Trotter and Associates, Scott Trotter, Dan Gillespie, and Andrew Puccini attended the APWA Chicago Metro Chapter Award Luncheon with the Village of Fox Lake to support them winning the APWA Lake Branch 2023 Project of the Year Awards for Environmental $5 to $25 Million. Mayor Donny Schmit and Public Works Director Kealan Noonan accepted the award on behalf of the Village of Fox Lake.

The Village of Fox Lake wins the APWA APWA Chicago Metro Chapter 2023 Project of the Year Awards for Environmental $5 to $25 Million. Over the years, as the Village of Fox Lake expanded, the municipality became bisected by the Chain O’ Lakes, creating two separate utility service areas. In 2014, Trotter and Associates was retained by the Village to prepare master plans for both the water and wastewater systems. The master plan included an evaluation of the feasibility and costs of interconnecting the north and south systems vs. maintaining two separate utility systems. With the interconnection of the systems being the most cost-effective, reliable, and flexible option, the Village moved forward with construction in the fall of 2019. Approximately 1.5 miles of force main, 1.9 miles of gravity sewer, and 3.2 miles of water main were installed. In addition, the project included the construction of two new pump stations and pumping capacity upgrades to an existing station. This $20.7 million project was completed on time and within budget in the spring of 2022, allowing the Village to improve its aging water and sewer infrastructure.

The successful completion of this project allows the Village to meet the goals of its dynamic long-term plans by improving its infrastructure, processes, staffing, and financial sustainability. The project’s success was obtained by the construction teams’ emphasis on schedule, effective management, safety, communication, and ability to adapt to adverse conditions while maintaining the protection of the environment.