©2011 Galesburg Broadcasting Co.
| Abingdon Demolition Project Waiting for Funding Approval |
Officials with the city of Abingdon say they're now playing the waiting game to find out if the state will approve a grant to tear down several deteriorating buildings in the downtown area.
The city has been working for months with the Western Illinois Regional Council to secure community development assistance funds from the state for the project, which involves more than a half-dozen buildings in the 100 block of South Main Street. The city, through WIRC's Shannon Duncan, has applied for the grant of up to $200,000.
City engineer Kevan Cooper updated the city council Monday night about the status of the project. Cooper says the ball is in the state's court.
"The bid that the (city) council approved at the last meeting was contingent upon (the city) receiving the grant money has been submitted along with the grant applicaton to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, so all the paperwork is turned in for that. I also contacted (State Representative) Don Moffitt's office and they agreed to write a letter of support to the (state) recommending that the city get the grant."
The city council voted 7-0 last month to accept the low bid of about $145,000 from Brown Excavating of Alpha to tear down the buildings.
Cooper says another project to replace residential and commercial water meters throughout town is currently out to bid. The city has applied for $225,000 in stimulus money through the Illinois EPA to pay for the new meters. The bid opening is set for August 3rd at 10 a-m at Abingdon City Hall and a recommendation will be presented to the city council at that night's meeting. Cooper says like the demolition project, the bid award for installing the meters is subject to the city receiving the loan.
Two other projects are slated to begin either later this month or early next : oil and chip work on various streets and the reconstruction of Meek Street between Route 41 and the post office. |
|
| 07 07 09 by Newsroom |
Click here for the WGIL News Archive
Click here for national news
The following provision applies to all visitors (which shall include persons and representatives of legal entities, whether such representatives are persons or digital engines of a kind that crawls, indexes, scrapes, copies, stores or transmits digital content). By accessing this Web site or digital service, you specifically acknowledge and agree that: (i) Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium; (ii) No Associated Press materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use; (iii) The Associated Press will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing; (iv) The Associated Press is an intended third party beneficiary of these terms and conditions and it may exercise all rights and remedies available to it; and (v) The Associated Press reserves the right to audit possible unauthorized commercial use of AP materials or any portion thereof at any time.
