Mercyhealth Rockton Avenue neighbors say houses do not flood

May 09-- May 9--ROCKFORD -- No one doubts Mercyhealth's Rockton Avenue hospital took in a lot of storm water during the June 18 flash flood. Pictures of the city's firefighters wading in knee-deep water in the hospital's basement speak for themselves.

Mercyhealth's claim, however, that surronding homes also experience flooding during heavy rains because of an inadequate municipal water drainage system is questionable. So too is Mercyhealth's claim that it is the city's responsibility to come up with more than $12 million to address the water drainage issues or the hospital may be forced to close because insurance providers will no longer take on the liability.

Tuesday, Mercyhealth President and CEO Javon Bea informed the Register Star and residents around the hospital that the June 18 flood resulted in a $30 million insurance claim. He said it was the fourth rain event in the past 12 years to disrupt services at the hospital.

Wednesday, Mayor Tom McNamara pushed back on the assertion that homes around the hospital flood due to an old and overly-taxed city water drainage system and questioned the health care provider's commitment to stay on the city's west side if the city fails to come up with the funds.

"I used to take him (Bea) at his word when he said the Rockton Campus meant something to him and that nothing would ever change at the Rockton campus, but what he has said in the past and how he is acting in this situation draws concern."

Bea, who has been working with a hired engineering firm, Fehr Graham Engineering & Environmental, for the past seven months, made the hospital's water drainage issues known Tuesday. Mick Gronewold, an owner and board chairman, could not be reached Wednesday for comment.

On Tuesday, Bea said he learned from Fehr Graham that the Rockton Avenue campus sits at the bottom of a 250-acre bowl. When the hospital was first built it was surrounded by water-absorbing green space. Decades later, the hospital is surround by parking lots, additional medical buildings and homes.

Bea said Fehr Graham is recommending the city spend $6.5 million to install a box culvert under Arcadia Terrace that would empty flood waters into Kent Creek. The engineering firm also recommended that state and federal dollars be sought to install another box culvert under Garfield Avenue, which also would empty into Kent Creek.

McNamara said he and other city officials learned of the hospital's flooding and insurance liability concerns in early April, but said he had been waiting for additional engineering and insurance data.

"Javon and his hired professional firm have worked on this for more than seven months," McNamara said. "We've just received it, and we are going to do a thoughtful review and do our due diligence. He is demanding as he did last night during his power-point presentation that we commit millions of taxpayers' money immediately. This is not how the process works and Javon should know that."

Mary Sargent, a former employee of the hospital, is a 27-year Lawndale Avenue resident whose home sits directly south of the hospital. She said she was not aware of Tuesday's community meeting at the hospital. She also said her basement receives very little water during heavy rains.

"It's not flooding," she said.

Another Lawndale resident, Matthew Schwegler, lives across the street in a residence owned by the hospital. He too said flooding has not been a problem.

When the basement does take in water -- "enough to make a puddle" -- Schwegler attributed it to a possible crack in the home's foundation or a poorly sealed window, but not to poor water drainage throughout the neighborhood.

McNamara was not surprised by the lack of anecdotal evidence to support Mercyhealth's residential flooding claim.

"We have an internal system that monitors every single call that we get," he said. "When you go back and look at the June 18 event and the following days, it would push you to the max to even say we got five phone calls from residents over there. The only one that I'm aware of is Mercy."

Chris Green: 815-987-1241; [email protected]; @chrisfgreen

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