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Benld Council appoints Woods as Deputy City Clerk

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Anthony Kravanya, chair of a citizens committee appointed to oversee the development of the former site of the Benld Elementary School, told council members that the committee has been granted 501(c)3 status by the IRS.

Benld aldermen voted unanimously to hire Carol Woods as a part-time clerical worker in the City Clerk’s office and to officially appoint her as Deputy City Clerk during the regular monthly meeting of the Benld city council Monday night.

Benld Mayor Jim Kelly said Woods was selected from among 26 applicants, two of which were interviewed by the Personnel Committee.

“It’s the recommendation of the Personnel Committee that we hire Carol Woods,” City Clerk Terri Koyne told the council.

Woods steps into a vacancy created by the resignation last month of Deputy City Clerk Gina Frensko.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PARK UPDATE

Anthony Kravanya, chair of a citizens committee appointed to oversee the development of the former site of the Benld Elementary School, told council members that the committee has been granted 501(c)3 status by the IRS, which officially recognizes the group as a not-for-profit organization. Kravanya said the 501(c)3 status paves the way for the committee to write bylaws and accept donations to develop the site as a city park

The Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education transferred the property to the city last year following demolition of the former Benld Elementary School. The school was damaged beyond repair as a result of a major mine subsidence event. It has since been replaced with the BenGil Elementary School adjacent tot he Gillespie High School/Middle School campus.

“I’ve had a few people wanting to donate,” Kravanya said. “I refused all funds until every legal document is in hand We want to do everything right.”

He said the group has been consulting with an attorney who specializes in legal matters related to not-for-profit organizations. Dustin Fletcher, committee member and newly elected city alderman, said the attorney told them it was wise for the group to have refused donations pending recognition as a not-for-profit group.

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Kravanya said the committee’s next order of business will be to write bylaws. He said he also plans to meet with current committee members and determine which of them want to continue serving on the committee as the project moves forward. Only those who choose to continue will be listed as committee members, he said

The group has secured voluntary services from an architect to develop plans for new dugouts for the ball fields. Older, dilapidated dugouts will be removed, possibly using city workers. In the meantime, he said, the committee is allowing some ball teams to practice on park ball fields when the ground is dry enough.

“Thank you for all your efforts and work,” Ald. Mickey Robinson told Kravanya.

TENNIKAT COURT BATTLE

City Attorney Rick Verticchio updated the council on the ongoing legal battle with former resident John Tennikat over the fate of an alleged public nuisance property in the 1300 block of Park Avenue. In the most recent developments, Verticchio said Tennikat succeeded in having the case transferred to federal court. He said the federal court judge dismissed the complaint but gave Tennikat leave to file an amended complaint.

“He filed an amended complaint accusing me, my daughter, the mayor, the city clerk and everyone on this council of racketeering,” Verticchio said. He said he was confident the judge also will dismiss the current complaint without giving Tennikat an option to file a new complaint.

Verticchio said he has racked up $4,000 in billable hours dealing with the case. “I’m not charging you a dime for it,” he told the council.

He did, however, submit a $9,390 bill for legal work performed during the last three quarters of the fiscal year. Verticchio apologized for not submitting regular bills, saying that a surgery and follow-up prevented him from sending out regular billing The council approved the payment as part of its regular monthly approval of bills. The fiscal year ends on April 30.

Related to derelict city properties, resident Tom Hubert urged the council to have city police notify residents with accumulations of trash of the upcoming citywide clean-up day on May 18.

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“Tell them we have a citywide clean-up and if it’s not cleaned up after that, we’re going to start writing tickets,” Hubert advised.

APPROPRIATION AMENDMENT

On a motion by Robinson, seconded by Teressa Tucker, the council voted to amend the current appropriation ordinance to move $30,600 from Sewer to Water to cover the cost of a feasibility study conducted by HMG Engineering regarding the possibility of buying water from a source other than the Gillespie Water Department.

“Just to let everyone know, we’re not adding anything to our expenditures,” Koyne said. “We’ve just moving money from Sewer to Water to cover the feasibility study.”

The appropriation ordinance, approved annually shortly after the start of the fiscal year, sets spending limits for specific funds. Expenditures from those funds cannot exceed the appropriation without amending the ordinance.

On a motion by Robinson, seconded by Peyton Bernot, the council voted unanimously to participate in an Ameren-Illinois grant program to install energy-efficient LED lighting in all city facilities.

On a motion by Robinson, seconded by Tucker, the council voted unanimously to renew a cable television franchise agreement with Madison Communications. The contract calls for Madison to pay the city five percent of its revenue generated from basic cable subscriptions purchased by city residents. The amount of revenue fluctuates annually depending upon the number of subscribers but generally averages about $3,000.

Monday night’s relatively brief meeting concluded in 30 minutes and marked the last meeting for Ald. Bernot. A monthly agenda item Bernot had called for to discuss cost-cutting measures for the Police Department was omitted from the agenda, nor was there any discussion regarding the failure of this month’s referendum to increase property tax rates to shore up the Police Department’s finances. Dustin Fletcher will be sworn in next month to replace Bernot on the council.

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Obituaries

Death of Jean Marie Boston Wilson

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Jean Marie Boston Wilson, 52 of Staunton, passed away at 6:46 AM on Sunday, October 8, 2023, at Community Hospital of Staunton. She was born on March 10, 1971, in St. Louis, Missouri, the daughter of the late Jerry and Mary (Ackerman) Boston.

She was a homemaker. She enjoyed 5D Diamond Art, gardening, painting, cooking, baking, and arts and crafts.

She is survived by her son, Nicholas Wilson; two sisters, Anne Hood and  Barbie Ivey Boston; a brother, Joe (Peggy) Boston; several nephews; and her beloved dog, Max. 

She was preceded in death by her parents; a nephew, Don Ivey Jr.; and a brother-in-law, Donald Ivey.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Memorials are suggested to the family. Williamson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

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First class of athletes inducted into CUSD 7 Athletic Wall of Fame

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Gillespie Community School District recently held its firstt inaugural class of its “Athletic Wall of Fame” on October 1, 2023. The inductees were invited to participate in the Homecoming Parade and then a “meet and greet” at the high school football game.

Here is a list of the inductees and a brief biography of their accomplishments.

Sam Anderson graduated from Benld in 1952. He participated in football, baseball, basketball, and track for 4 years earning all-conference in three sports and All-State in football and basketball. He was a St. Louis Browns professional baseball tryout and played basketball at St Louis University for one year and Eastern Illinois University football for two years. He scored over 1300 career points in high school basketball.

Keith Parker graduated from Gillespie in 1940. He participated in football, basketball, and track and earned nine varsity letters. He played football at University of Missouri and National Champion Purdue University for one year each. He was drafted by the Baltimore Colts. He was a football and basketball official for 41 years and inducted into Granite City Hall of Fame, Missouri Football Hall of Fame, NFHS Hall of Fame, and Greater St Louis Hall of Fame.

Lisa (Ribes) Roberts was a graduate of Gillespie HS in 1996. She participated in multiple sports including four yrs in track. She holds the school record in 1600 and 3200 meters. She ran track at SIUE for 4 years and is a professional Tri-Athlete and 6x Iron Man Champion. She has participated in over 100 triathlons around the world and holds multiple Iron Man course records.

Jim Hlafka graduated from Gillespie in 1952. He earned all-conference in basketball. He played basketball at St Louis University and Eastern Illinois University for one year each. He coached Bunker Hill High School basketball for 43 years and ranks 13th in IHSA career wins with a record of 754-347. Hlafka was also inducted into the IBCA Hall of Fame.

Gordon Hartweger graduated from Gillespie in 1957. He participated in basketball, baseball, and track for four years earning all-conference honors in basketball. He played basketball at St Louis University for 4 years earning MVP and Captain. He was the assistant basketball coach at St Louis University for 5 years and played in the NIT National Finals.

Jerry Grandone graduated from Gillespie in 1960. He participated in basketball, track, and football earning all-conference in basketball and track. After Gillespie, he played basketball and track at Eastern Illinois University for 4 years. He held hurdle records, MVP, and track captain at Eastern Illinois, basketball captain at Eastern Illinois, and earned seven varsity letters at Eastern Illinois. Grandone coached basketball in Coal City and Gillespie, was the track coach at Coal City five years, and in Gillespie for 38 years.

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Rick Bertagnolli graduated from Gillespie in 1978. He participated in football, basketball, baseball, and track earning all-conference in football and baseball. He played baseball at Lewis and Clark and SIUE for two years each and was the MVP and Captain at Lewis and Clark. Bertagnolli was a men’s Olympic Festival softball and Major fastpitch softball for five years and earned the IHSA Softball Coach of the Year. Bertagnolli coached softball at Wabash Valley Jr College, University of South Carolina-Spartanburg and California University of Pennsylvania for 20 years winning the Div. II National Champion twice and also receiving the Conference, Regional and National Softball Coach of the Year.

Bob Boston graduated from Gillespie in 1966. He participated in football and basketball for four years each. He is the all-time school basketball scoring leader with approximately 2000 points and also threw for over 2000 career passing yards. He earned all-conference football and basketball, and honorable mention little All-State football and basketball. He played basketball and football at University of Missouri for 2 years each and received over seven university scholarship offers from St Louis University, Air Force, Memphis State, LSU, Northwestern, Holy Cross, Princeton and Dartmouth.

The 1964 Gillespie football team was the last inductee with an 8-0-2 record. They were the last unbeaten football team with wins over Feitshans (Springfield SE), Hillsboro, Mt Olive, Pittsfield, Jerseyville, Carlinville, Nokomis and Dupo, and ties to Southwestern and Staunton. The team was coached by Bill Parmentier and Andy Easton.

Another class will be inducted in the fall of 2024. Wall of Fame nomination forms can be found on the Gillespie Community School District website.

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Obituaries

Death of James Rudolph Zirkelbach

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James Rudolph Zirkelbach, 86 of Benld, passed away on Sunday, October 8, 2023, at 12:10 a.m. at his residence in Benld. He was born November 26, 1936, in Shawneetown, IL to Gregory Zirkelbach and Beulah (Vaughn) Zirkelbach.

He married Mary V. Lebro on August 12, 1977, in Carlinville. James was a retired Sheriff for Macoupin County Sheriff’s Department in Carlinville, a member of the Macoupin-Montgomery Crime Stoppers, Illinois Sheriff’s Association, Former board member for Community Unit School District #7, Amvets, and a former member of the Macoupin County Board.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Zirkelbach of Benld; five sons, Robert (Sandee) Zirkelbach of Carlisle, IA, Dennis (Julie) Zirkelbach of Eagarville, James Zirkelbach of Benld, Mark (Sandy) Zirkelbach of Kemp, TX, Brad Zirkelbach of Wentzville, MO; three daughters, Tracy (Bret) Werner of Hamel, Joan (Brent) Cain of Carlinville, and Kimberly J. (Jack) Burns of Benld; two brothers, Andrew (Shirley) Zirkelbach of Alton and Eugene (Ruth) Zirkelbach of Kampsville, IL; and sister, Pat Navarre of Godfrey.

James was preceded in death by his parents; son, Brian Zirkelbach; sister, Cecelia Zirkelbach; and daughter-in-law, Bonnie Zirkelbach.

Friends may call on Wednesday, October 11, 2023 at Kravanya Funeral Home, 203 E. Elm St., Gillespie, from 4:00 until 8:00 pm. Funeral services are Thursday, October 12, 2023, at 11:00 AM at Kravanya Funeral Home, 203 E. Elm St., Gillespie with Pastor Bob Zirkelbach officiating.

Burial will be at Benld Cemetery in Benld. Memorials are suggested to Crimestoppers or to Gillespie High School Cross Country. Kravanya Funeral Home, Gillespie is in charge of the arrangements.

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