Itasca seeks grant for road project

Itasca's looking to get a grant from the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program to fund a historic downtown streetscape project.

Monday night village board members approved a resolution to try to acquire funding. However, if the grant isn't available, the village will reconsider which parts of the project are mandatory along with the timeline of improvements.

The project, at Walnut and Orchard streets, will run up a bill of anywhere between $500,000 to $1.5 million. If the grant is attained, ITEP would fund 80 percent of the project, and the village would pay for 20 percent.

"We'll only do the project if we get funding," Community Development Director Nicole Aranas said Tuesday night. "They're great improvements if they can be funded, but they're expensive."

The grant would fund engineering and design, along with landscaping, lighting, sidewalks, beautification and pedestrian enhancements for the project in the historic downtown area.

Itasca will apply for the grant in May. They're hoping to have the design completed before 2010 and have construction completed by 2011.

Officials said the project would strengthen downtown retail because it would make the area more visible. It also would make the area more pedestrian friendly and safe for residents.

Aranas said the village should hear back from ITEP by late 2008 or early 2009.