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Mount Pleasant unveils first combined progress report for public works and community development
Summary
Village staff presented a first-of-its-kind annual-style progress report covering paving, sewer and stormwater projects, Pike River restoration, parks and housing trends; the report highlights recent infrastructure work, ARPA-funded sewer improvements and rising residential permitting.
Mount Pleasant officials presented the village’s first combined progress report for Public Works and Community Development at the Dec. 8 Village Board meeting, outlining infrastructure projects, parks work and a notable uptick in residential permitting.
Tammy, who introduced the report, said the document is intended to consolidate project status and maps in a single place for officials and the public: "This will be the first progress report of its kind for the village, and we are hoping to do this on an annual basis." The presentation covered both ongoing maintenance and newly completed projects and is intended to be posted online with maps and project details.
Public Works Director Tony said the village paved just under 3 miles in 2025 and expects to accept about a mile of developer-donated roadways at tonight’s meeting. He also reported roughly 3 miles of new sewer installed this year coming from two projects—the Hewitt Memorial Drive extension and work in TID 7—and highlighted the near-completion of a Chicory Road underground storage tank meant to prevent basement backups. Tony confirmed ARPA funds were applied to that project.
On resilience planning, Tony described installation of permanent, natural-gas-fired generators at seven smaller lift stations to reduce hazardous after-hours portable-generator deployments; the generator installations are expected to come online over the next months and finish by February. He also described a storm‑sewer relay on Deerfield Road completed to intercept runoff that had been flooding yards, and noted routine inspections tied to DNR permitting (31 permitted sites in 2025 produced more than 300 inspections).
The report also reviewed long-term environmental work on the Pike River, saying the restoration program has produced almost 450 acres of land and features such as flood-storage channels, wetland complexes and native plantings. Tony said staff monitor water quality and manage invasive species, and that chlorides are a key concern.
On community development, Sam reported an 8% rise in recreation-program enrollment and a 22.5% jump in park‑shelter reservations. Sam said concept plans for neighborhood parks—including James Turrick—are moving into design with budgeted funding. The village completed a first tree inventory with DNR grant support and is developing a maintenance plan tied to GIS data.
Housing activity featured prominently: Sam reported 50 single‑family homes permitted in 2025 (a 62% increase) and said the federally required housing‑affordability update was delayed by a federal data lag; staff expects to finalize the village report in January–February. On financing, Sam said the village’s seven active Tax Increment Districts (TIDs) show a healthy average return on investment "about a 130%," with some districts projecting substantially higher returns as pending projects come online. He directed trustees to forthcoming joint review board reports for detailed projections.
Officials said the progress report will be posted online with supporting joint review board materials and that the village plans to produce similar annual reports going forward. Trustees thanked staff for the work and encouraged making year‑end reports available in January in future years.
