With the hours clicking down to his official retirement, Community Unit School District 7 Supt. Joe Tieman occasionally struggled with his emotions as he helmed the last school board meeting of his career Tuesday night. Tieman unexpectedly announced his retirement at the end of March, precipitating a flurry of board actions to reshuffle administrative assignments […]
Benld deactivates police department, accepts alderwoman’s resignation
On a motion by Ald. Tilashalski, seconded by Ald. Fletcher, the Benld City Council voted Monday night to formally “deactivate” the Benld Police Department—a final step in turning over police protection to the City of Gillespie. The deactivation is effective July 1. “The reason we are deactivating is so, if in the future, Benld decides […]
Benld Council approves grant application for sewer project
Members of the Benld City Council on Monday night approved a resolution authorizing the city’s engineering firm, HMG Engineers, to apply to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a federally funded Community Development Block Grant in the amount of $550,000 for a sewer improvement project on the city’s east side. Additionally, the […]
Gillespie Council approves $17 million appropriation, eyes boundaries for proposed new TIF district
Members of the Gillespie City Council on Monday night approved the annual appropriations ordinance, got a first look at boundaries proposed for a tentative new Tax Increment Financing district, hammered out details of a counter-offer on a contract to provide dispatching services for the Gillespie-Benld Area Ambulance Service, and approved a zoning change that paves […]
Benld Council eyes sewer rate increase
The Benld City Council is poised to increase sewer rates but the amount of the increase and how it will impact consumers’ total water/sewer bills have yet to be determined. The move to hike sewer rates is prompted by a letter from the city’s engineers, HMG Engineers, indicating that local sewer rates must meet a […]
Gillespie Council wrestles with KaHo water contract, amends Gillespie/Benld police agreement
After a lengthy and sometimes terse discussion, Gillespie Mayor John Hicks told Rick Verticchio, attorney for the Village of Lake KaHo, that the city would produce a counteroffer to a Lake KaHo proposal under which the village would continue to purchase water from the City of Gillespie. In other action, the council voted during its […]
School Board discussion focuses on pandemic response, possible ‘new normal’ for education next school year
Members of the Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education, once again meeting remotely on Monday night, hired a new Title I Reading Specialist and accepted the retirement of the district’s long-serving Transportation Director but the majority of the discussion focused on the school district’s response to current school closures due to the COVID-19 […]
CUSD 7 hires Rosentreter as GHS principal
Meeting via the Zoom online conferencing system, members of the Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education voted unanimously Wednesday night to hire veteran Middle School Principal Jill Rosentreter as High School Principal for the coming school year. Board members, all seven of whom participated in the special meeting remotely, met in executive session […]
Benld Council votes to end city police department
By a 4-2 vote, Benld city aldermen chose during a brief special meeting Friday night to end the city’s decades-old police department and contract with the City of Gillespie for police protection services. Due to COVID-19 precautions, the council met in the Benld Civic Center instead of council chambers so aldermen and city officials could […]
Gillespie Council agrees to offer police protection contract to Benld
In what appears to be a tentative first step toward disbanding the Benld Police Department, the Gillespie City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to offer a police protection contract to the City of Benld. The Benld City Council is expected to meet in special session Friday night to vote on whether or not to accept […]
Board hires Owsley to replace Tieman as School Superintendent
A week after School Supt. Joe Tieman stunned the Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education by announcing his retirement, board members voted 5-2 Wednesday night to hire current Gillespie High School Principal Shane Owsley to step into the superintendent’s position as of July 1. The board was in open session for only five […]
School Superintendent Tieman resigns
A stunned Board of Education on Monday night accepted Joe Tieman’s resignation for purposes of retirement as Superintendent of Community Unit School District 7. The resignation is effective June 30, the end of the academic year. Tieman, currently in his seventh year as superintendent, has been a district employee for 18 years, serving first as […]
Gillespie may consider sewer rate increases
Gillespie water and sewer customers may face gradual increases in their sewer bills over the next few years based on discussion during Monday night’s regular monthly meeting of the city council. City Treasurer Dan Fisher said the increases are needed not only to maintain the city’s eligibility for state grants and low-interest loans but also […]
School board eyes improvements to vocational facilities
Members of the Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education voted Monday night to seek bids for nearly $500,000 in improvements to the high school vocational classroom space. Approximately $400,000 in vocational education funds released to the school district by the state would be coupled with a $50,000 Life Safety improvement matching grant to […]
Benld approves stronger nuisance property ordinance
Members of the Benld City Council on Monday night amended the city’s nuisance property ordinance to strengthen enforcement provisions, approved $4,470 in repairs to a city police car and approved a water tower maintenance contract. With Ald. Dustin Fletcher and Ald. Brian Frensko absent, the council voted unanimously to approve the beefed-up public nuisance ordinance […]
Gillespie Council terminates Water Department employee, hears concerns about potential half-way house
Members of the Gillespie City Council on Monday night heard concerns from residents about the possibility of a half-way house opening within a residential neighborhood but the lion’s share of the meeting was devoted to executive session discussions leading up to a 5-2 vote to terminate a Water Department employee. The council met behind closed […]
School Board recognizes Middle School Volleyball team for raising money to help families in need at Christmas
Members of the Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education on Monday night recognized members of the Gillespie Middle School girls volleyball team for their efforts to raise money to aid needy local families during the Christmas holidays. The board applauded the girls for raising $700 in 2018 and $1,000 for 2019. With three […]
Benld Council eyes amendment to strengthen public nuisance ordinance
Members of the Benld City Council on Monday night voted to accept a bid of $6,805 from Vandeventer Engineering, Fenton, Mo., to replace a meter at the city sewage lagoon, learned of steps being taken to abate a public nuisance in the 300 block of West Central Avenue and briefly discussed altering a city ordinance […]
Wilsonville signs water contract with City of Gillespie
Village of Wilsonville trustees voted 3-1 Tuesday night to sign a 40-year contract with the City of Gillespie to supply water for village residents. Wilsonville is one of the last of the Gillespie water department satellites to renew its relationship with Gillespie. Benld, Mount Clare and Sawyerville previously signed 40-year contracts with the City of […]
Gillespie eyes possible new TIF District, solar field expansion
Gillespie city officials apparently are exploring the possibility of creating a new Tax Increment Financing District that would encompass parts of the city’s northwest side and possibly dovetail with a tentative project to expand the existing solar field at the water treatment plant to supply power for a residential subdivision. City Attorney Kevin Polo and […]
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