At Tuesday night’s meeting of neighbors at Rick and Ernstiena Clark’s home on Meridian Street, newly-elected Village President Erin Smith told the upwards of 30 people gathered that Lakewood has been approved for a grant of about $330,000 to complete the relining of the sanitary sewer project on the east side of the village.

This pertains to the water headed to the Crystal Lake Waste Treatment Plant in Country Club Additions between the lake and the Crystal Lake Country Club.

I asked the village staff for details and here they are, compliments of Finance Director Carole Robertson:

The Village of Lakewood has applied for a Water Pollution Control Loan through the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) for $310,000 for relining of sanitary sewer and the rehabilitation of manholes on the east side of the Village to minimize inflow and infiltration into the sanitary sewer system.

The current sanitary sewer system in this area is over 70 years old and does not operate as intended due to excessive infiltration and exfiltration.

Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the IEPA may issue the Loan at zero percent (0%) interest and forgive $77,500 of principal (25% of the loan amount).

Bids will be opened on November 3rd with work to begin a week afterward. Work will most likely continue into spring 2010.

Ironically, the sewers were originally installed through Works Progress Administration. For those whose Great Depression history is a bit weak, the WPA put people to work during the 1930’s.