Mokena Trustees Move Forward On Design Engineering For Possible Grant-Funded Projects

By Jon DePaolis, Richard Free Press:

MOKENA, Ill. — While the projects in question may not be approved for grant funding, the Village of Mokena Board of Trustees voted 5-0 Monday, June 28, to move forward on design engineering in hopes of receiving financial assistance from the county.

The approvals — which were approved in two separate 5-0 votes — authorized the Village to enter into an agreement with Christopher B. Burke Engineering for design work tied to a resurfacing project for 191st Street and a bike path for Route 45 (LaGrange Road).

“The Village has made an effort to seek out grant funding for infrastructure projects,” Assistant Public Works Director Dan Peloquin said. “As such, we had submitted two projects for consideration through the Will County Governmental League (WCGL) — the first being the U.S. Route 45 bike path from La Porte [Road] to Birch [Avenue], and the second being the 191st Street resurfacing project from approximately Wolf [Road] to Route 45. The next step in the process for the Village would be to commence with conducting Phase 1 engineering for the projects. This will allow us to remain eligible for any possible future funding and keep the STP process moving and move a little bit closer to being shovel-ready.”

While the projects were not initially selected by WCGL, they were placed in the “standby” category. The cost of the design engineering for the 191st Street resurfacing project is estimated at $84,862, while the Route 45 bike path project is estimated at $99,826.

Trustee Joseph Budzyn, however, offered an alternative idea for the funds the Village could spend on the design engineering for the Route 45 bike path project.

“At the current time, I think we would be better served and the residents would be better served if we diverted this funding from LaGrange Road to completing a sidewalk along three streets … connecting Townline [Road] to Wolf Road or alternately along Front Street between Francis [Road] and Wolf Road,” he said. “That provides the ability for our residents to walk from primarily residential areas on the west side of town to Wolf Road to get them into the downtown area and to get them to our businesses.”

Budzyn said that he was driving with his wife earlier in June and saw a senior citizen carrying two grocery bags and walking on the street because “there is no sidewalk.” He added that there is undeveloped property on LaGrange Road currently, and he was not sure it made sense to move forward with engineering.

But Mayor Frank Fleischer responded by stating he has heard complaints from residents who live east of LaGrange Road, “and they don’t feel like they are part of the Village.”

“I think it is going to make the residents over there feel a little more comfortable, and I think that is important, because they are a part of Mokena,” Fleischer said. “Sometimes, we forget that, because they are on the other side of LaGrange [Road]. But I think this was put in for them years ago when we discussed this. I, for one, would like to see them get that sidewalk.”

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