Village manager reports $300,000 CDAP grant, Memorial Field reopening and property compliance plan

Interim Village Manager Michael Lemmon told the Lincoln Heights Village Council on May 13 that the village received a $300,000 CDAP grant to help repair Jackson, Adams, Cary and McGee streets. He said the money will help “get us over the hump” toward completing work on those streets.

Lemmon also announced a soft reopening of Memorial Field by the end of the month, with a formal celebration planned later in the summer or early fall tied to completion of the concession stand or other finishing work. He said staff hope to repair stadium lights and a scoreboard and will leave a side gate open for residents to access the field while the driveway gates remain locked.

On code enforcement, Lemmon said the village will make a general announcement, send courtesy notices to homes that are noncompliant and then pursue further steps if properties do not reach compliance in the specified time. He told council the village has some money available to help homeowners bring properties into compliance but that staff have not yet determined the allocation method or per-household amounts.

Lemmon previewed a community reinvestment area (CRA) tax‑abatement program planned to start within roughly eight weeks and said details would appear on the village website and social channels. He also noted an electric‑aggregation contract on the agenda that he said could yield “savings of up to 16 and a half percent” for residents.

Council asked staff to provide clearer written notices about ordinance numbers and specific violations so residents — including new residents — understand what to fix and how much time they will have to do it. Lemmon said he already had a draft letter and would revise it based on the conversation.

Next steps: staff will finalize and distribute the courtesy notices, post CRA program details, and continue work to line up grants and contracts for street repairs and the concession stand.