Community News
Gillespie Council will consider grocery tax
The Gillespie City Council directed City Attorney Rick Verticchio to draft a new ordinance during a sometimes contentious meeting Monday night, which would impose a grocery tax on unprepared food items sold in the city limits. Mayor John Hicks acknowledged the city no longer has a grocery store, but noted that the Dollar General store and convenience stores in the city sell a limited number of grocery items.
“We have been notified that the city can collect a grocery tax,” Hicks said. “It’s not going to be a phenomenal amount.”
The one percent grocery tax will replace a state grocery tax that was rescinded as part of the current state budget. The tax also was suspended via executive order during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Verticchio, who participated in Monday’s meeting by phone, said he would prepare an ordinance and have it ready for council action for the council’s August meeting.
In other action, the council authorized the mayor to work with the city’s insurer to expedite repairs to the city garage, approved the final payment for the new boat dock installed at Gillespie Lake, and approved the purchase of 20 American flags for display downtown during patriotic holidays. It was a heated exchange between Street Department workers and a city alderman, however, that lent a contentious tone to the meeting.
PRIVATE USE OF CITY EQUIPMENT
A question from Ald. Dave Link about city workers using city equipment on private property sparked an angry response from Street Department workers, including Supervisor Dale Demkey. Link alleged a city worker used a mini-hoe, skidster and truck for a project on a resident’s personal property. The ensuing argument, however, reached no resolution.
“It was city equipment and a city employee who took the afternoon off for the work,” Link said. He demanded to know who authorized the equipment’s use.
“We’ve done it before,” a maintenance worker responded.
“We put a stop to that back when I first came on the council,” Ald. Bill Hayes countered.
Link angrily denied Demkey’s allegation that Link had used township equipment to move a storage building at his downtown tavern, and to remove concrete from property owned by Link. Link said the broken concrete from his project went to the municipality for its use.
“There’s no reason a city employee can’t use that equipment,” Demkey said. “It’s not like we get paid a lot of money.” Demkey confirmed that he authorized the use of the equipment, and accused Link of targeting the Street Department.
Ald. Hayes said Link was responding to complaints from citizens who saw city equipment being used for private purposes. He said he, too, had received complaints. “If you’re going to do this for one person, you going to have to do it for all,” Hayes said. “You’ve got to treat everyone the same.”
“It’s been this way for years,” Ald. Landon Pettit said. “It’s not the first time this has been done.”
A visitor to the council meeting suggested forming a committee to act on requests to use city equipment. The Army Corps of Engineers, he said, follows a similar practice to loan equipment for “humanitarian purposes.” Establishing such a procedure, the spectator said, would not only standardize how the decisions are made but also protect the city from liability concerns.
“I know this is the way it’s been done in the past and I ‘get’ both sides,” Ald. Dona Rauzi commented. “But is it right?”
The discussion ended with no clear resolution before the council moved on to other business.
DAMAGE TO CITY SHED
The council voted unanimously to authorize Mayor Hicks to work with the city’s insurer to expedite repair of some $13,000 in damage to the city shed that was caused when a street sweeper malfunctioned. Reportedly, the hydrostatic system on the sweeper failed, causing the machine to go out of control and crash into the shed. More damage was caused when the operator backed the malfunctioning machine out of the wreckage.
Mayor Hicks said the city has been unable to get an insurance adjuster to view the damage and authorize repairs. In the meantime, he said, a portion of the building’s roof is in danger of collapse. “I’d like to get this done as soon as possible,” Hick said.
Demkey said the Street Department had asked the council to replace the street sweeper for several years. “No one paid any attention,” he said.
“I say we go ahead and fix it,” said Ald. Pettit, “and if the insurance company gives us any grief, we have a lawyer.”
After further discussion, Pettit’s motion to give the mayor power to act was unanimously approved. Hicks said he will contact the insurer to see if he can expedite the claim and, if the insurance company is unresponsive, take action to get the damage repaired.
“It’s a safety issue, it’s an emergency,” Pettit said. “Let’s get it fixed.”
FINAL BOAT DOCK PAYMENT
On a motion by Ald. Frank Barrett, seconded by Link, the council voted unanimously to authorize a $53,275 final payment on a new boat dock recently opened at Gillespie Lake. The payment represents the city’s share of the new dock’s $253,000 total cost. The city received a $200,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for the project.
NEW FLAGS
The council agreed to take donations from the public to subsidize the purchase of 20 American flags to be displayed on downtown utility poles during patriotic holidays such as Memorial Day and Independence Day. Ald. Wendy Rolando said she had sought to purchase new flags for the past four years but had been thwarted by the lack of a budget for the project. She said the brackets for displaying the flags already are on the poles and the Street Department had agreed to place and remove the flags when needed.
“It’s been suggested that we have a fundraiser or offer sponsorships to purchase the flags,” she said, adding she located a source to purchase three-by-five-foot flags with poles for $75 each.
The council informally authorized Rolando to collect donations to purchase the flags, and several people present committed to donating to the project. However, Ald. Pettit’s motion to purchase the flags outright and reimburse the General Fund with donations was unanimously approved. Pettit said the donation fund also can be used to replace flags as they become worn.
FACIAL HAIR
Ald. Pettit suggested amending future employment contracts to include a provision requiring employees to comply with OSHA standards regarding facial hair, after an extensive discussion about a Water Department employee who refused to shave his facial hair. Ald. Hayes said OSHA requires employees at the Water Treatment Plant to be clean-shaven because an emergency with water treatment chemicals could require the employees to wear respirator masks. Facial hair reportedly prevents the respirators from properly sealing around the mouth and nose.
Water Plant Operator Dave Pickett later said the issue was moot because the employee had finally agreed to shave.
Hayes said the employee initially refused to comply on the assumption the rule was an arbitrary decision from Pickett.
“Someone needs to tell him it’s not us, it’s OSHA,” Verticchio said via phone. “I’m surprised they haven’t come down on us already.”
Verticchio said an employee who refuses to comply could be written up and, if he continues to resist, be terminated.
“The only employees this would apply to are people who might have to wear masks,” Hicks noted.
Pettit said future contracts should reference OSHA standards because OSHA rules are subject to change during the employee’s tenure. “It would save our superintendents headaches in the future,” Pettit said.,
EXTRA PAY FOR POLICE CHIEF
The council unanimously approved a resolution enabling the city to pay the Chief of Police an hourly wage in addition to his salary for hours spent on patrol. Verticchio explained the Police Chief has been putting in extra hours as a patrolman because the police force is critically short of personnel.
“The only reason he’s on patrol is because we are short,” Vericchio said. The department currently is short four full-time officers. “This is not a permanent situation,” Verticchio said, noting the resolution authorizes the supplemental payments through October to give the city time to hire additional officers.
The measure was approved with both Link and Hayes voting “present.”
In a related matter, the council authorized Police Chief Jared DePoppe to send two new candidates to the state’s Police Academy at the end of August in an effort to fill vacancies on the police department. DePoppe said those candidates have not yet been selected but he is actively interviewing applicants. He said one current applicant is expected to complete academy training early next month.
Ald. Janet Odell-Mueller asked if there was any way the city could obligate Police Academy candidates to stay in the city’s employ for a specific period since the city pays for their training. DePoppe said there is no such mechanism, noting the city has paid to train numerous officers who later resigned to move on to other positions.
In other action, the council approved DePoppe’s request to spend $2,122 to buy new radios compatible with ambulance and fire department communication devices.
DAMAGED DUMP TRUCK
The council referred to committee the issue of whether to repair or replace a damaged dump truck assigned to the Street Department. The truck bed reportedly is rusted out and in need of replacement, and the truck cab has damage resulting from a collision with a utility pole.
Mayor Hicks said the city received an estimate of $14,443 to replace the truck bed and $6,470 for repairs to the cab. The cab repairs, he noted, may be subject to insurance coverage.
“That’s half of what it would cost to buy a new dump truck,” Pettit said. He asked if the Street Department could function with a F-450 or F-550 instead.
The committee is expected to assess whether it would be more cost-effective to repair the old truck or buy a replacement.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
No action followed a 40-minute executive session to discuss personnel issues and possible real estate. Ald. Bob Fritz requested the session to discuss real estate, while Ald. Hayes asked to discuss a personnel issue. Ald. Barrett asked to enter executive session to discuss resolution to a lake lot lease issue with Don Corby, who was on the agenda to address the council earlier in the meeting. No public action was taken, however, regarding Corby’s issue.
BICYCLE ORDINANCE TABLED
The council voted to table action on a proposed ordinance to ban bicycles, skateboards, scooters and side-by-sides on all sidewalks adjacent to city streets in Gillespie. Police Chief DePoppe urged the council to revisit the ordinance and eliminate the reference to “all sidewalks.” That provision, he said, would force bicycles onto the street and create safety concerns in residential areas where young children typically ride bikes on the sidewalk.
Ald. Link said the original intent was to ban bicycles, skateboards and similar vehicles from downtown sidewalks only. Ald. Rauzi suggested that there needed to be provisions to differentiate between bicycles, skateboards and similar vehicles and mobility equipment used by disabled persons.
The action marked the third time the ordinance has been tabled. Rauzi initially proposed the ordinance because downtown signage banning the use of bicycles on sidewalks during business hours has no ordinance on the books to back them up.
On Ald. Barrett’s recommendation the council also tabled action on a resolution revising procedures for issuing lake lot leases.
OTHER ACTION
In other action, the council approved the $2,079 purchase of eight new security cameras for the boat dock and campgrounds at Gillespie Lake.
Comments
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.
Comments
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.
Comments
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.
Comments
-
Community News3 days agoIllinois treasurer to help Macoupin County residents reclaim $8.6 million in unclaimed funds on May 13 at Gillespie Library
-
Community News4 days agoMCHS slates drive-through dinner on May 13
-
Obituaries4 days agoObituary of Mathew Dwayne Spickerman
-
Obituaries3 days agoObituary of Roberta “Bobbi” Haneghan