As money comes to Cahokia Heights for legacy sewer issues, how will IL monitor spending?
The stench of sewage was in the air Monday, as it has been for decades, in the Piat Place neighborhood of the former village of Centreville.
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, was visiting residents, along with state and federal officials from the Environmental Protection Agency, Housing and Urban Development, Army Corps of Engineers and National Guard.
As they approached Yvette Lyles’ home, Lyles walked into the road and instructed them to stop — stop and inhale.
“Smell it?” Lyles asked. It was sewage inside her house, she said.
Lyles described to the government officials the precautions she takes and embarrassment she feels because of the community’s sewer and stormwater issues that lead to persistent flooding and raw sewage backing up in homes and yards.
Lyles doesn’t let her 4-year-old granddaughter play in the yard. She carries her dog rather than letting it walk around outside. She doesn’t like to have company over.
“I almost want to say hogs live better than we are right now,” she told them.
The former village merged with Cahokia and Alorton last year to become the city of Cahokia Heights. Millions of dollars in state and federal funding have been earmarked for Cahokia Heights to address these longstanding problems. And federal officials announced Monday that over $7 million more has been requested for next year.
Residents say they want officials to start putting money into action with accountability measures to ensure it goes toward helping them.
“How long do we have to suffer?” asked Sheila Gladney, who lives in a Piat Place home her family has owned since 1974.
In response, Duckworth told residents, “we need to start fixing.”
“It’s not enough dollars yet, but it’s enough to get things started, to start off with the sewer system, which is the first thing that needs to be done,” Duckworth said.
Accountability on sewer project
Earlier this month, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced that Cahokia Heights would immediately receive $9.9 million to start sewer system improvements. That $9.9 million grant is part of the more than $21 million in state funding allocated for Cahokia Heights infrastructure in the state’s budget.
At a roundtable discussion with more government officials and community leaders on Monday, Duckworth asked whether the money will be given directly to the city and what accountability measures are in place, echoing concerns she heard from residents during her Piat Place visit.
Cahokia Heights Mayor Curtis McCall Sr. said the city will receive $2.5 million, and any spending will first have to be approved by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. A representative from the city’s engineering firm added that the remaining grant money would be provided on a reimbursement basis, with the city handling costs and submitting documentation for what it paid.
McCall said no project under his leadership has involved misappropriation in the past.
“I’ve been in government now for over 30 years and not one time have any projects I’ve ever worked on as chief of police, as mayor, have there been any misappropriation of funds at all,” McCall said.
The engineer said the terms of the grant call for the work to be finished within three years, with the majority of the work completed in the first two years.
More money for Cahokia Heights
In a news release after Monday’s events in Cahokia Heights, Duckworth announced that she and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, asked for more than $7 million for Cahokia Heights for federal fiscal year 2023, which begins Oct. 1.
If approved, the money would go to the following projects, according to the release:
$3.5 million through the Army Corps of Engineers for a new sewer.
$2 million for the city of Cahokia Heights to rehabilitate the current sewer system.
$1.7 million for Centreville Citizens for Change to address any contaminated indoor air and drinking water in homes caused by frequent flooding. Centreville Citizens for Change is a grassroots organization of residents demanding help for the sewage crisis.
This story was originally published August 22, 2022 at 5:40 PM.
