Villa Park manager says temporary repairs will go forward after $4 million loan denial

Mike Rivas, the village manager, said during a manager's minute that the Village of Villa Park will perform targeted repairs on Wisconsin Street after the village failed to secure a $4 million loan from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. "We tried to get funding for it uh through the state and apply for a $4 million loan from the Illinois EPA. We did not get that loan," Rivas said.

Rivas described Wisconsin as one of "the four worst streets in Villa Park" alongside Yale, Iowa and Michigan, and said pervasive potholes and overall pavement deterioration mean the street needs resurfacing. "The street is obviously in very tough condition," he said, adding the village will carry out cutouts and limited resurfacing in smaller areas immediately to address safety and drivability.

On longer-term work, Rivas said Wisconsin was part of a larger capital improvement dubbed the Wisconsin–Westmore project. He said public works and village engineers have accounted for about 90% of the town's sewer-separation projects, leaving Wisconsin among the last streets that still require sewer separation and full resurfacing.

"What that would look like once we were able to get all the funding for it, we would uh resurface we would do uh sewer separation uh on Wisconsin as well as Westmore, and then obviously improve all the curbs as well as all the streets," Rivas said. He told listeners the loan denial means the full project would be delayed — he estimated it could be "another 2 years" before the Illinois EPA loan would be available again without alternative funding.

Village staff said they will seek other funding sources and proceed with the interim cutouts and resurfacing where feasible. The manager closed by reiterating the village's goal of completing the sewer separation and full resurfacing once funding is secured.