Community News
Gillespie Police Department to move into new quarters
The new location for the Gillespie Police Department located in the 100 block of West Pine Street
The Gillespie Police Department will soon move from its cramped quarters on East Walnut Street into the former Grandone Building in the 100 block of West Pine Street as a result of a contentious vote by the Gillespie City Council Monday night.
The council voted 4-3 to authorize the move with alderpersons Jim Alderson, Janice Weidner and Robert “Gus” Ottersburg voting “no.” The action followed an hour-long executive session during which council members apparently discussed the move, as well as collective bargaining issues and possible litigation.
Alderman Steve Kluethe recommended moving the Police Department into the building, which was donated last month to the city from St. Francis Hospital, the building’s most recent owner. He told council members in open session that renovations to accommodate the Police Department should cost no more than $14,000, with one of the most expensive items being the acquisition of a generator for emergency power and moving dispatching equipment. The radio tower will remain at its current location.
[pullquote]The new space is more than 500 square feet larger than the current department[/pullquote]Kluethe later told The BenGil Post the move will expand the space available to the Department from less than 1,000 square feet to more than 1,500 square feet. The move also will allow the Police Department to have a reception area, public restrooms as well as restrooms for employees, additional interview rooms (the current location has only one), and a larger, more secure room for evidence storage.
One of the primary advantages, Kluethe said, is that the new location will afford officers a greater degree of privacy when discussing sensitive matters with witnesses and other members of the public.
Those voting against the measure did not discuss their objections in open session. Those voting in favor were Ald. Kluethe, Dave Tucker, Jerry Dolliger and Frank Barrett. Ald. Roger Diveley was absent.
Dispatchers’ negotiation contract accepted
Also as a result of discussions during executive session, the council voted unanimously to accept a new contract with the Laborers Union, which represents dispatchers employed by the Police Department. Under terms of the four-year contract, the city will pick up the cost of dispatchers’ health care insurance coverage and the employees will forego raises for the term of the contract. The term of the contract is May 3, 2016, to June 2, 2020.
Issue over part-time lake lot
The council referred to the Lake Committee the issue of whether or not to approve a Gillespie Lake lot lease to Charles and Diane Patterson of Edwardsville. The issue is whether the lot can be designated as a part-time residence for a few years before becoming a full-time residence at a later date. The cabin, located at 3 Mathis Lane, had been a full-time residence up until the death of the previous owner.
The Pattersons said they put down earnest money with a real estate agent handling the sale of the property and only learned later that there could be a problem with temporarily designating the property as a part-time residence. A city ordinance aimed at reducing the number of full-time residents at the lake bans reclassifying a lake lot as a full-time residence once a property owner gives up that designation.
“If they are planning to use that as a part-time residence, the ordinance would bar them from making it a full-time residence later,” said City Attorney Kevin Polo. “There are exceptions that could be written in, if you have a desire to do that.” As an example, Polo said the ordinance could be amended to allow a full-time lot to be temporarily designated a part-time lot for no more than five years.
“This is the first time this has come up in the seven years I’ve been on the Lake Committee,” said Ald. Barrett, who chairs the committee. He said part of the problem is that real estate agents handling the sale of lake properties often are not completely familiar with the regulations. “I try to tell them not to take earnest money until the transfer has been approved up here.”
City Treasurer Dan Fisher said the ordinance in question was written with an eye toward reducing the number of full-time residents living at the lake because the “lake was never designed for full-time residential use; it was built as a water supply.”
The Pattersons say they plan to live at the late full-time once they reach retirement age. In the meantime they want to use the cabin as a “second home.” The property has amenities, such as a septic storage tank, that qualify it for use as a full-time residence, and the Pattersons say they need to be able to access the property in the off-season to check on the property and make sure the septic system is operating properly during the times they are not living there on a day-to-day basis.
“We live in Edwardsville, which is only 30 minutes away,” said Charles Patterson. “We will be using that property as a second home, and we’re going to be paying property taxes to Macoupin County for a house.”
Ultimately, the council referred the issue back to committee with the expectation the committee will propose an ordinance amendment to accommodate the Patterson’s situation when the council meets again next month.
Two other lake lot lease transfers were approved unanimously without controversy.
A lot at 11 Oak Point Lane was transferred to James and Kathleen Hagen for use as a part-time residence. Barrett said the cabin on the property was damaged by a storm in the recent past and the Hagens plan to make repairs and continue to use it. “We would have had to tear it down at the city’s expense otherwise,” Barrett noted.
The council also transferred the lease for a camping lot located near the new dam to Daniel Hall. The lot was created by council action in January.
Yard sale ordinance repealed
Council members voted unanimously to repeal a yard sale/garage sale ordinance aimed at preventing residents from having “continuous” yard sales or weekly yard sales. Before voting, Ald. Weidner wanted to know if rescinding the ordinance would preclude the city from regulating residents who operate continuous yard sales every day or every weekend. Ald. Kluethe, who recommended the change last month, said such instances should be classified as “small businesses” and be regulated under the city’s zoning ordinance and business licensing ordinance.
“If they are doing it every day, it’s a small business,” said Kluethe. “They have to be zoned for it and they need to have a business license from the city.” In addition, he said, they would need a retail tax identification number from the state to collect sales tax. He reiterated his contention from last month that city aldermen should monitor such situations within their wards and approach the offending parties to work out a solution.
Council rescinds ordinance and amends another
The council also rescinded an ordinance that previously required Ameren Illinois to hold off on connecting utility services at rental properties until the city issued an occupancy permit. Polo said that at the time the ordinance was created, the city could require Ameren to forestall utility service. The ordinance, however, was later rendered unenforceable by state law.
In a related matter, the council voted to amend its housing inspection ordinance to require rental units to be inspected once every 12 months unless city water service is registered in the name of the tenant rather than the property owner. If the service is registered in the name of the tenant, the inspection is required only when tenants change. The amendment is designed to encourage owners of rental properties to require tenants to have their own utility services, thereby allowing the city to more closely monitor when new tenants move into rental units.
Council hears from District 7 Superintendent and School Board Member
Early in the meeting, the council heard an extensive report from Community Unit School District 7 Superintendent Joe Tieman and Jenni Alepra, a member of the Board of Education, regarding the school’s efforts to expand vocational education opportunities for area students. Alepra characterized the presentation as a follow-up to an appearance before the council six months ago when the school district asked for a greater cooperative effort between the city and school district.
“Since then we have combined forces with the construction trades union in Pekin,” Alepra said, to align the district’s construction trades curriculum with that of the union’s training facility. As a result, local construction trades students will be able to graduate with a union apprenticeship and immediately go to work at 60 percent of the prevailing wage for construction laborers.
She also outlined the Creation Entrepreneurial Opportunities (CEO) program in which the school district is expected to participate next semester. Through the program, which will enroll 20 students from high schools throughout the county, students will hone entrepreneurial skills, enabling them to establish and operate their own small business enterprises. As part of the curriculum, students are required to develop a small business plan. In other areas where the program already is in place, Alepra noted, some students have established successful businesses upon graduation, based on the project they developed during the program.
“This is economic development at the school level,” she said.
[pullquote]Equipping graduating students with the education they need to either start a business or enter into a vocation improves the chances that some of those students will choose to remain in the community and raise their families[/pullquote]Tieman said area businesses can “invest” in the program, but are limited to donating no more than $1,000 to preclude sponsors from gaining any kind of control over the program based on the size of their contribution. He encouraged the city to consider making a similar investment in the program. For businesses and individuals who want to make donations that are larger or smaller than $1,000, Alepra said there is a fund associated with the program to help underprivileged students buy business casual attire and other materials they need for the class.
“For the first year, we may have only one or two of our students involved,” Tieman noted, because of the competitive nature of enrollment. “If we can get two or three of our students in this year, that would be fantastic.” If the CEO program gains momentum, future classes will be larger and local students will have greater chances of winning a spot.
“It’s an interesting program,” Fisher commented. “It fits in with things that we as a council need to be doing. We are in the life improvement business and one of the ways we can do that is to give people all the opportunities we can.” Equipping graduating students with the education they need to either start a business or enter into a vocation improves the chances that some of those students will choose to remain in the community and raise their families, Fisher said. That, in turn, enhances the city’s tax revenues, the distribution of which is based on population. “If we can help them, we’re helping ourselves,” Fisher continued. “If we can foster an entrepreneurial spirit, we won’t have any trouble filling our buildings downtown.”
Before adjourning the meeting, Mayor John Hicks said he would place it on the agenda for next month to consider a contribution to the CEO program.
Council approves reimbursement
Following an appearance before the council by homeowner Steve Joyce, the council voted to pay $100 toward labor cost for replacing a sidewalk in front of Joyce’s home and the homes of two of his neighbors. Last month, the council had disallowed the reimbursement after Ald. Dolliger said the city does not reimburse for Saturday labor costs, which can be higher than weekday rates. But on Monday, Joyce said some of the labor costs were incurred because the homeowners had to make improvements to a gutter that actually belongs to the city.
“I think the city should pay at least some fair share of the cost on the street side,” Joyce said.
Other Action
In other action, the council:
Council members authorized the Water Department to shut off water service to a residence in the 500 block of Jersey Street pending payment of a water bill that has grown to more than $700. Hicks said the city previously did not have a way to shut off water service to the residence, but recently installed a shut-off valve at a cost of about $200 as part of another project in the area.
- Appointed Ald. Weidner to represent the city on the Gillespie-Benld Area Ambulance Service Board.
- Heard a report from Ald. Tucker indicating that the Coal Mining Heritage Commission has voted to disband and reorganize itself as a Coal Mining Heritage Museum Board. Tucker said the Commission has completed its mission in voting to establish a museum and reorganizing as a Museum Board is the next logical step. Tucker chairs the board. Other members include Ald. Alderson, Fisher, Steve Joyce, Wayne Hinton and Jenni Alepra.
- Agreed to spend $429 to buy a used desktop computer for the Water Department to replace a laptop in which the mother board crashed.
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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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