$10.5 million secured in federal funding for 14th District projects in Illinois

FILE - Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Ill., speaks during a news conference June 24, 2020 in Washington. U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood of Illinois had surgery Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021 in Chicago to remove uterine fibroids and will spend the “coming weeks” recovering in Illinois, her office said.  (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Naperville, announced that $10,524,300 have been secured for 10 projects across Illinois’ 14th Congressional District.

The funding is in addition to $17 billion that Underwood said she secured recently for Illinois-specific infrastructure and transportation projects as well as billions of dollars that she had secured for helping the 14th District recover economically from COVID-19, according to a news release.

The federal money will go towards funding key projects in DeKalb, Yorkville, St. Charles, Wauconda, Woodstock, Joliet, Crystal Lake, Richmond, Pingree Grove and Mundelein.

The projects will help shorten the wait times for mental health services, improve the quality of local drinking water, make higher education more affordable and accessible, improve kindergarten readiness, support foster youth and families, strengthen emergency response and community safety, Underwood’s office said in the release.

Projects include: Kendall County CASA Clubhouse for foster youths and families, DeKalb County Regional Office of Education to expand kindergarten readiness, Independence Health and Therapy in Woodstock to increase the hours of availability for their tele-psychiatrist, expanding McHenry County College’s dual credit/dual degree program, improving funding for the Kane County State’s Attorney pre-arrest diversion program, Lake County Stormwater Management Commission’s Sylvan Lake Dam Modification project, City of Joliet’s project to replace and repair leaking water mains, Village of Pingree Grove project to construct a second well and water treatment facility, rehabilitating two Village of Richmond water towers and allowing the Wauconda Fire District to replace a 28-year-old natural gas emergency back up generator at the fire station, according to the release.

The federal funding was secured through the new Community Project Funding request project, which that allows members of Congress to request direct funding for projects that benefit the communities that they represent.

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