Blackhawk Hills highlights housing design competition, trail counters and infrastructure planning for county

Dan Pitt, executive director of the Blackhawk Hills Regional Council, updated the Stephenson County Board on Aug. 12 about regional initiatives that include a housing design competition, trail counters and capital-improvement planning services. Pitt said Blackhawk Hills received an AARP grant to run a housing-design competition aimed at multi-generational, adaptable homes; entries are due Oct. 17 with public voting starting Oct. 24 and up to six $5,000 prizes available. On trails, Pitt said the council deployed three automated counters on the Jane Addams and Pecatonica Prairie trails to improve usage data and that the devices send processed data automatically. The counters were partly funded by an IDOT grant for trails planning, he said. Pitt also summarized transportation work including walkability assessments in Dakota and Orangeville, assistance on a railroad crossing-elimination grant application and a county safety-action plan for vulnerable road users that supports future infrastructure funding applications. Why it matters: The initiatives create data and planning capacity the county can use to pursue funding for sidewalks, trail improvements and infrastructure sequencing. Discussion vs. decision: The presentation was informational; no board action was recorded. Pitt encouraged counties to adopt capital-improvement planning tools to map five-year infrastructure priorities and improve grant readiness. Ending: Pitt said Blackhawk Hills will continue to work with Stephenson County on project planning, safe-streets applications and trail signage plans and will provide further updates as projects advance.