Community-based youth pothole-filling program awaits Freeport City Council decision

FREEPORT, Ill. (WIFR) – Outside Freeport Fire Department Station No. 2, a fresh layer of asphalt covers a smooth, hot street.

Steps away from the repaired road, more asphalt fills in the potholes and no longer corrodes Pretzel City’s tires. The work is part of the Pretzel City Skills Enhancement Program, a community effort between the city of Freeport and Midwest Contractors.

Skills upgrading combines road maintenance and youth support: teens and young adults repair roads, earn a wage, and find mentors.

“A ride down the street is like a roller coaster, literally,” says Jasmine Horton, who joined the program in May. “It’s a smoother surface now. You don’t have to worry about damaging your tires.”

Horton prefers to drive on the streets he has fixed over the summer. Pretzel City Skills, a Freeport native, offers him a career he couldn’t imagine after graduating from high school.

“If you feel stuck, isolated from everything, this program will help you,” says the graduate in skills development.

Freeport Township Supervisor Patrick Sellers introduced the community effort to Pretzel City in May. His curriculum set two goals.

“We’re going to create a program that can, A, help fix the streets and repair the potholes, and B, help train our young people,” Sellers says. The supervisor adds that the effort could help recruit young talent for Freeport’s streets department.

An effort to lift community youth out of poverty also inspired Sellers; the city council agreed, offering $90,000 to pay for participants, materials and supervision by Midwest Contractor.

In addition to smoother roads, those taking part in the program believe they are accelerating their careers: “Being on this program has taught me to be more patient and the results are sustained,” says Horton.

Avery Harrell, owner of Midwest Contractors and supervisor of Pretzel City Skills, sees a metaphor in pothole repairs.

“You can’t keep falling into the same trap and keep doing the same thing,” Harrell says. “You have to fill that void with something good and keep moving forward.”

Improvement crew finds “one good thing” from summer repairs: pouring nearly 400 tons of asphalt on Freeport roads.

While the work is not easy, those involved in the community effort believe the experience makes them feel connected for life.

“We laugh, we talk,” Harrell says. “And when you can help improve someone’s financial life, it makes a huge difference.”

Now Horton is preparing for a new career: possibly moving to the city streets department. She credits the opportunity to what she learned at Pretzel City Skills.

“They are like a family: at work, outside of work, a family,” says the graduate of the program. “If you are looking for a second family, come.”

The initial $90,000 is intended for three months. Those involved in the community effort are waiting for the city council to decide on its fate, a decision expected in early September.

An online petition is asking for additional support ahead of that meeting. If the program continues, Sellers and Harrell hope to expand the skills enhancement from two teens to four in the next session.

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