By Stephen Nelson
Despite the reluctance of the host city for a planned homeless shelter to authorize funds requested, the Village of Manteno has given its okay to make a $37,669 donation to Fortitude Outreach to help get construction underway. The action was taken during the April 3 village board meeting.
Mayor Tim Nugent said he is aware the Kankakee City Council is withholding $100,000 of promised American Recovery Plan federal funding to Fortitude. Nugent said, “I think we (the Village of Manteno) should help whether any other community does because it’s the right thing to do.”
Nugent said he has assurances from Kankakee Mayor Chris Curtis the promised funding will be delivered. However, after Curtis stated in March the promised funding would be taken up by the city council that month, it came and went with no action.
In February, the Kankakee City Council voted to withhold the money from Fortitude when aldermen claimed there was a perception of lack of cooperation between Fortitude and the city’s police. At the Manteno Village Board meeting, Mayor Tim Nugent added a caveat to the promised donation, “We won’t do it unless Kankakee is on board.”
In other action, the Manteno Village Board approved an agreement between Manteno Township Road District and the Village of Manteno for the mill and overlay portion of 10000 North Road under the village’s jurisdiction for a cost of $238,386.87. That section is between Rt. 45/52 and Rt. 50.
It also authorized the purchase of signs for the new police department and new public works facilities from Fast Signs, Kankakee, at a cost of $26,664 for the police department and $34,350 for public works.