PUBLIC HEARING NOTES – VILLAGE OF TAMPICO, TUESDAY – May 20, 2014 AT 7:00 P.M.

Village Mayor Kristine Hill called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited and The Public Hearing was opened at 7:10 PM. Those in attendance were as follows: Mayor Kristine Hill, Commissioner Toby Johnson, Commissioner Bruce Hill, Commissioner Sigel, Commissioner Maupin, Police Chief Terry Strike, Sergeant Boyd VanDellen, Cindy Pratt.

The Council meeting was turned over to Sharon Pepin of Community Funding & Planning Services who passed out an attendance sheet and asked everyone in attendance to sign. Ms. Pepin then read the following public hearing information.

Purpose of Public Hearing –
The Village of Tampico is holding a Public Hearing to obtain citizens’ views on the submission of a Community Development Assistance Program (CDAP) Public Infrastructure grant application from the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO) for sanitary sewer improvements. This public hearing is a requirement of the grant program, and is the first of two Citizen Participation Public Hearings. Specific program and project information is discussed below.

Range of Activities Funded Through These Grant Programs –
The CDBG program is funded by Title I of the Federal Housing & Community Development Act of 1974, as amended. The State of Illinois’ CDBG program is known as the Community Development Assistance Program (CDAP). Through this program, funds are available to assist Illinois communities meet their greatest economic and community development needs, with an emphasis upon helping persons of low-to-moderate income.

To ensure the State’s CDAP program meets the intent of the Federal Housing & Community Development Act, Congress has required the program meet at least one of the following three national objectives: benefiting low-to-moderate income persons; aiding in the prevention or elimination of slums and blight; or meeting other community development needs that pose a serious and immediate threat to the health and welfare of the community.

To complement these federally-mandated objectives, DCEO has established the following specific objectives for the CDAP program: Strengthening community economic development through the creation of jobs, stimulation of private investment and strengthening the tax base; Improvement of public infrastructure and elimination of conditions which are detrimental to health, safety and public welfare; and, Conservation and expansion of the state’s housing stock in order to provide a decent home and a suitable living environment for persons of low-to-moderate income and the developmentally disabled.

Eligible activities funded under the Public Infrastructure component include water, sanitary sewer and storm sewer projects that involve the acquisition, construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, demolition or installation of public infrastructure and improvements.

Amount of Funds Available –
Each year, the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity establishes funds for each of their CDAP program categories. This year, the state’s allocation is estimated at $26,000,000. A breakdown of each program category’s funding allotment is as follows: Economic Development – $4,600,000, maximum grant amount is $750,000; Public Infrastructure – $11,000,000, maximum Construction grant amount is $450,000, maximum Design Engineering & Construction grant amount is $450,000; Housing Rehabilitation – $6,000,000, maximum grant amount is $400,000; and Emergency Public Infrastructure – $4,000,000, maximum grant amount is $200,000; Approximately $900,000 is set aside for State administration.

Proposed Benefit To Low-and-Moderate Income Persons –
The Village conducted a community-wide income survey in June 2009 that documented a 66.5% low-to-moderate income household benefit. Tampico’s proposed grant application project includes improvements to its sanitary sewer collection system, which will benefit the entire community.

Plans For Minimizing Displacement –
No displacement is anticipated as a result of this project.

Detailed Prioritized List of Community Development Needs –
The Village has identified the following community development projects that they intend to focus their efforts on:

• Sanitary sewer improvements
• Lift station improvements
• Downtown improvements
• Park improvements
• Sidewalk improvements
• Roadway improvements

In February 2010, the Village contracted with Willett, Hofmann & Associates to conduct an inspection and evaluation of its wastewater treatment plant and sanitary sewer collection system, which resulted in a Conditions Report being created. This report detailed the current condition of the wastewater and sewer facilities and identified deficiencies and recommended improvements to correct the major deficiencies. This report also prioritized the improvements and provided cost estimates and potential funding sources.

The engineer’s Conditions Report identified deficiencies with the aeration system at the wastewater treatment plant that is affecting its wastewater process, along with deficiencies throughout the sanitary sewer collection system.

Shortly after the Conditions Report was completed, the Village received a Violation Notice from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) for broken air lines in the lagoons, for which the Village entered into a Compliance Commitment Agreement with IEPA to replace the aeration system.

In 2012, the Village received a CDAP Grant for improvements to their wastewater treatment plant, to help bring them into compliance with IEPA standards. Since the Village has completed required improvements to their treatment plant, they are now focusing their attention to the deficiencies within its sanitary sewer collection system that were also identified in the Conditions Report.

The Village of Tampico’s CDAP Public Infrastructure grant application request is for the repair and lining of roughly 8,000 linear feet of deteriorated and cracked pipe within the sanitary sewer collection system to address groundwater infiltration into the collection system, along with the construction of approximately 256 linear feet of new sanitary sewer main to provide improved sanitary sewer service to four residences. The project also includes upgrades to the Kimball Street Sanitary Sewer Lift Station.

The proposed sanitary sewer rehabilitation project is estimated to cost $449,000. Tampico is applying to DCEO for a Community Development Assistance Program Public Infrastructure grant in the amount of $341,500, which is 76% of the project cost and includes funds for the administration of the grant. The amount of CDAP funds to be used for sanitary sewer improvements that will benefit low-to-moderate income persons is roughly $214,000. The Village will be contributing 24% of the project cost, or roughly $107,000, from their Sewer & General Funds.

The public may access the Village’s Community Development Assistance Program grant application by contacting the Village Clerk at 815-438-2505 to arrange a time. A complete copy of the grant application will be available at Village Hall after June 2, 2014.

Questions / Comments.

There were no questions or comments from the Board or Public.

The public hearing was closed at 7:25 PM.
Respectfully submitted,

Kathy Leathers

Kathy Leathers, Village Clerk