Freeport leaders outline $4M+ capital plan focused on roads, water, wastewater, airport and public‑safety upgrades
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Summary
City Manager Boyer presented the proposed 2026 capital improvement plan covering major street and bridge work, water and wastewater upgrades, an airport terminal match and police and fire equipment; most items were presented for council consideration and no formal adoption vote was taken.
City Manager Boyer presented the City of Freeport’s proposed 2026 capital improvement plan, laying out a multi‑year slate of road, water, wastewater, airport and public‑safety projects and the funding sources that would support them.
Boyer told the council the Hancock “Bridal” Deck and an associated viaduct are among the plan’s largest near‑term priorities, saying the guardrail and bridge deck “need to be replaced” and that viaduct work was delayed by permit reviews and utility coordination. He said the viaduct is in the five‑year plan and that bridge work would follow completion of that project.
The plan includes recurring street maintenance funded by a 1% transportation sales tax (exempting food, medicine and medical equipment) and local projects such as a mill‑and‑overlay of the municipal parking lot. Several multi‑year street projects were highlighted: Walnut (South to Empire), Stevenson (Locust to Sunset), Lincoln (Locust to West), and a South Street program Boyer estimated at between $4 million and $7 million in total; many of those projects rely in part on IDOT STU funding or other outside funds.
On sidewalks, Boyer said a south/west sidewalk project with ADA ramps is reflected in the plan and listed as funded by a HISP grant of $2,400,000 (as stated in the meeting). For Galena (Clark to Park), Boyer said the resurfacing is an IDOT project expected to move forward within the five‑year window.
Boyer outlined building and maintenance items including moving tuckpointing of City Hall to 2026 (a partial program with about $100,000 budgeted this year) and Island Avenue renovations budgeted for 2026. He said two pole‑built salt sheds are failing—poles rotted at the base and a rear wall separating from the truss—and proposed removing them and building a concrete block impoundment with a hoop shed to more than double salt storage capacity; salt shed replacement was discussed with an $800,000 figure mentioned in the presentation.
On airport work, Boyer said the terminal interior build‑out is estimated at about $1.8 million total, with approximately a 5% city match (about $190,000) and the remainder expected from FAA and state programs; PAPI (approach) lighting work is also budgeted.
Water and wastewater projects were prominent. Boyer described coordinated water main replacements tied to street reconstruction and said the lead service line replacement program is entering a final phase (phase 4), expected to complete in 2026; he stated the lead program is 100% loan forgiveness through the EPA (as reported in the meeting). He also described ongoing evaluation of a recently drilled test for Well 12 and budgeted about $1,000,000 for rehabilitation of the Willow Tank.
Wastewater work includes near‑completion of phase 1 (SEP headworks, UV disinfection, a new lab and offices at Hancock) and planning for phase 2 to address sludge handling and nutrient removal; Boyer also listed lining and manhole rehab and upgrades to final clarifiers in future years. He said roughly $2,000,000 is programmed for a Park in Galena lift station overhaul and about $2,700,000 for Walnut Low Station upgrades.
On vehicles and equipment, Boyer said the city will add two dump bodies to convert previously purchased hook‑lift chassis into year‑round dump trucks rather than buying new 10‑ or 5‑yard trucks in 2026. He estimated the chassis acquired in 2019 and received in 2021 cost about $225,000 each and argued converting them increases year‑round utility. The plan also budgets for a 10‑yard dump for water and sewer, a new roller, a mulching head for a mini excavator, and crew/service trucks.
Public‑safety items include replacing four police vehicles (an annual replacement need), adding a golf cart for event patrols, and purchasing a live video camera trailer, a radar/speed trailer, 20 additional body cameras, a Skydio X drone, a mobile command trailer and portable radios. Boyer said approximately $600,000 from Senator Dick Durbin in congressionally directed funds will underwrite a portion of police equipment purchases.
Boyer estimated a modern police facility would need about 30,000 square feet and outlined two options: new construction at an estimated $300–$600 per square foot or retrofitting an existing structure at roughly $100 per square foot less; he said retrofitting appears most feasible now but that available funding could alter the plan.
No formal vote to adopt the capital plan occurred at the meeting; the presentation was for council review and budget planning. The council had questions about timing, grant opportunities for airport water extensions, and lifecycle expectations for lift stations; staff noted some projects depend on external grant awards or IDOT scheduling. The meeting ended with no public comments and an adjournment motion by Alderman Sellers, seconded by Alderman Johnson, which passed.
What’s next: City staff will continue grant pursuit and project scoping; several multi‑year projects will remain contingent on external funding and IDOT schedules. The council did not adopt the plan by formal vote during this meeting.
