Altamont Council Hears from Citizens About Possible Gilbert Park Improvements

Altamont city council members Monday heard from a group of citizens seeking improvements at Gilbert Park.

The group, whose spokeman was Cory Pals, spoke about what grant funds might be available to make the park more ADA-compliant. Wider sidewalks for wheelchairs and improvements to the restrooms and seating areas to make them more accessible were among the suggestions. Work on the ball diamonds and drainage improvements were also on the list of proposals.

The City will consider the suggestions. Such grant requests would likely be processed through South Central Illinois Regional Planning and Development Commission.

The Council approved a letter of understanding with IDOT on restoring the shoulders along Illinois Route 128 from Route 40 south to the interstate. Major improvements are being made in that area and the work has damaged the shoulders. In researching the paperwork involved in the project, IDOT found an agreement that Altamont would maintain the shoulders. No one recollected that such an agreement was in place. The letter of understanding approved Monday outlines that IDOT will restore the shoulders as part of the ongoing work, then Altamont will maintain the shoulders in the future.

Also Monday, the Altamont council approved an encroachment permit for Altamont Masonic Lodge to install an outdoor HVAC unit that will extend out over the adjacent alleyway, and approved a $12,000 TIF allocation to help pay for a new roof on the American Legion building that will cover the Legion's allocation for the next three years.

Representatives of the Altamont Chamber of Commerce were on hand to discuss a Downtown Christmas celebration on November 11-12 that will include a skating rink that has been well-received in the past. 

The Council approved a $1,000 payment to Frederking Construction Company to extend an option another year on purchase of property near the new residential subdivision under development on the south end of the city; and approved payments on raw water pump replacement that pump water from the reservoir to the water treatment plant.

Action on a purchase of property at 301 North Main had to be delayed since four Yes votes are needed for such a purchase and only three Council members could attend the meeting. As a result, the Altamont council will hold a special meeting Wednesday night to consider the purchase.