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Benton Mayor Gary Kraft announced that the city has received $100,000 in funding to help homeowners who have limited mobility.
“We received the funding through the Mobility and Accessibility Rehabilitation Services grant,” he said. The MARS program was created by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to provide direct assistance to households where an individual with limited mobility resides.
“The focus of the program is to provide grants for rehabilitation assistance to individuals through their local unit of government in order to eliminate barriers for persons with mobility impairments.”
Kraft said the MARS grants are being administered through Lawrence A. Lipe and Associates, 901 N. Du Quoin St., Benton.
“Tammy Campbell and Roy Adams are the contact people for those interested in applying for the grants,” he said.
Adams said he has been talking with people about the program.
“We have three confirmed applications and are looking for three more people in need,” he said. “This is a wonderful program and the best part is that it is free to those who qualify.
“We work within the federal Section 8 guidelines because this is federal money,” he said.
“The income limits are pretty generous. A one person family can qualify if he or she earns less than $31,750 per year. For a two-person household the income limit is $36,250 and for a three-person household the limit is $40,800.”
Adams said homeowners with limited mobility could receive a bathroom makeover or a wheelchair ramp.
“We come in and install a walk-in shower with grab bars, widen the doorways, add toilets with grab bars and can even add a few more things with the money depending on the needs of the individual,” he said.
Kraft said this is the second time the city has qualified for the MARS grants. “We did this about two or three years ago and were able to help a few people with the federal funding,” he said.
For more information, contact Campbell at 439-9447 or Adams at 942-3478.
“Tammy is the brains behind this but either one of us will work with you and help you fill out the application,” Adams said.
He said the funding is being provided through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
Kraft said he and city council members are waiting for things to start happening to improve the community.
“We are ready to start working on Petroff Road and Central Street,” he said. “This is a long time coming. We have been waiting six years for this project to be completed.
Benton Mayor Gary Kraft announced that the city has received $100,000 in funding to help homeowners who have limited mobility.
“We received the funding through the Mobility and Accessibility Rehabilitation Services grant,” he said. The MARS program was created by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to provide direct assistance to households where an individual with limited mobility resides.
“The focus of the program is to provide grants for rehabilitation assistance to individuals through their local unit of government in order to eliminate barriers for persons with mobility impairments.”
Kraft said the MARS grants are being administered through Lawrence A. Lipe and Associates, 901 N. Du Quoin St., Benton.
“Tammy Campbell and Roy Adams are the contact people for those interested in applying for the grants,” he said.
Adams said he has been talking with people about the program.
“We have three confirmed applications and are looking for three more people in need,” he said. “This is a wonderful program and the best part is that it is free to those who qualify.
“We work within the federal Section 8 guidelines because this is federal money,” he said.
“The income limits are pretty generous. A one person family can qualify if he or she earns less than $31,750 per year. For a two-person household the income limit is $36,250 and for a three-person household the limit is $40,800.”
Adams said homeowners with limited mobility could receive a bathroom makeover or a wheelchair ramp.
“We come in and install a walk-in shower with grab bars, widen the doorways, add toilets with grab bars and can even add a few more things with the money depending on the needs of the individual,” he said.
Kraft said this is the second time the city has qualified for the MARS grants. “We did this about two or three years ago and were able to help a few people with the federal funding,” he said.
For more information, contact Campbell at 439-9447 or Adams at 942-3478.
“Tammy is the brains behind this but either one of us will work with you and help you fill out the application,” Adams said.
He said the funding is being provided through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
Kraft said he and city council members are waiting for things to start happening to improve the community.
“We are ready to start working on Petroff Road and Central Street,” he said. “This is a long time coming. We have been waiting six years for this project to be completed.
“We will start the process of hearing presentations from engineering firms on Monday night during the regular city council meeting,” Kraft said. “We know that we will have to do something about the wastewater treatment facility that was built in the 1930s because it will not meet the standards being set by the Environmental Protection Agency.
“The first three firms that submitted a request for qualifications will make presentations during Monday’s meeting,” he said.
“We have changed the meeting time to 6 p.m. to make sure that the presenters have enough time to talk with us and to answer questions from council members. Each presenter has been granted 45 minutes.
“The presentations will continue on March 1 when the remaining four firms have an opportunity to address the city council during a special meeting.”
