$750,000 Streator truck route on U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood’s list eyed for federal budget

Streator’s mayor said she is hopeful a project to reconstruct the Iowa Avenue truck route will receive an earmark in the federal budget.

U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Dunlap, visited the city Wednesday to meet with Streator Mayor Tara Bedei and tour Streator Unlimited, along with a stop at the Growmark FS agricultural facility near Pontiac.

It’s been a help to communities like Streator.”

—  U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Dunlap, about Community Project Funding Grants

LaHood and Bedei said their conversation Wednesday focused on infrastructure upgrades and economic development. LaHood specifically mentioned Community Project Funding Grants, which allow members of Congress to earmark in the federal budget funds for 15 infrastructure projects within their district.

Streator’s Iowa Avenue truck route was one of 15 on LaHood’s list for 2024.

The projects must have a federal nexus and meet other requirements established by federal law, House rules and committees.

“It’s been a help to communities like Streator,” LaHood said.

If LaHood’s proposal for Streator is accepted in the budget, Bedei said, the city would receive about $750,000 for the road-resurfacing project that would install curb and gutters from the 100 to the 900 block of Iowa Avenue. This stretch features a mixture of industrial and residential properties.

The city still would have to contribute to the project, but it would free up those previously budgeted funds for the city to tackle other road or infrastructure projects, Bedei said.

“The council has heard from residents about the impact of trucks along that route, and this is a way for us to continue improving the truck routes throughout Streator,” Bedei said, noting that the city has reconstructed 12th Street through grant funding and will resurface Fourth Street from Bloomington to Shabbona streets next as part of its road construction plan.

In having the congressman’s ear, Bedei said, she also mentioned that the city owns the Smith-Douglass property southeast of the city and is looking for assistance in environmental cleanup at the site.

Along with his meeting with Bedei, LaHood said his visit to Streator Unlimited was helpful, especially in regard to hearing about the importance of Medicaid funding the facility receives. Streator Unlimited serves individuals with disabilities by teaching them skills to live as independently as possible.

“I get to see the impact tax money has helping people there with developmental disabilities,” LaHood said. “In my view, that’s tax money well spent. When having these discussions in Congress, I can see that’s a small investment in the big picture that will have an impact.”

With redistricting, LaHood succeeded former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger as the congressman for Streator. The district sprawls from the Peoria and Bloomington region to the northwest corner of Illinois, also taking in parts of McHenry County in the northeast.

Streator, Princeton, Morris and Dixon are among the communities LaHood represents after recent redistricting, but not Ottawa or La Salle-Peru.