TOLONO — The village board will hold an information meeting next week to discuss upcoming drainage improvements planned for the southeast corner of town.

Project details will be presented at the meeting, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Aug. 23 at the Tolono Town Hall, 111 E. Holden St.

Village Engineer Larry Johnson said the meeting will be "very informal" and that concept plans will be on display for residents to examine and ask questions about.

The village is reviewing a 1995 storm drainage study that recommended replacing a 27-inch diameter "mainline" storm sewer with a 60-inch one from an outlet ditch just east of St. Mary's Cemetery on Benham Street to the intersection of Calhoun and Main streets and then reducing down to a 48-inch sewer north through the village to River Road and Leda Street.

A second phase would run a 30- or 36-inch sub-basin storm sewer along Great Western Avenue, Holden and Main streets.

A possible addition to the plan would be a stormwater detention area east of St. Mary's Cemetery to mitigate the impact on the receiving ditch, the Hackett Branch of the Pesotum Slough. The detention area could be designed as a park-like setting integrated with a pedestrian/bicycle pathway and other recreational facilities.

Johnson said he would try to send notice to the property owners on either side of the ditch.

Because the improvements would provide relief to flooding in the downtown area, which is in the tax increment financing district, the village board anticipates that TIF revenue could be used to fund the $2.62 million project.