Montrose looking to grow with help from grant

Jun. 23—MONTROSE — Driving through Montrose on U.S Route 40, motorists are greeted by two buildings dating back to the early 20th century — one that housed a bank and another that served as a firehouse/jailhouse. They are relics of the village's once booming economy.

"When my dad was a young man here, they had five railroad tracks, three banks, couple lumber yards, grocery stores," said Montrose Village President Steve Browning.

But in the past 20 years, the village's population has hovered around 200, and other than two gas stations, a couple of truck dealerships and a bar, the village has little sales tax revenue and must rely on property tax for income.

Browning blames the village's shrinking population on the construction of Interstate 70 in the 1960s.

"You think the interstate would have brought us commerce but it actually was a death sentence for the town. People bypass it and the younger generation, they don't want to live here," he said.

Browning also points to rumors that the older generation who sat on the board years ago didn't want to see the village grow.

"Now we have a younger generation and they would like to see it grow," said Browning, who was elected village president earlier this year.

So, Montrose village officials are taking a page from Dieterich's playbook with the hope of emulating the neighboring village's successful growth.

"We would like to do like Dieterich did — get a TIF started and maybe start new housing, new subdivisions. Everybody's got their Dollar General. We want ours," said Browning.

Browning believes that's possible after the state announced earlier this year that the village would receive a $600,000 parks grant.

Nearly $60 million in state grants are being awarded for 118 local park projects throughout Illinois to help communities acquire land and develop recreational opportunities.

The grants represent the largest round of Open Space Land Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grants in the 36-year history of the program, and for the first time in the history of the program, funding will cover 100% of eligible projects located in economically distressed communities like Montrose.

The grant is a godsend for a village that has long attracted anglers and campers to its campground and lake recreation area.

Fishermen are there all the time, according to Browning, who said it's the plethora of catfish, bluegill, red ear, crappie and good-size bass that draw them.

"I had a gentleman call me from 309 area code (northwest part of state) asking about reserving a campsite because he camped there a couple of weeks ago and he really liked the fishing and he wanted to come back and do it some more," he said.

The campground gets a lot of repeat customers who are interstate travelers, according to Browning. It also has its fair share of first-time campers, like Ben and Jane Harrison, who decided to rent a site at the campground recently for their RV after seeing reviews of the campground on the app, iOverlander. The couple were on their way home to Arkansas from Indiana.

"Then once we got here, I mean it's nice," said Ben Harrison.

After staying a couple of nights, the couple found the area peaceful, quiet and safe.

"It's a pleasant community," said Ben.

The campground has four sites each with water, electric and sewer hookup. Village officials would like to expand the number of campsites to eight with the grant money and build all new bathroom facilities that include showers to accommodate the campers.

Village officials also have plans to accommodate anglers by building a parking area for their vehicles and trailers.

"We're going to make an actual boat ramp with a bigger dock too," added Browning.

Also in the works is an observation deck overlooking the lake that Browning hopes will entice couples to consider it as a wedding venue, along with the pavilions, which he said will receive makeovers.

The observation deck also will give a closer view of the wildlife that visits the lake such as eagles, osprey, geese, beaver and otters.

For the kids, they would like to install playground equipment.

Last, but not least, on the list is a ball diamond.

"We've been approached by Dieterich Crush to help offset our OSLAD grant money and help us build a super nice diamond," said Browning.

Dieterich Crush, now called Crush Athletics, is a nonprofit made up of baseball and softball teams for 8-to-13-year-olds.

Organizer Eric Emmerich said Crush Athletics is partnering with the village to set up a home field for the program to practice and hold tournaments. Currently, the teams travel to different towns and don't have a field of their own to practice on throughout the week.

Emmerich is excited to grow youth sports in the Dieterich and Montrose area and spur growth in Montrose in the process.

"It'll bring more road traffic, get more people into Montrose to spend more money there. It's a good partnership all the way around," he said. "The village has been wonderful to work with. It's such a great place."

Emmerich said the goal is to have a high school-size diamond.

Village officials are hoping to start on the projects next spring while work on the diamond may start sooner, Browning noted.

It's all part of the village's 1-5-year plan to grow Montrose.

"Build it and they will come. That's what I'm hoping and I'm hoping that will bring some revenue into the town," said Browning.