Wood River Secures Grant Funds For Phase 3 Water Main Improvements

Wood River City Council Meeting

WOOD RIVER – Wood River City Council members passed multiple items at Monday’s meeting to fund the latest phase of the Edwardsville Road Water Line Improvement Project.

Public Services Director Michael Velloff said the scope of the project’s third phase includes improving the water main from Whitelaw Avenue to 3rd Street. The current 4-inch cast iron water main will be replaced by a 12-inch PVC water main, with Velloff estimating a completion date of around June 30, 2026.

The city has received a $386,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from Madison County to partially fund the project; the city has agreed to fund the rest of the project’s completion from another source. Velloff estimated the city would be responsible for covering about $100,000 worth of the project cost.

Councilman Bill Dettmers asked for an estimate on when these improvements would reach 5th Street. Velloff said this marks Phase 3 of the water line improvements, with Phase 4 including 5th street set to begin next year in 2027.

The city was required to pass two resolutions to receive the county’s CDBG funding. These include a “Fair Housing” resolution which makes participating in “discriminatory and unlawful housing practices” as defined by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) a violation of city policy. The use of government funds for housing projects inconsistent with HUD regulations is now also a violation of city policy.

Palen said the second resolution simply requires the city to certify that it has an ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] Transition Plan in place, which Palen confirmed. Each item related to funding the Edwardsville Road Water Line Improvement Project was passed unanimously by council members.

A full recording of the Jan. 5, 2025 Wood River City Council meeting is available at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.

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