NORMAL, Ill. (WMBD) — An unhoused camp in Normal near the AutoZone on W. Virginia Avenue needs to be cleared by June 1 for two upcoming sewer restoration projects.
The number of tents in the area has grown since the fall, and there’s now signage from the town of Normal ordering it to be vacated by that date.
Home Sweet Home Ministries’ CEO Matt Burgess said there are currently ten people living in the camp, and that the organization has a “cleanup day” this Saturday to help them move out their supplies.
Due to limited shelter space, Burgess said there aren’t many options for those living in the encampment.
“There are no options for people who are stuck outside right now other than relocating their tent somewhere else,” he said.
Burgess believes this situation shows that Bloomington and Normal need to revamp how homelessness is addressed.
“We need to develop the system of responding to homelessness in Bloomington-Normal beyond what it is today, both in capacity and in configuration. We have to have new options that lead to more indoor sleeping arrangements than we can offer right now,” he said.
The non-profit is proposing a shelter village near its Bloomington campus, which would help house the people currently living in the camp.
It would be called “the bridge” due to it being a bridge between homelessness and housing for the unhoused population. It would be built in a lot currently owned by Connect Transit, but needs to be approved by the Bloomington City Council before being built.
Even if it is approved, people will most likely need to set up tents somewhere else in the meantime.
The two sewer projects are led by the Bloomington-Normal Water Reclamation District, with Executive Director Tim Ervin saying the 1920’s-era sewers are in need of rehabilitation.
“We’ve noticed bricks falling out and just through ordinary wear and tear that we’ve noticed the infrastructure depleting,” he said.
The first project will cover the Kelsey Street sewer.
“We’re going to put in a resin lining, and we will use water or heat to expand it. What we are doing is basically restoring that sewer to be able to function for the next 25 to 50 years,” Ervin said.
The second project is a combined sewer overflow project meant to reduce the severity of sewer backups during strong storms.
A larger pipe will be installed that will be able to carry additional sewage during intense rainfall.
The Kelsey Street sewer project will cost $800,000, while the CSO project will cost around $3.2 million. Ervin is optimistic that both projects will be completed by the end of the year.
“We’re looking to modernize our infrastructure and to create more capacity to accept sewage from both the growth of the community and from some of the intense rainfalls we’re seeing,” he said.
