Accident may pay dividends in Oak Park

Accident may pay dividends
in Oak Park

A mishap in Oak Park might actually save taxpayers some money and inconvenience.

"While trenching from the library site to the street for water and gas connection, water lines were struck on the site," said Martin Klauss, Oak Park Unified School District’s Assistant Superintendent of Business and Administrative Services, during a recent board meeting.

Workers hit a four-inch irrigation water main about two weeks ago. After capping it, they discovered a nearby gas line and domestic water line they’d narrowly missed; in creating one problem, they prevented two more.

Workers were apparently working with older maps that didn’t show newer pipeline work, according to Klauss.

Because of the accident, officials are now trying to determine if contractors can tap into the two lines that are closer to the library than originally planned.

It would save money vs. the original plan if they can. And it might eliminate the need for expensive new meters.

Workers expected to use lines much closer to Kanan Road. The possible revision would reduce construction on Kanan and disruption to motorists.

In either case, the library continues to move forward.

In 1978, a joint-use library for citizens and students was the dream of many Oak Park residents. The last 10 years, that same library has been fought for aggressively in terms of modernization and expansion .

Now it’s being built thanks to (among other reasons) grants that Oak Park Unified School District applied for and received.

The library will rest on 10,000 square feet of land at Oak Park High School, more than double the 4,500 square-foot site of the existing facility. Rather than a limit of only 18,000 volumes, the new structure will accommodate up to 40,000 books.

Now, due to inaccurate and outdated maps and water spouting onto the library site, roadwork may be minimal and limited to only island greenbelts between both directions of traffic on Kanan. And it might be cheaper than expected if new meters are unnecessary.

All because of an accident.