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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The Benld City Council on Monday night unanimously approved a new ordinance governing livestock within the city limits. The new ordinance, which has been under discussion since April, will take effect in 90 days.
The issue came to light when resident Jennifer Zippay appeared before the council to voice concerns about a neighbor’s plans to stable three horses on a parcel zoned for agricultural use. The council initially considered amending the zoning code to further define “agricultural use,” but apparently later opted to write a new ordinance.
A version of the ordinance was tabled during the May council to make further revisions to the document.
The new ordinance excludes pets such as dogs, cats and caged birds. The number of cats and/or dogs a resident is permitted to own is governed by other ordinances.
Titled “Animals, Etc. in the City of Benld,” the new ordinance allows property owners to have up to three horses, sheep, goats or rabbits on their property, provided the property is zoned for agricultural use and comprises a minimum of three acres.
Cattle, swine, ducks, turkeys or geese are banned completely. An ordinance approved in 2016 already limits the number of chickens residents can raise within the city limits.
The ordinance specifically “grandfathers” property zoned for agricultural use where animals are already in place. That exclusion presumably includes the property that sparked the debate originally. The “grandfathering” clause ends when the property is sold. Property owners subject to “grandfathering” cannot replace animals prohibited by the ordinance in the event an animal dies.
The ordinance further requires property owners raising animals on their properties to install proper fencing, maintain the property to control odors and other factors that could be deemed a nuisance, and requires animal owners to properly care for and restrain their animals.
Law enforcement officers are empowered to issue an order prohibiting the keeping of any animal deemed to pose a health hazard to the general public.
Ald. Jerry Saracco moved to adopt the ordinance with a revision to require animal owners to register with the City Clerk declaring the type of animals they plan to have on their properties.
PROPERTY LEASE
The council voted unanimously to give Mayor Jim Kelly power to act in negotiating with Cahokia Township Highway Department to lease a small parcel of real estate where a communications tower was located. Kelly said he was contacted by the township Highway Commissioner about leasing the property to store a pile of rock currently being stored at a private residence.
“I don’t have a problem with leasing it,” Ald. Saracco commented. “What I’m concerned about is how much are we going to lease it for.”
City Clerk Terri Koyne said American Tower, owner of the now demolished communication tower, paid the city $350 per month to lease the parcel.
APPROPRIATION ORDINANCE
On a motion by Ald. John Balzraine, the council tabled action on the city’s annual appropriation ordinance. The required ordinance must be approved and filed by August 1, meaning the council presumably will vote on the ordinance in July.
VANDALISM
Balzraine reported that during the early morning hours on Sunday, someone broke a concrete urn containing flowers in front of City Hall. The urn was one of several decorating the downtown district.
“It’s a damned shame we can’t have anything,” Balzraine said. “This is the third or fourth time this has happened, and if we catch them, we’ll go after them to the fullest extent of the law.”
OIL DATE
Mayor Kelly announced that the city’s Motor Fuel Tax oil and chip program is scheduled for Tuesday, August. 19.
OTHER ACTION
In other action, the council:
- Again retained Scheffel Boyle, CPAs, to conduct the city’s annual audit at a cost not to exceed $18,300. City Clerk Koyne said the accountants will start work in city offices next week.
- Approved a business license for a lawn care business owned by Eric Kravanya.
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FELONIES
Amy J. Frizzo, 51 of Staunton, is charged with two counts of aggravated battery on a peace officer and resisting arrest in connection with a June 8 incident.
Anita S. Grizzle, 49 of Gillespie, is charged with possession of a controlled substance in connection with an April 27 incident.
Shane S. Bell, 34 of Girard, is charged with possession of methamphetamine (<5 grams) in connection with a May 8 incident.
Savannah R. Staples, 30 of Palmyra, is charged with possession of methamphetamine (<5 grams) in connection with a December 28, 2024 incident.
Stephen L. Barrick, 50 of Virden, is charged with possession of methamphetamine (<5 grams) in connection with an April 19 incident.
Jonathan A. Graves, 33 of Wilsonville, is charged with possession of a controlled substance in connection with an April 2 incident.
MISDEMEANORS
Kelly M. Lyons, 36 of Benld, is charged with battery/making physical contact in connection with a May 3 incident.
Michael A. Lewis, 48 of Girard, is charged with two counts of violation of an order of protection in connection with a June 10 and June 11 incident.
Anita S. Grizzle, 49 of Gillespie, is charged with resisting a peace officer/firefighter/corrections employee in connection with a June 12 incident.
TRAFFIC
Dustin A. Chapman, 42 of Girard, is charged with driving on a suspended license in connection with a June 7 incident.
Kyle W. Bennett, 38 of Carlinville, is charged with driving on a revoked license in connection with a June 8 incident.
Anthony C. Harris, 54 of Springfield, is charged with driving on a revoked license, canceled/revoked/suspended registration, operating an uninsured motor vehicle in connection with a June 7 incident.
Charles E. Lawton, 70 of Bunker Hill, is charged with driver’s license expired more than a year and unregistered/expired registration in connection with a June 2 incident.
Olivia Beiermann Tilley, 23 of Gillespie, is charged with driving on a suspended license, driving 15-20 mph above the limit, and operating an uninsured motor vehicle in connection with a May 31 incident.
Brenda M. Pipkin, 60 of Nilwood, is charged with driving on a suspended license, operating a motor vehicle with suspended registration, and operating an uninsured motor vehicle in connection with a June 2 incident.
Jacob N. Smith, 24 of Staunton, is charged with canceled/revoked/suspended registration in connection with a June 2 incident.
Tanner C. Williams, 20 of Wentzville, MO, is charged with speeding 35+ mph over the limit and being unlicensed in connection with a June 2 incident.
Mary L. Hagaman, 86 of Carlinville, is charged with driving on a suspended license, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, and failure to reduce speed in connection with a May 31 incident.
Casey A. Stratton, 36 of Auburn, is charged with leaving the scene, failure to give notice of a crash, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, and failure to reduce speed in connection with a June 5 incident.
Denis Ivan Perez Rivera, 30 of Knoxville, TN, is charged with driving while never issued a license in connection with a June 2 incident.
Lucio B. Carcamo, 27 of Phoenix, AZ, is charged with driving while never issued a license in connection with a June 2 incident.
Megan E. Bertoldi, 38 of Litchfield, is charged with reckless driving, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, and failure to reduce speed in connection with a May 30 incident.
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Meeting Tuesday evening, June 10, the Macoupin County Board approved four resolutions paving the way for the replacement of a structurally deficient bridge on Hagaman Road over Solomon Creek about three miles southwest of Hettick. The contractor will remove an existing bridge and replace it with a three-span, 1,700-foot bridge with a concrete deck. The county’s share of the project will be up to $32,000.
The board approved a resolution appropriating up to $32,000 in local funds to support the project. State and federal funds will be used to pay WHKS & Co., Springfield, $35,424 for structural engineering services and environmental studies, and $160,918 to Hampton, Lenin and Renwick, Inc, Springfield, for Phase II construction engineering. Total cost for the project, including engineering costs, is projected at $2,060,000.
In addition to the major bridge project on Hagaman Road, the board approved three 50/50 township petitions to share the cost of replacing culverts on township roads. The approved petitions include:
- Replacing a culvert crossing a feeder stream to Gillespie Lake in Gillespie Township at a cost of $20,000, of which the county will contribute $10,000.
- Replacing a culvert crossing Honey Creek in Honey Point Township at a cost of $20,000, of which the county will cover $10,000.
- Replacing a culvert crossing Fox Branch in Scottville Township at a cost of $10,000, of which the county will cover $5,000.
A routine annual resolution to appropriate $140,300 in Motor Fuel Tax funds to pay the County Engineer for the 2025 calendar year also was approved.
WIND FARM PROJECT
Maggie Shelton, project manager for Scout Clean Energy, briefly discussed the Honeycut Wind Farm project in southwestern Macoupin County. Shelton told the board the company is in the land leasing phase of the project and may be two to three years away from approaching the County Board for permits. The company recently established a business office on Keating Street in Shipman.
Responding to a question from board member Bernie Kiel of Girard, Shelton said the project may encompass 15,000 to 25,000 acres and will support approximately 60 wind turbines. Seventy-five landowners have already committed to leasing 15,000 acres to the company but not all of the acreage is contiguous. Shelton said the company is working now to “fill in the gaps” to create a contiguous parcel.
When completed, the project is expected to generate $85 million in tax revenue for the county. The construction phase is expected to create 200 temporary jobs, and the facility will create 10 full-time operator jobs.
Shelton said she was simply notifying the board to keep board members in the loop going forward.
“I don’t want you to be caught off-guard,” she said. “We have strong landowner support. We have established an office in Shipman and I want you to feel free to come into the office any time you have questions.”
With an estimated completion date of October 2030, the Honeycut project is expected to provide enough electricity to power 120,000 homes.
Board members also heard from Gregory Santoni and Chris Stanford, representing Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities (TASC). A state-funded statewide program, the regional TASC office serves five counties in southwestern Illinois, including Macoupin.
“Our overall goal is to work through law enforcement to help as many people as possible in our five county area,” Santoni said. “We help people with mental illness issues, drug addiction and, sometimes, homelessness. We try to deflect those people away from involvement with law enforcement. Law enforcement has enough to do with other things.”
Law enforcement agencies in Macoupin County, as well as libraries, public health agencies, and other services, can refer people with mental health, alcoholism or drug addiction to TASC.
“If you know someone with mental health issues or drug abuse issues who don’t know where to go, please contact us,” Santoni said.
Stanford, himself 15 years into recovery, said TASC makes contact with referrals within 24 hours.
“Our services are completely voluntary,” Stanford said. “If they want our help, we will take them by the hand and take them through the process every step of the way.”
For the first time since April, there were no guests on the agenda to lodge complaints against Board Chair Larry Schmidt regarding alleged homophobic comments he made on social media. Meanwhile the Attorney General’s office is continuing to investigate an open meetings violation complaint in connection with Schmidt conducting a text messaging poll to gauge board members’ opinions about whether or not he should step down.
Both Pete Drummond, a private attorney retained on behalf of the board to avoid potential conflicts of interests with the county State’s Attorney, has filed a response to the complaint, as well as a letter from Schmidt himself to the Attorney General’s office.
GRANT AND CONTRACT DEVELOPER
In the committee reports segment of the meeting, board members learned the Economic Development Committee hired Joseph Chirwa as a grant manager for the county. Last month, the board gave the committee power to act in filling the newly created position. The initial contract is for one year with an option to continue based on the monetary value of grants the candidate is able to bring in.
Chirwa earned Masters and PhD from Northern Arizona University and was previously employed as a grants specialist for Terros Health in Phoenix, Arizona.
Participating by phone, Committee Chair Holly Klausing said he hopes to have Chirwa attend the next board meeting to introduce him to board members.
COURTHOUSE ROOF SAFETY
On the recommendation of the Building and Grounds Committee, the board unanimously approved a resolution establishing safety protocols for access to the courthouse roof. Committee Chair Harry Starr said the new roofing material on the roof poses a hazard for persons accessing roof for maintenance and other purposes. He said the policy establishes safety practices and can be updated in the future as the board sees fit.
The policy limits access to the roof to employees and contractors who have been trained, possess fall safety certification, and wear properly tested and tethered safety harnesses. Employees who access the roof must notify the Sheriff in advance, and all tools must be secured to reduce hazards for persons on the ground.
CORONERS MUTUAL AID AGREEMENT
Board members voted unanimously to join the state’s Coroners and Medical Examines Mutual Aid network. County Coroner Anthony Kravanya told the board the agreement will enable his office to lend assistance to other counties in the event of a disaster or incident involving mutiple fatalities such as the Illinois-55 traffic pile-up two years ago resulting from a dust storm in Montgomery County. By the same token, coroners and medical examiners from other counties are obligated to respond to Macoupin County in the event of a disaster.
“It’s something you hope you never need,” Kravanya said, “but you want it on file in case something happens.”
PROPERTY FRAUD
The board approved a new ordinance aimed at empowering the County Recorder to pursue and refer to the Circuit Court instances of property fraud or illegal clouding of title, and to pursue judgment in the court. According to the ordinance, property fraud, including fraudulent filings intended to cloud or fraudulently transfer title to real property by recording false or altered documents and deeds is a growing problem throughout the state.
While empowering the County Recorder to seek legal remedies, the ordinance does not preclude the State’s Attorney from filing criminal charges nor does it restrain property owners from filing civil lawsuits against the offender. If the court agrees with the Recorder’s allegations of fraud or title clouding, the defendant will be held responsible for court costs and filing fees.
BUDGET ISSUES
The Finance Committee reported it has received budget requests from county office holders and program managers. While most government entities requested modest increases of two to three percent, primarily to cover salary increases, the total increase approaches $480,000.
Meanwhile, County Clerk Pete Duncan is projecting flat revenues for the fiscal year starting starting Sept. 1. The annual budget averages about $20 million. At this point in the current fiscal year, Duncan said the county has taken in $10,084,363 for the General Fund and spent $7,386,718 which is keeping with projections made last year. The board projects General Fund revenues for next year of $10,065,452—$18,911 less that this year’s receipts.
The Finance Committee expects to hammer out a lean budget over the next few weeks with an eye toward presenting the final budget for board approval in August.
EXECUTIVE SESSION MINUTES
Following a 15-minute executive session, the board voted to keep the following executive session minutes sealed: an executive session from the Jan. 14 meeting remains sealed due to ongoing potential litigation. Executive session minutes from the May 13 board meeting, and the April 29, May 27 and June 9 meetings of the Economic Development Committee remain sealed for ongoing personnel issues.
Tuesday night’s executive session may also have included conversations about contract negotiations. County employees working under the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) reportedly have been working without a new contract for 10 months and remains the only bargaining unit with which the county has not reached a resolution.
A handful of AFSCME members protested their lack of a contract outside the courthouse prior to meeting.
COUNTY LIQUOR LICENSES
Following the recommendation of the County Liquor Commission, the board approved renewing the following licenses:
- Timber Lakes Golf Course, Staunton.
- Plainview Vineyard, Plainview.
- Wild Pickens Winery, Chesterfield.
- Bucks Crossing, Medora.
- The Topp Hatt, Inc. Girard.
- Staunton Country Club.
- Darr’s Truck Stop, Medora.
- The Rustic Venues, LLC, Standard City.
- Macoupin County Fair.
OTHER ACTION
In other action, the board:
- Appointed Tammy Dugan to a five-year term on the Henderson Water District Board of Directors ending June 30, 2030.
- Gave the Economic Development Committee power to act in regard to writing letters of support for an application for a 2025 Energy Transition Community Grant.
