Resident urges city to fix Harrison Street
The Chester City Council had a familiar visitor at their meeting Monday night.
Gary Stull, a resident of the 700 block of Harrison Street, returned to address the council during the Public Comment portion of the meeting about the collapsed street in front of his home.
Stull said it has been five years since he first came to the city for help with the disappearing Harrison Street.
He presented copies of correspondence he has had with Geri Boyer of Kaskaskia Engineering Group, who contacted Karen Geldert, a field engineer of local roads District 8 with the Illinois Department of Transportation.
According to the email from Geldert: "That upon further investigation which involved information received on the area in question, that IDOT has changed its records to indicate that the portion of roadway once shown as not maintained by Chester, is now to be maintained by Chester. Since this is now under their jurisdiction, MFT funds, as well as REBUILD funds are eligible to be used to repair the roadway damaged by the slide off the roadway."
She added: "Now it will be up to the city to figure out how to pay for the repair."
Stull told the council he is tired of retrieving his groceries and other packages with his lawn mower because he cannot drive his car to his house. The street in front of his residence is less than six feet wide.
With city attorney Jeff Kerkhover absent from the meeting, Mayor Tom Page told Stull he would be in contact with Kerkhover and city engineer Harold Sheffer about the issue. Page added that there is still a question about the property ownership and responsibility for the slide that caused the road to fail.
<b>Other business</b>
The council was presented with several large bills and gave their approval for payment of two invoices for design engineering from J.T. Blankenship, Inc. for Phase 1 of the Water Treatment Plant Improvements project totaling $262,000. The second bill approved was for the Estimate No. 1 to Red Dot Construction for the Oak Terrace/Lawder Lane water main replacement in the amount of $55,797.53.
The council approved line item appropriation adjustments within funds according to state statutes. The council awarded J&S Services a contractual agreement for mowing Cole Park and the Cohen Complex. The agreement contains a flexible payment based on the cost per gallon of fuel. The range at Cole varies from $440 upward to $550 per cut and $740 upward to $850 per cut at Cohen.
Alderman Robert Platt presented a motion to accept the bid from Chester Heating and Air Conditioning of $6,688.70 for installation of a new furnace/A.C. unit at the Chester Sewer Plant. The council approved. Platt also presented a request from the Cemetery Board of Managers to increase the price of burials and disinterments from $500 to $1,000; the council agreed.
In other action; the council agreed to have a "Slow - Child at play" sign placed on Cole Place Road. Wendy Atchison was unanimously approved to be hired as janitor at the Welcome Center and Jeannie Golding was hired as janitor for the City Hall and Police Department, with Platt voting no. Both will start their positions at $15 per hour.
The council's next scheduled meeting is at 6 p.m. April 18.