Mayor's View: Freeport had a busy year of service and upgrades
As the year comes to a close, I’d like to highlight just some of the accomplishments from 2021, both large and small.
Several projects, completed through public works, fire department, police department, the Freeport Public Library, community development and various partnerships with the city are celebrated as we head into 2022.
The city’s public works department began 2021 amid heavy snow removal, clearing over 12,000 miles of snow and putting in over 1,380 hours to keep Freeport’s streets safe for travel.
After snow season, the department tackled several projects. The Empire reconstruction project included the reconstruction of Empire Street to Park Boulevard and Burchard Avenue. Four thousand tons of asphalt, 18,000 square feet of Americans with Disabilities Act compliant sidewalks and ramps, 15 new storm water manholes, 400 linear feet of storm water main and 3,600 feet of new, city-owned fiber optic conduit made up this 1.07-mile-long project.
Meanwhile, contractors completed the construction of well no. 11 on Field Circle. Following the completion of the new Water Treatment Plant, this well 11 is capable of providing 40% of the city’s drinking water from a high-quality and high-volume aquafer. Similarly, over 7,300 feet of water main, fire hydrants, and distribution water valves were replaced throughout the city.
Another accomplishment by the public works department is the replacement of 260 lead service lines. The State of Illinois leads the country in having the highest number of lead service lines, with Chicago having nearly 390,000 within its city limits. In 2021, Chicago only replaced 20 of these lines. Freeport replaced 13 times more lead service lines than the city of Chicago.
More: Coming Soon: Former ShopKo building in Freeport to become CubeSmart
Safety continues to be at the forefront of decisions made throughout the city. The fire department not only added new, lifesaving equipment for their paramedics and firefighters, but also continued critical education and implemented the Tactical Emergency Medical Services Program.
This tactical team was fully equipped and deployable by July 2021. Since its creation, the team has seven fully trained medics and has had 10 special deployments. Along with this, the fire department has hosted several community outreach programs. The department and Fire Marshal Broshous spent the month of October 2021 educating children about fire safety and burn prevention.
The police department implemented new programs to better serve its public. The first of which is the Social Services program. This program responds to crisis situations like mental health and domestic violence, as well as aims to build relationships with groups in our community. The department also hosted two major crime mitigation events: Drug Enforcement Administration drug takeback events that netted approximately 800 pounds of prescription drugs and a gun buy-back event in March that took 48 guns off the streets of Freeport.
In conjunction with the city of Freeport’s information technology department, the police department transitioned data backups to a new data infrastructure. This new data backup increased capacity and efficiency. Another tool added to the department was the ShotSpotter Program, which helps officers respond to shots fired before they are reported by residents.
With three years of work through the community development department, Freeport was awarded the Pre-disaster Mitigation Grant through the Federal Emergency Management Association for $3.8 million to acquire, relocate and demolish homes affected in the floodway.
The Freeport Public Library hosted several events to keep children and adults alike engaged in community activities. Staying open throughout 2021 meant that the library could provide critical resources and public access internet to those affected by school district shut-downs. The Freeport Public Library also received over $13,000 in grant funds to renovate library spaces and added over 4,000 items in their collection.
And finally, in an otherwise unpredictable year, there has been $140 million in investment in the Enterprise Zone and 285 jobs created or retained. Thirteen businesses have been awarded grants through the Small Business Navigator for the Back2Business grant program totaling more than $350,000.
In 2021, there were 32 ribbon cuttings: 20 new businesses, 10 new ownership or expanded businesses, one ground-breaking for the city’s new water treatment facility and one project completion ribbon cutting on Empire Street.
The city of Freeport and Stephenson County approved an intergovernmental agreement to extend water and sewer along Lamm Road from Walnut to Mill Race Crossing Industrial Park.
The ShopKo building was acquired by True Storage and is currently investing $2.7 million in remodeling. And very soon, we will all see the demolition of the old K-Mart building and the construction of the new building that Hy-Vee will call home.
Let love and kindness be your motivation in all you do and together we can show the world that Freeport is a great place to live, work and play. Thank you for being a part of it.
Jodi Miller is the mayor of Freeport.
This article originally appeared on Journal Standard: Mayor’s View: Freeport had a busy year of service and upgrades
