Lemont Approves Business District Improvement Grants

LEMONT, IL — As part of its business district improvement grant program, the Lemont Village Board has approved a resolution for the program, which includes 12 grants for Lemont businesses totaling $190,430.

"In October, we reviewed the village's finances and were able to extend the business district improvement grants, which were budgeted for this fiscal year, but we held off," Economic and Community Development Director Jason Berry said during the Dec. 14 village board meeting.

12 businesses applied for the grants, including 10 downtown businesses, Berry said.

"It's an exciting mix of projects, several of them over $100,000 in investment; one of them over $1 million in investment," he said.

According to board documents, the following grant agreements were approved:

• The Bridge Lemont LLC, 44 Stephen St., for $20,000
• 103 Stephen St LLC, 103 Stephen St., for $20,000 (Corner Stone Tavern)
• Lemont Group LLC, 118 Stephen St., for $12,300 (Hughie's Irish Pub)
• Sweis Universal Inc., 202 Stephen St., for $25,000 (Artistic Holiday Designs)
• First Midwest Realty, 207 Stephen St., for $25,000
• Camedo LLC, 213 Stephen St., for $5,630 (Scott Studebaker/Wayne's Barbershop)
• Canal Street Holdings, Inc., 307 Canal St., for $19,500 (Mabel's Market)
• Petersen Main Inn Corporation Inc., 302 Main St., for $8,000
• Sweis Universal Inc., 326 Main St., for $25,000
• Timothy White (Budnik Building), 400 Main St., for $20,000
• Lithuanian World Center, 14911 W. 127th St., $5,000
• Masters in Education Inc., 15907 W. 127th St., $5,000

Board documents state that the village also used CARES Act funding from Cook County to support the grant program, as well as the already budgeted amounts from the village. Downtown business grants were capped at $25,000, while uptown business grants were capped at $5,000.