R. Christian Smith
Chicago Tribune
(TNS)

The city of Aurora is looking to finish construction of a new well at Fire Station 10 with the purchase of a new pump and motor.

The new well located at 2390 W. Illinois Ave. is set to replace one that collapsed in 2022, bringing the city’s water production division back up to 18 wells in total, according to Superintendent of Water Production Bob Leible. Construction is currently in its second of three phases, and the Aurora City Council could soon consider a contract for the third phase with a cost of around $178,000.

“This is a big engineering project,” Leible said.

Aurora collects water from wells and the Fox River, which then goes through the city’s water treatment plant before being piped out to users like businesses and homes. Although it changes day to day, wells provide on average about 40% of the city’s water while the rest comes from the river, Leible said.

He presented city staff’s proposed contract for phase three of construction, which includes the installation of the new well’s pump and motor, to the Aurora City Council’s Infrastructure and Technology Committee on Sept. 22. That committee unanimously voted in favor of the contract with Water Well Solutions of Elburn, so it will now go before the Committee of the Whole on Tuesday before heading to City Council for final approval.

The new well, called Well 105 in city documents, is a shallow well cut into bedrock, Leible told The Beacon-News. The well that previously collapsed, which is why a new well is being built, was also shallow but was a sand and gravel well, he said.

The city is set to once again have six shallow wells once this new one is finished in 2026, according to Leible. He said Aurora also has 12 deep wells.

Phase one of construction was the actual drilling of the well, which ended up costing around $500,000, though the Aurora City Council approved up to roughly $712,000 for the work, Leible said.

With that borehole about 200 feet deep into limestone, phase two began, he said.

This part of the process, which is still happening, has seen the construction of underground “site improvements” like piping, valves and the like, according to Leible. He said all of that needs to be put in new because the site has never held a well before.

The Aurora City Council previously approved a contract of up to $963,000 for phase two of construction, Leible said.

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If the newly-proposed phase three contract is approved by City Council at an upcoming meeting, the equipment to be purchased still won’t come in for another 22 weeks, he said.

In addition to the equipment purchase, the proposed contract also includes the

Brendan Nordstrom
Baltimore Sun
(TNS)

The deputy chief of Reese & Community Volunteer Fire Company in Westminster has been “operationally suspended” after a July incident in Montgomery County that led to criminal charges against him, Chief Michael Robinson of the Carroll County Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services confirmed Thursday.

Alan Barnes, 44, has been charged with intentionally flooding a Silver Spring baseball field along with another firefighter while Barnes was acting in his role as a Montgomery County master firefighter. Police said the two flooded the field in retaliation for a baseball hitting fire department property, according to charging documents.

“The suspension is consistent with his current employment status within Montgomery County Fire & Rescue,” Robinson wrote to The Carroll County Times, adding that he conducted a briefing with the volunteer fire company in Westminster and the company supported his actions.

Barnes can be reinstated to his position with Carroll County after the case is resolved and he is reinstated by Montgomery County, Robinson wrote.

The Reese Volunteer Fire Co. said in an email that they were aware of the situation and declined to comment further due to the sensitivity of the situation.

Barnes and Fire Capt. Christopher Reilly are charged with malicious destruction of property over $1,000, conspiracy and disorderly conduct in connection to the July 17 incident.

Richard Finci, a lawyer representing Barnes in the case, said his client simply parked the fire truck while Reilly sprayed the water. He said Barnes went back to the station and came back out to find Reilly spraying the field —a claim that contradicts the charging documents.

Charging documents state that a video from the Montgomery County Fire Department shows Barnes reversing the fire truck into the parking lot and removing the hose. Reilly then aimed the hose toward the baseball field before Barnes appeared to hook the hose up to an object believed to be a fire hydrant. Reilly activated the hose while Barnes stood beside the truck.

The firefighters allegedly sprayed gallons of water into the outfield at 5:35 p.m., rendering the field unplayable for the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League game scheduled for 7 p.m. that night. The Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts were forced to cancel the game due to a “pond in center,” according to a social media post from the team.

In the charging documents, Thunderbolts founder Richard O’Connor told police: “We lost substantial income due to the cancellation of the game and the disruption to our end-of-season league schedule.” The charging documents say patrons who purchased tickets for the game received refunds.

When reached by The Carroll County Times, O’Connor declined to comment due to the pending charges.

The firefighters sprayed the water for about three minutes before O’Connor and a Thunderbolts coach approached them. Reilly then admitted to flooding the field and told O’Connor he did it “to get your attention,” according to charging documents.

The incident follows a yearslong plea by O’Connor for raised nets on the field after balls repeatedly hit fire department property, which is located beyond the left field fence, Finci said.

Reilly admitted to the flooding and said he was driven by frustration, according to charging documents.

Barnes is slated for trial on Nov. four in Montgomery County District Court.

“My client is a family man and he is a volunteer firefighter in his home community,” Finci said. “This is a professional first responder.”

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