As Macomb looks to secure state funds for a major renovation of Chandler Park, the city also plans to seek funding for improvements across the street from the park.
The city council will be asked to approve applying for funding through the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program. The money will help pay for the complete removal and replacement of the sidewalks across the street from the park along North Lafayette, East Carroll and North Randolph streets.
Streetscape improvements are also included in the project, as are sidewalk repairs along the north side of the park to address safety and accessibility issues.
A memo from Jessica Biddenstadt, Macomb’s grant writer/coordinator, said that if the city receives both grants, the projects will be coordinated and bid during the same timeframe so that they can be completed simultaneously.
“This will reduce the overall amount of time Chandler Park is closed and otherwise unavailable to the public,” Biddenstadt told city council members during this week’s city council committee of the whole meeting.
City council member John Vigezzi concurred.
“By enhancing this and doing both at the same time, it’s a great way to take care of everything in one fell swoop,” he said.
Vigezzi said the new sidewalks will be safer and look better.
The sidewalk/streetscape project carries an estimated price tag of approximately $3 million. The memo said the city could request approximately $2.4 million in ITEP funding and $600,000 in State match assistance.
The cost of the sidewalk project is in addition to the estimated price tag of $3.15 million to $3.29 million for the renovations in the park.
The city this week submitted its application for a separate grant through the Open Space Land Acquisition and Development program from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The city could receive an OSLAD grant of up to $600,000 to put toward renovations within the park.
The deadline for submitting the ITEP grant is 5 p.m. on Oct. 5.
The city council will hold a public hearing on the application before deciding whether to give approval to submitting it. A hearing date has not been scheduled.
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