Lake Bluff finance committee backs capital plan; Green Bay Road, stormwater and downtown block cited as priorities

The Village of Lake Bluff Finance Committee on March 10 recommended the draft capital improvement plan to the full Village Board, which includes a $500,000 transfer from the General Fund and a $1,000,000 placeholder for downtown work labeled “CBD Block 1.”

Staff member Bettina said the packet "includes the capital improvement plan, which goes through ... we're including a $500,000 transfer from General. We're including the Green Bay Road reconstruction, the bridge. Dollars 1,000,000 is being budgeted for, CBD Block 1 pending approval from the Board." The committee voted to forward the budget to the Board by voice vote.

The plan groups several multi-year, large projects and ties funding expectations to outside sources. Bettina and village engineering staff described Green Bay Road reconstruction as a multi-year effort that is partly grant-funded and currently awaiting direction from the state historic review office about how to treat existing steel trusses. "We're trying to convince the state historical office that it is impractical to chip all that concrete off of those trusses and try to reuse them," Bettina said. The Illinois Department of Transportation has indicated it is proceeding on schedule for projects already awarded and has been supportive, staff said.

Stormwater and flood projects are also prominent. The packet lists a stormwater trunk project (budgeted at $3.9 million in the near term) and staff said roughly $2.4 million of that amount would be reimbursed by the county, leaving an estimated $1.5 million as the village's permanent share. Staff said the village will continue applying for federal, state and other grants (including a pending "Protect" grant application) and may issue bonds for portions that are not grant-funded.

Committee members discussed sequencing and scope. Village engineer Geoff and staff described the multi-year timeline for Green Bay Road and noted design work and historical consultations are taking place in 2026, with construction spread over subsequent years. The committee emphasized preserving the neighborhood character and street trees while addressing safety and pedestrian improvements such as new crosswalks.

Members said the capital fund balance is being managed to avoid drawing down below target minimums. Bettina said the capital fund was created to isolate project spending from general fund balances and that staff aims to keep general-fund reserves above the committee's minimum threshold.

The committee also discussed CBD Block 1 in the context of a potential outside grant. "We're hoping for a grant that would reduce that substantially," a committee member said; staff added that the board will revisit detailed design and community input when a grant outcome becomes clearer.

Ending: The committee directed staff to include the capital plan in the packet for the full Board meeting in April and to return with more detailed designs and grant updates on specific projects as information becomes available.