Community News
Gillespie Council votes to expand Enterprise Zone, approves playground project, eyes parking issue
Marybeth Bellm, Macoupin County Economic Development Coordinator, presented the council with a plan to add 2.4 acres on the south side of Carlinville to the county’s Enterprise Zone for the construction of a supportive living facility catering to Alzheimer’s/dementia patients.
Meeting on Wednesday night due to the Columbus Day holiday, the Gillespie City Council signed onto an expansion of the Macoupin County Enterprise Zone, heard comments from a resident regarding ordinance enforcement and handled several items of routine business.
In a somewhat unusual move, the council met twice in executive session during the relatively brief meeting. Council members entered a 10-minute executive session immediately after Mayor John Hicks gaveled the meeting to order. Police Chief Jared DePoppe met with council members for the bulk of the session, presumably to discuss personnel issues. No specific personnel action was taken, however, in open session.
The council returned to closed session at the end of the meeting to review numerous applications the city received to fill a vacancy for the position of meter reader. Formal action on hiring a meter reader is expected later.
After hearing a presentation from Marybeth Bellm, Macoupin County Economic Development Coordinator, the council voted unanimously to concur with a plan to add 2.4 acres on the south side of Carlinville to the county’s Enterprise Zone for the construction of a supportive living facility catering to Alzheimer’s/dementia patients.
Bellm said Michael Greer of Greer Management Services is negotiating to purchase two parcels of property south of the Fairway Restaurant on Illinois Route 4 with an eye toward building a 15-unit facility capable of caring for 15 residents. Greer’s company owns the Jerseyville Estates assisted living facility, a nursing home in New Baden, and assisted living/supportive living facilities in Salem, Pinckneyville, and Chester.
A portion of the property Greer hopes to buy is owned by the Carlinville Assembly of God Church, and Wednesday night’s council action is contingent upon him successfully completing the negotiation to buy that parcel.
[pullquote]The facility will employ 15 people—five employees for each of three shifts, according to Bellm.[/pullquote]
“If each of the 15 suites fills up and it’s a great success, he will have property available to build more,” Bellm said. “We’re adding all of it now so we don’t have to come back later and add more.”
The facility will employ 15 people—five employees for each of three shifts, according to Bellm.
By including the property in the Enterprise Zone, Greer will not pay sales tax on building materials purchased from qualifying Macoupin County vendors. In addition, the property tax assessment will be temporarily frozen at its current level. The assessment on improvements made to the property will be phased into the assessment in increments of 40, 60, 80 and, finally, 100 percent on an annual basis.
“He may only get that benefit for three years,” Bellm said of the property tax incentive. The 20-year life of the current Enterprise Zone will expire in three years. “We are going to try to renew our Enterprise Zone in 2020, but he is fully aware (that the tax incentive may be limited to three years) and he still wants to move forward.”
The Enterprise Zone involves three partners—Macoupin County, Carlinville, and Gillespie. All three must agree before the Zone can be expanded. Bellm said Carlinville and Macoupin County already took action to approve the expansion. The last time the Enterprise Zone was expanded was in February.
ORDINANCE ENFORCEMENT
Former alderman Bob Fritz appeared before the council to urge the city to enforce ordinances regarding grass clippings in the street and mowing grass and weeds. He also took note of a lack of traffic enforcement at specific intersections in the city.
“You can drive around and see these drains plugged up with grass,” Fritz said. “You get the grass out of them and drains are fine.”
Ald. Steve Kluthe, however, said the ordinance against blowing grass clippings into the street is specific to streets having concrete curbing.
“I think we need to revisit that and amend it to say ‘all streets’,” Kluthe suggested. “I think that may help to stop some of the grass and debris getting into drains in other parts of town.”
Fritz also pointed to properties, including some city-maintained areas, that have been allowed to grow up in grass and weeds.
“You come in on any street in this town and it looks like crap,” Fritz said. “There’s debris in the ditches. There’s places all over town where there’s weeds and tall grass. It’s just pathetic. You want people to come in here and you’ve got stuff looking like that.”
He cited some areas where grass and weeds have grown up through cracks in the street or cracks in the sidewalk. He suggested using revenue from the Tax Increment Financing district or revenue expected from recapturing Revolving Loan Funds from the state to address the issues.
“Why can’t you use some of that money to hire high school kids to pull weeds,” he said.
Bob Fritz brings a number of issues before the council.
Fritz also was critical of excessive vegetation and brush growing up in the city creek, which he said contributed to the city’s unsightly appearance.
City Treasurer Dan Fisher said addressing that particular issue could be problematic.
“I often say it’s like shaving—once you start, you can’t stop,” Fisher said. He said the area was cleaned out three years ago for a sewer project but has grown up over time. “It’s a waste of money if you aren’t going to keep it up, and all of that is private property. You have to have permission to do it.”
Additionally, Fritz cited specific intersections where he said stop sign enforcement is lacking and a lack of enforcement regarding vehicles making U-turns where prohibited.
Kluthe said Fritz and other residents with concerns about traffic issues in specific areas should contact the Police Department to request increased patrols. But, he said, the effect of increased patrols “only lasts as long as the car is there.”
Kluthe said complaints about trash and debris should be directed to the residents’ alderperson, who can ask the police to contact the offender and address the issue.
“I appreciate Bob coming up here and bringing things to the council’s attention,” Kluthe said. “We can’t be mind readers. I want to know from people like you about things out there that I don’t know about.”
PARK PLAYGROUND IMPROVEMENTS
On a motion by Ald. Dianna Brickey, the council approved the expenditure of $7,742.22 for improvements to city parks. The improvements include installation of PVC pipe around playground equipment to retain mulch under the equipment, purchase of “springer” ride-on toys for playgrounds and repairs to buildings at Welfare Park.
Brickey and Parks Committee member Ald. Frank Barrett said the city has PVC pipe on hand for the project. Cost of the spring toys is set at $3,765 and the cost of installing the PVC piping is set at $3,977.22. Barrett said the local Veterans of Foreign Wars Post has donated $1,200 toward building repairs at Welfare Park, reducing the cost to the city to $984.
The council rejected an option to construct an earthen berm around playground areas in lieu of installing PVC piping and purchasing see-saws for the playgrounds. Brickey said the council can opt to install see-saws in the future if it chooses to do so.
Barrett said he wants to install the PVC pipe at the Gillespie Lake playground this fall to “see how it works” before installing PVC pipes at other city parks in the spring.
POLICE SQUAD CARS
On a motion by Ald. Kluthe, the council voted unanimously to purchase two used police cars from Morrow Brothers Auto, Greenfield. Kluthe’s motion authorized the purchase of a 2013 Impala with 43,000 miles on the odometer at a cost of $9,870 and a 2012 Impala with 57,000 miles at a cost of $8,900.
“They have police equipment already installed,” Kluthe said. “These cars are going to be road-ready when we get them.”
Kluthe said the new cars will replace two squad cars currently in use, although one of the retired cars may be assigned to the newly created investigator’s position.
HOLIDAY LIGHTS
A measure to purchase new Christmas lights for holiday decorating downtown was referred to a committee to return to the council with a proposal and confirmed pricing. Specifically, a lighted greeting banner that traditionally hangs over Macoupin Street needs to be replaced, according to Mayor Hicks.
Street Department Supervisor Dale Demkey said the city acquired some used decorating items from the Village of Mount Clare last year to be mounted on street light poles lining the street.
Ald. Jan Weidner suggested delaying the purchase of new holiday lighting until the city determines what it intends to do with Revolving Loan Fund monies the state is expected to reimburse the city.
“I think it would be nice to do a streetscape,” she said. “If we do that, I’d like to hold off on buying new Christmas lights. With a streetscape, you could do something tasteful and simple.”
Holiday decorations for a streetscape, she said, could capitalize on small-town quaintness and charm without relying on excessive lighting.
MACOUPIN STREET PARKING ISSUE
After several minutes of discussion, the council took no action toward rectifying a parking issue on Macoupin Street at Walnut Street. Ald. Kluthe said diagonal parking adjacent to that intersection and others results in limited visibility for drivers turning left onto Macoupin Street.
“I’d like to know if we can realign parking spaces to improve the line of vision,” he said. He suggested a possibility of making parking adjacent to intersections parallel in lieu of diagonal to improve the line of sight.
Ald. Brickey suggested a possibility of reserving those spaces for compact cars only.
[pullquote]This is a very complicated thing[/pullquote]
“This is a very complicated thing,” Treasurer Fisher commented. “We can brainstorm among ourselves, but ultimately, this is an engineer’s job.”
Fisher rejected the possibility of consulting with the state Department of Transportation, noting that IDOT has for years tried to get the city to convert to parallel parking on Macoupin Street. That move, he said, would eliminate nearly 30 percent of the available parking downtown.
LAKE LOT TRANSFER
The council approved the transfer of Lot No. 1 on Bishop Drive at Gillespie Lake to Ron Arnold even though a camper he plans to use on the lot is more than 10 years old. City Attorney Kevin Polo said the city’s ordinance restricting the age of such units refers only to actual mobile homes.
“We’ve taken it upon ourselves to start inspecting campers,” said Lake Committee member Ald. Kluthe.
Ald. Barrett, also a Lake Committee member, said Arnold provided photos of his 2003 camper.
“It’s older than 10 years, but it’s a really nice camper,” Barrett said.
OTHER ACTION
In other action, the council:
- Agreed to spend $3,668 with Carlinville Truck Equipment Manufacturing, Inc. to make repairs to the city’s dump truck, which recently failed inspection. The repairs will include replacing bad suspension springs and tires. Demkey said officials agreed to waive a second inspection fee if the repairs are completed within 30 days.
- Voted to purchase new back tires for the city’s backhoe at a cost of $800 each.
- Voted to donate $100 for an ad in the Gillespie High School yearbook.
- Set trick-or-treat hours for 6 to 8 p.m., Monday, Oct. 30, and Tuesday, Oct. 31. Residents who welcome trick-or-treaters should leave their porch lights on during trick-or-treat hours.
- Agreed to pay the difference between the average water bill and a couple of excessive bills incurred at Gillespie Lake. Ald. Kluthe said the leak responsible for the excessive bill was on the city-owned property.
- Agreed to renew membership in the Blue Carpet Corridor, a Route 66 promotional organization, at a cost of $300. Ald. Dave Tucker said membership fees are used primarily for year-round advertising promoting Route 66 tourism.
- Agreed to reimburse Ald. Barrett $80 for the purchase of a cooler for use at Gillespie Lake.
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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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One of the greatest annual events in American sports is the Saturday is the Kentucky Derby, which will be run for the 152nd time this Saturday. One past champion was bred in Macoupin County.
This week marks 137 years since the victory of Spokane, who captured the 1889 Kentucky Derby during the infancy of the event. The horse was bred at “The Meadows,” the farm of Gen. Richard Rowett one mile north of Carlinville.
Rowett horses, and their jockey colors of orange jacket and blue cap, were on tracks throughout the west and south. But Spokane was the greatest production of The Meadows, a nationally recognized breeding ground for thoroughbreds.
In 1885, a prized dark brown horse named Hyder Ali was standing at The Meadows when Rowett bred him to one of his top mares, Interpose. This pairing had produced favorable offspring in the past, including Grey Cloud, a fine racer owned by Noah Armstrong of the Doncaster Ranch near Twin Bridges in the Montana Territory.
Armstrong’s famous stable included such horses as Lord Raglan, the third-place finisher in the 1883 Kentucky Derby. When Rowett offered Interpose for sale late in 1885, Armstrong, familiar with the high quality of Rowett stock, purchased the pregnant mare and her suckling filly, Madelin, for the price of $1,000 and shipped the brood to Montana.
The Doncaster Ranch was known for its spectacular, three-story round barn that featured an indoor track. While in Spokane in the Washington Territory on business, Armstrong received word of the birth of Interpose’s colt. In honor of the city, he named the colt Spokane.
Spokane showed great promise as a two-year-old, winning two of five starts in 1888, and Armstrong entered him in the 1889 Kentucky Derby. Although a premier race, the Derby had not achieved the monumental status it enjoys today.
The race was run on May 9, 1889–a Thursday–in front of a crowd of 25,000, a fraction of the throngs that fill Churchill Downs today.
Home state favorite Proctor Knott was the overwhelming favorite at 1-to-2, while the relatively unknown Spokane was listed at 10-to-1 odds. That was enough for Frank James, brother of outlaw Jessie and a regular at countless tracks.
James, flush with a windfall of $2,400 from an earlier race that day, asked a bookmaker of the odds on Spokane. The reply was “Ten-to-one and the sky’s the limit.” James threw down $5,000 on Spokane, causing the bookmaker to reply, “As far as I’m concerned, that’s the sky!”
Under jockey Thomas Kiley, Spokane edged Proctor Knott by a head, setting a record at 2:34 ½ over the mile-and-a-half layout (it was changed to a mile and a quarter in 1896). He remains the only Kentucky Derby winner ever born in Montana.
Proving the win was no fluke, Spokane again beat Proctor Knott five days later at the Clark Stakes in Louisville. On June 22, Spokane won another key race of the era, the American Derby at Washington Park in Chicago, to become the first horse to win both races in the same season.
Back in Illinois, Rowett did not live to see the triumph of Spokane, as he died on July 13, 1887. His death was covered on page one of the New York Times the following day.
In addition to breeding, Rowett is also remembered as the first to introduce the true-bred beagle hound to this country from his native England. Prior to that, he was a Civil War officer and state politician.
The only horse actually born in Illinois to win the Kentucky Derby was the 1970 champion, Dust Commander.
Tom Emery of Carlinville, who wrote the award-winning biography Richard Rowett: Thoroughbreds, Beagles, and the Civil War, may be reached at 217-710-8392 or ilcivilwar@yahoo.com.
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