Ryan: $435,000 in Illinois FIRST Projects for Suburban Cook County

SPRINGFIELD - Governor George H. Ryan announced today that he is releasing $435,000 in Illinois FIRST funding for projects in suburban Cook County, including $150,000 to the Northlake Fire Protection District to purchase a new ambulance and upgrade its equipment with new tanks, harnesses, and masks.

Other Illinois FIRST grants announced by Ryan:

• $120,000 to the Village of North Riverside
to install a lighting system in Veterans Park. The village will contribute $50,000.
This Illinois FIRST project was initiated by State Sen. Thomas J. Walsh, R-Westchester.
• $100,000 to the Village of Forest Park
to purchase police and fire fighting equipment.
This project was initiated by State Rep. James Durkin, R-Westchester.
• $25,000 to the Citizen Center for United Services in Bellwood
to support its After School Assistance Program for children in the Bellwood and Maywood areas.
This project was initiated by State Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Maywood.
• $20,000 to the New Bread of Life COGIC
to support the implementation and operation of a computer literacy program.
This project was initiated by State Rep. Calvin Giles, D-Chicago.
• $10,000 to West Suburban PADS
for administrative and operational expenses for overnight shelters for the homeless. Cook County and the Village of Oak Park will contribute $22,000.
This project was initiated by State Rep. Karen Yarbrough, D-Maywood.
• $5,000 to James Giles School in Norridge
to purchase and plant trees and shrubs as a barrier between its playground and the nearby street.
This project was initiated by State Sen. Walter Dudycz, R-Chicago.
• $5,000 to the James Giles School in Norridge
to purchase and plant trees and shrubs as a barrier between its playground and the nearby street.
This project was initiated by State Rep. Michael McAuliffe, R-Chicago.

Illinois FIRST funds are not part of the state budget's General Revenue Fund. Recently, lagging tax collections brought on by a slowdown in the national economy and the terrorist attacks of September 11 have forced the governor to order spending cuts in the General Revenue Fund that amount to less than 2 percent of total spending. Illinois FIRST monies are derived from separate accounts in the state budget -- the Road Fund and the Fund for Illinois Future -- as well as through the sale of state bonds.