Public Works Chair Ald. Jerry Dolliger displayed a section of deteriorated pipe recently removed from the Elizabeth Street water line.

Members of the Gillespie City Council on Monday night took under advisement the possibility of replacing a deteriorating water line that supplies water to about eight homes in a two-block area on the northeast side of the city.

“This is what we are dealing with,” said Public Works Chair Ald. Jerry Dolliger, displaying a section of deteriorated pipe recently removed from the water line. He said city workers have had to install multiple clamps to repair water line breaks and keep water flowing to residences on Elizabeth Street. He said the committee is leaning toward replacing the line with a four-inch water main and using city workers to do the work.

Mayor John Hicks and several aldermen, however, cited several issues with the plan. A primary concern is the cost of the project, which has not yet been estimated.

“What’s going to be more expensive,” asked Nathan Thornhill, a Street Department employee, “replacing the water line or to keep putting clamps on that line?”

Dolliger said continuing to repair the line could be an issue for the city since it doesn’t always have clamps of the right size on hand. For the last break, he said, the city had two clamps available and had to scrounge a third clamp from another municipality.

[pullquote]Ald. Steve Kluthe said the line and the homes it serves may not be in the city limits.[/pullquote]Hicks noted that the homes served by the line are older homes that probably have lead pipes between the water meter and the house. By law, the city cannot offer taps to homes with lead lines, meaning those homeowners would have to replace their connections in order to be eligible for city water service from a new line. For some, the cost of that upgrade could be as much as $1,500.

In addition, Ald. Steve Kluthe said the line and the homes it serves may not be in the city limits.

“To the best of my knowledge, it’s in the county,” he said.

“If it’s our line, we have to maintain it,” City Treasurer Dan Fisher commented.

“By rights, we shouldn’t be maintaining it at all if it’s not in the corporate limits,” Ald. Jim Alderson commented. “If we’re going to maintain the line, those homes should come into the city.” In the past, homeowners outside the city limits who want to tap onto city water have been required to annex as a condition of getting city water.

Mayor Hicks suggested having City Attorney Kevin Polo research whether or not the homes are in the city limits, and he directed the Street Department to come back to the council next month with additional information, including the length of the line that needs to be replaced, the number of homes it serves, the number of fire hydrants it serves and the estimated cost of the project.

In a related matter, Dolliger asked about the possibility of buying clamps on consignment—a program that would allow the city to stockpile a number of clamps in various sizes and pay for them only when they use them. Otherwise, he said, it can take up to two days if the Street Department has to special order a clamp to repair a water main break. Polo said he would want to review such a contract before advising the city on whether or not to participate.

Another alternative, suggested by Fisher, would be for the city to serve as a central warehouse not only for the city but for all neighboring municipalities that buy water from the Gillespie water system.

PART-TIME WORKER PROMOTED TO FULL TIME

With one dissenting vote, the council voted to promote part-time Street Department worker Nathan Thornhill from part-time to full-time status. The contentious discussion leading up to the vote saw one city employee angrily leave the chamber.

Dolliger reported that his committee recommended moving Thornhill to full-time status in part because he has been called upon to work more than 30 per week due to water main breaks and other projects. The move brings the Street Department to five full-time employees, which Dolliger said has been considered a full complement of employees for the Department in years past. His motion was seconded by Kluthe.

[pullquote]Polo said the move will resolve a potential complaint from the union representing Street Department workers.[/pullquote]Polo said the move will resolve a potential complaint from the union representing Street Department workers. As a part-time worker, Thornhill was technically limited to no more than 30 hours a week, but Dolliger said Thornhill had exceeded his hours because he was needed to get the work done in a timely manner.

“I have been contacted by the union and they are concerned about the number of hours being worked by a part-time worker,” Polo said. “This would solve that problem.”

“I think each department needs to present to the council a plan on how they intend to utilize its workers,” said City Treasurer Fisher, noting that the Lake Department also may be submitting a request in the future to hire a new worker. Regarding the Street Department, he said, it would take at least five employees if the city decides to move forward with replacing the Elizabeth Street water line.

Ald. Janice Weidner, however, questioned the need for and the wisdom of adding to the employee head count. She said she reviewed the head count for the Street Department over the past 40 years and found that the Department had five employees in only nine of those years.

“We’re leasing equipment,” she said. “We have bad water lines that is going to cost millions, we have bad sewer lines and that’s going to cost millions, and you’re talking about hiring another person.” She alleged the Street Department had justified some recent equipment purchases by saying it would make the Department more efficient, requiring fewer employee hours to complete required tasks.

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Weidner’s comments drew an angry reaction from Street Department employee Landon Pettit.

[pullquote]Weidner alleged the Street Department had justified some recent equipment purchases by saying it would make the Department more efficient, requiring fewer employee hours.[/pullquote]“Every time we’ve added equipment, you’ve added more work,” Pettit said. “If you can sit there and honestly say we don’t need another guy, you’re going to end up losing a guy over it.” Pettit then left the council chamber and did not return.

Brought to a vote, the measure to promote Thornhill to full-time passed 5-1 with Weidner casting the only “no” vote. Ald. Alderson, Kluthe, Dolliger, Colin Mussatto and Dave Tucker voted in favor of the measure. Ald. Frank Barrett and Ald. Roger Dively were absent.

Regarding Lake personnel, Ald. Kluthe said the current group of employees is doing “a great job,” particularly with the recent addition of part-time worker Gary Thornhill. He said there remains a great deal of work to be done and that the Lake Committee may consider asking to upgrade Thornhill’s position to full-time at some future date.

“I’d like to go through the rest of the year and into the early spring, and then see where we’re at on whether we have to have a part-time or full-time employee,” Kluthe said.

Also regarding personnel, Polo reported that recent changes in the law may require the city to revamp some aspects of its annual salary ordinance. Specifically, the law now requires full-time employees who earn less than $40,000 a year to be listed as hourly, rather than salaried, positions.

BACKHOE LEASE

Ending several months of discussion, the council voted unanimously to enter into a three-year lease with St. Louis Bobcat to lease a Bobcat skid-steer to replace a 15-year-old piece of equipment that is prone to overheating. Dolliger reported that the Street Department had gotten the current machine back after being repaired by St. Louis Bobcat, but that it continues to have problems with overheating.

As part of the transaction, the city will trade-in the old unit and pay about $1,000 per month for the lease. By trading in the old unit, the city will lose a street planer attachment but Dolliger said the Street Department used the attachment only sporadically.

Later in the meeting, the council approved paying all submitted bills except about $1,700 in bills from St. Louis Bobcat for repair work on the old Bobcat.

“They didn’t fix it,” Mayor Hicks said. “Tell them we want to lease a new one from them and we want an adjustment on the bill.”

The council referred to committee action on a request from the Lake Department to purchase a new truck to replace a pick-up truck that is no longer safe to drive.

“The brakes are bad, the steering is bad and they have to carry a bottle of oil with them when they go somewhere,” Ald. Kluthe reported. “I’m not letting them drive it anymore. It’s not safe.”

Mayor Hicks said he’d like to see the city purchase a truck with enough power to handle snow plowing duties at the Lake, which would likely mean purchasing a vehicle equipped with four-wheel drive. The city reportedly could buy a Ford F-250 with four-wheel drive from Morrow Brothers, Greenfield, the low bidder this year for the State of Illinois contract to provide government vehicles. Fisher reported that the council appropriated about $35,000 for new equipment purchases for the Lake.

Macoupin County Circuit Judge April Troemper, who is seeking election to the seat on the bench to which she was appointed in April 2015, gave a brief introductory presentation to the council.

On a motion by Tucker, the council referred the issue to committee with power to act.

In the meantime, Hicks said Lake Workers could use a spare two-wheel drive truck available from the Water Department.

POLICE DEPARTMENT HVAC

The council unanimously approved a motion to accept the low bid of Mahkovitz Heating and Cooling, Carlinville, to install a new furnace and central air conditioning at the new police station on Pine Street. Ald. Kluthe, Public Safety chair, said he was in the building last week, turned on the air conditioning and found that it was still working. But he said he could not attest to whether or not the heating system is operable.

“I would love to have a new air conditioner and heating for that building, but I thought I should let you know the air conditioning has been working,” Kluthe said.

“Personally, I’d like to see everything new for that building so we don’t have to worry about any breakdowns,” Mayor Hicks commented.

Since the city already had accepted bids for the project, Polo said the council was required to at least open the bids. If council members decided not to move forward with the project, they could vote to reject bids and rebid the project at a later date.

At $4,187, Mahkovitz was the lowest of three bidders, agreeing to supply and install a five-ton central air conditioning unit and a 96 percent efficient gas furnance. The Mahkovitz bid was about $500 below the next lowest bid.

Fisher noted that the council appropriated $25,000 for new equipment for the building, but added the HVAC expenditure may be a “TIF eligible expense” that could be paid for with Tax Increment Finance funds.

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OIL AND CHIP BIDS

After opening bids from three vendors, the council voted to give the Mayor power to act on accepting bids for road oil and rock chips for this year’s Motor Fuel Tax street maintenance program. Mayor Hicks is to consult with the city’s engineer in making the decision on which bids to accept. The program calls for oiling and chipping about specifically chosen city streets and roadways at Gillespie Lake. Two of the bidders submitted identical low bids for road oil at $1.27 per gallon, and the city received a low bid of $6.10 a ton for rock chips.

“Isn’t this kind of late in the year for oiling and chipping streets?” asked Ald. Mussatto.

Fisher said oiling and chipping usually is done in the summer, but road oil seems to adhere better in the fall when temperatures are lower. September through Oct. 15, he said, is a good time for oiling and chipping, but the work should not be done after Oct. 15.

BUS TRAFFIC

Resident Kerri Frensko appeared before the council with a complaint about school buses using Plum Street and other residential streets in the vicinity of the BenGil Elementary School.

[pullquote]The buses are tearing up our roads.[/pullquote]“A lot of neighbors are complaining,” she said. “The buses are tearing up our roads.”

Mayor Hicks said there had been some talk of residents petitioning the council about the issue and he urged Frensko to proceed with that option. He said he would like to have that documentation before moving forward on the issue. In the meantime, he said, the city is trying to “educate people,” both bus drivers and parents dropping off and picking up students, that they shouldn’t be using those streets.

Kluthe said police officers having been going out to the school in the morning and afternoon to monitor bus traffic. Hicks said he had met with school officials to try to reach some kind of compromise on the issue.

“They only reason they’re giving me for using those back streets is the time issue involved with going out to Route 16 from Kelly Street,” Kluthe said. “Personally, I don’t buy that as a reason.”

Kluthe said the city could approve an ordinance to set weight limits on the back streets, but it could not be directed specifically at bus traffic.

“It’s really a difficult issue,” he said. “The ordinance can’t address buses only. That wouldn’t be fair.”

OTHER ACTION

In other action, the council approved to ordinance amendments to reclassify the zoning designation for 103 North Jersey Street from “Light Manufacturing” to “Residential,” and to reclassify Lots 1, 2, 4 and 4 of Block 11 in S.H. Burton’s Second Addition from “Highway Business” to “Residential.”

Early in the meeting, the council heard a brief introductory presentation from Macoupin County Circuit Judge April Troemper, who is seeking election to the seat on the bench to which she was appointed in April 2015.

In other action, the council:

• Approved a lake lot lease agreement for Thomas Cunningham, Medora, to lease Lot 319 at the New Lake.
• Approved a bid of $580 from Reid Tire and Auto to replace tires on a truck used by the Water Department.
• Agreed to approach the Gillespie High School building trades class to build four new picnic tables for Big Brick Park.
• Approved the purchase of new nets for the city’s tennis courts.
• Agreed to rejoin the Upper Macoupin Creek Watershed Partnership.
• Approved the Mayor’s reappointment of Linda Vidmar, Janice Mathis and Mary Hicks to the Gillespie Public Library Board.

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