HILLCREST — At its monthly meeting Wednesday, the Hillcrest Village Board heard an engineering update from Village President Rick Rhoads. The village has a number of ongoing engineering-related projects including a water main project, a lead service line inventory, and this summer's chip seal work. 

Rhoads presented the update on Village Engineer Kaitlin Wright's behalf and said "everything is on schedule" on the engineering front for those projects. 

Hillcrest's priority 1A water main project that will take place this year. The village is currently working to finalize a loan agreement with the IEPA. 

In February, trustees voted unanimously to award the project to Elliott & Wood, Inc. for $1.037 million. The project plans to replace mains along the full length of Scott Avenue, parts of Errett Road and Erickson Road from Scott Avenue to Jeffrey Avenue, and parts of Jeffrey Avenue from Errett Road to Erickson Road. Those streets are in the southern and oldest part of the village. The IEPA loan will involve 50 percent loan forgiveness. 

The village will soon be rolling out a survey to residents regarding potential lead service lines running into homes. The state has required a water service line inventory, and a lead service line replacement plan if lead is found in Hillcrest. The village has until Sept. 1 to present the report to the state.

The survey will be sent to residents in both paper and electronic formats. Residents will be able to check their own water lines and provide information to the village. If residents do not respond to the survey, the village would send staff to check the water lines to see what material they're made up of.

Rhoads said during the meeting that Hillcrest's cost for chip seal work on village roads this year will be $31,737. The program this year will include Errett Road, Rosalind Road, Erickson Road, Powers Road, and Linda Avenue.

Solar

The board did not take any action on a potential solar panel ordinance due to a delay in the final wording of it. At recent meetings, Village Building Inspector Casper Manheim has asked the board to soon consider the adoption of a solar ordinance to have a fee structure in place for residents and companies that install solar panels within village limits. 

Manheim previously gave the village a pre-made ordinance from another village that would see Hillcrest be able to charge permit fees for small residential solar operations all the way up to large solar fields. A large solar farm is planned to locate within village limits in the future.

Village Attorney Paul Chadwick said Wednesday that the solar ordinance would likely require a zoning change and a public hearing to be held. 

Cleanup day

Hillcrest will be hosting a village-wide cleanup day for residents on Saturday, May 18 and it will include dumpsters. Items accepted at the event will include tires, electronics, yard waste, scrap metal, garbage, furniture and more. Half the cost of the dumpsters is covered by Ogle County.

"We're trying to help out the village at no cost to residents so people can clean up their yards and homes," Rhoads said. 

Curbside village yard waste pickup began Thursday, April 11 and will take place every two weeks on the same day as recycling day. Northern Illinois Disposal does accept one bulk item, such as couches, to be picked up with garbage each week. The village does not permit the burning of anything with the exception of yard waste.

Dogs

Rhoads said during the meeting that the village has received a number of dog complaints in the past month. 

"Several letters have gone out to owners to tell them what could happen," Rhoads said. "We're working on that."

Budget

The village will host a budget workshop on Wednesday, April 24 at 7 p.m. at the village hall that will be open to the public.