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City, park district and college await ITEP decision on proposed multi‑partner bike path
Summary
Freeport, Highland Community College and the Freeport Park District signed a memorandum of understanding committing to match if an ITEP grant is awarded; no design work beyond a concept has proceeded because grant rules bar pre‑award design.
Council members received a status update on a proposed multi‑partner bike path project that would connect neighborhoods, schools, shopping and recreational assets. Aldermen Monroe and Stacy said the city applied for an Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program (ITEP) grant last year; the application includes a memorandum of understanding among the City of Freeport, the Freeport Park District and Highland Community College spelling out local match commitments should the grant be awarded.
Aldermen said the grant program operates on a multi‑year cycle: applicants typically learn awards in the summer and then have up to two years to complete design and construction. Staff confirmed no grant award has been announced and that no engineering design beyond a conceptual route was pursued because doing design work pre‑award would disqualify the application under ITEP rules.
Council members clarified the concept route submitted with the grant packet ties the west‑side path near Cherokee Hills to Highland, then down Pearl City Road through Reid/Crepe Park and back toward the mall and an additional leg to the Walmart corridor. If awarded, the local match is $360,000 total; the city’s committed share is $120,000 budgeted across fiscal years to match the two‑year grant timeline, with Highland and the park district covering their portions under the MOU.
Staff reported they have not begun engineering design or construction; the MOU is the only binding action in place pending the grant award. Council members said they expect to hear an ITEP decision in summer 2025.
Why it matters: The project would create a connected nonmotorized route across parts of Freeport and require shared local match funding across municipal and partner budgets; the partnership structure aims to spread cost and project responsibilities.
