CIVIL ENGINEERING AND DESIGN FOR MUNICIPAL AND PUBLIC PROJECTS 

The Village of Barrington Hills has kicked off its 2025 Road Program, which includes HMA resurfacing along three miles of roadway and patching and striping on five miles of various roadways within the Village. With the initial removal completed, crews have begun placing reflective crack control fabric along the milled roadway. Utilization of this fabric on resurfacing projects reduces reflective cracking from the underlying pavement. It acts as a moisture barrier, all of which assist in extending the service life of the roadway. The final HMA surface placement along Spring Creek Road and Buckley Road, patching of various streets, and striping are expected to be completed in the coming months.

The Village of Algonquin, Trotter and Associates, Inc., and Manusos General Contracting are excited to be moving into the construction phase of the WWTF Biosolids Handling Improvements project. With anticipated long lead times for equipment, the project team is working diligently to process submittals to ensure installation of the two decanter centrifuges can begin in the Spring of 2026 as planned. Upon completion of the project, the Village will have met its goal of upgrading the sludge dewatering operation to maintain processing current demands and allow for future development. 

Concrete repairs are vital for preserving the integrity of existing structures and enhancing their service life. This was the main objective for the Structural Repairs Project at Fox River Water Reclamation District’s North and West facilities. To meet this objective, the Trotter structural team evaluated numerous buildings, tanks, and components at both facilities to develop a comprehensive repair plan. Repairs ranged from minor crack injection to full-depth concrete repairs, masonry repairs, and improvements to aluminum stairs and guardrails. Dahme Mechanical Industries (DMI) and its team of subcontractors, Manusos General Contracting, Bulley & Andrews, Alliance Concrete Sawing and Drilling, and A. Horn Inc., are wrapping up the final stages of the project. The remaining scope of work includes regrouting a Final Clarifier and extensive rehabilitation of a concrete structure that dates to the early 1950s. In addition to the structural components of this project, existing stop plates at the West Facility’s Chlorine Contact Tank were replaced with slide gates, improving operational efficiencies for District Staff. The DMI team effectively and efficiently installed all fourteen gates within a week, allowing District Staff to resume maintenance on their facilities in preparation for the disinfection season.

The Glenbard Wastewater Authority is currently in the process of rehabilitating and upgrading its primary clarification, sludge pumping, and gravity thickening operations. In late 2024, the 2025 Primary Clarifier Rehabilitation project was bid to replace infrastructure that was reaching the end of its service life, as well as to provide better operational controls for the Authority. This project includes the removal and replacement of both 110-foot clarifier mechanisms and sludge pumping equipment. The new pumps will be on VFD’s to better manage solids within the process and will have the option to be directly fed to the anaerobic digesters. In addition, the existing gravity thickener will have its equipment removed and replaced. The Authority elected to include launder covers on both clarifiers for odor mitigation and the removal and replacement of the gravity thickener dome with a new flat cover. The project also includes upgrades to the existing electrical equipment and SCADA system and the replacement of diversion structure gates. Construction is underway and is anticipated to be completed in early 2026.

In 2022, Trotter and Associates completed a Wastewater Facility Plan Update for the Village of Algonquin. The plan outlined several capital improvement projects, including replacing the High Hill Park Interceptor Sewer. The existing sewer is located within High Hill Park Nature Preserve, along the banks of Ratt Creek, and adjacent wetlands. The Village requested a supplemental sewer relocation study be completed to evaluate alternative routing of the interceptor. Upon completion of the project, over a mile of 8-inch and 10-inch sewer will be replaced with 16-inch and 18-inch sewer. The new interceptor will be located along an adjacent street and the rear yards of residential properties, relocating the sewer from the banks of the creek, outside the nature preserve, and wetlands. This will provide the Village with improved access for future maintenance and an increased capacity for continued growth within the Village. 

In 2022, Trotter and Associates, Inc. completed an assessment of the Village of Algonquin’s Braewood Lift Station. The primary improvements focused on increasing the station’s capacity to handle the rapid growth in both the Braewood Lift Station service area and the upstream Grand Reserve Lift Station service area. With the increased capacity of the station, the velocity through the existing 10-inch force main exceeded allowable limits. To address this, a 16-inch force main was included in the design, which was constructed in 2024.  With the force main constructed, the station rehabilitation has commenced. Work within the station includes upsizing the piping and pumps, replacing the grinder, and improving both the electrical and HVAC systems. Upon completion of the work, the pumping capacity of the station will be increased from 1,500 gallons per minute (GPM) to 5,000 GPM, allowing the Village to meet both current and future development demands.

Trotter and Associates, Inc. recently completed a Wastewater Treatment Plant Consolidation Study for the Village of Addison. As a result of the study, the Village elected to fully consolidate their facilities in lieu of doing a partial consolidation or rehabilitating and upgrading their existing treatment facilities. For constructability and financing advantages, the consolidation was separated into three phases. The Trotter team has begun developing the improvements for the first phase, which includes upgrading and expanding the North Wastewater Treatment Plant. Upon completing all three phases, this facility will process all wastewater flows from within the Village. Phase one includes construction of a 44,500 square foot Garage/Laboratory/Operations Building, Screening Building, Advanced Treatment Building (low-P treatment basins, tertiary filters, and UV disinfection), and excess flow clarifiers. In addition to these new structures, the following existing processes will be improved: upgrades to the grit removal system, rehabilitation of the primary and final clarifiers, rehabilitation and expansion of the aerobic digestion process and digester gas storage, and expansion of the biological process, which includes conversion from a two-stage extended aeration process to a single-stage A2O process. Construction is planned to begin in 2026 and continue into 2030.

We are thrilled to announce Christina Betz has joined Trotter and Associates, Inc. (TAI) as a Program Manager. With over 24 years of experience managing operations and leading municipal service projects across Wisconsin, Arizona, and Illinois, Christina brings a powerful blend of technical expertise, leadership, and an unwavering commitment to community-focused initiatives. Throughout her impressive career, Christina has overseen multi-million-dollar capital improvement programs, managed large teams, and built trusted partnerships with public agencies and stakeholders. In her new role at TAI, she will work outside of engineering projects to address client needs, budgets, timelines, and program goals. Christina holds a Master of Public Administration from Northern Illinois University and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from the University of Minnesota. We are confident that Christina's extensive experience will greatly benefit our municipal clients and enhance the work we do at TAI. Please join us in welcoming Christina to the team! 

Reed Stracener has joined the Structural Engineering Team at Trotter and Associates, Inc. (TAI). With over three years of structural engineering experience and a strong construction industry background, Reed brings a fresh perspective and valuable skills that will enhance our design and consulting capabilities. Reed has successfully led medium-sized projects and collaborated with teams on large-scale design initiatives. His expertise includes stairs, steel and concrete connections, bleachers, and roof reinforcement. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the Milwaukee School of Engineering and is a certified Structural Engineer in Training, currently preparing to take the SE Exam. Please join us in welcoming Reed. We look forward to the contributions he will make at TAI.

We are pleased to announce that Peter Martin has joined Trotter and Associates, Inc. (TAI) as a Structural Engineer. With more than 14 years of experience and a strong background in project management and structural design, Peter will enhance the services TAI offers to our valued clients. Throughout his career, he has tackled complex structural engineering challenges, providing both design support as well as guidance and insights to younger staff and engineers. Based in our St. Charles office, he will collaborate closely with TAI’s Project Managers to ensure the continued success of current and future projects. Please join us in welcoming Peter to the Trotter Team!