Grants allow Machesney Park to help residents with housing needs

By Bob Balgemann
Reporter
The village has a number of programs that assist qualified residents in addressing needs of their homes. Grants are a big part of paying for those improvements, in particular for a program that’s been around for more than 20 years.
Mayor Steve Johnson announced at the Aug. 5 village board meeting that Machesney Park had received a $438,132 grant from the Illinois Housing Development Authority, which would provide assistance in repairs and other improvements to an estimated 11 single-family homes.
Fifty-nine residents applied to be in this year’s program and he said that on May 31, he randomly drew the names of 25 of those low and very low-income residents to be eligible this year. More than the needed number were drawn because, unfortunately, he said not all of them will be eligible to receive the money.
The 11 participants will receive up to $45,000 each for the improvements to the interior and exterior of their homes. One of the requirements is that they continue living in their homes for another five years.
Mayor Johnson thanked village staff members Penny and Laura for assisting with this year’s drawing, which was attended by quite a few of the potential recipients.
He also pointed out that over the last 20 years, the village had been able to help more than 100 residents “fix up their homes, providing them with safer, more comfortable places to live.”
Also Aug. 5 the mayor introduced the new public safety supervisor, Winnebago County sheriff’s Sgt. Tammie Stanley. She will be coordinating the more than 25 sheriff’s deputies who, through an annual contract, provide law enforcement services to the village.
In her first monthly report, she said that during July deputies 235 traffic citations were handed out, seven of them for DUI, along with 305 written warnings and five parking tickets. In addition, 36 crashes occurred during that time.
Gaming, marijuana
Two residents addressed the board during the public comments portion of the agenda, at the end of the meeting.
Pamela Harding said she wanted to talk about her concern for the children of the village.
Between the village and adjacent city of Loves Park, she said there were more than 41 gaming establishments. Now, she said the governor had legalized recreational marijuana.
“Please hear me, using marijuana in any form is a gateway to other drug addictions,” she stressed. “I know this first-hand because I used to be an addict. Which is why I’m addressing you now.”
She said she had first-hand experience with addicts, alcohol, gambling, and drugs. “I have seen families, their lives and homes completely destroyed and lost to addictions,” she said. “It’s devastating.”
After working for 17 years in the Harlem School District’s food service department, she said she went into full-time ministry in 2016. She recently contacted the school district office and was told that as of May 29, 56.9 percent of children’s lunches are subsidized by the federal government.
“That’s you and I who are paying for it,” she said. “So what does government do? They provide addictions centers and to me, that’s ludicrous. Make no mistake, this is a vicious circle. You as the mayor and the board of this city have choices to make. You may see it as more money for the city.”
At that point Mayor Johnson asked her to wrap up her presentation.
“OK,” she responded. “I’m asking you for no more gambling opportunities or to allow distribution of marijuana. I’m speaking of the generations to come.”
Menta school
There was another speaker, resident Frank Vitale, who wanted to address the new Menta Academy that is leasing more than 8,000 square feet of space in the former J.C. Penney Outlet, at the Machesney Town Center, 8702 N. Second St.
First, he said had passed by the space, and walked around it, and found “nothing’s been done” to prepare the area for its new tenant.
He said the academy will house autistic children and those who can’t get along in the mainstream classroom. His daughter-in-law worked at a school in Rockford, with autistic children, and while there she was attacked by one of them. “The security wasn’t that great,” he said. “Fortunately, she was able to run out and a security officer grabbed the student and they kicked him out of school.”
The Menta website, Vitale said, stated the academy would have 45-50 students. “My concern is where will the children be coming from? How will they get here and back? And security inside the school?
“I think we need monitoring of this academy. We have to make sure that there’s proper security inside the classrooms. There might be positives for kids in the area. But they should be monitored.”
As is customary, neither the mayor nor any of the trustees responded to those comments. But it’s always possible that those observations will be considered at some point in the future and bring discussion at some level.