WESTVILLE — Village trustees heard a presentation Tuesday from Jon Johnston, senior planner with the Farnsworth Group of Bloomington.

According Johnston, his firm would conduct a survey and file an application for a grant from the Community Development Assistance Program to install a new 6-inch water main along Kelly Avenue from Illinois Route 1 to Lafferty Hill.

Johnston told council members that Westville could apply for up to $450,000 or 75 percent of the project cost, whichever is less.

The project would provide better water service to about 40 homes along the proposed route.

Johnston said that under the terms of the CDAP program at least half the residents to be helped by the water project must me either moderate or low income households. Part of the proposal by the Farnsworth Group would be for the firm to survey each affected household in order to document their eligibility for the project. Once Farnsworth Group conducts the survey, it will make the grant application to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity that oversees the program.

According to Johnston, the grant application deadline is Feb. 15 with any decision not expected for six to eight months from that date.

The CDAP program is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Trustees approved a contract with Farnsworth Group for $650 to conduct the income survey and file the grant application.

In other council action, trustees:

Approved sending police chief Dave Booe and police officer Tom Kirby to a Homeland Security training class in New Mexico for four days. Homeland Security is paying for the cost of the officers to attend with the village paying the officer’s daily salary.

Learned the village has 150 new natural gas meters that need to be installed before their warranty expires.

Heard a proposal from trustee Bill Cottrell about the use of an auxiliary outdoor water meter for village residents. According to Cottrell, the meters could be used by residents who have swimming pools to fill or want to water lawns and gardens. The village will sell the meters for $45 and residents would connect them to an outside water faucet.

The water meter would be read by the homeowner and reported to the village water department and that water would be deducted from the water usage amounts the village turns over to the sanitary district.

Cottrell said the meters would need to taken inside during cold weather to prevent freezing and the village would not be responsible for maintaining the meters. He said the program would run from Apr. 1-Oct. 1 only and failure to provide the village with meter readings would result in the homeowner’s total water meter reading being sent to the sanitary district.

Council members took no action on the proposal but did direct the village attorney to draw up an ordinance outlining the regulations and the village’s responsibility for the meters.

Learned that three additional video surveillance cameras have been installed in the park near the basketball court.

Approved an exception permit for a mobile home to be placed at 107 Westville Lane. The owner still has to meet certain village requirements before occupying the mobile home.

What’s next

Westville Village Council members will meet at 7 p.m. Dec. 18 in the municipal building.