Ryan: $655,000 in Illinois FIRST Projects for Far Northwest Suburbs

SPRINGFIELD -- Governor George H. Ryan announced today that he is releasing $655,000 in Illinois FIRST funding for projects in the far Northwest Suburbs, including $100,000 to the Village of Hinckley to expand its waste water/sewage treatment plant in order to meet current Illinois Environmental Protection Agency requirements. This project will remove the village from IEPA's "restrictive status." The village is contributing $695,000.

This Illinois FIRST project was initiated by State Rep. Patricia Linder R-Aurora.

Other Illinois FIRST grants announced by Ryan:

• $200,000 to the City of Crystal Lake for intersection improvements at Route 176 and Walkup Avenue.

• $100,000 to Burlington Township to purchase land and construct a township highway department garage.
  This project was initiated by Linder.

• $75,000 to the Crystal Lake Park Distict to construct a turn lane on Route 176 at Lippold Park. The district is contributing $33,000.
  This project was initiated by State Sen. Dick Klemm, R-Crystal Lake.

• $30,000 to the Bartlett Fire Protection District to purchase a brush fire truck. The district is contributing $28,500.
  This project was initiated by State Sen. Steven Rauschenberger, R-Elgin.

• $25,000 to the Village of Island Lake to install new sidewalks.

• $15,000 to the McHenry County Historical Society to restore a bus for use as a mobile museum.
  This project was initiated by Klemm.

• $10,000 to the American Youth Soccer Organization Region 314 to purchase equipment, uniforms, a display board and to make field improvements.

• $5,000 to the McHenry County Youth Service Bureau for an anti-discrimination program.

• $3,000 to McHenry County to help support a middle school youth leadership conference and a Parent University seminar for the prevention of drug and alcohol abuse. The county is contributing $23,405.

• $2,500 to the Village of Hebron for the Library and Senior Center repairs.

Illinois FIRST funds are not part of the state budget's General Revenue Fund. Recently, lagging tax collections brought on by a slowdown in the national economy and the terrorist attacks of September 11 have forced the governor to order spending cuts in the General Revenue Fund that amount to less than 2 percent of total spending. Illinois FIRST monies are derived from separate accounts in the state budget -- the Road Fund and the Fund for Illinois Future -- as well as through the sale of state bonds.