Kankakee Times

Manteno residents are no doubt seeing a lot going on in their community.

The village's ongoing improvement projects are focused on improving aesthetics, recreation opportunities, infrastructure and efficiency, according to a recent newsletter.

Village Engineer Geoff Aggen said improvements to the Second Street area are employing tax increment financing (TIF) funds and are expected to be complete by mid-September. Everything west of the alley behind Durbin’s on Second Street is being replaced with a new parking lot and workers are incorporating decorative and architectural features consistent with the look and feel of Main Street, including decorative lighting, the newsletter said.

The project encompasses all of Second Street between Main Street and Walnut Street and is intended to beautify the area and expand the aesthetic charm of Main Street. The village also plans to use the new parking lot to host special events.

Other improvements include resurfacing Main Street between Second and Third streets and replacing the water main in portions of the downtown area. The water main work is being done in partnership with AQUA Illinois and includes the mains all along the Second Street project area, as well as the portion of Main Street that is being resurfaced.

Aggen noted that the shops along the project construction area are open and will remain so throughout the work.

In another project that will make Manteno more recreation-friendly, the village is furthering plans to put several multi-use paths in place, connecting different areas of the village to allow residents and visitors to easily move throughout the community.

One path will run between Heritage Park and Wright Park, following an existing swale. Another will connect the Cypress Drive and Park Street intersection to Maple Street, running north through the Com Ed right-of-way and around the detention facility before bearing east and following the path of an existing drainage swale.

Manteno will also complete some maintenance work on the swales that the paths run alongside. Aggen said the projects are progressing through a series of permissions and pre-construction tasks, such as coordinating with utility companies, liaising with regulatory agencies and obtaining easements.

With assistance from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the Village Public Works Department recently began installing light-emitting diode (LED) heads in village-owned street lights.

The project was made possible with funding from the Illinois Energy Now Program and the department is planning to replace the heads on all of the approximately 500 street lights the village owns. According to Aggen, the LED heads will improve the streetlights and provide significant energy savings. He estimates that the LED heads will pay for themselves within two and a half years.

Finally, Manteno ecently concluded an analysis of its roads and is furthering maintenance plans made possible through motor fuel tax funding from the Illinois Department of Transportation. The funds, provided based on population and gas tax revenues, are earmarked for roadway maintenance and purchase of bulk materials like rock salt, concrete and cold patch. In the past, the village has used the funds to resurface portions of Adams Street, Baker Street and Water Tower Road South.