Will County Gazette

The Illinois General Assembly is looking to pass a bill that earmarks $166.5 million for various projects in lawmakers' home districts across the state.

The bill, SB 2216 or the FY 18 Member Initiatives, contains appropriations for over 1,800 different projects across the state, with money coming from special state funds not related to the general operating budget. It was introduced by Sen. Bill Brady (R-Bloomington).

State Rep. David McSweeney (R-Barrington Hills) called the appropriations "earmarks" and "wasteful."

"I was shocked to see Sen. Bill Brady's recently filed SB 2216, which is described as 'FY 18 Member Initiatives,'" McSweeney said. "Special earmarks lead to wasteful spending and, potentially, corruption. I strongly oppose special insider earmarks."

Projects in Will County include $400,000 to the Village of Bolingbrook for costs associated with infrastructure improvements; $350,000 to the Village of Romeoville for capital improvements including but not limited to the construction of a bike path; and $300,000 to the Village of Romeoville for costs associated with infrastructure improvements.

Some of the biggest of these appropriations include approximately $6.4 million to the Commuter Rail Division of the Regional Transportation Authority for a Metra station at Peterson and Ravenswood avenues in Chicago; $3.75 million to Kankakee Community College for infrastructure improvements; and $3 million to the Chicago Park District for the construction of a sports recreation facility in Morgan Park.

----

What projects in Will County are being funded by SB 2216?

The table below shows the projects in the area that are being funded by this appropriations bill.

Department	Recipient	Recipient City	Recipient County	Total $	Copy
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Village of Bolingbrook	Bolingbrook	Will	$400,000	The sum of $400,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to Village of Bolingbrook for costs associated with infrastructure improvements.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Village of Romeoville	Romeoville	Will	$350,000	The sum of $350,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Village of Romeoville for capital improvements including but not limited to the construction of a bike path.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Village of Romeoville	Romeoville	Will	$300,000	The sum of $300,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Village of Romeoville for costs associated with infrastructure improvements.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Village of Elwood	Elwood	Will	$200,000	The sum of $200,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Village of Elwood for infrastructure improvements to Route 53.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	C.W. Avery YMCA	Plainfield	Will	$200,000	The sum of $200,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the C.W. Avery YMCA for capital improvements.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Village of Rockdale	Rockdale	Will	$200,000	The sum of $200,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Village of Rockdale for an extension to the Route 6 water main.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Troy Fire Protection District	Shorewood	Will	$170,000	The sum of $170,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Troy Fire Protection District for costs associated with the construction of a fire station.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	City of Crest Hill	Crest Hill	Will	$150,000	The sum of $150,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the City of Crest Hill for costs associated with infrastructure improvements.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	City of Joliet	Joliet	Will	$150,000	The sum of $150,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to City of Joliet for costs associated with Rialto Square Theater—University of St. Francis Downtown Campus Project.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	City of Joliet	Joliet	Will	$150,000	The sum of $150,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to City of Joliet for costs associated with the Eastside Water Treatment Facility Plant Outfall Project.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	City of Lockport	Lockport	Will	$150,000	The sum of $150,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to City of Lockport for costs associated with infrastructure improvements.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Eastern Will County Senior Transit	Monee	Will	$137,500	The sum of $137,500, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Eastern Will County Senior Transit for costs associated with renovations and repairs to the facility.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Forest Preserve District of Will County	Joliet	Will	$120,000	The sum of $120,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Forest Preserve District of Will County for costs associated with infrastructure improvements.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Village of Peotone	Peotone	Will	$100,000	The sum of $100,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Village of Peotone for general infrastructure.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Plainfield Food Pantry	Plainfield	Will	$100,000	The sum of $100,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to Plainfield Food Pantry for all costs associated with building expansion and other infrastructure improvements.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Conservation Plainfield	Plainfield Township	Will	$100,000	The sum of $100,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to Conservation Plainfield for all costs associated with new building construction.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Shorewood Police Department	Shorewood	Will	$100,000	The sum of $100,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Shorewood Police Department for bondable equipment and/or the capital improvements.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Wheatland Township	Wheatland Township	Will	$100,000	The sum of $100,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to Wheatland Township for all costs associated with the construction of a new Township building.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Joliet Arsenal Development Authority	Joliet	Will	$75,000	The sum of $75,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Joliet Arsenal Development Authority for costs associated with capital improvements.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Village of Manhattan	Manhattan	Will	$75,000	The sum of $75,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Village of Manhattan for general infrastructure.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Village of Bolingbrook	Bolingbrook	Will	$63,348	The sum of $63,348, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Village of Bolingbrook for all costs associated with the Riverwoods Subdivision and Concord Creek Erosion Control projects.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Village of Beecher	Beecher	Will	$50,000	The sum of $50,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to Village of Beecher for costs associated with renovations and improvements to the sewer plant.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Village of Bolingbrook	Bolingbrook	Will	$50,000	The sum of $50,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Village of Bolingbrook for general infrastructure improvements.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	DuPage Township	DuPage Township	Will	$50,000	The sum of $50,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to DuPage Township for costs associated with infrastructure improvements.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Frankfort Square Park District	Frankfort	Will	$50,000	The sum of $50,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Frankfort Square Park District for the design and construction of a parking garage for the South Suburban Special Recreation Association.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Village of Frankfort	Frankfort	Will	$50,000	The sum of $50,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Village of Frankfort for general infrastructure.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Frankfort Township	Frankfort Township	Will	$50,000	The sum of $50,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to Frankfort Township for road projects.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties	Joliet	Will	$50,000	The sum of $50,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties for the purchase and renovation of a new administration center.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Cornerstone Services Inc	Joliet	Will	$50,000	The sum of $50,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to Cornerstone Services, Inc. for costs associated with the construction of a rehabilitation facility.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Joliet Township	Joliet Township	Will	$50,000	The sum of $50,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to Joliet Township for costs associated with renovations to the Joliet Township Animal Control building.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Will County Historical Society	Lockport	Will	$50,000	The sum of $50,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Will County Historical Society for costs associated with renovations to the facility.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Lockport Township	Lockport Township	Will	$50,000	The sum of $50,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to Lockport Township for costs associated with infrastructure improvements.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Village of Rockdale	Rockdale	Will	$50,000	The sum of $50,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Village of Rockdale for costs associated with infrastructure improvements.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Village of Shorewood	Shorewood	Will	$50,000	The sum of $50,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Village of Shorewood for costs associated with construction of a Veteran’s Memorial.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Cornerstone Services Inc	Joliet	Will	$41,621	The sum of $41,621, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to Cornerstone Services, Inc. for construction of a comprehensive community-based rehabilitation center in Northern Will County.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Village of Romeoville	Romeoville	Will	$37,500	The sum of $37,500, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Village of Romeoville for general infrastructure improvements.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Village of Mokena	Mokena	Will	$35,000	The sum of $35,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Village of Mokena for general infrastructure.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Village of New Lenox	New Lenox	Will	$35,000	The sum of $35,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Village of New Lenox for general infrastructure.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Jackson Township	Jackson Township	Will	$30,000	The sum of $30,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to Jackson Township for costs associated with infrastructure improvements.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Trinity Services Inc	New Lenox	Will	$30,000	The sum of $30,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to Trinity Services, Inc. for all costs associated with capital improvements for street improvements.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Village of Beecher	Beecher	Will	$25,000	The sum of $25,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Village of Beecher for infrastructure improvements.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Green Garden Township Highway Department	Green Garden Township	Will	$25,000	The sum of $25,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Green Garden Township Highway Department for costs associated with infrastructure improvements.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Will-Grundy Center	Joliet	Will	$25,000	The sum of $25,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Will-Grundy Center for Independent Living for infrastructure improvements to the facility.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Washington Township	Washington Township	Will	$20,000	The sum of $20,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to Washington Township for all costs associated with infrastructure improvements.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Ready Set Ride	Plainfield	Will	$18,750	The sum of $18,750, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to Ready Set Ride for purchase of a bondable vehicle and/or capital improvements.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Washington Township	Washington Township	Will	$15,000	The sum of $15,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to Washington Township for costs associated with infrastructure improvements.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Beecher School District 200-U	Beecher	Will	$10,000	The sum of $10,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Beecher School District 200-U for infrastructure improvements at the Beecher Elementary School.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Village of Bolingbrook	Bolingbrook	Will	$10,000	The sum of $10,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Village of Bolingbrook for all costs associated with infrastructure, public safety, and security improvements.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	City of Joliet	Joliet	Will	$6,747	The sum of $6,747, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to City of Joliet for costs associated with the Mound Road Overlay project.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Village of New Lenox	New Lenox	Will	$4,927	The sum of $4,927, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Village of New Lenox for all costs associated with the purchase and development of a historic site.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Plainfield Police Department	Plainfield	Will	$1,695	The sum of $1,695, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Plainfield Police Department for all costs associated with building expansion and other capital improvements.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	New Lenox Township	New Lenox Township	Will	$1,087	The sum of $1,087, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the New Lenox Township for all costs associated with capital construction and/or infrastructure improvements.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Village of Beecher	Beecher	Will	$416	The sum of $416, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Village of Beecher for costs associated with the replacement of their ballfield lighting in Fireman’s Park.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Lockport Township High School District 205	Lockport Township	Will	$180	The sum of $180, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to Lockport Township High School District 205 for general infrastructure improvements at Lockport High School.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Custer Township	Custer Township	Will	$1	The sum of $1, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to Custer Township for road repairs and resurfacing projects.
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity	Village of New Lenox	New Lenox	Will	$1	The sum of $1, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Village of New Lenox for all costs associated with road improvements.