A newly constructed fishing dock in Caseyville has piqued the interest of a group of residents.

More than 60 people attended the Feb. 15 village board meeting, many of them demanding answers about the fishing dock constructed at the Caseyville Village Park last summer.

Spearheading the discussion was Belleville resident Bradley Van Hoose. Van Hoose questioned the board about the funding, bidding process and architectural plans of the project, which was partially funded by a $20,000 grant from the Metro East Parks and Recreation District.

"They violated every single provision in the grant," Van Hoose said before the meeting. "They have a handicapped fishing dock that is not ADA (Americans with Disability Act)-compliant. They didn't put up anything close to what they agreed to."

Village Trustee Kerry Davis, who initiated and oversaw the dock project, said the project's plans had to be changed when the grant amount was reduced. The village originally asked for $30,000 to build the dock; it received $20,000. The shortfall resulted in the village reducing the size of the dock and delaying building a cover for a dock pavilion.

At the meeting, Belleville resident Joey Avellone, a Marine veteran who is a former board member of the Paralyzed Veterans of America, said he visited the dock and thought it did not meet ADA requirements. Davis responded that the while the project was intended to make the park's lake more accessible to handicapped people, it is not required to be ADA compliant.

Pamela Hogan, executive assistant with the St. Clair County Parks Grant Commission, said the grant award did not come with a stipulation that the dock be ADA compliant.

Van Hoose and the four other people who spoke at the meeting also questioned the lack of advertised bids and engineering plans. Davis said the village is not required to bid out a project that costs less than $20,000 and the village opted against requesting engineering specifications because of the cost.

"You're talking $4,000 or $5,000 for plans for a $20,000 project," Davis said.

Davis pointed out that none of the five people who spoke at the meeting were residents of Caseyville. Three were residents of Belleville, one was a resident of O'Fallon and another was a resident of Collinsville. He said that he believed the uproar over the fishing dock is personally and politically motivated by Van Hoose.

On Feb. 3, the village was ordered by the Illinois Attorney General's office to comply with Van Hoose's Freedom of Information Act requests. The village had previously denied Van Hoose's access to public documents saying he was a recurrent requester. The Attorney General's office deemed that to be incorrect.

Van Hoose said that even though he doesn't live in Caseyville, his sole motivation is being a steward for taxpayer dollars.

"A lot of citizens are concerned about this," Van Hoose said. "They are not protecting the village's interest here."

Contact reporter Ramona C. Sanders at 618-344-0264, ext. 136