Community News
Benld tables plans to implement e-pay for water bills
Susan Tiburzi asked the Benld City Council for permission to place the Little Free Library and a consensus on where it should be located.
A month after voting to enter into contracts that would allow local water customers to pay their bills online or through automatic deductions, the Benld City Council on Monday night rescinded those actions pending further study of the issue.
“We still have a long way to go with this, in my opinion,” said Mayor Jim Kelly. “I know we had a vote last month. However, a lot has come up since then.” Kelly reported that City Clerk Terri Koyne and Deputy Clerk Gina Frensko had done research since the council’s last meeting and are exploring the possibility of using an application available within the city’s current billing program that would allow the city to offer online and automatic payment options without having to resort to outside vendors.
In February, the council voted 5-1 to spend $2,000 for computer software to offer the payment options to local water customers. The measure included $1,000 for software from CUSI, the company that provides the software the city currently uses to prepare water bills, to enable online bill paying, and $1,000 to prepare National Automated Clearing House Association (NACHA) files to enable customers to have their monthly payments automatically deducted from their bank accounts. The council also approved a contract with First National Bank calling for the city to pay $12 per month to have automatic deductions deposited into the city’s bank account.
City Attorney Rick Verticchio advised that February’s action had not yet become law because there was still time for the Mayor to veto it. At Kelly’s request, Ald. Peyton Bernot withdrew his February motion to purchase the software and Ald. Brian Frensko withdrew his second, essentially vacating the action. Kelly said Monday night’s action will delay implementation but reaffirmed he still wants move forward with providing the payment options for city water customers.
[pullquote]This is going to put it off a little bit, but when we do it, I want it to be done right.[/pullquote]
“This is going to put it off a little bit,” he said, “but when we do it, I want it to be done right.”
He referred the issue back to committee with an eye toward future action. City officials expect to conduct a telephone poll in the coming month to determine the actual level of interest among water customers for having the expanded payment options available.
LITTLE FREE LIBRARY
Without taking formal action, the council agreed to give permission for Susan Tiburzi and Kim Link, teachers at Ben-Gil Elementary School, to locate a “Little Free Library” next to a park bench in front of Benld City Hall. Tiburzi, who is acting as the Little Library’s “steward”, said she and Link had secured a grant through the federal Title education program to establish two Little Free Libraries—one in Gillespie and one in Benld. She said she was asking for permission to place the library and a consensus on where it should be located. There is no cost to the city.
“I’m hoping we can come up with a place for it,” she said. “That’s my goal.”
The Little Free Library foundation is a non-profit international organization that assists communities with establishing Free Little Libraries of their own. Since the inception of the program in 2009, more than 50,000 Free Little Libraries have been established in communities throughout the United States as well as in more than 25 foreign countries, including Canada, Spain, France, Australia and the Netherlands. Registered Free Little Libraries are eligible to be included on a Little Free Library World Map accessible at littlefreelibrary.org.
[pullquote]I wanted to get Benld on that map.[/pullquote]
“That’s one of the reasons I wanted to do this,” Tiburzi said. “I wanted to get Benld on that map.”
A Little Free Library basically is a community book exchange where patrons can take a book to read and leave a book for other patrons to take.
“It’s not just for children,” she said. “It belongs to the whole town.” In addition to books for all ages, the facility will have magazines and other publications available for exchange.
In addition to encouraging reading and the exchange of books, Tiburzi said the program will foster community involvement.
For the local program, Tiburzi said the Alton Telegraph donated two retired newspaper boxes that she and Link repainted and decorated for use as a Little Free Library Box. She said a “grand opening” for the Little Library is planned for 3 to 4 p.m., Saturday.
CONTRATTO BUILDING
Mayor Kelly asked the City Property Committee to look into the cost of hiring an architect or engineer to determine the feasibility of razing the back of the Contratto Building on Central Avenue while leaving the street-facing facade in place. The building is the focus of a potential condemnation but the city has not yet acted to take possession of the nuisance property. City Attorney Verticchio said a Macoupin County Judge has continued the case to the end of the year, but the city must make a determination regarding its intentions before that time. The litigation has been ongoing for about three years.
Kelly suggested having an architect look at the facade to see if it can be cost-effectively salvaged while demolishing the rear of the building.
“Then we can decide what we are going to do,” he said. The demolition, if the city decides to proceed, would have to be done by a demolition specialists who is bonded to perform such work, Kelly said.
[pullquote]Leaving the facade intact “would look better than leaving a big hole there”[/pullquote]
Leaving the facade intact “would look better than leaving a big hole there,” Ald. Teresa Tucker commented.
The committee is expected to get proposals from several architects who also are licensed for engineering to determine the cost of hiring an architect and the cost of having the demolition done.
“We need a starting point and that starting point may be enough to put us out of the business,” Kelly noted.
Ald. Bernot asked Verticchio is the city could refile its nuisance complaint at a later date if the cost of demolition is cost prohibitive.
“Yes,” Verticchio replied.
“We have to do something,” Bernot said. “The roof (of the building) is in the basement.”
SEWER GRANT SURVEY
Council members approved exceeding $500 if necessary for postage for self-addressed, stamped envelopes to accompany a mail survey to be sent to residents within areas affected by a proposed $600,000 sewer improvement project. To qualify for a Community Development and Assistance Program grant, the city must document that more than half the residents in the areas that will benefit from the project are low to middle-income households. The city has until fall of this year to apply for the grant but hopes to have the income survey completed this spring.
City officials may survey households door-to-door if the mail survey fails to yield enough responses. A legal notice to be published this week confirms that the income data provided by residents is confidential and cannot be accessed through Freedom of Information Act requests.
Mayor Kelly said a first step toward authorizing the project will be determining whether or not the city qualifies for the grant, which will cover 75 percent of the project’s cost.
“Let’s see if we’re qualified first,” he said. “Then we will have to do some soul searching to decide if we want to go ahead with this.”
Last month, Jesse Maynard of Henry, Meisenheimer and Gende Engineers, told council members that the tentative project would include replacing two sewer lines on the northeast side of the city, renovating two lift stations on Hickory and Chestnut streets and upgrading 20 manholes.
ITS BIKE TRAIL
The council took under advisement a resolution of support for the ITS Bike Trail. The issue will be placed on the agenda for the council’s April meeting. Bill Vogt, a member of the ITS Trail Committee, appeared before the council to ask for the city’s support in developing an extension of the ITS Trail from Staunton to Benld and linking with the Benld-Gillespie Bike Trail. The trail already has been developed from Edwardsville to Staunton.
Vogt said the Committee has been working on the project since 2006 but is renewing its effort because some of the previous obstacles, primarily with the railroad along whose right of way the trail will run, appear to be nearing resolution.
“We’re not giving up,” he said. “We’re still trying.”
The council approved a similar resolution in 2006.
“We’re not asking for anything other than your support,” Vogt said.
In a related matter, the council tabled action on approving a project to reseal the city’s portion of the Benld-Gillespie Bike Trail. Mayor Kelly said the City of Gillespie reportedly is working on an application for an Illinois Department of Natural Resources grant to subsidize part of the cost.
OTHER ACTION
In other action, the council:
- Approved the purchase of a third Panasonic Toughbook laptop computer to be installed in a city police car at a cost of about $900. The council previously approved purchase of two similar computers for the Police Department’s other two squad cars.
- Approved the purchase of a rebuilt pump from Missouri Machinery and Equipment to be installed in the sewer lift station on Locust Street at Siepp Street. Rebuilding an existing pump would have cost in excess of $6,000, Ald. Brian Frensko reported, because of the age of the pump.
- Approved the expenditure of $550 for three water meter stands from Midwest Meters. The equipment has already been purchased, but Mayor Kelly explained that officials initially thought the purchase would come in below the $500 threshold requiring council approval.
- Referred to committee the issue of purchasing three new, steel double-doors for the Civic Center. Ald. Frensko reported he had a bid for replacing all three doors, but Ald. Bernot suggested the council might not want to replace all three at once and that the city might be able to buy the doors for less money online. A representative of R.P. Lumber is expected to meet with committee members to discuss specifications for the doors, after which the committee is expected to make a recommendation to the full council. Mayor Kelly noted that the door replacement project is not urgent now that winter weather is no longer an issue, but the doors should be replaced before fall.
- Agreed to seek bids for removing a tree on the city boulevard on Eighth Street. Ald. Bernot suggested getting bids for removing several trees at a time rather than bidding removals piecemeal on a monthly basis. “I have no problem getting bids for several at a time,” Kelly said. “But we have to be careful with money.” The council also approved paying a $600 bill from removing a downed tree following a recent storm.
- Referred to committee the issue of whether to repair or replace a fence around a basketball court at Veterans Memorial Park. The committee is expected to make a recommendation to the full council at a later date.
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Community News
Benld prepares to celebrate 72nd annual Italian American Days over Memorial Day weekend
A beloved community tradition returns this Memorial Day weekend as the 72nd Annual Benld Italian-American Days brings three days of food, music, and family fun to Benld City Park from Friday, May 22 through Sunday, May 24.
Hosted by the Italian Club of Benld, the long-running festival celebrates the area’s rich Italian heritage while welcoming visitors from across the region for a full slate of activities.
Festivalgoers can expect a wide variety of homemade Italian favorites served throughout the weekend, including salami and meatball sandwiches, tortellini soup, bagna cauda, and cannoli. A daily fish fry featuring cod and whiting will also be available, along with classic festival fare such as hamburgers, hot dogs, Italian beef, and carnival treats. Beer, wine, and soda will be available for purchase.
In addition to the food, the event will feature carnival rides provided by Conner Family Amusement, Inc., with unlimited ride sessions offered throughout the weekend. Bingo will be held nightly at 7:00 p.m., and festival-themed shirts will be available for purchase.
Live music and dancing will take center stage each evening. Friday night entertainment includes a performance by Flip the Frog from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m., with the park open from 4:00 to 11:00 p.m.
Saturday highlights include the Italian Club Car Show, with registration from 8:00 a.m. to noon and judging beginning at noon. The park opens at 11:00 a.m., and live music will feature Pat Jones in the afternoon followed by Borderline in the evening.
Sunday kicks off with the “Meatballs on the Run” 5K at 9:00 a.m., sponsored by the Gillespie Cross Country Boosters. You can sign-up to participate online here. The day continues with free spaghetti served from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., a bocce ball tournament beginning at noon, and a full lineup of live music throughout the day, including performances by Unbroken, Syner-Gee, and B&B Strings.
Connors Family Amusements will provide carnival armbands for $30. Armbands will be valid Friday (May 22) from 6:00 to 10 :00 p.m. and again on Saturday (May 23rd) and Sunday (May 24th) from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. and again from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m, Advanced armband sales will be available from May 4th through May 21st at the Frank Bertetti Public Library and Benld City Hall for $25. Debit and Credit Cards will NOT be accepted.
Organizers note that no outside beverages are permitted in the park or at club events.
With its mix of tradition, entertainment, and community spirit, the 72nd Annual Benld Italian-American Days promises to once again be a highlight of the summer season in Macoupin County. For more information and updates, follow the festival on Facebook at Benld Italian American Days.
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Gillespie will host a Community Blood Drive with ImpactLife, the provider of blood components for local hospitals. The blood drive will be from 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm on Monday, May 11 at 900 Broadway, inside Gillespie Methodist Church Gym.
To donate, please contact Brenda Lowe at (217) 7101336 or visit www.bloodcenter.org and use code 60020 to locate the drive. Appointments are requested. You may also call ImpactLife at 800-747-5401 to schedule.
Potential donors must be at least 17 years of age (16 with parental permission form available
through www.bloodcenter.org) and weigh more than 110 pounds. A photo I.D. is required to donate.
For questions about eligibility, please call ImpactLife at (800) 7475401. Donors who last gave blood on or before March 16, 2026, are eligible to give at this drive.
Blood donation is a safe, simple procedure that takes about 45 minutes to one hour. Individuals with diabetes or controlled high blood pressure may be accepted as eligible donors.
ImpactLife is a nonprofit community organization providing blood products and services to more than 100 hospitals and emergency medical service providers in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Wisconsin, as well as researchers and resource sharing partners across the country.
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Members of the Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education on Wednesday night approved a package of four capital improvement projects totaling more than $160,000 in value. Work will start on the projects after the end of the current school year and is expected to be completed before the start of the 2026-27 academic year in August.
The board met on Wednesday night after Monday’s inclement weather forced the district to reschedule the board’s regular monthly meeting.
The board approved entering into a contract with Fisher Tracks, Boone, Iowa, to resurface the district’s all-weather track at a cost of $105,209. Supt. Shane Owsley told the board the district will use about $50,000 from an all-weather track activity fund, with the remainder to be paid with proceeds from an alternate revenue bond issue approved last year for capital improvements.
Great Western Abatement, Jerseyville, was retained to remove flooring containing asbestos from the choir room floor and middle school gymnasium school at a cost of $40,700. Great Western’s bid was the lowest of seven bids, ranging up to $65,000, submitted for the work. Additionally, the district is paying $8,900 to Reliable Environmental Services, Springfield, for engineering and design work associated with the asbestos removal.
All-purpose rubberized flooring material will be installed on the middle school gym floor by Dynamic Sports Construction, Leander, Texas, at a cost of $51,424.
For the first time in a number of years, the high school gymnasium floor will be sanded and refinished with new artwork. Blast Technologies, St. Louis, was hired to sand the 4,200-square-foot floor at a cost of $5,250. Designs Unlimited, Pinckneyville, will paint game lines and logos on the floor before sealing it with a clear stain at a cost not to exceed $18,738.
The board also accepted a bid of $33,890 from DeLaurent Construction, Wilsonville, to resurface the 118,700-square-foot parking lot at Benld Elementary School.
Though no action was taken, Board President Mark Hayes reported that the Building and Grounds Committee had directed Owsley to investigate the cost of replacing the CUSD 7 administrative building.
“This building is very much in need of replacement,” Hayes said. “It’s beyond its time.” During Monday’s torrential rainfall, Hayes said water came in through windows and water seeped in under the sill plate, bringing displaced nightcrawlers into the building. Staff members ran fans after the storm in an effort to dry out the interior.
According to Hayes, the school has been in contact with the local Baptist Church to investigate the possibility of acquiring the former Trinity Baptist Church for use as an administrative building. Church officials, however, have not yet made a decision about the fate of the former sanctuary after Gillespie’s two Baptist churches merged.
Owsley said the current administrative building comprises about 6,000 square feet. Current estimates are $400 per square foot for new construction which would translate into about $2.5 million to replace the administrative facility. The district might be able to shave some dollars off that estimate by reducing the size of the building.
“There’s a lot of unusable space in this building,” Owsley said, suggesting a more efficient floorpan could reduce cost. He also mentioned the possibility of a basement to provide storage space for outdated documents.
In addition to construction costs, Owsley noted, the district would be responsible for tearing down the existing building.
“I have no idea what’s in this building,” Owsley said, raising abatement concerns. “I’m guessing disposal of this building is going to be expensive.”
Hayes said Kevin Wills, the district’s bond issue advisor, will attend the June board meeting to discuss the possibility of refinancing some existing bonds to free up enough revenue to build a new administrative building. The administration currently is housed in a “temporary” structure that has served as the administration building for several decades.
MINE SUBSIDENCE STUDY
After several minutes of discussion, the board took no action in relation to entering into a contract with Marino Engineering and Associates to assess the district’s risk for incurring damage from a mine subsidence event. Owsley said existing maps show that portions of Gillespie Middle School are undermined. While the high school is not undermined, a major subsidence would likely damage the high school as well as the middle school. In recent months, more than one residential home on Elm Street near the school property has experienced damage from mine subsidence.
Marino’s $94,000 Phase I proposal would “determine the likelihood of something happening to one of our buildings,” Owsley said. The problem is that too much information could negatively impact the district’s ability to purchase subsidence insurance. “Information is great until it’s not.”
The district currently pays about $300,000 for mine subsidence insurance on the middle school, high school and vocational arts building. The school carries no subsidence insurance on BenGil Elementary because mine shafts under the building were grouted before the school was built.
“If we find out there’s not a major concern,” Owsley noted, it could reduce the district’s subsidence insurance costs.
On the other hand, if the study reveals a high risk of experiencing mine subsidence, the insurer could drop the district at the end of the current policy’s term. With only two companies in the country offering subsidence insurance, the district could end up with no insurance at all to cover damage from mine subsidence.
The only way to avoid that scenario would be to implement whatever options Marino might recommend to reduce risk. Those recommendations would likely include grouting (backfilling) mine shafts under the middle school. Grouting for the elementary school cost $4 million. To grout under the middle school would likely run as much as $6 million or more.
The only way the study would make sense, Owsley suggested, would be if the district was “comfortable making the corrections the study is going to make.”
Moreover, $94,000 would cover only a preliminary assessment.
“To get a full understanding of what’s going on underground, we’d be looking at a half million dollars,” said Owsley.
The issue was allowed to die when no board member moved to consider the contract.
COMMUNITY SOLAR PARTICIPATION
On a motion by Bill Carter, seconded by Weye Schmidt, the board voted unanimously to enter into a contract with Summit Ridge Solar to participate in a community solar project. Under terms of the 15-year contract, the district will realize a 13 percent savings on electrical power bills. The contract is automatically renewable for five years unless the district chooses to withdraw.
“Illinois provides a number of incentives for using solar,” Owsley said. “However, not everyone likes the look of having solar panels on their property. This will get us the benefits without putting up solar panels on our property.”
Summit Ridge’s proposal was the most lucrative of the proposals the district received. Other companies offered shorter terms with savings of five percent.
After 20 years, it’s likely the savings would drop to five percent. Owsley said he was told the district was better off going with the longer contract to get 13 percent in savings for as long as possible.
The school district was able to secure such favorable rates, according to Owsley is because there is an issue with solar fields storing the power they generate. “Our main usage time is during their maximum production time.”
DISTRICT FOCUS
During a District Focus segment, the board recognized sophomore Matrix Wright, whose art was the only entry from the United States included in the 2026 TOLI International Student Art Exhibition. The exhibition is a project of The Olga Lengyel Institute for Holocaust Studies in New York. The exhibit includes student art relating to themes associated with the Holocaust.
Wright’s work, entitled “An Immortal Continuum,” attempts to portray “the constant entrapment a Holocaust survivor might feel.”
Exhibition organizers received more than 250 entries from around the globe.
BUDGET PROCESS
On a motion by Peyton Bernot, seconded by Board President Hayes, board members voted unanimously to begin work on developing a district budget for fiscal 2027. Board members also approved a routine measure to permit expenditure of fiscal 2027 funds after July 1, pending approval of a new budget.
The school district’s fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30 but new budgets typically are approved two to four months after the start of the fiscal year.
The current fiscal year’s $19 million budget was approved in September last year.
PERSONNEL
Following a one-hour executive session to discuss personnel and other issues, the board voted unanimously to approve the request of long-time middle school English and language arts teacher Kim Henderson, effective at the end of the 2028-29 school year.
Board members also voted unanimously to hire Andrew Crook as a first-year, non-tenured high school English teacher for the 2026-27 school year, pending documentation of certification and a routine background check. A graduate of Gillespie High School, Crook earned his teaching certificate at Illinois College, Jacksonville and for the past two years, he taught English at North Mac High School.
In separate actions, the board made multiple assignments to staff the district’s summer school program. Those hired include: Jessica Kelly as a middle school teacher, Ashlee Gibbs as a high school math teacher, and Jennifer Brown and Rob Macias as high school drivers’ education instructors. Each of the positions are contingent upon adequate student enrollment to offer the classes. In addition to academic staff, the board hired Andy Hirstein as a summer school food service worker.
The board voted unanimously to accept the resignation of Foli Seferi as high school paraprofessional and as assisted football coach. Both resignations are effective immediately.
In other personnel action, the board appointed Cate Plovich as the BenGil Elementary School yearbook sponsor, and appointed Josh Ross as a volunteer assistant football coach, pending documentation of certification and a routine background check.
OTHER ACTION
In other action, the board:
• Approved a mens highs school soccer coop with the Carlinville School District, with the provision Carlinville will dissolve the agreement if it pushes its program into a higher competitive classification.
• Approved an intergovernmental agreement with Lewis and Clark Community College under which the college will recognize some high school courses as college level credits.
• Approved early graduation requests for an undisclosed number of students, provided all graduation requirements are met.
• Approved renewing the district’s membership in the Illinois Elementary Schools Association.
• Approved the final calendar for the 2025-26 school year pending no further emergency days. Barring the use of emergency days, Monday, May 18 will be the last day of student attendance, with graduation ceremonies set at 2 p.m., Sunday, May 17.
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