Tammy Beechler addressed the city council asking for a $500 grant to subsidize musical entertainers for the Holiday Sparkle, set for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 16 in downtown Gillespie.
After a lengthy discussion, members of the Gillespie City Council voted on Monday, Nov. 13, to rebid a project calling for repairs to the former Gillespie Police Department building on Walnut Street. Stutz Excavating, Alton, submitted the sole bid of $8,743 to close the east end of the building. The gable area of the building has been left open since the city razed the adjacent city garage earlier this year.
Stutz’s bid included closing the end east with a type of insulated fiberboard and removing a retaining wall left on the site of the city garage. The bid, however, did not include siding or other amenities.
Ald. Landon Pettit initially moved to accept the bid but later withdrew the bid after further discussion. Ald. Dave Link said the project should include a garage door to give the Street Department access for small equipment.
“What do you guys want?” Pettit asked Maintenance Director Dale Demkey. “Do you want it storage or do you want a garage door.”
“A garage door would be good,” Demkey told the council.
Link also expressed concerns that the bid did not include siding, suggesting Stutz’s proposal was more a temporary fix to stabilize the building until the city determined how to proceed.
“Since there’s only one bid,” Treasurer Dan Fisher advised, “you could accept the bid, then get a price for a garage door and, if it’s reasonable, do a change order.”
Link, however, objected to the idea of submitting change orders to get what the city wants. “I think we should rebid it the way we want it,” he said.
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Pettit then withdrew his motion and made a new motion to rebid the project with new specifications to include metal siding and a garage door. Mayor Hicks said he would contact Stutz Excavating to see if they would consider rebidding after Pettit’s motion was unanimously approved.
MAINTAINING LAKE LEVEL
The council voted unanimously to give the Mayor authority to purchase a six-inch flexible pipe at a cost of $6,000 to pump water from the Old Gillespie Lake into the New Lake to maintain water levels for the water treatment plant, and to obtain cost estimates for installing a permanent siphon system. The action followed an extensive discussion after Ald. Janet Odell-Mueller asked about ongoing pumping between the two lakes. Ald. Pettit said the city is using a city-owned generator and city-owned pump to pump 400,000 to 400,000 gallons from the Old Lake to the New Lake every day.
Pettit said a six-inch pipe is being used to move more water more quickly and reduce the chances of it plugging up. The last time the city had to transfer water from one lake to the other, it used a four-inch pipe, which became plugged when the pump sucked up a turtle. The city is leasing the pipe at a cost of $1,400 per month.
Mayor Hicks suggested buying the pipe for $6,000 in lieu of continuing to rent it. “The way it looks, we may be pumping all winter,” Hicks said. He said he would contact the company to see if he could negotiate to apply all or part of what the city has already spent on rent toward the purchase price.
On the recommendation of Treasurer Fisher, Pettit amended his motion to include a provision to seek a proposal to make improvements to the dam between the two lakes with an eye toward installing a permanent siphon system to transfer water in the future.
“If you guys want to put in a siphon from the old lake to the new lake, we need to do some work on the dam,” Fisher said. “It would make sense to roll that into the same project.” Fisher said a siphon was part of the dam originally, but the valve is stuck and unusable. IEPA has cited deficiencies in the dam but has never enforced repairs since a failure would only mean water from the old lake wold flow into the new lake.
ONGOING ARSON INVESTIGATION
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Police Chief Jared DePoppe was coy about discussing details after Ald. Link asked about the status of an investigation looking into a spate of suspicious fires in Gillespie and East Gillespie. DePoppe acknowledged that the cases remain under investigation by the Police Department and Illinois Fire Marshall, but would make no further comment.
Link alleged there have been 21 suspicious fires in Gillespie and East Gillespie this year, one of which occurred behind his place of business on North Macoupin Street, which someone apparently torched a small building used as “Santa’s House” for the holidays. Since the night of the fire, Link said, no one from the Police Department or Fire Marshall’s Office has contacted him.
“I don’t know if that number is accurate,” said DePoppe, referring to the number of suspicious fires. He said local police officers are not trained to investigate fires. The Fire Marshall’s Office is responsible for determining whether or not arson is the cause of a fire.
Link also was critical of the police response to the fire behind his business.
“They called me at a quarter to 12,” he said. When he arrived at the scene, Link said it was raining and one officer was sitting in his truck.
“I guess he didn’t want to get wet. The other officer did what he was supposed to do. He got out and was walking around, checking all the alleys, and nooks and crannies, where someone might be hiding.”
As part of his monthly report to the council, Chief DePoppe revealed that Sgt. Justin Klopmeier has submitted his resignation from the force. DePoppe is expected announce a replacement candidate later.
DERELICT PROPERTIES
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On motion by Ald. Link, the council voted unanimously to declare property at 211 South Macoupin Street a public nuisance. The building, a two-story brick structure, most recently housed a Dollar General Store, and recently failed to pass a housing inspection. The resolution positions the city to seek a court order requiring the owner to make improvements in the interest of public safety.
The council also directed City Attorney Rick Verticchio to file a lawsuit to compel the owners of 707 Spring Street to clean up debris and trash at the residence. The owner reportedly has made some attempts to clean up the property after being issued an ordinance violation citation but, according to Ald. Link, there remains a significant amount of trash around the house.
Verticchio said the city could not compel the owner to complete the clean-up without filing a lawsuit. If the city prevails, the court could award the city a right to enter the property and clean it up. As a result, the city would file a lien to recover the cost of the clean-up.
“Do it,” Ald. Link advised.
A daughter of the property owner objected, telling the council her mother is working toward getting the property in shape. Verticchio said the court typically will give the defendant a period of time to complete the clean-up. If the property owner complies with the court order, it would not be necessary for the city to enter the property or file a real estate lien.
Ald. Wendy Rolando reported that neighbors on both sides of 408 Broadway have expressed an interest in acquiring the property in exchange for demolishing the condemned residence and cleaning up the debris.
Verticchio said the city is awaiting a court order awarding the city ownership of the property. In the meantime, he said, “we need an agreement for the neighbors to split the cost of the demolition and split the lot in half between them.”
One of the neighbors, however, appeared before the council to report he was willing to pay half the cost, while the other neighbor wants to do the demolition himself without engaging a contractor. Since the neighbors are not in agreement, Verticchio advised that both parties should submit proposals to the council, after which the council will vote on which one to accept.
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EXECUTIVE SESSION
The council met for 45 minutes in executive session, primarily to discuss collective bargaining with the Laborers Union, which represents the Street Department, Water Department and Lake employees. Upon returning to open session, the council took no action on the employee contract but voted unanimously to offer for sale via sealed bid a parcel of city-owned property lying between Montana Street and Tower Road north of Illinois Route 16.
OTHER ACTION
In other action, the council:
Voted to grant $500 to organizers of the Holiday Sparkle to retain musical performers for the event.
Approved an ordinance to prohibit parking on either side of LJ Avenue and directed Public Works to erect new signage. Parking currently is prohibited from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on school days. The new ordinance will ban parking at any time.
Approved Christmas bonuses in the amount of $100 gift cards for city employees. Providing gift cards precludes the city from having to withhold taxes from employee bonuses.
Increased the price of dog licenses from $1 to $2 annually for dogs that have been spayed or neutered, and from $2 to $4 for intact animals.
In a nail-biting showdown that will be remembered for years to come, the Gillespie Miners girls basketball team captured the South Central Conference title with a hard-fought 55-52 victory over the Pana Panthers on Thursday night, February 13. This marks Gillespie’s first conference championship since their back-to-back titles in 2001-02, when they shared the honors with Southwestern both finishing with a 9-1 conference record.
The game held at Pana High School was anything but straightforward. After a tumultuous 13-minute delay due to injuries and a technical foul controversy, the Miners rallied their spirits to secure the win. Amari Vickery led the charge with a stellar performance, scoring 21 points, while Mia Brawner added 11, Maggie Heyen contributed 10, Delaney Taylor posted 5, Sadie Sholtis scored 4, and Lainey Edwards and Corrine Fellin each had 2 points.
From the opening tip, it was clear that Pana was not going to roll over easily. The Panthers held leads at the end of the first two quarters, 15-14 and 28-26, showcasing their tenacity. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, Pana had edged ahead 44-42, setting the stage for a dramatic finish.
However, the game took a chaotic turn in the fourth quarter when a collision between Vickery and teammate Sloane Brawner resulted in both players going down with injuries. Sloane was not able to return the game but Vickery did. The Miners also lost both Delaney Taylor and Sadie Sholtis to fouls and Gillespie was assessed a technical foul under controversial circumstances which tied the game at 49. But Heyen carried the weight through the fourth quarter recording 6 of her 10 points in the final quarter of play.
Despite the setbacks, the Miners displayed remarkable teamwork resilience under the leadership of Nikki and Matt Brawner. With the SCC championship secured and the regular season concluded with a 22-8 overall record and 9-0 conference record, the Miners now shift their focus to the upcoming regional which is being hosted in Gillespie.
Gillespie hosts Alton Marquette on Monday, Feb. 17 for the regional semi-finals after Alton Marquette knocked East-Alton Wood River, 36-29, to face the Miners. The winner advances to the regional championship that will be played on Friday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. in Gillespie versus the winner of Staunton/Roxana.
Tragedy struck in the early hours of Saturday morning in Macoupin County as a residential structure fire broke out in the 200 block of West Dean Street, Virden, resulting in the death of a male victim, the Macoupin County Coroner Anthony Kravanya announced.
The individual was pronounced deceased at 10:06 AM but the identity of the deceased has not yet been released, as authorities await the results of an autopsy scheduled for Monday, February 17, 2025. The coroner’s office indicated that a press release will be issued following the autopsy and the positive identification of the victim.
WAND reported a second victim died after being transported to Springfield Memorial Hospital according to Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon who confirmed a 13-year-old boy and a 34-year-old male were the victims.
The fire reportedly started around 9:30 a.m. and the home was fully engulfed when first responders arrived. Two people were reportedly rescued and life flight was requested but were not available due to the foggy weather conditions.
An investigation into the cause of the fire is currently underway, involving multiple agencies including the Macoupin County Coroner’s Office, the Virden Police Department, the Macoupin County Sheriff’s Department, and the Office of the State Fire Marshal.
Come and join us for an exciting afternoon of trivia as we support our local 2:18 Missions! Mark your calendars for Sunday, March 30 from 2 to 5 PM for an event that promises fun, camaraderie, and a chance to make a difference in our community. The event will be held at DeStefane Community Center in Benld, 201 East Central Avenue.
Teams of up to 10 people can participate for just $100 per table. Whether you want to reserve your table in advance or simply show up on the day of the event to pay at the door, we welcome all trivia enthusiasts to join in the competition!
Feel free to bring your own snacks and drinks to enjoy during the game—just please remember, no alcohol is allowed. For your convenience, we will have bottles of water available for purchase.
The stakes are high, and the competition is fierce! The first-place team will take home a prize of $150. Plus, bring some dollar bills to participate in “Heads and Tails” games during breaks and to buy mulligans for your team.
Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to support a great cause while enjoying a lively trivia challenge. To reserve your table or for more information, contact Kristin at 217-691-7469.
Let’s make this a memorable event for our community and the 2:18 Missions!