Winners, losers in block grant funding requests

The Kane County Community Development Commission recommended projects to receive $1.6 million in block grant funding. The county board will give formal approval at an upcoming meeting.

Funding granted:

• Community Contacts' owner-occupied housing rehabilitation program - $341,725. Rehabilitation for 20 affordable housing units in Kane County owned by people with low or moderate incomes.

• Carpentersville's Reconstruction Project - $263,478. Reconstruct sanitary sewers, water mains, water services, carriage walk, sidewalk and roadway and create storm sewers, widen turn lanes and install new streetlights and traffic signals on Hazard Road, Monroe Avenue and Golfview Lane.

• North Aurora's Monroe Street reconstruction - $181,983. Reconstruct Monroe Street from State Street to the northern terminus and build sidewalk on east side of the roadway.

• Carpentersville's 2010/2011 reconstruction project - $149,952.

Reconstruction of sanitary sewers, water mains, water services, storm sewers, carriage walk and roadway as well as installation of new streetlights along Hickory Drive, Hickory Court and Ash Street.

• Kane County floodplain property buyout in East Dundee - $66,181. Buys and demolishes the property at 15N302 Camp Flint Drive to return it to open space and ease flooding.

• Lazarus House Emergency Shelter - $58,000. Helps cover operating expenses for the St. Charles homeless shelter and transitional and outreach programs for clients.

• AID Barnes and Kingsway Group Home Rehabilitation - $51,478. Rehabilitates heating, cooling and drainage problems at two existing group homes serving 10 people with special needs.

• Aurora PADS Emergency Shelter - $46,000. Helps cover operating expenses for emergency homeless shelter and transitional housing program.

• Elgin's Ecker Center for Mental Health's elevator upgrade - $41,077. Repairs elevator to keep facility handicap accessible and remain in compliance for state funding.

• Elgin PADS Emergency Shelter - $40,000. Helps cover operating expenses for emergency homeless shelter and transitional housing program.

• Neighborhood Housing Services of the Fox Valley's Homeownership Education/Counseling program - $34,000. Provides education and counseling to prospective homebuyers and homeowners facing mortgage default and foreclosure.

• Mastodon Lake regional drainage improvements for south/east side of Aurora and Aurora Township - $30,000. Removes up to 110 lots from the Mastodon Lake floodplain.

• Flood relief for Algonquin Shores subdivision in Dundee Township - $24,000. Helps prevent flooding of the Pokagon Channel that has damaged up to 23 homes in the past.

• South Elgin's Gilbert Street Sidewalk Extension - $15,300. Constructs a sidewalk along Gilbert Street to connect residential area with downtown South Elgin.

• Flood control in Aurora Township for homeowners along Pasadena Drive and Baseline Road - $13,000. Helps construct a storm sewer to prevent future flooding from Blackberry Creek.

• Big Rock facilities planning area - $10,000. Plan will determine community infrastructure needs and secure funding for design and construction of wastewater system.

• Continuum of Care Administration's coordination of services for the homeless - $8,000. Helps cover administrative costs of providing services to the area homeless population.

No funding granted:

• Kane County Community Athletic Council's Athletic and Exposition Center in Aurora (requested $3.5 million). The project does not meet eligibility criteria as it is unlikely to benefit only low to moderate income teams.

• Gilberts' Town Center Park (requested $100,000). County staff determined the project area is not eligible because income levels being beyond the funding scope.

• Elgin YWCA's child care space (requested $100,000). County staff determined the facility doesn't serve enough of the countywide population targeted by these grants.

• St. Charles circulator feasibility study (requested $20,000). County staff determined the program is better suited to a different grant the county administers.

• FITE Homeownership Coalition's Emergency Repair Program (requested $10,000). Rejected because the county already offers up to $10,000 in emergency repair funds for affordable housing units.

• Virgil comprehensive plan update publication (requested $2,500). Rejected because there is no timeline for the plan and has no other funding source.