Glen Ellyn to seek grant for lighting, drainage

Residents in a neighborhood on Glen Ellyn's east side may soon have new street lighting and improved drainage after the village board approved a motion to request a grant to help pay for the project.

The grant would be for $625,000; with construction and engineering, the entire project would run about $1.4 million.

The Braeside subdivision, which is east of I-355 and north of Roosevelt Road, meets income qualifications for the Community Development Block Grant program administered through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The village will submit the grant application later this week.

Planning and Development Director Staci Hulseberg said the area already has had sanitary and sewer work paid for with other grants.

"We recognized it as the time for some of the infrastructure to be upgraded," she said. "It was a great opportunity to focus on that area."

Residents were surveyed about what they thought the subdivision needed most. Many homes in the area often experience flooding when it rains, and residents said improved drainage, as well as a better park and streetlight on Roosevelt Road, were the most important.

Village President Mark Pfefferman said the work was much-needed, but that it was also a matter of both needs and of money being available.

"It's a spirit of cooperation with the residents," he said. "But sometimes we can and sometimes we cannot."

The village has not identified where its portion of the money would come from, but Hulseberg indicated other less-urgent projects could be put on hold to pay for it.

Applying for a community development grant requires a public hearing, which will be held at 7 p.m. today, Sept. 29, at the Maryknoll Park Clubhouse, 845 Pershing Ave.

Also at Monday's board meeting, trustees voted to award a $205,000 contract to R.W. Dunteman Company of Addison to repair sidewalks and streets as part of an annual maintenance program. The village requested proposals from four area companies and Dunteman came in with the lowest bid.

Public Works Director Joe Caracci said he waived a competitive bidding process because they are familiar with the companies and hoped to get work started before weather becomes a factor. He said work should begin within a couple of weeks.

(Formed this year)

Also at Monday's village board meeting, trustees - as expected - removed 299 townhouses and condominiums from one of six new taxing districts that will generate revenue for commercial districts. It also removed one property from the special service area on the west end of Roosevelt Road. The largest of the six taxing districts is a downtown one that sparked protest from residents within the area, who argued that they received no benefit from being included.