Community News
Summary of This Week’s School Board Meeting
Members of the Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education on Monday night approved a controversial Project Labor Agreement in connection with the construction of a new elementary school, but balked at approving a floor plan for the new building, opting instead to take under advisement two possible configurations proposed by school architect Tom Hyde.
Until Monday night, the board had studied a single configuration. That plan would feature a wide main wing facing east, with two additional classroom wings on the west side of the building. The west wings would have been arrayed in a “V” shape. A gymnasium and cafeteria facilities would be located at the north end of the main wing.
On Monday, however, Hyde presented a second option that would result in an “H” shaped floor plan. The main wing would still face east, but a second wing would run parallel to the main wing immediately to the west. The two wings would be connected by a short corridor at the center of the building.
Hyde said he was recommending the “H” shaped floor plan, in part, because of the results of a study regarding the locating of mine workings under the property. Hyde said existing mine maps proved to be remarkably accurate. “The location of the mine turns out to be very accurate,” he said. “We were surprised at how accurate the maps really were.”
The maps were “off” only 20 to 30 feet to the east and 20 to 30 feet to the south, he said. In both proposals, the main, or front wing, of the building would be located over a barrier panel of solid coal. Mine workings under the balance of the building would have to be “grouted,” or filled in to preclude the possibility of the building being damaged by mine subsidence. The district’s seven-year-old Benld Elementary School was destroyed by a mine subsidence event that began in late March 2009.
The new building currently in the planning stages will be located on property formerly owned by Roger and Vicki DeWitt to the west of the existing high school/middle school campus. Switching to an “H” shaped floor plan would reduce the “footprint” of the building and thereby reduce the amount of grouting needed to protect it from subsidence.
“One change I’m suggesting is to change the configuration of the building to an “H” shape as opposed to the “V” shape to minimize the amount of grouting needed on the west side of the building,” Hyde said. The budget developed by the Capital Development Board includes about $3 million for grouting. Changing the shape of the building from a “V” shape to an “H” shape could shave $750,000 to $1 million from the cost of the grouting, according to Hyde.
The school district is the recipient of a $19 million grant through CDB to cover 75 percent of the building’s cost. The local school district is responsible for 25 percent of the final cost.
Hyde described the grouting budget as a “floating” budget, meaning that an increase in the cost of grouting would not detract from the amount of money available for construction. By the same token, saving money on grouting will not increase the amount of money available for construction. An increase in the grouting budget would, however, increase the amount of local money needed to make up the districtÕs 25 percent share of the building cost.
“The budget was built around a certain amount for grouting,” Hyde noted. “If the cost of grouting goes up by $1 million, the grant goes up by $1 million. The cost to you is 25 percent of that.”
“So if additional money is spent on grouting, it does not take away from what we can spend on the school?” Griffel asked. Both Hyde and Supt. Paul Skeans acknowledged an increase in the cost of grouting would not affect the amount of money available for construction.
“If the budget goes up, I think we have the money to cover it,” Skeans said.
Despite the possible savings in cost, several board members expressed a preference for the floor plan featuring wings arranged in a “V” on the west side of the building. “This is exactly what I said would happen,” Jenni Alepra, board member, commented. “The mine is now manipulating the school building. We’ve got a $25 million project on the table and now we’re going to “settle” on this. Now we”re being told we’re going to be over budget. This is not where we should be at all. I thought this was all worked out already. That’s why I’m so frustrated.”
She pointed out that administrators, teachers, and board members had determined the configuration with wings arranged in a “V” would offer better security for the building. With the classroom wings arrayed in such a fashion, a teacher or administrator could stand in the entry vestibule and have a clear view of all four classroom wings.
“This is a lot safer,” Alepra said, indicating the original floor plan.
Board member Don Dobrino asked Elementary Principal Angela Turcol if she and faculty members had a preference for either of the two plans. Turcol said teachers were “positive” about either plan. But she indicated she did not ask them which plan they preferred.
While the H-shaped plan will be more difficult to monitor than the V-shaped plan, Turcol said either plan will be superior to the former Benld Elementary School in terms of security provisions.
“I’m good going either direction,” Hyde said, indicating the board could have another 30 days to make a decision without interfering with the construction timeline established for the project.
Either option, he said, would offer about 70,000 square feet for 39 classrooms, plus a gymnasium and cafeteria, bringing the total building size to about 93,000 square feet.
Griffel expressed concerns about rushing into a decision.
“We’ve been working with the other plan for six or seven months,” he said. “Then we’re presented with another plan and we’re expected to come back with a decision in 30 days.”
Apart from the floor plan question, Hyde also discussed other aspects of the proposed building the district plans to incorporate regardless of which configuration is chosen. Responding to public comments and faculty requests, Hyde said the new building will include a gymnasium equipped with a stage for performances and other events.
With bleachers capable of seating more than 300 people, the new gym can serve as a venue for sporting events. For plays, concerts and other events utilizing the stage, there will be enough room on the gym floor for another 500 folding chairs, providing a total seating capacity in excess of 800.
Adjacent to the gym will be a separate cafeteria facility, Hyde said. In the former Benld school the gym and cafeteria shared the same floor space. Hyde also discussed several grants the district has applied for to help offset the cost of the school building. The school recently applied for a $400,000 Clean Communities Energy grant, a $140,000 energy grant from Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and a $180,000 Energy Efficiency Design grant, also administered by DCEO. Combined with the $250,000 Pepsi grant secured by the BenGil Boosters, the district stands to land nearly $1 million in grant funds for the school.
The bulk of the money the school has applied for is directed toward encouraging “green” construction and energy efficiency. For example, Hyde said, the new building will be equipped with solar panels and a small wind turbine to generate power and supplement the building’s energy needs. Hyde said the alternative energy sources should provide 20 to 30 percent of the building’s energy needs.
In other action, the board unanimously approved a resolution to enter into a Project Labor Agreement with Southwestern Illinois Building Trades and Construction Trades Council. PLAs are collective bargaining agreements between the project owner and the trades council to set out basic terms and work conditions for the project. The Elementary School PLA has been on the table for five months and has been the focus of some controversy at past meetings of the board.
“In that time, we’ve had a lot of opportunities to have information passed from both sides,” Skeans told the board, noting he had been working with Dale Stewart of the Trades Council over the weekend to make final adjustments to the PLA. “I think we have a consensus and it is my recommendation that we move forward with the Project Labor Agreement.”
Following an extensive discussion with High School Principal Joe Tieman, the board approved a plan to implement an “eighth period” next school year for sophomores, juniors and seniors. Tieman said several area schools have adopted the eighth period plan, which is designed to assist students who are struggling in some subjects or who need in-school time for study.
Under the plan, the length of class periods will be reduced to allow for an eighth period at the end of the day. Students whose grades are high enough to qualify may opt to leave school early. Other students, especially those who need additional help in some subjects, would stay to the end of the day for study and tutoring.
Tieman said he expects the program to result in higher grade-point averages, better scores on standardized tests and better rates of homework completion.
In the area of personnel, board members voted to appoint Jennifer Brown as High School Student Council sponsor for the 2011-2012 school year, Aaron Cooper as an assistant high school football coach for next school year, and Celia Jubelt as assistant high school volleyball coach for the coming school year.
With Board President Lloyd “Rusty” Bilbruck abstaining from the vote, the board agreed to appoint Bilbruck as a volunteer assistant high school football coach for 2011-2012. Monday night was Bilbruck‘s last meeting; his term will end with the seating of the new board next week.
Board members accepted the resignation of Jill Rosentreter as middle school volleyball coach and agreed to post the position as vacant for the 2011-2012 school year. Rosentreter has coached the team for 12 years.
On a motion by Alepra, seconded by Hayes, the board voted to hire Jennifer Brown and Rob Macias as summer school teacher, provided there is enough summer school enrollment to offset the cost. Brown will teach consumer education and driver’s education; Macias will teach driver’s education.
In a related matter, the board agreed to post a vacancy for a cafeteria worker for the summer school session. Also in the area of personnel, the board approved rehiring the district’s non-certificated staff members for the coming school year.
In other action, the board approved early graduation requests for Hayley Baumann, Jessica Johnston, Owen McGrady, Mikala Tarro, Ally Tieman, Courtney Sellars, and Taylor Wasylenko. The students will graduate after the completion of their seventh semester provided they have completed all requirements for graduation.
The board also voted unanimously to transfer a middle school student to the Regional Office of Education’s Safe Schools program.
by David Ambrose
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Dana Carr Skinner, 52, of Gillespie has announced her candidacy for Macoupin County Circuit Clerk. She will be on the November 5, 2024, General Election ballot.
Dana, a lifelong Macoupin County resident was born and raised in Wilsonville by her
parents, Barb and Van Baker. She graduated Gillespie High School in 1990 and attended SIUE
before starting her family. She has raised eight children all of whom graduated college or attended trade school. Dana is married to Todd Skinner.
Dana is currently a public servant, serving the people of Illinois as a paralegal. She has
over 25 years legal experience with 15 of those years being directly in the courtroom. She has
worked in law firms that practiced in all areas of the law from probate, family, civil, traffic,
criminal and real estate. After working several years in the legal field, Dana went back to college and obtained a paralegal degree.
Dana is running for Circuit Clerk because, “It is time for me give back to my community
and the residents of Macoupin County. Lee Byots Ross has done an amazing job as our current Circuit Clerk and I want to continue the work that she has accomplished. My adult life has been focused on my family and my children, and they are now grown. My focus now, would be to demonstrate to the residents of Macoupin County that I can and will do an excellent job as
Circuit Clerk,” Dana said.
The Circuit Clerk is responsible for establishing, maintaining and keeping all records of
the court, as well as several administrative, financial and public services.
“There are employees in the office now that have worked there a number of years, and I will be committed to them and their opinions, as well as the people the Macoupin County. I will learn from the current employees if I am elected in November and I believe that I have the experience, the knowledge and the work ethic that would make me an asset to the Circuit Clerks Office’s team,” Dana said.
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United Mineworkers of America President Cecil Roberts will commemorate the 125th anniversary of Union Miners’ Cemetery in Mt. Olive on October 13. Ceremonies begin at noon with a short historical parade, Roberts, IL AFL-CIO President Tim Drea, and frequent labor music.
Afterward, a meal will be provided as the labor music continues. The event is free and open to the public. A portable chair is recommended.
The cemetery is located on near 5536 Mt. Olive Road in Mt. Olive and can be found by following North Lake Street.
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Background of Union Miners Cemetery by the Mother Jones Museum:
The Union Miners Cemetery is in Mt. Olive, a small mining-town that was once the center of a rebellious group of miners who helped to secure Illinois as the solid rock for the United Mine Workers Union. Today thousands of visitors come each year to pay their respects to the memory to Mother Jones and the spirit that guided her and the founders of the labor movement in the United States. They reflect about the connections between the past and the present.
The cemetery was established in 1899, when commemorations of the miners killed in the 1898 “Virden riot” became controversial in the Mt. Olive cemetery where they were originally buried.
The bodies of the Virden “martyrs” were re-interred in a cemetery established as the Union Miners Cemetery by the Mt. Olive United Mine Workers local. Commemorations of these events in the following years contributed to a generation of activism in the Illinois coal fields.
They did this by claiming the kind of memorial space that was denied in other places, such as Haymarket, where police often disrupted commemorations. This built a sense of connection between past and present in the area, and made it clear that ordinary workers had changed the course of history. The role of the ordinary worker came into focus. Mt. Olive was one of the few places in the country where labor history was taught before the 1970s.
This is a unique place in the history of the labor movement; it was the only union-owned cemetery in the country. This is a place with a monument to Mother Jones, but it also evokes the power and potential of the labor movement. It is a place of reflection and remembering, of thinking of the labor movement’s roots. It is a shrine not only to Jones but to the sacrifices that connected human rights and labor rights, a place where people wonder when and why labor lost power.
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When I decided to write this article, my original intent was to find out when they removed the rails down the middle of Macoupin Street, but I thought I might research when the railroads came and went in Gillespie. So here is a brief history!
In the 1850’s, railroads were becoming more important to the US for both transportation of people and goods. Chicago was the hub of railroad traffic in the west and cities throughout Illinois were vying to have railroads come through their section of the state. Having a railroad meant prosperity and growth. Towns would grow with increased population. The key question was where are the railroads going to go? Influence by key political people throughout the state was important.
Prominent people in the US and central Illinois like Judge Joseph Gillespie, William Mattoon, Electus B Litchfield and Robert Rantoul (Massachusetts senator) and others help bring the railroad south.
The move south was brought about by the chartering of the Terre-Haute & Alton Railroad in January 1851 out of Mattoon, Illinois. It was to extend south to Alton because legislators wanted Alton to compete with St. Louis in the growth of the area. The work was started in 1852 to originally go 172 miles. It was completed in March 1856. Extensions were created from Alton to Belleville and eventually to St. Louis. By 1857 the route was completed and a railroad went through Gillespie. The St. Louis connection was helped by the building of the Eads Bridge in 1874.
In June 1867, the Terre-Haute Alton Railroad was leased to the Indianapolis & St Louis Railroad but went into foreclosure in 1882 and sold to the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad (known as the Big Four). This railroad came under control of Vanderbilt and the NY Central Railroad system.
The Terre-Haute Alton Railroad/Big Four Railroad came to Gillespie on an east west route. It passed through Gillespie today in the land next to the Civic Center, crossing Macoupin Street next to Subway. The Big Four Terminal was just off Macoupin Street where the Civic Center is located. There were additional terminals in Hornsby and Dorchester.
A 2nd railroad will add additional prosperity to Gillespie. The Illinois Traction System was a brainchild of William B. McKinley (not the president). He had a vision to create an electric railroad empire that covered at its peak 550 miles of rail.
The Traction system started in connecting Danville and Champaign in 1901-02, then to Decatur to Springfield in 1904. He also completed the route from Springfield to Granite City going through Gillespie and Benld in 1904. This Interurban as most people called it was a passenger service. It would eventually connect to Peoria by 1907 and St Louis by 1910. It was also possible to go to Chicago by connecting with other railroads. The Illinois Traction Terminal was on the corner of Macoupin and Spruce Streets where United Community Bank is located and at one time did have a small spur to the east.
Everyone associates the growth of Gillespie-Benld and the surrounding area to the coal mines, but the railroad also played a key part in the growth of the area.
You might wonder why main street is so wide compared to other towns’ business districts? Gillespie was unique by having the Interurban rail down the center of Macoupin Street but also the Big Four crisscrossed near Walnut Street. The town has to be one of the few towns in Illinois to have that unique situation.
In the early days, the crisscross intersection was controlled by only railroad signs. The “Stop, Look and Listen” slogan did not stop accidents at the crossing. Eventually, a crossing watchman was hired to control the car and pedestrian traffic at the intersection of the two railroad lines. It was also not unusual for a parked car to back into the Interurban in the business district.
These two railroads went north-south and east-west throughout town until the Interurban ceased to operate. The last Interurban use was on March 3, 1956. The rail line was eventually taken over by other railroads and would only be used for freight transportation, especially by Norfolk Western and other railroad lines. The rail line did have a brief arrangement to transport coal from Monterrey Coal Junction to Edwardsville in 1970, but the last use of the old Interurban Line for freight use occurred on August 20, 1970.
The eventual decline of the railroads in Gillespie coincides with the decline of the coal mines. Railroads were being transformed from coal to diesel and coal use immediately declined.
The Big Four stopped operating on December 17, 1964. Slowly they started to remove the tracks between Litchfield and Bethalto. Illinois maps show Big Four railroad tracks in 1965, but they are gone by 1967.
Now to the original premise of the article, when were the railroad tracks removed down the middle of Macoupin Street? My sources throughout town were varying, I got all kinds of guesses. I narrowed it down by my own memory. It was there in 1972 when I started teaching but then all of a sudden it was gone. I searched newspapers in the fall of 1972, then 1973 and I found it in 1974.
In January of 1974, the city decided to do something about the water lines in the business district. There was a conversation in late February to remove the tracks, but when will they do it? At the same time there was discussion about the sewer lines where the tracks are located. So, the city decided to it all at the same time, remove the tracks, and do water and sewer lines. By early April 1974, the tracks are gone and by early May, the downtown was a mess because of the water main project. After the downtown removal of tracks, the city eventually moved further north and south on Macoupin to remove the remaining tracks.
So, what proved to be a simple search gave you, the readers, a history of the railroads in Gillespie. Stop by the library and see the assorted railroad pictures and if you have anything railroad-related or an interesting picture involving the railroad such as an accident involving the railroads. I would like to see them.
