Highland Park water officials used a community town hall to walk residents through the city's lead service line replacement program, describing scope, deadlines, protections and how homeowners can participate. Damon Garrett, president of Metro Consulting Associates and Highland Park's water director, said the city has identified about 3,500 service lines, has replaced roughly 750 since 2018 and that the project under construction includes roughly 1,000 lines that will significantly raise the annual replacement rate.

Elin Betanzo, president of Safe Water Engineering, summarized the health stakes and tools available to residents: "Lead is a potent neurotoxin that can cause learning and behavior problems in children," she said, and directed people to a publicly posted inventory map showing which parcels are suspected to have lead service lines. Betanzo said slides and the recorded meeting will be posted to the water-department website and YouTube channel.

Kenneth Miller, operations manager for the Highland Park water department, outlined the replacement process and resident responsibilities. Residents will be contacted by phone or a door knock to schedule a roughly four-hour appointment; inspectors will provide a six-month supply of certified lead-reducing filters and ask residents to sign a service-line-replacement agreement "for tracking purposes and because it is law," Miller said. On the day of work crews will dig a small excavation to confirm material, replace lead or galvanized services with copper where needed, and flush household plumbing; Miller walked through the recommended flush sequence and cited a 2021 Water Research Foundation example showing short-term post-replacement spikes and a return to nondetectable levels after proper flushing.

Officials reiterated legal and operational deadlines: Garrett said the city is required by statute to complete remaining replacements by 2041, and staff stressed they must issue 45-day notices to properties in a project area before excavation begins. Miller said the department will not reconnect lead services to a new main and that any property still connected with lead would be out of compliance and could lose water service until a safe replacement is made.

Funding and costs were central topics. Garrett said recent state grants and the current project will raise Highland Park's annual replacement rate well above historical averages; he said most recent projects were grant-funded. Officials explained an oft-cited "$10,000" figure: if the city and contractor make the required outreach attempts and a property remains nonresponsive, the contractor may move on and the owner would later be responsible for arranging and paying for a private replacement (permits and restoration included), a scenario that can cost roughly $10,000.

Staff also addressed restoration, warranties and accessibility. Miller said the city will notify residents when construction and restoration in a given area are complete, which begins a one-year warranty period; after the one-year warranty the owner becomes responsible for the service line from the curb stop to the home. The department explained temporary restorations are used in adverse weather and promised to return in-season to complete permanent restoration when conditions permit. Staff advised residents who need disability accommodations to contact customer service so the department can schedule appropriate on-site assistance.

Residents raised concerns about project notice, driveway and landscaping damage, late-night emergency visits, and direct-mail marketing from a private insurance company. Several callers questioned marketing pieces from HomeServe that used Highland Park letterhead; officials told residents HomeServe is a private company not provided by the city and agreed to add a clear FAQ statement that Highland Park is not affiliated with that insurer. Garrett and staff urged residents to call the customer service line (phone and office location were posted during the meeting) or use the web form to report missed notices, damages or special needs.

What happens next: staff said they will post corrected, project-specific documents on the lead-service-line website within a week, offer additional small in-person listening sessions and hold a general town hall on November 20. Residents were urged to respond to outreach so the city can complete replacements under the program and avoid future owner-paid work.