City Council Seeks Grant to Finance Ford Avenue Completion

Effingham City Council members Tuesday agreed to seek a more than $7,000,000 grant that would finance an easterly extension of Ford Avenue to 4th Street. 

The grant would total $7,811,509 and would be matched by $1,562,301.80 in local dollars to cover the project cost.

City Engineer Luke Thoele said the City received $650,000 in legislator grants last year that will be used to pay for a 500-foot extension of Ford to the east. The grant now being sought and the matching local funds would finance the balance of the project. 

Thoele said, "We're swinging for the fences" in hopes of receiving the grant for the remaining length of the work.

Council members Tuesday also approved a redevelopment agreement with Effingham Veterinary Holdings, which has acquired the Walton and Haarmann Vet Clinic location on East Jefferson Avenue. The agreement would involve a contribution by the City toward a portion of the cost of renovating the clinic. The total project cost is $144,700 and would involve exterior work on the existing building, improvements to the parking lot, and demolition of an existing house to the south along Willow Street. 

The Council sold a lot at 306 North Keller Drive to BHR Investments for $83,225; and purchased virtual training curriculum for the city police department for $57,608.36 with the funding coming from drug forfeiture funds.

Council members honored City Treasurer Caitlyn Vail as the City's Employee of the Quarter and heard a presentation from Crisis Nursery Executive Diretor Meghan Rewers about Child Abuse Prevention Month.

There was discussion among the Council about a special-use permit for El Shaddai Homes, a facility for pregnant women in the former Brookstone location at 505 West Temple Avenue. Discussion focused on making sure there is sufficient parking for the facility. There was no vote on the special use permit, only discussion.

There was also discussion about a liquor license for a facility to be known as The Local Sports Bar and Grill, to be located next to El Rancherito on Keller Drive, but no vote, as well as discussion of a texting communication service, and testing services for City employees offered by Sarah Bush Lincoln Bonutti Clinic.