Council to give Naperville Tornado Relief up to $500K to remove dangerous debris from residents’ yards
Naperville will provide money to a nonprofit relief fund to help residents remove and replace soil in their yards embedded with wood, metal and glass shards left by an EF3 tornado in June 2021.
On top of a $1 million capital grant secured earlier this year by state Rep. Anne Stava-Murray, D-Naperville, the Naperville City Council this week voted 8-1 to give up to $500,000 to the Naperville Tornado Relief Fund to cover the cost of environmental yard cleanup, landscape remediation and landscape replacement.
In the days after the tornado, a group of neighborhood residents established the Ranch View Area Community Assistance group and set up a Facebook page to cut through the red tape and connect neighbors who needed help with those who wanted to volunteer.
The group morphed into Naperville Tornado Relief, which raised $25,000 to fill the financial gaps not covered by tornado victims’ insurance plans and then partnered with the Naperville-based nonprofit M.P. Foundation with a goal of collecting $1.5 million.
Relief group co-founder Kristy Kennedy said they are targeting homes in the hardest hit areas of Naperville east of Wehrli Road and 77th Street, where the National Weather Service says the tornado reached EF3 strength with winds of 136 to 165 mph.
Not discounting other areas that experienced significant damage, Kennedy said “this area truly had devastating damage and that was the area where we were trying to help.”
The nonprofit designated 248 homes in the University Heights and Cinnamon Creek neighborhoods for possible grant funding.
Priority for full or partial yard replacement will be given to the 76 homes — designated as Tier 1 — that were declared uninhabitable by the tax assessor’s office or are located directly adjacent to an uninhabitable home.
Grants would cover removing and replacing the soil and topping it with grass seed and blanket.
Property owners would have to pay out of pocket for any added expenses, such as sod replacement; hardscape and nonorganic items like fences, fountains and patios; landscaping or gardening tools; sprinkler system installation/repairs; new planting beds or gardens; work to address preexisting drainage issues; watering and maintenance costs.
City Manager Doug Krieger in a memo to the council said lawn remediation projects could cost $25,000 to $29,000 per yard.
After Tier 1 projects are funded, remaining money will go toward yard remediation of Tier 2 properties, 172 homes that were in the path of the tornado at EF3 status and within proximity to the hardest hit areas.
If there’s still money left, relief funds would be applied to clearing debris from planting beds, removing dead trees and grinding stumps, again with Tier 1 taking priority over Tier 2, relief fund documents show.
There also may be a chance to replace trees, bushes and perennial plants, and funding will be divided equally between the tiers.
Kennedy said if the nonprofit doesn’t use all the $500,000, the remainder will be returned to the city.
The deadline to apply for tornado relief money is May 26 so homeowners can be notified of the award by June 16. Applications are available online at www.napervilletornadorelief.com.
Contractors will have until Nov. 3 to finish the work so homeowners can file documentation, as a transparency measure, proving the project was properly completed.
Mayor Steve Chirico voted against the funding because he said the city was putting the cart before the horse. The relief group should first get a handle on their budget and then ask for a specific amount, he said.
But Kennedy said the relief group needs to know how much grant money it will receive to determine how many projects it can fund.
