Underwood Announces $25 Million for Local Priorities Selected for Community Project Funding
JOLIET – Today, Representative Lauren Underwood (IL-14), a member of the House Appropriations Committee, announced the projects in the 14th District selected to be submitted for consideration for Community Project Funding in FY2025.
If funded, the projects below will have extraordinary benefits for our community: ensuring access to safe and reliable drinking water, strengthening rural access to health care, preventing workplace exploitation, helping residents get jobs, providing vulnerable populations access to necessities like shelter and food, and supporting parent-students by providing affordable child care options in northern Illinois.
“Making sure that our community's needs are reflected in federal funding has always been a top priority of mine in Washington,” said Underwood. “Our families will feel the enormous impact of these 15 projects every day. We’re making sure our drinking water is clean and safe across northern Illinois; strengthening access to quality health care in rural communities, providing parents with affordable child care options, helping residents get good jobs, and so much more. I look forward to working with my colleagues to bring these federal dollars home.”
Community Project Funding is an initiative that allows Members of Congress to request direct funding for projects that benefit the communities they represent, coupled with strict transparency and ethics requirements. Projects are restricted to a limited number of federal funding streams, and only state and local governments and eligible non-profit entities are permitted to receive funding. In compliance with House Rules and Committee requirements, Underwood has certified that she and her immediate family have no financial interest in any of the projects selected. Underwood’s certification forms for the projects listed are available here, listed in alphabetical order.
Below are descriptions of the projects submitted for consideration, in alphabetical order by project sponsor:
Project Title: Bentley Road Pathway Connection
Project Sponsor: Plainfield Park District
Amount Requested: $1,300,000
Address of Sponsor: 23729 W. Ottawa St., Plainfield, IL 60544
Project Description and Justification: This funding would be used to develop 4 uninterrupted miles along the DuPage River into a pathway connecting parks, recreation areas, and small businesses in Will County. The pathway will serve as a vital link between existing multi-use trails at Riverside Parkway, Sunset Park, and Hammel Woods along the DuPage River corridor.
Project Title: Center for Parenting Students
Project Sponsor: Waubonsee Community College
Amount Requested: $600,000
Address of Sponsor: Route 47 at Waubonsee Drive, Sugar Grove, IL 60554
Project Description and Justification: This funding would support the creation of a new Center for Parenting Students at Waubonsee Community College. The center will provide crucial support for student parents, helping them balance their academic pursuits with child care.
The Center will offer a welcoming environment with designated family-friendly consultation and meeting rooms. Additionally, lactation suites, changing rooms, and a dedicated feeding space will cater to the specific needs of parenting students. The Center will provide essential support services, access to books, toys, and tablets for children while their parents work on group projects or utilize computers and printers for academic work.
Project Title: City of Lockport Environmental Infrastructure Program
Project Sponsor: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chicago District
Amount Requested: $1,368,950
Address of Sponsor: 231 S. LaSalle Street, Suite 1500, Chicago, IL 60604
Project Purpose and Justification: This funding would be used for an environmental infrastructure project that will improve wastewater and stormwater management in the City of Lockport, Illinois. Local infrastructure needs addressed by this project include the Bruce Road & SOS Children Village Utility Improvement Project, which would include the installation of a new lift station to serve the SOS Children Village.
Project Title: Clean Water Project in Oglesby, IL
Project Sponsor: City of Oglesby
Amount Requested: $928,000
Address of Sponsor: 110 East Walnut Street, Oglesby, IL 61348
Project Purpose and Justification: This funding will help replace 2,100 feet of water main lines currently impacted by lead and/or asbestos-cement within the City of Oglesby. The pipes pose significant risks to the public and their replacement will ensure clean drinking water, protect public health and safety, and generate long-term cost savings for the community of Oglesby.
Project Title: Education for Parents Project
Project Sponsor: Northern Illinois University
Amount Requested: $1,000,000
Address of Sponsor: 1425 W Lincoln Hwy, Dekalb, IL 60115
Priority Project and Justification: This funding will be used to remodel and convert property at Northern Illinois University into a significantly larger child care center. The project will help the university hire new personnel and cover essential upgrades to ensure a safe and healthy environment for children; including roof, window, and flooring repairs, classroom painting, and a kitchen renovation.
Project Title: Expanding Hope and Reducing Hunger in La Salle, IL
Project Sponsor: Illinois Valley Food Pantry
Amount Requested: $750,000
Address of Sponsor: 122 Wright Street, LaSalle, IL 61354
Project Purpose and Justification: This funding will help the food pantry expand their refrigeration and storage capacity, allowing them to serve more families in our community. Currently serving around 500 families monthly, the pantry is at capacity.
Project Title: Giving Hope A Home Homeless Shelter in Ottawa, IL
Project Sponsor: Illinois Valley Public Action to Deliver Shelter
Amount Requested: $1,250,000
Address of Sponsor: 1120 Canal Street, Ottawa, IL 61350
Project Purpose and Justification: This funding will be used to construct a new, 11,264-square-foot shelter in Ottawa. This new facility will feature a kitchen, expanded dormitories for men and women, individual rooms with private bathrooms, six family rooms, increased office and storage space, a designated children’s area, two larger bathrooms with showers, and a spacious multi-purpose classroom. With more than double the space and beds, this new facility will help Giving Hope A Home serve more people in our community and deliver essential services.
Project Title: Grand Prairie Water Commission Infrastructure Construction for Northern Illinois
Project Sponsor: City of Joliet
Amount Requested: $5,000,000
Address of Sponsor: 150 W Jefferson Street, Joliet, IL 60432
Project Purpose and Justification: This funding will build 4.5 miles of underground water transmission main to deliver finished drinking water from the Chicago Department of Water Management to communities in the southwest suburbs.
The City of Joliet is part of the Grand Prairie Water Commission, a group of six communities that will utilize Lake Michigan as an alternative water source.
Project Title: Law Enforcement Collaboration to Prevent Workplace Crime in Will County, IL
Project Sponsor: Joliet Township
Amount Requested: $338,897
Address of Sponsor: 175 W Jefferson St. Joliet, IL 60432
Project Purpose and Justification:
This funding would be used by the government of Joliet Township (JT) for the hiring or contracting of attorneys and project staff dedicated to collaborating with the IL Attorney General’s (ILAG) office and other law enforcement organizations (LEOs) in Will County and surrounding areas to pursue prosecutorial cases concerning workplace crime. The role of these staff will be to build connections between the workforce and local LEOs, connecting credible victims of workplace crime with the ILAG’s office and other relevant LEOs, and assisting in providing law enforcement with critical evidence, including witness testimony.
This project is a good use of federal taxpayer funds because it will bridge the current gap between victims and witnesses of workplace crimes and relevant federal, state, and local LEOs. Local police and law enforcement resources are being stretched thin amid the booming regional growth and this funding is necessary to support their efforts to deter crime in the workplace, prosecute violations, and work productively with the local community.
Project Title: Lead-Free Water Project in Aurora, IL
Project Sponsor: City of Aurora
Amount Requested: $3,500,000
Address of Sponsor: 44 E. Downer Place, City of Aurora, IL 60507
Project Purpose and Justification: This funding will be used to remove and replace all remaining lead water service lines within the City of Aurora, providing safe, potable water for the community. An estimated 120 lead service lines for homes, impacting nearly 400 residents, are expected to be replaced. The pipes pose significant risks to the public and their replacement will ensure clean drinking water, protect public health and safety, and generate long-term cost savings for the community.
Project Title: Reducing Recidivism and Supporting Reentry in Will County, IL
Project Sponsor: Will County Workforce Services Division—LWIA—10
Amount Requested: $600,000
Address of Sponsor: 2400 Glenwood Ave, Joliet, IL 60435
Project Purpose and Justification: This project will provide work training services to justice impacted individuals, increasing public safety, and reducing the recidivism rate in Will County, IL. The program will offer participants the option to participate in work-based training or education, or to receive work-based training that leads to full-time employment. Through this program, formerly incarcerated individuals will obtain skills that will help them find and secure meaningful employment.
Project Title: Securing A Sustainable Water Source in Oswego, IL
Project Sponsor: Village of Oswego
Amount Requested: $2,640,000
Address of Sponsor: 100 Parkers Mill, Oswego, IL 60543
Project Purpose and Justification: This funding will support the construction of the three receiving stations, which are integral to the success of the Lake Michigan Water Source Project. The receiving stations will allow Montgomery, Oswego, and Yorkville to store and prepare more water from Lake Michigan. Each City requires one receiving station to prepare and store safe water, and to establish a proper connection with the lake.
The communities of Montgomery, Oswego, and Yorkville will join the DuPage Water Commission, a group of 30 communities that utilize Lake Michigan as an alternative water source.
Project Title: Senior Outreach and Care Project
Project Sponsor: White Oak Library District
Amount Requested: $3,000,000
Address of Sponsor: 201 W. Normantown Rd., Romeoville, IL 60446
Project Description and Justification: This funding will be used for the construction of a new building for the Outreach Services Department at the Crest Hill Branch Library, allowing the library to reach more people in Will County. The funding will be used to construct a new building, hire two additional staff members to support the new location’s expanded services, and purchase three computer workstations and essential technology like chargers and keyboards.
Additionally, the funding will allow the library to purchase a Bookmobile to continue outreach efforts outside the library’s physical location as well as additional books for circulation.
Project Title: Shab-eh-nay Tribal Administration Buildings
Project Sponsor: Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation
Amount Requested: $1,210,914
Address of Sponsor: 16281 Q Road Mayetta, Kansas 66509
Project Purpose and Justification: This funding will support the construction of governmental office space for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation and their neighbors. The new building will allow the Nation to have a designated facility to conduct its government business, deepen their connections with the community, and provide services to residents.
Project Title: Strengthening Rural Healthcare for Farmers and Families in Mendota, IL
Project Sponsor: Community Health Partnership of Illinois
Amount Requested: $1,250,000
Address of Sponsor: 205 West Randolph Street, Suite 1340, Chicago, IL 60606
Project Purpose and Justification: This funding will be used to expand the Mendota Health Center, transforming the 10,666-square-foot warehouse into an expanded space for medical, dental, and behavioral health services. The proposed health center will house 25 employees and serve over 6,000 individuals needing accessible, quality primary care services. The Mendota Health Center is a lifeline for the community, providing quality health care in Mendota and surrounding areas.
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