East Dundee preps for federal money

East Dundee officials want to prove to the federal government that they are ready to use stimulus funds that may become available.

With that in mind, village trustees Monday will consider a resolution giving the green light to engineering work for the proposed Route 72 enhancement program, moving the project a step closer to shovel-ready.

A shovel-ready project is one that is ready or able to begin construction within 90 days of selection for funding.

Board members could move ahead with only phase one engineering, which involves streetlights and sidewalks, or they could approve both phase one and phase two engineering work for a landscaped median along Route 72 from Route 68 to the Summit School, a distance of about a half-mile.

"There are two phases of engineering that have to happen before we are eligible for any stimulus money," Trustee Jeff Lynam said. "We need to know where we are going before we apply for aid because any stimulus money will be for shovel-ready projects."

Money from the business development district at routes 25 and 72 will pay for the engineering costs, estimated at about $30,000 for both phases.

Improving the corridor has languished on the village's to-do list, and Trustee John Cichowski said it is time for the village to act on funding opportunities.

"It is a program that we have been trying to work on to make East Dundee more of a community," Cichowski said. "The economy slowed us down. But if we can get the engineering work approved, we may be able to get the job done without expense to the residents."

New sidewalks, uniform street lighting and landscaped medians would improve the area's appearance, which in turn would help the village attract new businesses and retain existing businesses along the route, Lynam said.

"That strip along 72 is pretty bad; something has to be done," he said. "How are we going to convince businesses to stay or come into town when the area looks like hell? We need to show existing and potential businesses that we are serious about getting things done."