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Business View Magazine
Services Director, “Carol Stream is a great place to live
and work.” Knudsen’s Engineering Services Depart-
ment consists of engineers, inspectors, and adminis-
trative staff. Along with the Community Development
Department, Engineering oversees new development,
and all utility, infrastructure, and street reconstruction
projects. The two Departments are also responsible
for inspections, and residential, commercial, and in-
dustrial permits.
Knudsen elaborates on the advantages of living in Car-
ol Stream, especially regarding the work of his depart-
ment: “We’re well-run, financially, and we put a large
importance on maintaining our infrastructure; we’re
very proactive. All our streets are evaluated to make
sure that the proper maintenance strategy is being
applied so that those streets can last 45-50 years. In
fact, our studies show that on a scale of zero to one
hundred, they’re rated approximately at 82 – that’s
what we call our pavement condition index. We do a
lot of investigative work on our water and sanitary sew-
ers to find distresses in those systems to lower our risk
of water main breaks and sanitary sewer blockages.
We have several storm water management projects
that have been done in the village that have lessened
the amount of flooding. So, from the engineering and
public works side of it, we would say that the village
infrastructure is being properly maintained.”
In fact, the Village has five, ten, and twenty-year Capi-
tal Improvement Project (CIP) schedules on the books,
which are all financed by surpluses in the general cor-
porate operating fund. Other village operations are
funded by its share of state sales and income taxes,
the village sales tax, and permit fees and fines. The
Village levies no property tax and has no debt. Recent
completed projects have included extensive street re-
surfacing and rehabilitation, a total replacement of a
storm water lift station, a bridge, and a new bike path/
trail.
Future infrastructure projects include more street
