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Village of Annawan Regular Board Meeting March 13, 2012
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Attendance Mayor Franks called the meeting to order with Gustafson, Rico, Smith, Fulton and Heitzler present. Also present at the meeting were Carolyn and Doreen Miller, Paul Loete and Marty DeDecker.
Previous Month’s Minutes Fulton, seconded by Smith, made a motion to approve the minutes of February Regular Meeting and the February Executive Session. Motion carried.
Treasurer’s Report Fulton, seconded by Gustafson, made a motion to pay the monthly bills. Motion carried. Heitzler questioned if the website had been renewed. It was renewed for five year. The amount will appear on the April bills. The balance in the General Fund on February 29, 2012 was $262,738.59.
Police Report Marty Burroughs gave the police report showing 7 tickets and 10 warnings for the month. They assisted the Atkinson Police Department, the Illinois State Police, the Henry County Sheriff's Office and the Bureau County Sheriff's Office. A grant was submitted for a possible squad car. Burroughs was given a Village email address. Board members said there is a need for a sign pointing to the police department’s office. Burroughs questioned the outside lights that are burned out. Franks is going to do further research.
MSA Professional Services Paul Loete, project engineer with MSA was present at the meeting to discuss with board members the Motor Fuel Tax spring work. Fulton, seconded by Rico, made a motion to approve using MSA Professional Services for spring 2012 Motor Fuel Tax work. Motion carried. State Street was discussed as the street that needs the most work at this time. No final papers have been drawn up. Franks asked Loete about micro-surfacing as opposed to the chip and oil used on some streets. Loete said that the first option is a better one if the street is in fairly good condition. It can be used on a street after the base has been reconstructed. It would last longer than a typical seal coat would. It won’t bleed and is more expensive.
Drainage on Pleasant View Drive Pat Chapman will go ahead with the work approved at the February meeting.
Sewage Backup on Doye Street The Village insurance paid $5633 to the resident that had the sewage backup.
2012 Annawan Fun Days Denelle Anderson shared with board members her tentative schedule of plans and asked for a budget amount. Friday night activities will be at Howes Park. Scheduled are tethered balloon rides ($1600), Booster Club Beer Tent, band ($1300), face painting done by Annawan Art Club, children’s games, train rides for the children ($550), food and fireworks. Saturday’s activities will also be at Howes Park. Scheduled are the beer tent, bean bag tournament, children’s tug of war, children’s games, community dinner, Loren Jackson’s band, and a children’s movie. Sunday’s activities will be mostly downtown. Scheduled are the parade, car show, pie auction, Methodist Church serving dinner at the Community Center, Sacred Heart Church’s craft show and food, rolle bolle at Howes Park, carnival rides, face painting, children’s games, and children’s tractor pull. Fulton is going to get in touch with the Norton Agency to purchase insurance in case of rain (to cover the amount of $4000). Denelle also asked for money for flyers to be distributed to neighboring towns. Heitzler suggested putting the website address on the flyers with instruction to check the website for further details. A budget of $4000 was set. The Chamber of Commerce and the Booster Club will donate and a $5.00 charge will be asked for the balloon ride. The money will come out of the Tourism Account.
Patriot Renewable Fuels Meeting The mayor and the board have been invited to the annual shareholder’s meeting at Patriot. Lunch will be served at 11:30. The guest speaker will be General Wesley Clark. RSVP’s are necessary.
New Community Center The committee has been meeting and making plans for fundraisers. The thinking now is that the new center will be built at Howes Park on land presently owned by Mike Nordstrom and being used for a hayfield. Basically the Village would take the four acres to the front (along the Howes Park Road) and Nordstrom would take approximately five acres to the back (owned by the Village). Gustafson, seconded by Heitzler, made a motion to swap land with Mike Nordstrom. Motion carried. The committee is planning for the future and their plans include a community center, a walking paved track, a recreation center, new ball diamond, more parking, a lake, and a splash park. The ideas are prioritized with the community center being of utmost importance. MSA Professional Engineers has someone (Steve Herring) who will help with grant writing. Our present grant writer, Mary Grant of Grant Consulting, has been retained by another community and can’t write grants until September. Heitzler said that being so close to Interstate 80 and being able to be seen by so many cars there should be a good chance of sponsor involvement. To show the importance of the project, Smith, seconded by Gustafson, made a motion to hire MSA Professional Engineers to do an architectural drawing of the building (with floor plan, etc.) and an overview of the park layout at a cost of $11,900.00, which includes any work on grants that are applied for. Motion carried. (4 ayes, 1 unsure)
Water and Sewer Extensions Missman, Inc. is still going ahead with drawings and permits, etc. Scott Kellerman is the only engineer from that company who works with water and sewer so things are going at a slow pace. Franks has been and will be in touch with the IL senators and representatives from our district to see about getting financial help with the project.
Land Purchase The Village paid Lawrence Colo for the rest of the land he purchased for the Village when Patriot Way was being built. He is paid in full now.
Memorials Plaques at Howes Park Denelle Anderson had been in touch with Brenda and Al VanMeenen, Geneseo Memorial and Bronze, to see about options for size of the plaques, etc. It was decided that a grey granite marker, 12”x6”x4”, would be used for memorials. The marker must be put flush with the ground so that no maintenance is required and the grass can be easily mowed. Also, the board must approve the memorial and the placement.
Lot Purchase Update Smith talked to the new owners of the houses and property in North Meadow Village about the possibility of the Village buying two lots so that a new road could be built (to extend North Main Street). Their first thought was that in the original plans three bedroom houses were to be built on those lots and in their minds they were prime lots. The Village was not offering enough money (fair market value). Another possibility was suggested, swapping land with them (giving them 25 more feet to the west). They asked what the purpose of the road was and were told that the board was trying to gain access to the Village office and library so that adults and children didn’t have to enter from Route 78. They suggested buying one lot which would allow access to pedestrians. Fulton said that he thought a road was needed to allow easier access to emergency vehicles. Smith was advised to offer a land swap and not to increase the amount offered for the lots. He will report back to the board.
Soccer Fields It was decided to move the soccer fields to the land north of the Village office. Two soccer fields would be on the west side of the road and a retention pond on the east side. Fill dirt would have to be used and it would have to be seeded. The approximate cost is $1500.00. If work was done this year the soccer games could be played there in 2013. It was decided to wait until the fall season.
Rental Rates for Community Center Fulton had been approached about the renting of the C/C for a garage sale. The interested parties wanted to pay for one day’s rent even though they were going to have the C/C unavailable for anyone else to rent on the next day due to cleanup, etc. Both Fulton and Franks had talked to them. Fulton said that he worked 45 minutes on Monday to clean up. He said that the extra tables were not put where they were supposed to be. (Safety concerns) Board members agreed that if the C/C is not available for anyone to rent on the second day then they should pay for the second day.
Ordinance 337 The ordinance was not received. It will be on the April agenda.
Mowing Contract for Howes Park Fulton, seconded by Heitzler, made a motion to accept a contract from Anderson Enterprises-Mowing Season 2012 Howes Park ($5900.00) and 6 acres by the Village office, mowed once a week and trimmed every other week ($2850.00). Motion carried. Board members agreed that the Andersons do an outstanding job.
Henry County Economic Development Dues Gustafson, seconded by Heitzler, made a motion to pay the yearly dues of $125.00. Motion carried.
Disaster Plan The board is concerned that the residents don’t know what the sirens mean and also no one seems to know who sets them off. The damage in the southern part of the state emphasizes how important it is to have some kind of plan. Heitzler volunteered to talk to members of the fire department. Information will be published in newspapers and put on the website for future reference.
Village-Wide Garage Sales The sales will be held on May 11-12, 2012. Residents should call the Village office (935-6226) by May 3rd to be put on the map.
Installing Electricity in Garage at North Meadow Board members discussed burying cable and installing a garage door opener to enable the police department to park their vehicles inside. Franks estimated the cost at $500.00. No action was taken. It was tabled to a later date.
Perfect Compliance for the Water Department Superintendent Mark Crosby was commended by the Illinois Department of Public Health for maintaining perfect compliance in 2011 for 12 consecutive months in accordance with the Illinois fluoridation law. Crosby has received this commendation for 16 years in a row. Way to go, Mark!
After-Prom Request No money was set aside in the budget. The request was denied.
Retention Pond by the Sewer Plant Franks is going to talk to Scott Kellerman of Missman, Inc. He will report back to the board.
Annexation Request Concern Marty DeDecker asked board members if they had an opinion about whether or not he would have to change his mailing address after his property was annexed into the Village. He does not want his address changed. The annexation hasn’t been approved yet. DeDecker was told that his mailing address would probably stay the same. Someone will be contacted for a final answer. DeDecker also wanted to thank the Village on behalf of the resident who had the sewage backup problem.
Adjournment There being no further business, Gustafson, seconded by Heitzler, made a motion to adjourn. Motion carried.
Julie DeSplinter Village Clerk
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