Community News
Wilsonville Board approves tractor purchase
A dealer photo of the John Deere tractor purchased by the Wilsonville Board of Trustees.
After several minutes of debate and discussion, members of the Wilsonville Board of Trustees voted Monday night to approve the purchase of a John Deere 4066 tractor with a bucket and backhoe at a cost of $50,100 from Sloan Implement, Hamel. The new tractor will replace a 13-year-old Holland American tractor that went into the shop for repairs a month ago. The village will finance the purchase with a pre-approved loan from United Community Bank at an interest rate of 2.4 percent.
In a related matter, the board also voted unanimously to pay Sievers Equipment, Staunton, $4,333 for work already done toward repairing the old tractor and to have Sievers deliver the machine to George Harbaugh, a private tractor mechanic, to complete the repair work at a cost of $5,000 to $7,000, depending upon the cost of parts. Sievers reportedly quoted a price of $8,460, in addition to the $4,333 already owed, to complete the repairs. The old tractor reportedly was sidelined a month ago with a problem of slipping out of gear while in operation.
[pullquote]The board held an emergency meeting July 31 ostensibly to consider how to address the tractor issue[/pullquote]
The board held an emergency meeting July 31 ostensibly to consider how to address the tractor issue, but opted to delay formal action until its regular monthly meeting Monday night.
Sloan submitted one of two bids for replacing the tractor. A second bid from Sievers Equipment quoted pricing for two Kubota tractor models ranging from $45,325 for a 60-horsepower unit to $46,643 for a 70-horsepower machine. Sievers offered a $14,000 trade-in allowance for the old tractor, provided the repairs were completed. Sloan submitted a second option of $57,500 for a John Deere 4066 with a cab instead of a canopy.
Harbaugh’s son, Chris, told the board his father said the older tractor could be fixed for $5,000 to $7,000, depending upon the cost of parts. The Holland American reportedly is an uncommon older model and parts are not readily available. He said his father probably would acquire used parts for the machine from a reputable tractor salvage business.
“My dad said the actual value of that tractor is $19,000,” Harbaugh said. “They’re not giving you full value. He could fix that tractor and you could turn around and sell it for $20,000 to $22,000.”
[pullquote]He could fix that tractor and you could turn around and sell it for $20,000 to $22,000.[/pullquote]
Ryan Montoro, another visitor, suggested that the older tractor may have been subject to excessive wear and tear because the village used it for mowing. He suggested that the village might want to consider buying a larger zero-turn mower for mowing and use its tractor for other projects.
“I think we need to decide what tractor we want and then go from there,” said Trustee Roland Rife.
“I know we need a tractor, but do you think we should get ours fixed so we have a tractor that works, that’s not in a pile, to trade in?” Trustee Joe Wood asked.
After more discussion, the board generally agreed that buying a new tractor would be in the best interest of the village. Discussion then turned to which bid to accept.
“The Kubota is a bigger tractor with more power and a lower price,” Village President Annetta Veres commented.
Wood said he leaned toward the John Deere. “I think you can get into smaller areas with it,” he said.
On a motion by Rife, seconded by Wood, the board then voted unanimously to purchase the John Deere from Sloan Equipment.
On a follow-up motion by Wood, seconded by Keith Mohr, the board voted unanimously to have Harbaugh repair the older tractor and to have Sievers deliver it to Harbaugh’s shop. Trustee Bob Carr volunteered to contact Sievers and see if they would deliver the equipment free of charge in exchange for the village paying its current repair bill in full.
LIBERTY LIFT STATION
President Veres reported that the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency had issued a long-awaited permit to proceed with renovations to the Liberty Lift Station. The work will include replacing two existing pumps with new pumps capable of pumping 359 gallons per minute. Additionally, the village plans to install a “catch basket” to filter foreign objects from the effluent before it reaches the pumps. In the past, pumps have been damaged when items such as discarded clothing and mop heads entered the sewage stream. The renovated lift station also will be activated by a sensor system rather than a float system that can be subject to fouling.
“This is really good news,” Veres said. “We’ve been waiting for this for a while.”
Trustee John Veres said the renovations also will include a standby generator, and added the village may consider adding generators to other lift stations in the future.
“There’s no need for us to spend all this money and then as soon as we have a power outage, we lose it,” Trustee Veres said.
[pullquote]There’s no need for us to spend all this money and then as soon as we have a power outage, we lose it[/pullquote]
Rodney Potts, an engineer with John H. Crawford and Associates Engineers, is expected to prepare plans for the project and advertise for bids from contractors to do the work.
On a motion by Trustee Carr, seconded by Rife, the board voted to proceed with replacing an altitude valve for the city’s water tower at a cost of $10,347, which includes about $8,500 for parts. Trustee Veres said Ranger Excavating will do the work. He said Ranger will have to excavate an area near the base of the water tower to install the valve. He added that the location of a by-pass valve, which could affect the project, is unknown until it is excavated and could result in some additional cost.
Trustee Veres said the village should keep documentation for the cost of the project since it could be considered as part of the village’s matching funds if it is successful in securing a state grant to renovate the water tower and replace water meters. The grant application is due in October.
ELM STREET DEVELOPMENT
Trustee Rife cast the sole “no” vote on a motion by Carr, seconded by Trustee David Day, to authorize development of Elm Street as an access to property Bill Molinar wants to develop on the west side of the village. The measure presumably ends a months-long issue about how Molinar will be able to access the property. Molinar approached the village board in January with a proposal to open Hill Street, an undeveloped but platted street, that would give him direct access to the property on which he wants to build. Through her attorney, resident Olga Massa, objected to that proposal because the street runs adjacent to her residence. It was subsequently discovered that a garage on the Massa property encroaches on the Hill Street right of way.
“How do you guys want to move forward?” President Veres asked before the vote. “It has been recommended to us by our attorney that we do not move forward with Hill Street because of the property on the street.” Trustee Veres noted the Hill Street point of access remains in litigation because of the Massa garage.
After voting to open Hill Street, Trustee Day commented that it was “really the only option” the village had.
Molinar will be responsible for developing the street, after which it would be turned over to the village for future maintenance.
Molinar attended the meeting earlier in the evening to reiterate his desire to use the Hill Street access to his property, but he left before the issue came up for a vote.
NEW FLAG POLE
On a motion by Carr, the board voted unanimously to buy a 25-foot telescoping flag pole to replace a deteriorating flag pole at the Wilsonville Community Center, and to add a concrete base with a plaque dedicating the flag pole in memory of the late Deno Filippini, who served more than 70 years as a village official before his death last month.
[pullquote]The flag pole will be in memory of the late Deno Filippini[/pullquote]
Trustee Rife said he had located a flag pole from an online vendor at a cost of $60, marked down from $150. President Veres said the cost of the flag pole, concrete base and memorial plaque would be paid from the Civic Improvement Fund, which the Filipinni family designated for memorials at the time of Filipinni’s death.
DOGS AND CATS
Wilsonville Police Chief Wayne Watkins reported to the board that he would like to schedule a day for residents to bring their dogs to the police station to be properly tagged and registered. He said he may also talk to an area veterinarian to see if he can arrange to have a vet on hand to administer rabies shots to dogs who need them.
“We have a lot of dogs without tags or registrations,” he said, adding that local police recently dealt with a couple of dog bites in the community.
“There are a lot of people going to Rural King and getting the stuff to give the shots themselves,” Ordinance Officer Bob Reimann added. “That doesn’t work. The ordinance reads ‘by a licensed veterinarian’.”
Watkins said County Animal Control Officer Buzie Bertagnolli plans to be at the police station on the day he schedules registrations to ensure residents have proper paperwork for their animals. County rabies tags are $6.
“What about the cats?” Montoro asked.
[pullquote]Watkins said he wanted to deal with the dog issue first before addressing cats in the community[/pullquote]
Watkins said he wanted to deal with the dog issue first before addressing cats in the community. “You are right, the cats are out of control,” he said. “But the cats aren’t biting people and dogs are.”
Reimann proposed to the board the possibility of enacting an ordinance to require annual inspections for rental properties. Under the current ordinance, inspections are required only when new tenants move in.
“We have people renting properties that haven’t been kept up,” he said, adding that he has seen rental homes with holes in the floor and no working air conditioning. An annual inspection, he said, would preclude such problems. “It would nip this in the bud before we get a lot of slum lords.”
“I’ve never heard of another town requiring both annual inspections and inspections between tenants,” said Montoro, who owns rental properties in the community. “The building inspector needs to do his job.” He said he has seen properties with obvious issues pass inspections after the inspector was on the premises only a few minutes. “He should be there 40 minutes or more.”
“I wanted to bring it up and see how people felt about it,” Reimann said. “We have owners who live out of town and the only time they show up is when there is a dire emergency.”
Montoro also asked if the village would consider releasing a lien of about $2,000 on a parcel of property he is considering buying. He also asked whether the village had any of knowledge about whether or not underground storage tanks on the property had been removed.
“That property was donated to us and we decided not to accept it because no one knows whether there are tanks there or not,” President Veres said. “No one remembers them being taken out.”
BASEBALL TRAINING SELECTION
Sheila Friend appeared before the board to ask about support for fundraising activities in connection with her grandson, 16-year-old Ryan Reid, being selected to attend baseball training in Jupiter, Fla., in December. She said she is planning a fundraiser that will include food, entertainment and a silent auction.
President Veres said the village would look into offering the Community Center as a venue for the fundraiser.
“That’s really cool that someone from our community has been selected for something like this,” she said.
OTHER ACTION
In other action, the board:
- Implemented an alcohol and drug-free workplace policy per the recommendation of USDA in connection with the village receiving a grant for a new emergency siren.
- Authorized the purchase of a new copier for the village hall.
- Approved payment of a $1,500 bill from Crawford and Associates for work done toward securing permits for the Liberty Lift Station project.
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Ye Olde Christmas is the theme of the Macoupin County Historical Society’s annual Christmas Show, which will be held Friday through Sunday, December 5–7, at the John C. Anderson Home and Museum, 920 West Breckenridge in Carlinville.
“The Christmas Show is one of the most magical times to visit the Anderson Home,” said MCHS Board Member and House Manager Brandy England. “Some families make it an annual Christmas tradition to visit the Anderson Home when it is decorated for Christmas. It’s a great opportunity to get into the Christmas spirit and pick up some ideas for decorating your own home for the holidays.”
MCHS member Kendra Mize, of Bunker Hill, who has coordinated the decorating effort for more than two decades, has again marshalled a small army of volunteers to decorate all 13 rooms of the home. Each room features a themed Christmas tree, along with mantle pieces, centerpieces, tabletop decor, garlands and florals, and other special touches.
The home will be open for self-guided tours from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, December 5; from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, December 6; and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, December 7.
“We’re very excited to offer for the first time candlelight tours from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday,” said Shawna Ashby, who serves as a co-manager with England. “Viewing the decorated home by candlelight promises to be a magical experience.”
The final candlelight tours on Friday and Saturday start at 7:30 p.m. Admission to the home is five dollars for adults and one dollar for children ages five to 12, with four-year-olds and younger admitted free of charge.
The Anderson Home Gift Shop will be open during tour hours, offering one-of-a-kind gift items and stocking stuffers. Santa Claus will be on hand in the downstairs parlor to greet children and listen to their Christmas wishes from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, December 6.
While the decorated home is the centerpiece of the Christmas Show, several other features on the Historical Society’s grounds will be open. The Red Barn will be open and serving hearty beef stew, chili, homemade pies, and warming holiday beverages such as wassail and hot chocolate on Friday and Saturday.
The General Store and Print Shop will be decorated and open to the public, with the Print Shop offering its popular handmade Christmas cards and other items produced in the shop; kids can print their own blank “Santa List” to keep track of their Christmas wishes.
“The General Store offers unique gift items, including some small antiques, for shoppers to peruse,” England noted.
Local blacksmiths will demonstrate their craft in the MCHS Blacksmith Shop located on the north side of the Historical Society Grounds, with wrought iron gift items, including stocking hooks and decorative pieces, available for purchase.
The Macoupin County Historical Society’s Christmas Show runs concurrently with the Carlinville Christmas Market and Downtown Christmas events, and a free trolley and shuttle buses include the Anderson Home as a regular stop during the festivals, enabling visitors to ride from the square or the Macoupin County Fairgrounds to the Historical Society grounds.
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Members of the Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education on Monday night voted to approve a property tax levy request totaling $3,920,295 for 2025 property taxes payable in 2026. Because of tax caps and other factors, however, the district expects to collect only an estimated $3,786,607 of the requested amount.
In addition to acting on the tax levy, the board also held a lengthy discussion regarding annual district “report cards” issued by the Illinois State Board of Education to assess school performance from last year, approved a high school band/choir performance trip to Chicago in March, and agreed to apply for a school maintenance grant of up to $50,000 in matching funds.
The new proposed levy exceeds last year’s tax extension of $3,599,569 by more than $320,726—an increase of about nine percent if the levy were to be approved at the county level. The more realistic anticipation of $3,786,607 exceeds last year’s extension by $187,038, or an increase of about three percent. A Property Tax Extension Limitation Law (PTELL), approved by Macoupin County voters in 1995, restricts increases in the levy to five percent or the federal Consumer Price Index (CPI), whichever is less. This year’s CPI is estimated at 2.9 percent.
The approved levy seeks $1,650,000 for the Education Fund while expecting to realize $1,653,831; $450,229 for Operations & Maintenance, while anticipating $438,041; $200,000 for Transportation while expecting $180,434; $35,000 for Working Cash while expecting $42,602; $174,700 for the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund while anticipating $117,788; $154,101 for Social Security while expecting $105, 248; $247,264 for Tort while anticipating $240,570; and $33,501 for Special Education while expecting $32,593. For Bond and Interest, which is not subject to PTELL, the district is levying $975,500 while anticipating the same amount.
Local property tax revenue accounts for about 20 percent of the district’s overall annual budget.
Because the levy request exceeds 105 percent of the previous year’s extension, a public hearing is required. That hearing is scheduled at the start of the board’s regular December meeting at 6 p.m., Monday, Dec. 15. In the meantime, the proposed levy is available for public inspection on the district’s website and in the district office.
Using a PowerPoint presentation, Owsley emphasized the levy request is essentially a wish list for what the district would like to raise through property taxes.
“The levy is the ‘Christmas list’ I talk about every year,” Owsley said. “If you don’t put it on the list, you’re not going to get it.”
Projecting what the district can legally seek under tax caps can be challenging because the district’s total equalized assessed valuation will not be confirmed until after Jan. 1 while state law requires the district to file its levy request before the end of December. For that reason, local school districts routinely file requests that exceed what they actually expect to receive in property tax revenue, and rely on the County Clerk to adjust the request to the maximum amount the district can receive.
“Because of tax caps, we have one shot to capture increases in the EAV and new construction,” Owsley said. “If we don’t do that, we lose it in perpetuity.”
To calculate the new levy, Owsley projected a 15.12 percent increase in the EAV—nearly double the previous year’s rate of increase. By overestimating the EAV growth, the district expects to capture the entire increase in assessed valuation when that number is finally determined.
“Even though we know the EAV will likely be around the historical average, we base our levy on a much higher amount so as not to lose revenue from new growth,” Owsley told the board. “We can do this without running the risk of overtaxing taxpayers because the district will receive no more than what we are entitled to by law.”
Owsley said relatively stable increases in EAV have resulted in a steadily declining tax rate. Since 2014 when the rate was $4.24 per $100 in EAV, the rate has fallen to $3.20 for 2024. In other words, the county can use a lower rate to generate the extension to which the district is entitled because the value of taxable property has increased.
“As long as the EAV goes up by more than the Consumer Price Index, our tax rates are going to go down,” Owsley noted.
SCHOOL DISTRICT REPORT CARDS
The board spent several minutes discussing recently released school report cards issued by the Illinois State Board of Education. Interested persons can view local report cards by visiting https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/.
All three attendance centers received a “Commendable” designation, meaning there are no student groups that are underperforming academically, and the high school graduation rate exceeds 67 percent. Last year, BenGil Elementary School achieved an “Exemplary” designation—the top designation a school can achieve.
Elementary Principal Angela Sandretto said administrators knew the school would not earn an Exemplary rating, even though students are state average in English/language arts, math and science. The Report Card designations are based on growth rather than academic performance. With students already exceeding state standards last year, the opportunity for growth was limited.
Assistant Principal Tara Cooper agreed, noting BenGil Elementary’s student performance is in the upper half of schools statewide that are meeting academic standards. “So, while we are not ‘Exemplary,’ we’re very happy with where we are.”
Supt. Owsley told the board the State Board of Education is working on revamping the assessment system because of the growth vs. performance issue. “That’s why they’re redoing all of this because they are penalizing schools for meeting goals,” he said.
For Gillespie Middle School, the report card shows students meeting or exceeding state averages in math and science but significantly lagging in English/language arts.
“ELA is our most concerning area,” Principal Patrick McGinthy told the board, “along with absenteeism.” The report card shows a chronic absenteeism rate of 25 percent, but Owsley and other administrators said the rate is exacerbated by the State Board of Education including nearly all absences whether or not they are excused.
Rosentreter noted the State Board will allow a student to be absent five days for illness without a doctor’s excuse. On the sixth day, however, the absence is unexcused unless the parent or guardian provides a doctor’s slip. Many parents, however, are reluctant to pay for a doctor’s visit for a child that is suffering from a minor illness.
McGinthy said Middle School teachers are attempting to address the deficiency in English/language arts by increasing writing exercises and requiring students to write in conjunction with other curriculum areas.
Rosentreter noted that the assessment standards for high schools differ from the standards for elementary and middle schools in that the State Board emphasizes graduation rates. For Gillespie, the graduation rate is an impressive 86 percent, though chronic absenteeism checks in at 31 percent.
“Math is definitely our shining star,” Rosentreter said, noting the school scored 17.8 points compared with the state average of 18. The school performed less well in the areas of English/language arts and science, scoring 16 points on ELA compared with the state score of 18 and 17.2 points compared with the state average of 19.
The report cards are based on results for the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) test for elementary and middle school students, and ACT scores for high school students.
Administrators said it’s difficult to motivate students to do well on state-mandated tests since the tests do not affect the student’s grade point average. To incentivize testing, Rosentreter said the high school is offering to let students skip final exams if they hit state standards on the mandated tests.
Owsley noted that the district report card documents the continuing decline in school enrollment—dropping from 1,325 seven years ago to 1,082 for the 2024-25 academic year.
“We don’t see that turning around anytime soon,” Owsley said. “It’s not just a Gillespie thing; it’s a trend for schools throughout Macoupin County.
BAND/CHOIR TRIP TO CHICAGO
Following a presentation by band/choir instructor Brad Taulbee, the board approved a high school band and choir performance tour to Chicago set for March 19-21. Taulbee said the tour company retained for the trip places emphasis on security and safety for traveling students. The company supplements hotel security with its own security personnel to monitor student rooms during the trip.
The tour includes workshop sessions at Vandercook College in downtown Chicago, and performances by the choir at the John Hancock Center and by the band at one of the city’s museums.
Taulbee said he is attempting to keep the cost affordable for participating students. Depending upon the number of students who ultimately go on the trip, he said he expects the cost to be about $739 per person. Additionally, he is lining up sponsors who can help with expenses for students who could not otherwise afford to participate.
“Security is my main concern,” said Board President Mark Hayes. “We just came back from there and seven people were shot in the area we were in.”
Taulbee said he expects to recruit seven to 10 chaperones and will ensure that the ratio of students to chaperones does not exceed 1:10.
SCHOOL MAINTENANCE GRANT
The board concurred with Supt. Owsley’s recommendation to again apply for a state School Maintenance grant of up to $50,000. The grant is a “matching” grant requiring the district to match grant funds dollar for dollar. The district has successfully applied for the grant for the past several years.
If the application is successful, Owsley said the funds will likely be used to remove asbestos-containing floor tiles in the choir room and elsewhere in the Middle School.
PERSONNEL
Following an executive session of about 40 minutes to discuss personnel and other issues, the board voted unanimously to accept the resignation of Tim Wargo as an assistant high school baseball coach and post the position as vacant, and voted to appoint Wargo as the head high school baseball coach for the coming season.
In separate actions, the board approved maternity leaves for Alexis Lupkey, district paraprofessional, and Gear-Up Coordinator Jordan Bartok. Lupkey’s leave is tentatively scheduled from Dec. 8 through March 18. Bartok’s leave is expected from Dec. 12 through Jan.6.
Board members voted unanimously to hire Christopher Whaley as a substitute bus driver, pending a routine background check and documentation of certification.
The board also voted unanimously to terminate Makayla Huff as a three-hour cook and post the position as vacant.
On a motion by Bill Carter, seconded by Weye Schmidt, the board voted unanimously to rehire fall coaches as follows: Jordan Bartok as head high school girls volleyball coach with Shelsie Price, as an assistant coach; Cory Bonstead as head football coach with Nate Henrichs, Jarrod Herron, Korben Clark, Alex Jasper, J.O. Kelly, Billy Gill and Florian Seferi as assistant and volunteer assistant coaches; Jay Weber as head coach for the parent-funded high school cross-country program with Jack Burns as a volunteer assistant coach; Jake Kellebrew as head coach for the parent-funded high school golf program, with Michael Otten as a volunteer assistant coach; Tim Wargo as head middle school baseball coach with Trae Wargo as assistant coach; Michelle Smith as head middle school softball coach with Jim Matesa, Joe Kelly and Melissa Heigert as assistant coaches; and Liz Thackery as head coach for the parent-funded middle school cross-country program with Laura Peterson as a volunteer assistant coach.
DISTRICT FOCUS
During a District Focus segment, Supt. Owsley introduced newly hired School Resource Officer Jacob Linhart, and High School Principal provided a report with photos of a recent school-wide Veterans Day observance.
Linhart, who has served five years as a police officer on the Gillespie Police Department, replaces Wade Hendricks, who recently retired after serving three years as the CUSD 7 School Resource Officer.
Linhart said it is a “great privilege” to serve as a Resource Officer, protecting students and staff. “I’m honored that you guys are allowing me to do it,” he said.
High School Principal Rosentreter said the school served breakfast to about 200 veterans and their families Tuesday morning, Nov. 11. Later, the veterans were joined by nearly 700 high school and middle school students for a recognition ceremony in the high school gymnasium.
Since the event coincided with the 25th anniversary of CUSD 7’s Wall of Honor program, the annual event did double duty as an induction ceremony for five are individuals, all of whom happened to be U.S. Military veterans.
The inductees included the late Sergeant Major John Marion Malnar, Command Sergeant Major John “Jack” Burns, Colonel Mark Daley, Lieutenant Colonel William P. Falke and Captain Robert Leone. Rosentreter said Daley and Leone traveled with their families from Colorado and Texas, respectively, to attend the ceremonies.
Burns, a retired CUSD 7 teacher, later visited BenGil Elementary School to present a program and teach students how to properly fold an American flag.
Rosentreter recognized the City of Gillespie for a donation of $1,000 to help purchase food for the veterans.
Born in Benld and a resident of Sawyerville, “Big John” Malnar earned a Silver Star during the Korean Conflict and a Gold Star, awarded posthumously after he was killed in action in 1968 in Vietnam. A Marine training center at Camp Geiger in North Carolina is named in his honor.
Though not a Wall of Honor inductee, Jacob Miller, a 100-year-old World War II veteran and recipient of two Purple Hearts, was recognized with a standing ovation.
The annual Veterans Day breakfast and ceremony provides students with an opportunity to meet and recognize local veterans as potential role models for their own futures.
Owsley said the event is a major event on the district’s calendar which grew out of a simple flagpole ceremony initiated 25 years ago.
CEJA GRANT FUNDS
Board members briefly discussed plans for about $74,000 in anticipated Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) grant funds. The federal program is intended to compensate communities that have experienced revenue loss as a result of coal mine closures.
Owsley said the district committed about $86,000 in last year’s CEJA grant funds to the City of Gillespie to help pay for improvements to Plum Street, which is heavily used by district school buses. He has not transferred those funds, however, pending the start of the project.
Owsley said he was seeking the board’s input on how the money should be used.
“We could continue to partner with the city on Plum Street,” he said. “But there are plenty of project areas within the school.” The money could be used, for example, for continuing asbestos abatement. He identified other upcoming needs, including a new roof for the high school/middle school and an HVAC project.
President Hayes pointed out the school district paid for improvements to Kelly Street when BenGil Elementary was built and subsidized a project to reconfigure drainage on Broadway Street, in addition to the dollars committed for Plum Street.
“The school district is not in the business of building roads,” he said. “I think we’ve been more than generous with the city.”
Board member Peyton Bernot agreed the money should be committed for use by the school district.
TRIPLE I CONFERENCE
Several board members who attended a conference for board members and administrators Friday-Saturday, Nov. 21-23, in Chicago, commented briefly about their take-aways from conference sessions. Popularly known as the Triple I Conference, the convention is sponsored by the Illinois Association of School Boards, Illinois Association of School Administrators and the Illinois Association of School Business Officials.
Owsley said more than 700 Illinois school districts were represented, making the Triple I the largest gathering of education professionals in North America.
Bernot briefly reported on a session he attended regarding upcoming legislation and financial outlooks for school districts. He described the session as “much less optimistic” than sessions he’s attended in the past.
Owsley was among the convention presenters, discussing social-emotional learning. He commented that several districts attending reported efforts to involve students in school administrators. Some districts, he said, appointed a non-voting student representative to the school board to take part in discussions directly affecting students.
“When you think about it, we hear from faculty members and we hear from parents,” Hayes commented. “The people we don’t hear from are the most important part of what we do.”
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The Holiday Sparkle Committee of Gillespie is preparing for the 4th Annual Holiday Sparkle Lighted Parade and Community Tree Lighting, set for Sunday, November 30, at 6:00 p.m. in downtown Gillespie. This beloved community tradition invites residents and visitors to kick off the holiday season with lights, music, and festive cheer.
Food trucks will line the parade route starting at 4:00 p.m., offering a variety of tasty options for families to enjoy before and during the celebration. The event will culminate in the illuminated parade and the ceremonial lighting of the community tree, signaling the official start of the season’s celebrations.
A highlight of this year’s festivities will be a special performance by Gillespie area students in grades 3 through 5. The group will join together to sing Christmas carols, lending their voices to the town’s joyous welcome to the holidays.
Parade participants are invited to bring extra sparkle to the evening—whether by entering a parade float, walking in the parade, or simply attending to enjoy the atmosphere. Participation helps make the event truly magical for the entire community. The only requirement for the parade is all entries have to incorporate holiday lighting.
To join the parade lineup, interested participants can sign up at https://forms.gle/L7Q4tEkgjj8Lt5E47. The Holiday Sparkle Committee expresses gratitude for the ongoing support of residents, businesses, and volunteers who help bring this festive occasion to life each year.
The second part of the holiday festivities will take place on Saturday, December 13 when the Sparkle will sponsor the vendor fair and food trucks in downtown Gillespie including a visit from Santa. Vendors will be located in the Gillespie Civic Center, Zion Lutheran Church, and Emma G’s Upscale Boutique while local businesses and eateries will also be open. An egg nog jog benefitting Gillespie Cross Country will also be held on December 13 and interested participants can join here.
The Holiday Sparkle Committee invites everyone to mark their calendars and join in the celebration. For more information, please contact the committee by email at gillespieholidaysparkle@gmail.com or visit Gillespie Holiday Sparkle on Facebook.
