New Council Acts on Series of Infrastructure Projects

The Council voted to award bids for the purchase of two tracts of land for about $11,000 for work to expand Ford Avenue; awarded crack and joint sealing work on city streets for $30,000; awarded resurfacing work on portions of Penguin, Pelican, Main, Flamingo and Cliffview Streets for $267,000; awarded $320,000 worth of sidewalk replacement work throughout the city; awarded a storm sewer project on Santa Fe Avenue for $64,000; and approved a reciprocal agreement with the State regarding sales tax information rather than sharing information via CD as in the past.

The Council also finalized an agreement with Doedtman and Moreton for a 48-unit apartment complex on South 3rd Street; awarded a $346,000 contract with renovation and expansion of the public works building next to Oakridge Cemetery on East Jefferson Avenue; and purchased $25,000 in water main materials for work on Ford Avenue for the Meijer store.

Council members voted to proceed with the Jefferson Avenue renovation project downtown at a cost of $935,000; awarded a $78,000 project to replace sanitary sewer on Second Street and also awarded water main work on Second Street; approved an engineering services agreement for work on the north part of Outer Belt West that will all be grant-funded; and approved a $21,000 change order on the Rickelman Avenue renovation project west of North 3rd Street that was delayed last year while City staffers dealt with how to address a major gas main in the area of the project.

The Council discussed several other projects including smoking and televising sewers; service agreements with R.E. Pedrotti for communication equipment at the water treatment plant and the waste water treatment plant; a pavement preservation program and a gutter replacement program, oil and chip and cold mix work on city streets, the proposed appointment of Jim Wolters to replace Micenheimer on the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners, and design work on replacing Second Street from Fayette to National Avenues.

Council members heard from Assistant Fire Chief Matt Kulesza on sharing their communications software equipment with area fire departments; heard from Economic Development Director Todd Hull about an Illinois Supersites Program in which Effingham would be one of 15 sites in the state that would be recommended first by companies looking at an Illinois site, and heard from Tourism Director Jodi Thoele about a new Christmas decoration for the Courthouse lawn featuring a Teddy Bear at a cost of just over $26,000 that would be paid with tourism dollars.