HILLCREST — Hillcrest trustees received several updates from Baxter & Woodman Engineering regarding the American Rescue Plan, potential grant funding for infrastructure improvements in the village as well as the timeline for project design and construction. Trustees received the updates during their monthly board meeting in Hillcrest on Wednesday evening.

Carl Fischer, wastewater technical director, said the village could receive roughly $151,000 in funds from the federal government through the American Rescue Plan, the COVID-19 relief bill passed by the U.S. Congress earlier this year. Fischer said the amount of money could change and that the village wouldn’t likely receive money from the relief bill until the middle of 2022.

Fischer said Baxter & Woodman is still pursuing an unsewered community grant, as well as additional grant funding, for sewer, water and roadway improvements in the village. Hillcrest trustees voted to move forward with plans to drill a new shallow well and build both a new water tower and water treatment plant last month. The vote also included infrastructure improvements to the village sewer, water and roadways beginning on the southernmost end of the village.

Hillcrest trustees will vote next month on when the project designing process will begin.

“We’ve divided six total projects into three groups,” Fischer said. “The first group is the Priority 1A water main and the drilling of the well. The second group is all of the well equipment, the water treatment plant and the sanitary service. The third group is the elevated tank. Our proposed plan is to spread those six projects out over a five-year period from 2021-25.”

Fischer said the generator replacement project is moving forward as well. Fischer said Baxter & Woodman is awaiting delivery of the new generator, which will power both the village water system and village hall. The replacement project is expected to be completed in October. Fischer requested $35,602.42 in reimbursements for bidding services and a larger gas meter.

Agenda

Trustees approved salvaging the old village police car with a 4-1 vote during Wednesday’s meeting. At the start of the meeting, several trustees took their oaths of office including Randy Salsbury, who was recently re-elected to a four-year term and is currently serving as president pro tem. Trustees Dan Potter, Renee Kerwin and Rick Rhoads, who were appointed to their positions previously, were also sworn in. Pam Pittman, who was re-elected, was not present.