Underwood presents White Oak Library District in Will County with $850,000 in federal funds for new bookmobile
The White Oak Library District’s plans to roll out its new bookmobile in fall 2027 after getting some federal funds that are expected to cover most of the costs.
The library district, which consists of three branches in Crest Hill, Lockport, and Romeoville, received $850,000 for the new state-of-the-art vehicle through federal community projects funding procured by U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood’s office.
Underwood, D-Naperville, visited the Crest Hill branch on Monday to present the grant funds and see the plans for the vehicle.
The library district first applied for the grant in 2024, but did not receive funding because congressional gridlock prevented most community projects funding from being approved, according to Library District Director Scott Pointon.
“We’ve wanted to do something like this for 20 years, but we only found out it was possible in 2024,” Pointon said. “When it wasn’t approved, we tried again in 2025, and we found out this February that we had received the grant.”
The …