Kendall County gives Yorkville $500,000 for Rob Roy drainage system work

YORKVILLE – Rob Roy Creek flows through Yorkville’s northwest side, cutting a deep ravine on its way to the Fox River.

Maintaining the infrastructure for preventing floods is the Rob Roy Drainage District, which last year settled a legal dispute with the city of Yorkville and Kendall County over governing authority for developments and drainage district connections.

Yorkville City Administrator Bart Olson said a system of tiles was installed about a century ago to drain what was then largely farmland.

Now the city, the county and the drainage district are teaming up to make repairs and improvements to the aging drainage system.

The Kendall County Board is providing the city with a $500,000 grant to fund the project.

The disbursement is coming from federal American Rescue Plan Act funds, monies handed out to local governments to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Yorkville City Council on June 13 voted to accept the grant money, along with a provision that the work be completed before the end of 2024.

“We anticipate that the city and the drainage district will enter into an intergovernmental agreement in the next few months covering drainage work expected to occur this winter,” Olson told aldermen.