The U.S. House’s government funding bill that was passed recently contained more than $9 million to pay for community projects in several Metro East cities.
U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski noted that six projects in the metropolitan area will receive money for improvements.
The funding was signed into law last week and will benefit Alton, Bethalto, East Alton, East Ƶ and Wood River. The projects are:
• $5 million for the East Alton Water Treatment Facility, to pay for upgrades that will help bring the plant up to current Environmental Protection Agency standards.
• $1.1 million for Alton Workforce Housing, which will fund the building of the Lovejoy housing project.
• $1 million for the East Ƶ Youth Workforce Development Training Center, which will aim to provide job training and placement skills.
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• $1 million to be used by the Boys and Girls Club of Bethalto to construct a new clubhouse.
• $850,000 to construct a detention pond in Wood River to construct a detention pond to help alleviate flooding problems.
• $500,000 for Parsons Place Preservation Project in East Ƶ. They money is earmarked to renovate a mixed-income apartment complex in East Ƶ.
On top of that pile of money is an even bigger stack of cash, $120 million, that Budzinski pushed for with several other area legislators. That money is to pay for upgrading locks and dams along the Mississippi and Illinois rivers.
Also behind the lock-and-dam provision were two Republican U.S. congressmen who represent the Ƶ area in Missouri: Blaine Luetkemeyer of St. Elizabeth, who represents a portion of St. Charles County, and Sam Graves of Tarkio, whose district includes part of Lincoln County.