Community News
Gillespie Council sets meeting with satellite water customers
Roger Mensing of Curry and Associates Engineers updated the council on the water project.
On the cusp of embarking on a $10 million water infrastructure improvement project, the Gillespie City Council on Monday night scheduled an April 6 meeting with representatives from satellite municipal water customers, at least some of which are exploring alternative sources of water for their residents. The meeting is set for 10 a.m. at the Gillespie Civic Center and will be open to the public.
The meeting was set during the Council’s regular monthly meeting Monday night on a motion by Ald. Dave Tucker. In other action, the council adopted increases in camping and boating fees at Gillespie Lake, and adopted an ordinance to increase sewer rates for users of the city’s sewer system.
City Attorney Kevin Polo suggested it would be in the best interest of the City of Gillespie to meet with government officials from surrounding communities now so they can “get water at the cheapest possible rate.” While Polo did not specifically indicate that Gillespie would negotiate new pricing structures for satellite customers, he suggested satellite customers might be able to secure the best rates by acting collectively as opposed to negotiating with water providers individually. “There is power in numbers,” he said.
Roger Mensing of Curry and Associates Engineers is the water project manager and is expected to attend the meeting to field questions.
“There’s been a lot of discussion going on in the area,” Polo noted. “Carlinville is going with the Illinois Alluvial project and Dorchester apparently is going with Illinois Alluvial. Benld is talking about running a line to Litchfield and Lake KaHo is already running a line to Litchfield. So there’s a lot going on at the moment.”
He said he and other city officials recently met with Litchfield city officials to talk about Litchfield’s rates for satellite water customers. “Suffice it to say that maybe it’s time to meet with some of the satellites and talk about how they can get water at the lowest rate possible—maybe even cheaper that Illinois Alluvial.”
[pullquote]Suffice it to say that maybe it’s time to meet with some of the satellites and talk about how they can get water at the lowest rate possible—maybe even cheaper that Illinois Alluvial.[/pullquote]
Polo said the meeting would have to comply with the Illinois Open Meetings Act which requires two weeks public notice. He said he also had checked on the availability of the Civic Center space and that April 6 seemed to be the earliest Saturday meeting the public notice requirement.
In related matters, the council adopted a revised resolution awarding the contract for the infrastructure project to Haier Plumbing and Heating, Oquawka, and heard a brief update on the project from Mensing and City Treasurer Dan Fisher.
While the council already had taken action to award the contract to Haier in December, Fisher said the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development program required the city to adopt specific language to meet requirements for Rural Development to be involved in funding the project. Among other things, that language reportedly includes provisions authorizing the Mayor to sign agreements related to the project on behalf of the city. Rural Development also required the city to take a separate action to accept a change order reducing the cost of the project by about $940,000. Rural Development is underwriting the project with a 40-year loan of about $7.3 million at two percent interest, plus a grant of $3.65 million to cover about 36 percent of the project’s cost.
The action taken by the council Monday night should free up Rural Development to complete paperwork to release money for the grant and loan, according to Fisher.
Mensing told the council that Haier is eager to get started on the project as soon as possible this spring. “We’re just waiting for Rural Development,” he said. “Haier actually would like to start boring in a couple of weeks.”
Mensing said Fisher had advised him that the city has enough surplus funds to start work on the project pending finalization from Rural Development, then reimburse the city’s coffers when the project financing is released.
Responding to a question from Ald. Jane Weidner, Fisher said Rural Development will ask the city to establish a line of credit at a local bank for the initial stages of the project, which is expected to take two years to complete.
“For at least the first year, they’re going to require us to use interim financing,” Fisher said. “We’ll have a line of credit at the bank that we can draw down on just like building a house. We’d make monthly payments for interest only and at some point, Rural Development” will release grant and loan money to pay off the interim credit line.
He said he favored using existing funds until such time Rural Development releases funding. “The bank would probably let us do that before (funding is released) but that would start the clock ticking on the interest we’d have to pay,” Fisher said.
Mensing also reported that he and city officials have had two meetings with vendors proposing remote meter reading systems. Such a system would allow the city to read water meters from City Hall as well as provide daily data monitoring water pressure and the location of possible household water leaks.
“It will take about 10 minutes to read all of the meters in town,” Fisher said.
“That’s the system we need to go with,” Mayor John Hicks commented. “It will get us into the 21st century.”
CAMPING, BOAT STICKER FEES INCREASED
On motions by Ald. Frank Barrett, chair the council’s Lake Committee, the council voted separately to increase fees for boat stickers and camping permits at Gillespie Lake. The fee increases will be effective for the 2019 recreational season.
The council’s action raises camping fees from $15 per night for RV sites with electrical hook-ups to $17 per night and $20 per night on holidays. Fees for primitive/tent camping sites will go from $10 per night to $12 per night and $15 per night on holidays. The fee charged for non-camping RV dumping will go from $6 to $10.
The lake has 24 RV sites and four tent/primitive campsites.
Barrett said the fee increases will help “offset some of the cost for improvements” within the lake campgrounds.
[pullquote]For the first time the boat sticker pricing schedule will include slightly higher fees for non-resident boaters using the lake.[/pullquote]
For the first time the boat sticker pricing schedule will include slightly higher fees for non-resident boaters using the lake. Persons with a 62033 zip code for their mailing address are considered “residents.”
For boats with outboard motors of up to 10 horsepower, the new fee will be $25 for residents and $30 for non-residents. Motors ranging from 11 to 20 horsepower will require a fee of $30 for residents and $35 for non-residents. The fee will be $40 for residents and $45 for non-residents for boats with motors ranging from 21 to 40 horsepower; $50 for residents and $55 for non residents for boats with motors ranging from 41-75 horsepower; $60 for residents and $65 for non-residents for boats with motors ranging from 76 to 100 horsepower; and $70 for residents and $75 for non-residents for boats with motors ranging from 101 to 150 horsepower. Boats with motors in excess of 150 horsepower will require a permit sticker costing $80 for residents and $85 for non-residents.
Sailboat stickers are $30 for residents and $35 for non-residents.
The permit sticker fee for canoes, kayaks, paddle boats and other non-motorized craft is $15 for residents and $20 for non-residents.
A daily permit for any boat regardless of size will be $10 for residents and $15 for non-residents.
A $100 permit sticker is available only to persons who hold a lease for a lake lot at a cost of $100 per year for personal watercraft such as jet skis.
Previous boat sticker fees ranged from $20 to $53 depending upon motor size and there was no distinction between resident and non-resident boaters.
Barret said the new fees are lower than the fees charged for boaters using other lakes in the area. Glen Shoals, for example, charges fees ranging from $40 to $185 depending upon motor size for non-resident boaters. At Lake Lou Yager, non-resident boaters are charged from $55 to $120 for permit stickers depending upon motor size.
SEWER RATES INCREASED
With little discussion, the council voted unanimously to increase the minimum sewer rate from $6.50 for the first 1,000 gallons to $8.50. Sewer users will pay an additional $1.50 per 1,000 gallons for usage in excess of 1,000 gallons.
The council deferred action on a resolution to facilitate procedures allowing city employees to borrow from their retirement accounts pending additional information about what it will cost the city to administer the program. The council voted unanimously in December to offer employees the option of borrowing up to 50 percent of the amount vested in their 457 Retirement Plan fund in the event of an emergency. The amount borrowed would then be repaid to the fund via payroll deductions at an interest rate of 5.25 percent. Since the employee essentially would be borrowing from himself or herself, the accrued interest will be paid into their retirement fund.
Council members questioned how much additional time would be required on the part of staff in the City Clerk’s office to administer the program. Fisher said it would be more likely that the city’s accountant would do the work since she is the person who administers payroll. There was no information available, however, about how much the accountant would need to be paid for the additional workload.
“Can we defer this for another month until we can find out how much it’s going to cost?” Ald. Tucker said.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Council members met in executive session for about 15 minutes to discuss the status of collective bargaining negotiations between the city and Laborers Union. Polo previously announced that no tentative agreement has been reached.
Since no agreement has been reached with the union, Fisher also recommended deferring action on setting salaries for employees not covered by the collective bargaining agreement. Only three city employees are not part of the union.
POLICE CAR DISCUSSION
The council discussed but took no action on a request from Police Chief Jared DePoppe to purchase a new police car. DePoppe said that several years ago he proposed a plan to retire aging squad cars and buy one new one every one to two years.
“We’re a little behind on that now,” he said. “We’d like to get a new squad car. Our squads are getting older.”
He said the city could buy a car from Morrow Brothers Ford, Greenfield, on a state bid for $27,000 for a 2019 Ford Intercept or $32,000 for a 2019 Sport Utility. An additional $5,000 would be required for equipping either vehicle with police equipment.
He said he had contacted Rural Development about the possibility of securing a grant but was told that grant funding for that program will not be released until October.
“I’d like to get one now,” he said, “and get another one in October when that funding becomes available.”
Mayor Hicks asked about the possibility of buying a used police car, but DePoppe said the city has purchased used vehicles in the past and that he would like to go with a new vehicle this time.
In the meantime, he said a 2010 Crown Victoria owned by the police department needs to have its transmission replaced, and he is looking into the possibility of taking the transmission from the car currently used by the School Resource Officer if it is interchangeable. Otherwise, he said the city is looking at $2,500 for a new transmission or $2,000 for a used one.
No action was taken Monday night but it is possible the proposed purchase will be included as an agenda item for a later meeting.
BOY SCOUT PROPERTY
The council referred to committee a request from local Cub Scout Leader Ed Bergen to resume use of a parcel of property formerly used as a shooting range on Farley Lane at Gillespie Lake.
“We had it when I had the Boy Scout troop, and about a year and a half ago that fell apart,” Bergen said. Bergen said he has since established a Cub Scout troop and would like to resume using the property. He said about 20 youths are enrolled in the program and he is looking for “more things for them to do.” Activities could include a public service project to clean-up the property.
Ald. Barrett said he’d like to walk the property with Bergen before making a recommendation to the council.
The council also referred to committee with power to act a request from Charles Knoche to install a sewage holding tank on a lot he leases at Gillespie Lake. Knoche relied on a “porta-potty” until that unit recently was stolen.
“I’d rather see a holding tank out there than a porta-potty,” Barrett said.
But Mayor Hicks objected, saying Knoche’s lot is a picnic lot, not a permanent residence.
“I’m worried about setting a precedent,” Hicks said. “You’d be opening it up to everyone.”
Moreover, Hicks said he had concerns about the frequency of inspections for holding tanks at the lake. Current provisions call for them to be inspected only when a lot is transferred to a new resident. “There ought to be some kind of guideline to make sure they’re maintained,” he said.
Ultimately the issue was referred to committee with power to act in two weeks.
SEASONAL WORKER
The Mayor directed Ald. Jerry Dolliger to locate a candidate to be hired as a seasonal worker this summer in part to help with mowing and maintenance at Welfare Park.
Barrett said Gillespie Middle School ball teams currently play games at the park and that he had informed them that they are responsible for taking care of the ball diamonds. But other maintenance needs, such as regular mowing, are the responsibility of the city.
“We can use money from the concession stand to pay expenses,” Hicks suggested, “until we can get a park district.”
“There are people who are interested in a park district,” Ald. Dona Rauzi commented. Barrett added that if a park district proposal was included on a future ballot, it could include East Gillespie.
OTHER ACTION
In other action, the council:
- Approved a lake lot lease transfer for 45 Bishop Drive to Patrick Sheppard.
- Approved a business license application for Ageless Apparel to open a storefront location for their printing business in the former Dombeck Dentistry building on South Macoupin. The business will employ three people. Fisher commented that Austin Peterson told him that he was interested in opening a downtown location in part because of the plans Grow Gillespie has unveiled to improve the downtown business district and stimulate commerce.
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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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