Members of the Vermilion County Board heard a request last night to assist the Olivet area with flooding concerns. Father Michael McMahon, headmaster of the La Salette Boys Academy, said the flooding problems have become progressively worse since the Academy opened during 2005-2006.
Vermilion County Board Chairman Mike Marron outlined a proposal to establish a new county-wide infrastructure fund by using money that sits in reserve. Marron says perhaps some of that money could be loaned to municipalities which could use it as seed money to get additional state or federal grants. Marron says those units of government could get a larger rate of return on the money, but it would be cheaper than the municipalities using bonds.
Father McMahon and others attending the meeting said there is a 15-inch clay drain that runs through the area, but the tile has failed. ‘’We’ve looked for records, but they’re non-existent,’’ said one of the citizens who addressed last night’s meeting.
Marron says there are a lot of issues that need to be resolved before the funding plan could be implemented.
