Community News
Gillespie raises sewer rates, tables controversial housing inspection ordinance
Alderman Steve Kluethe makes a point during the meeting Monday. In the background, a black ribbon bearing Alderman Gus Ottersburg’s name is adorned over his seat on the council.
Apart from bidding goodbye to Alderman Gus Ottersburg, the Gillespie council handled routine business during the somewhat lengthy Monday night session. The council approved an ordinance to increase rates for sewer services and tabled action on a controversial ordinance regarding housing inspections for rental properties.
The council also approved a new collective bargaining agreement with Public Works employees, approved a resolution of support for a proposed ITS hiking-biking trail from Staunton to Benld, took steps toward renovating electrical systems at a Gillespie Lake campground, and approved an ordinance to establish additional handicapped parking spaces at Ss. Simon and Jude Catholic Church.
SEWER RATES HIKED
Council members unanimously voted to adopt an ordinance amendment calling for sewer rate increases. The increase adds $1 to the minimum charge making the minimum charge $6.50 and adds $0.25 per 1000 gallons usage for in-town customers making the per 1000 gallons rate $1.50. The ordinance also raises the minimum charge for users outside city limits to $9.18, an increase of $2.
[pullquote]The increase adds $1 to the minimum charge and adds $0.25 per 1000 gallons usage[/pullquote]On the recommendation of Treasurer Fisher, the council also agreed to reapply for a federal grant to help pay for an East Gillespie water line. If awarded, the City of Gillespie and Village of East Gillespie would share the matching fund costs of the project. Fisher said the city’s commitment to the project amounts to about $120,000. Two previous grant applications for the project failed. Fisher recommended reapplying on the theory that it might be awarded this time. Last year, only 10 percent of 200 applications were successful.
Since the last time the city applied for the grant, Fisher said the grant formula has changed which could increase or lower the cost of the city’s participation.
“It’s in our interest to participate,” Fisher said. “We’re putting in a small amount of the cost, but we will be responsible for maintaining that line.”
RENTAL HOUSING INSPECTION ORDINANCE TABLED FOR SECOND TIME
The council tabled the housing inspection ordinance on the recommendation of Mayor Hicks, primarily to clarify language regarding the responsibilities of landlords to provide proof that same tenants are continuing to rent the premises from one year to the next. The council originally had considered an ordinance that would have required annual housing inspections at a cost of $75 per year for properties where the landlords keep the water service in their own names rather than that of the tenants.
Under that ordinance, residential rental properties where the water is in the name of the tenant would have been inspected only before a new tenant moved in after the previous tenant moved out. That ordinance was tabled last month after several landlords objected to the requirement, claiming it was unfair to those who choose to keep the water service to their properties in their own names.
After that meeting, landlords were invited to attend a committee meeting to help forge a compromise ordinance. During that meeting the committee and the landlords apparently agreed upon a system under which property owners could submit proof to the city that the same tenants continued to live in the residence from one year to the next. The newly drafted ordinance would have required landlords to present the evidence to the city by April 1, and identified such evidence as a verification of the address plus a utility bill dated no more than 30 days prior to April 1.
During Monday night’s meeting, Ald. Janice Weidner objected to the specific language, noting that there could be instances when the landlord had not yet received a utility bill within the 30 days prior to April 1. She suggested changing the language to specify a “current” utility bill. In order to make that change to the document, Hicks recommended tabling action on the ordinance until next month.
CAMPGROUND ELECTRICAL WORK
The council referred to the Lake Committee two bids received for electrical work to improve electrical service at a Gillespie Lake campground and to add electrical service for five new camping spots for recreational vehicles. Two bids for the work–one from Bauer Electrical Contractors in Gillespie and one from Turney Electrical in Bunker Hill–were opened Monday night. The bid amounts appeared to range from a total of just over $5,000 to a total of $18,000. The bids were referred to the committee to ensure the contractors were bidding on the same scope of work and determine which bid is the more appropriate one to accept.
Action on accepting a bid is expected during the March 21 special meeting with an eye toward completing the work prior to the camping season.
HANDICAPPED PARKING SPACES
Council members voted unanimously to approve an ordinance creating four new handicapped parking spaces on Maple Street on the south side of Ss. Simon and Jude Catholic Church.
The council also discussed a request from a rental property owner who wants to create a handicapped parking space at one of his rental units. The council took no action, however, after determining the landlord’s plans do not involve city property.
PUBLIC WORKS CONTRACT
Following an hour-long executive session, the council unanimously voted to adopt a collective bargaining agreement with the city’s Public Works employees. The three-year contract for the non-union employees specifies specific annual raises for specific employees rather than an across the board percentage increase.
ITS TRAIL
After hearing a presentation from ITS Committee member Bill Vogt, the council voted to adopt a resolution of support for extending the popular walking-biking trail from Staunton to the head of the Gillespie-Benld Bike Trail in Benld. Vogt said the trail, which follows the former right-of-way for the Illinois Traction Railway System already has been developed from Edwardsville to Staunton, and that extending the trail would be a boom for economic development in the area. He said the committee has been in contact with the Norfolk-Southern Railroad to discuss acquisition of the right-of-way.
The communities of Benld, Sawyerville and Staunton already have approved resolutions of support, and a resolution of support is expected from the Macoupin County Board.
The resolution does not obligate the city financially for the project, but provides supporting material for a grant application to underwrite the trail development, Vogt said.
Last year, he said, 22 trail systems in Illinois were awarded grants for trail development.
“The federal government is spending millions on trails,” Vogt said. “I figure they might as well spend some of that money here.”
RECYCLING AGREEMENT
Council members unanimously approved an equipment agreement under which the city will lease recycling bins owned by the city to the Illinois Valley Economic Development Corp at a cost of $1 per year. The bins will be located at the Walnut Street Gardens facility where developmentally disabled clients will manage the collection of recyclables from city residents. The arrangement alleviates the city from having to use city workers to transport recyclable materials to Carlinville two to three times a week. The city’s insurance will continue to cover the equipment while IVEDC’s insurance will cover the workers.
[pullquote]I think it’s a good deal for everyone[/pullquote]”I think it’s a good deal for everyone,” said Ald. Tucker, “the city, the community and the Walnut Street Garden Center.”
Services provided by IVEDC clients will include helping residents unload recyclables from their vehicles.
MOSQUITO SPRAYING
Fisher reported to the council that a new rule from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources may jeopardize mosquito abatement efforts at Gillespie Lake this summer. While the city has an employee certified to operate mosquito fogging equipment, the new rule requires the city to run a computerized EchoCad report on the areas where it intends to spray. The report will identify wetlands and other areas that could sustain environmental damage from fogging.
“When you’re in town, it’s normally not a problem,” Fisher said. “But when you get into the rural areas, it could be an issue. We’ve never done this before. We have to do it now to get a permit.”
Gillespie Lake is likely to be precluded from fogging, Fisher noted, meaning the city may have to forego mosquito abatement there or use an alternative method such as mosquito pellets.
TRAILER COURT ISSUE
Attorney Polo advised the city may have to revamp its ordinance on persons using recreational vehicles as residences to bring it into compliance with state rules. He said he was recently advised that the trailer court on the city’s south side had at least two RVs that were being used as residences. Upon checking state licensing requirements, Polo said he learned that Public Health Department permits for trailer courts allow the use of RVs as residences as long as they are permanently connected to water and sewer services. One of the RVs at the trailer court had skirting which precluded him from determining whether it was in compliance, but the other had a flexible hose for sewer service which meant it clearly was not in compliance. Both vehicles have since been removed from the court.
The current ordinance, dating back to the 1970s, states that recreational vehicles cannot be used as residences for longer than eight months. The ordinance was designed to allow RV owners to use their vehicles for family guests staying with them temporarily while banning their use as permanent residences.
Since the ordinance is not congruent with state regulations, Polo recommended referring the ordinance to committee for revision and bringing it back to the full council for action.
MAIL MACHINE
The council voted to go with the low bidder for leasing a postal machine for the city office. Currently, the city leases a machine from Pitney-Bowes for $213 per month, but it appeared that a company called NeoPost was willing to lease their machine for $113 per month. There was some confusion about whether or not the bids included a service contract, to the council agreed to refer the matter to committee for further study and to contract with whichever company turned out to be the low bidder.
Ald. Weidner said Community Unit School District 7 currently uses NeoPost and is satisfied with the company’s equipment and service.
Council members also agreed to participate in a contract with Fastenal which will enable the city to buy office supplies at bid prices obtained by other entities. Mayor Hicks said the contract is not exclusive, so the city can buy supplies from other companies when those companies offer a cheaper price for specific items.
Resident Robert Brown appeared before the council to register a complaint about the sewer system backing up into his basement on South Street. Ald. Jerry Dolliger, Public Works Committee Chair, agreed to have workers come to Brown’s residence to try to determine the cause of the issue and make appropriate repairs.
In other action, the council:
- Transferred a lake lot at 56 Bishop Drive to Donald and Mary Landuyt of Alton.
- Approved a resolution asking the Department of Transportation to temporarily close a section of Illinois Route 4 for Black Diamond Days in June.
- Made a donation of $100 for the Macoupin County Safe Families golf outing.
- Agreed to spend $50 to send Water Treatment Plant Operator Don Shuey to a one-day seminar on managing algae blooms.
- Agreed to advertise for sale a number of surplus real estate lots owned by the city, along with the following equipment: a John Deere 1050 with a loader, a Massey Ferguson 210 diesel tractor with a bushhog, a Winco generator, a Homelite water trash pump, and a Miller 255 Mig welder.
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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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