HILLCREST — At its monthly meeting Wednesday, the Hillcrest Village Board of Trustees heard an engineering update given by Village Engineer Kaitlin Wright of Baxter & Woodman.

Wright said that Hillcrest's priority 1A water main project recently held a preconstruction meeting and work is slated to start on Monday, June 3. The project has a $1.2 million total budget and plans to replace mains along the full length of Scott Avenue, parts of Errett Road and Erickson Road from Scott Avenue to Jeffrey Avenue, and parts of Jeffrey Avenue from Errett Road to Erickson Road. Those streets are in the southern and oldest part of the village. The project will be financed with an IEPA loan that will involve 50 percent loan forgiveness. The debt service on the project will be $35,000 per year over 20 years.

Wright also updated trustees on a state-mandated lead service line inventory project that is ongoing. Residents were sent a survey recently. The village must submit an inventory and replacement plan to the state by Sept. 1.

Residents have been asked to check their own water lines and provide information to the village. If residents do not respond to the survey, the village would send staff to check the water lines to see what material they're made up of.

Wright said the village has distributed 444 surveys and current numbers include 115 service lines of unknown (not lead), 70 copper service lines, and 259 unknown. A small number of residents have reported lead service lines, which the village may be checking to confirm. Village President Rick Rhoads gave Wright the go ahead Wednesday to start drafting a replacement plan proposal due to lead service lines being reported.

Wright said during her engineer's update that seal coat work will start "in the next month or so." The program this year will include Errett Road, Rosalind Road, Erickson Road, Powers Road, and Linda Avenue.

Parking

Trustees unanimously approved changes and updates to its parking ordinance at the meeting. The updates cleaned up the village's previous parking ordinance that included repetitive language. 

The new parking ordinance was drafted due to concerns trustees have expressed in the past about cars parked illegally in Hillcrest including in front and back yards. The new parking ordinance can be enforced by village police, village-contracted police or the village president.

Patrols

The board tabled a potential intergovernmental agreement with the Ogle County Sheriff's Office that would see dedicated patrols in Hillcrest by Ogle County deputies. No vote was taken due to the village waiting for feedback from the sheriff's office and a review of the potential agreement by the Ogle County State's Attorney's Office.

Sheriff Brian VanVickle attended Hillcrest's March meeting regarding a potential agreement and the current proposal would see the village pay deputies $80 an hour which would be the only cost to Hillcrest, besides paying deputies for their time in court on Hillcrest patrol-specific cases.

Deputies would be working around 10 hours per week on dedicated patrols to start and they would be in two-hour blocks at varying times. Deputies will work the hours on an overtime basis before or after their regular county patrols.

Solar

The board held a first reading on a new solar panel ordinance. At recent meetings, Village Building Inspector Casper Manheim has asked the board to soon consider the adoption of a solar ordinance to have a fee structure in place for residents and companies that install solar panels within village limits. 

Manheim previously gave the village a pre-made ordinance from another village that would see Hillcrest be able to charge permit fees for small residential solar operations all the way up to large solar fields. A large solar farm is planned to locate within village limits in the future.

No vote was taken on the matter, due to the fact that the potential change requires a public hearing that is planned for 6:30 p.m. on June 12 before Hillcrest's regularly-scheduled meeting at 7 p.m.

Cleanup

The village will be hosting a clean-up day for residents on Saturday, May 18 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 422 Wayne Road. There will be a dumpster on site and accepted items will include scrap metal, yard waste, electronics (seven items per vehicle limit), and car and light truck tires ($5 disposal fee per tire). No batteries will be accepted. The event is for Hillcrest residents only and participants are asked to bring proof of address.