Monroe County Emergency Management Agency Director Kevin Scheibe offered a bit of good news about grant funding which could help address a scour hole currently threatening a section of levee near Fults.

During Tuesday’s Monroe County Board meeting, Scheibe reported that U.S. Rep. Mike Bost (R-Murphysboro) was able to move a grant application from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency to its federal counterpart – a major step in potentially securing levee repair funds.

Scheibe said a FEMA official reached out to Bost’s office about the Monroe County grant submission which it never received for review.

Once Bost discovered the paperwork was idling in the IEMA system, he was able to use his position to ensure the grant filing made it to FEMA personnel on Friday.

Bost responded to a Republic-Times request for comment Tuesday.

“I know how vital these levees are for protecting families, farms, and businesses in Monroe and Randolph counties,” Bost said. “When bureaucracy held up the grant process, I knew we needed to help move things forward. I recently raised this issue with the assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Works to underscore what’s at stake here. I’ll keep working with local, state and federal partners until this project gets across the finish line.” 

Scheibe explained part of the problem in time-sensitive situations is due to the strict chain of command county level agencies in Illinois must follow. 

Once a grant proposal is approved locally, it is then submitted to IEMA, where it is reviewed and then forwarded to FEMA, Scheibe said, also noting some grants are subject to further review by the governor’s office prior to moving to the federal level.

The entire process usually takes about 18 months, Scheibe reported last month – although the grant submissions through IEMA have been halted then repeatedly delayed this year.

Last month, Scheibe said December was the earliest IEMA would review for the proposal he submitted in late January.   

With Scheibe describing failure of the levee as a matter of “not if it happens, but when,” the IEMA delays are even more frustrating. 

Depending on Mississippi River levels, Scheibe estimates up to 45,000 acres and 500 residences in Monroe County from Fults north would be affected as well as Prairie du Rocher and the Fort de Chartres State Historic Site to the south.

“We’re going straight to the top instead of taking a detour,” Scheibe commented to commissioners, adding he would “love to go straight to FEMA” but would likely be reprimanded for doing so.

Scheibe’s report on Tuesday came about during the annual report of the Flood Prevention District Council of Southwestern Illinois. 

While the council’s jurisdiction in Monroe County begins at Carr Creek in Columbia and extends north to Alton, FPDC board member Bruce Brinkman “cautiously” offered a bit of optimism when asked about the southern levee situation, which is in the Stringtown Drainage and Levee District bounds.

Due to media coverage and citizen response to probable levee failure, Brinkman said this issue captured the attention of Maj. General Kimberly Peeples, commander of the U.S. Corps of Engineers Mississippi Valley Division 

Brinkman said Peebles is “looking into” the situation.

He continued by saying there is a “good path” to possible funding – especially with the local grant getting fast-tracked last week.

“I think we’ll get some help,” Brinkman continued. 

“At least we know where the road block is,” Brinkman concluded, referring to the backlog of unreviewed applications in the IEMA system.  

Prior to the scour hole update, Brinkman and other flood prevention district council members were on hand Tuesday to give an update on the council’s recent projects.

FPD Chief Supervisor Chuck Etwert explained the council, created in 2009 to oversee repairs and maintenance on “industrial” levees from Columbia to Alton, is close to completing its mission.

Etwert said the district typically deals with water pump issues, seepage berms and relief wells, and he said he hoped to have five current projects completed by 2028.

Once those projects are completed, the district will officially dissolve once its bonds – due in 2040 – are paid in full.

However, due to a bump in sales tax revenue in Monroe, St. Clair and Madison counties and an adjustment in the state of Illinois funding formula for the district, Etwert projected the bonds could be paid off as early as 2032.

Commissioner Vicki Koerber asked if a version of this district could be extended or renewed with a focus on more local issues.

Brinkman said there is “always a need for interior protection,” agreeing that a potential future iteration of the board which includes local drainage and levee district members “should be considered.”

FPD Council member John Conrad said members of the current council are “all on board.”

Earlier in Tuesday’s meeting, two attendees let commissioners know they were not on board with the board’s decision to approve authorization of a pending lease and potential sale of the county-owned Oak Hill senior living and rehabilitation center to Accolade Healthcare during a heated special meeting last Tuesday night.

Pat Kelly and Donna DeWilde, both of whom spoke during the special meeting, were on hand Tuesday morning to continue the Oak Hill conversation.

Kelly called the county’s special meeting a “dog and pony show” since the outcome of the meeting was already decided. He also questioned the potential sale of Oak Hill included in the lease agreement for the “outrageously low price” of $14 million.

DeWilde said she felt “somewhat sorry” for Accolade officials, who she said may have been victims of special meeting attendees’ dissatisfaction with how county officials did not provide any information about the potential lease prior to the meeting announcement.

DeWilde also said she “would like to see the lease,” but said she was told by a member of the Monroe County Clerk’s Office the lease could not be shared until it was finalized and signed by all involved parties.

Monroe County State’s Attorney Ryan Webb suggested DeWilde submit a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain a copy of the lease agreement.

The next regular meeting of the Monroe County Board is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 15, beginning at 8:15 a.m. at the Monroe County Courthouse.