Council Agrees to Seek Funding for Bike Lane Striping

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Published on June 7 2016 7:39 pm
Last Updated on June 7 2016 7:39 pm
Written by Greg Sapp

(CITY EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR MIKE ZIEGLER WITH EFFINGHAM MAYOR JEFF BLOEMKER)

Effingham City Council members Tuesday voted to seek state grant funds for bike lane striping throughout the city.

City Engineer Jeremy Heuerman said the $1.6 million project would involve a 20% local match, but said the League of Illinois Bicyclists have agreed to cover half the local match. The League's Executive Director Ed Barsotti was part of a committee developed a network of streets that could be utilized to permit safe biking through the city. The network would also connect the parks within the city and would connect the TREC Trail with the downtown area.

Heuerman said the State would announce the grant recipients this fall, with work to begin, either design or also the actual striping in 2017.

Local businessman Randy Meyer spoke to the Council about his desired to acquire the former Jumpin Jimmy's and Jimmy's Wine Cellar on South Banker. Meyer would like have separate businesses, one a package liquor sales store, the other a convenience store, but the stores would share checkout personnel. He said the stores would be built such that a person would have to physically go outside from one business to gain access to the other business. The businesses would each have separate names, with a liquor license assigned to the package store. A drive-thru at the structure would be solely for the liquor store.

Commissioner Merv Gillenwater wondered whether other convenience store owners would want to do the same thing, and Meyer said that would be their decision.

Fire Chief Joe Holomy reported on negotiations that have taken place with the owner of the Register Building, which houses Village Wine Shop but also accommodates an apartment upstairs. Holomy said further development upstairs was hampered since that would require the building to be sprinkled. Holomy reported, though, that the owner of the Register Building has acquired the two buildings to the west, which provides a different means of access and egress and ending the need for the Register Building to be sprinkled. A revised ordinance should be forthcoming.

The Council also noted the gifting of property to the City for use at Oakridge Cemetery. The property is owned by Judy Meyer, David Samuel and Dean Samuel, and by Phil and Sue Brown.

Council members discussed a proposed enhancement of Outer Belt West from Avenue of Mid America to Keller Drive. Remaining grant funds for the Outer Belt West project would be used for lighting a multi-use path that would connect the EPC trailhead with Keller Drive, pavement marking entrances, restoration and erosion control. The Council also heard from Bike N Hike owner Ed Thomas about going halves with the City on the cost of tuckpointing his historic building. The cost totals $37,050, with the City and Bike N Hike splitting that cost.

The Council honored Water Plant Operator Mike Ziegler as City Employee of the Year. Ziegler, along with Matt Wortman, Janet Ohnesorge and Kelsey Lock were the quarterly employee award winners for the past fiscal year. Council members also voted to contribute $50,000 in City funds for use at the Effingham Performance Center for parking lot maintenance, a new mid-stage traveler, and a new point-of-sales system. It was also agreed to increase the cost of the Pike Avenue reconstruction project from Raney Street to Beck's Hybrids by $110,000 to make it a concrete surfaced street.