at or below the existing poverty level, the current unemployment in our community, the bleak outlook going forward, and those homeowners who struggle like me every month to make ends meet in this economy, how can the village of Carpentersville dictate that I come up with over $5,500 to install asphalt in my driveway?” she asked in a written statement to the village board.

At the request of the board, village staff plan to draft an extension of the deadline for compliance with the code, Wucki-Rossbach said.

She said the issue will be discussed at Tuesday’s board meeting.