Connect with us

Community News

New Wilsonville trustee, residents want action on delinquent properties

Published

on

An image of one of the referred properties. (Contributed photo/Wilsonville Freedom of Speech)

An image of one of the referred properties. (Contributed photo/Wilsonville Freedom of Speech)

Two new and two returning trustees, along with the former treasurer and president reelected, were all sworn into office during the Village of Wilsonville’s monthly board meeting held last Monday, May 4. Despite the lengthy agenda without delinquent properties listed as a topic of discussion, one trustee was quick to bring up the topic after notifying the board that his only objective behind running for office was to clean the village.

One trustee in particular and multiple residents in the audience want action taken for landowners with run-down property inside the village limits. The trustee with the most interest is one of the newest members of the board – Bob Carr. Along with Carr, David Day and incumbent Deno Filippini were sworn into 4-year terms last week.

Incumbents John Veres, Tracey Willhoit and Annetta Veres were also sworn into office last week to serve a 2-year trustee seat, treasurer seat and president seat, respected, after the candidates won the consolidated election held in April.

Residents Dave Delaurent and Mark Besserman used every second of their allotted three-minute period to address the council during the public recognition portion of the meeting. The pair had similar interests as they each addressed “eye-sore” properties on Wilson Street and Sawyer Street.

Besserman complained that materials from the torn down structure on 201 Wilson Street are being transferred to 215 Wilson Street. “The EPA states it is illegal dumping when material [is transferred to another property],” Besserman explained. “It is against the law. When is it going to get cleaned up?”

These two guys are making a mockery of the town and it’s time for us to do something. It’s been going on way too long.

Similarly, Delaurent expressed interest about the properties on Wilson Street and questioned why the council would spend $9,000 in legal fees to take ownership of an identified property on Wilson Street, but then returned ownership back to the previous owner who has made little demolition progress. “The city paid for dumpsters for that property and also threw $9,000 out the window in legal fees,” Delaurent said. “The homeowner hasn’t demolished the property in proper time.”

He continued by notifying the village Delaurent Construction will donate their time to demolish any property the village owns in Wilsonville in hopes of making the village a better place to live. “I’m one of the few businesses that pay taxes in this village and we need to get some of these houses torn down,” DeLaurent continued.

David Day, Bobby Carr and John Veres were sworn in last week as Wilsonville trustees. Day and Carr will serve a 4-year term while Veres will serve a 2-year term.

Trustees David Day, Bobby Carr and John Veres being sworn into office.

Trustee Bob Carr suggested the village implement a strict time period to clean residences. “I say we give [Allen Amos] 30 days to clean his two properties on Wilson or we start fining him. There are other property owners too,” Carr said during the closing minutes of the meeting. “This is the only reason I ran for office. These two guys are making a mockery of the town and it’s time for us to do something. It’s been going on way too long.”

President Annetta Veres agreed with Carr saying no one wants the town cleaned up more than she does and the $9,000 legal fees incurred by the village referred to by Delaurent took place before she was elected president. Veres said the village couldn’t instate the 30-day cleanup period last week since it wasn’t on the agenda, but she said it will absolutely be on the agenda for the June meeting.

Advertisement

Old Business

The Wilsonville Senior Citizen group reported they raised $1,250 during the chili and soup fundraiser held on April 11 and with the $500 match from the village, the final amount raised was $1,750. The proceeds are going to be used for table and chairs for the community center.

President Veres reported that she could not find the title for the Crown Victoria police car and explained she was going to contact the Department of Motor Vehicles to acquire one. The village put the police car out for bids two months ago, but denied the only bid received for the car last month citing it was too low.

New Business

President Veres said the board needs to address the community center agreement in terms of cleaning and deposits. “We need to come up with ideas as far as cleaning or a proper fee for not cleaning, then we need to decide where the cleaning fee goes,” she explained. She turned over agreements from surrounding communities to Bob Carr, head of parks and public grounds, to address during his committee meeting. The board will revisit the topic next month.

Veres continued by saying the Village of Wilsonville will be first on Fleming & Tawfall’s list for the annual audit. She said the audit will tentatively begin on June 1.

Lastly, she said she contacted Illinois Rural Water Association (IRWA) and Ameren. IRWA is going to come out with cameras to run the line regarding the sinking tile on Marcia and Dean while Ameren offers an energy efficiency work program. She explained the Ameren program helps replace older lighting with efficient alternatives and the Wilsonville Community Center is first on the list.

Upcoming dates:

May 16: Veteran’s Caravan will be held with an expected arrival time of 11:30 a.m. in Wilsonville.

May 16: WCO Bingo Fundraiser starting at 1p.m. at the community center.

May 26: All committees meeting.

Advertisement

June 1: Regular business monthly meeting.

June 13: Out of school dance will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. at the community center.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – –

There are plenty of ways to keep up on BenGil news:

Sign up for our weekly email newsletter

Follow us on Twitter for the fastest breaking news updates and score updates

Like us on Facebook for a slightly different take

Advertisement
Share this story

Comments

comments

Community News

Gillespie teen wins drive safe Chicago video contest

Published

on

Wins $2,000 Prize and Video She Created will Air on 160 TV Stations Nationwide

CHICAGO – Emily Bergen, 16, a student at Gillespie High School in Gillespie, has won the annual Drive Safe Chicago public service announcement contest.  Antonio Knott, 15, of Merrillville High School in Merrillville IN, placed second in the voting, and Noelani Elizalde, 17, also from Merrillville High School, was third. 

Sponsored by the National Road Safety Foundation in partnership with the Chicago Auto Show, teens from Illinois and surrounding states were invited to submit ideas for a 30-second PSA about sharing the road with other passenger vehicles, trucks, motorcycles and pedestrians.

Three finalists were selected and each worked with an Emmy Award-winning producer to transform their PSA submissions into 30-second TV public service announcements.  The public was then able to vote for their favorite online.  More than 1,400 online votes were cast.

The winner received $2,000 and will be featured on nationally-syndicated Teen Kids News, reaching more than 160 TV stations across the country. The first runner-up got $1,000 and the second runner-up won $500.  All three finalists’ teachers received $100 gift cards.

Bergen’s winning PSA shows a young driver starting her car and pressing a “share the road” button.  As she drives, an AI voice warns her of a bicyclist, a pedestrian and children in a school zone. The voice then reminds her, “Cars don’t come with devices like me, which is why you need to know how to share the road.”

“The carnage on our roads can be reduced if drivers remain aware of others who share the road,” said Michelle Anderson of The National Road Safety Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes safe driving. “We think the creative ideas about sharing the road from our Drive Safe Chicago winner and runners-up convey that message effectively.”

“Although today’s new cars are safer than ever, with technological advances that are proven to help avoid crashes,” said Chicago Auto Show Chairwoman Kelly Webb Roberts, “drivers must still be aware of others they are sharing the road with, whether it’s a car, truck, motorcycle, bicycle or pedestrians.”

Advertisement

The National Road Safety Foundation says driver error accounts for 94 percent of all fatal crashes, with speeding and driver distraction among the leading factors.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 40,990 people died on U.S. roads and highways in 2023, with hundreds of thousands of injuries and an estimated annual cost of more than $340 billion.

View Bergen’s winning video below:

Bergen’s video is also featured center on the National Road Safety Foundation’s website with the runners-up videos to the right and to the left: https://m.shortstack.page/NLxMqT

Share this story

Comments

comments

Continue Reading

Community News

L&C announces fall 2024 honors lists

Published

on

Lewis and Clark Community College

Students earning a cumulative grade point average of 3.75 or higher out of a possible 4.0 are named to the President’s List. Those students earning a grade point average between 3.25 and 3.74 are recognized each semester on the Dean’s List.

Further requirements are listed in the college’s online catalog at http://catalog.lc.edu. All questions should be directed to the Enrollment Center at (618) 468-2222. Below is an excerpt containing students residing in Macoupin County.

President’s List

BENLD – Ryleigh L. Phillips; Zander E. Rieffer; Emily R. Schoen; Tristen B. Wargo;

BRIGHTON – Brandon M. Adams; Ike D. Austin; Lainie L. Behrends; Reagan Beilsmith; Ian C. Brantley; Tina M. Brass; Lane Cox; Madison P. Fenstermaker; Hunter D. Gillis; Hailey Gula; Alexis R. Harrop; Gavin Humm; Thomas D. Kunz; Nicholas O. McGee; Audrey A. Perkins; Ava J. Pulley; Alyssa J. Schuchman; Addison Strohbeck; Sydney A. Valdes; Abby Van Doren; Piper L. Voorhees; Madelyn E. Zarges;

BUNKER HILL – Alex Betts; Grant J. Burch; Kayleigh K. Butler; Abigayle L. Collins; Denise Deias; Braden T. Fulton; Dillon M. Guess; Maya R. Henfling; Hannah J. Herrmann; Madalynn Hilyard; Madelyn Landreth; William Manar; Kaylee L. Richert; Andrew Sanner; Abby N. Spraggs; Noah A. Thyer;

CARLINVILLE – Jack E. Beard; Matthew J. Eldred; Jack Goby; Stephanie K. Harding; Gabriel R. Henson; Alexsis A. Kalaher; Weston E. Kuykendall; Lillian McCurley; Emerald Ondrey; Joanna M. Roemer; Jessica N. Strubbe; Karleina J. Tipps; Samuel L. Wilson;

GILLESPIE – Lauren E. Bertagnolli; Ean L. Davis; Lanie G. Doty; Kennedy G. Helmkamp;

MEDORA – Aubrey M. Reno; Anneliese M. Shatley; Haleigh Sinclair;

SHIPMAN – Alyssa L. Beck; Gracie B. Darr; Addison A. Jeffers; Tyson Kahl; Josiah A. Schuette; Bailee A. Sorgea;

Advertisement

SOUTH ROXANA – Lyndsey M. Johansen; Caden O. Lara; Savanah M. Stogsdill;

STAUNTON – Julie A. Aloisi; Samantha R. Anderson; Zane P. Anderson; Shane Baker; Lilly M. Bandy; Grace Bekeske; Gianna Bianco; Carson G. Buffington; Kiersten L. Carlson; Karla J. Castillo; Izabella Claussen; Lillian Dothager; Olivia M. Favre; Eli J. Henke; Alexis A. Hester; Samantha D. Hoffman; Harold I. Irvin, III; Dylan Jarden; Korryn O. Keehner; Nicholas L. Raphael; Alexis P. Schaaf; Brady Seelbach; Carli L. Skinner; Cole Sternickle; Tyler J. Thompson; Lilly Trettenero; Lillyan S. Troeckler;

Dean’s List

BENLD – Ridge A. Braundmeier; Kaitlynn E. Conner; Elizabeth M. King; Alyssa S. McCollum; Marria D. Middleton; Alyssa F. Schuette;

BRIGHTON – Garrett R. Beuttel; Troy J. Brooks; Emily Y. Cambron; Jacob G. Carpenter; Lucy Childress; Olivia Cody; Logan T. Crane; Tristyn N. Ditterline; Kaylin G. Gerard; Cooper J. Hagen; Ashlyn K. Hall; Evan Hanold; Samuel J. Harshbarger; Amelia R. Hines-Pattan; Ella J. Kadell; Daylin M. King; Kayla A. Lemarr; Tucker Mayhew; Elizabeth L. Milford; Stacey M. Mynatt; Blythe E. Roloff; Jordan R. Short; Shiann Vinson; Grace A. Wylde;

BUNKER HILL – Cole T. Burch; Hanna N. Heeren; Madelynne K. Heflin; Taylor Miklavic; Katelyn J. Miller; Abigail G. Scott;

CARLINVILLE – Boedy E. Baker; Emily A. Barbre; Zachary Chapman; Ella R. Clevenger; Alana N. Dixon; Alison J. Dixon; Nathan Dyer; Addison Eldred; Saralynn I. Joiner; Henry S. Kalaher; William G. Meyer; Chloe A. Payne; Amy L. Pocklington; Jack Rives; Lanna P. Vanderpoel; Ella C. Wise; Braley M. Wiser;

GILLESPIE – Reese E. Bussmann; Regan E. Bussmann; Addie M. Hayes; Karter Mix; Adrianne B. Niemeyer; Grace J. Vandoren; Shannon L. Wright;

MOUNT OLIVE – Libbie M. Nowell;

Advertisement

PIASA – Anna C. Fink;

SHIPMAN – Kaden G. Cottingham; Rocky Darr; Kathryn M. Mueller; Sayuri Owada; Rocky J. Rose;

STAUNTON – Rylee K. Baugh; David S. Dann; Belle M. Darte; Jacob A. Dillon; Vivienne Dothager; Sean T. Fleming; Kennedy L. Legendre; Zander MacHota; Savannah M. Missey; Nicholas Monahan; Nicole M. Narup; Kelley Perrine; Christopher S. Pritchett; Alivia Royer; Katie N. Schalk; Lakesi Settles; Priya E. Siegfried; Justin A. Smith; Kylie A. Tomso; Whitney Weller;

Share this story

Comments

comments

Continue Reading

Community News

Gillespie to host blood drive on Feb. 17

Published

on

Gillespie Community 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, February 17 at 900 Broadway, inside Gillespie Methodist Church Gym.

To donate, please contact Brenda Lowe at (217) 710-1336 or visit www.bloodcenter.org and use code 60020 to locate the drive. You may also call ImpactLife to schedule at 800-747-5401. Appointments are requested.

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) 747 5401. Donors who last gave blood on or before 12/23/24 are eligible to give at this drive.

Share this story

Comments

comments

Continue Reading

Trending

×

We need your support. If you value having timely, accurate news about your community, please become one of our subscribers. Subscribe