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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Gillespie will host a Community Blood Drive with ImpactLife, the provider of blood components for local hospitals. The blood drive will be from 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm on Monday, May 11 at 900 Broadway, inside Gillespie Methodist Church Gym.
To donate, please contact Brenda Lowe at (217) 7101336 or visit www.bloodcenter.org and use code 60020 to locate the drive. Appointments are requested. You may also call ImpactLife at 800-747-5401 to schedule.
Potential donors must be at least 17 years of age (16 with parental permission form available
through www.bloodcenter.org) and weigh more than 110 pounds. A photo I.D. is required to donate.
For questions about eligibility, please call ImpactLife at (800) 7475401. Donors who last gave blood on or before March 16, 2026, are eligible to give at this drive.
Blood donation is a safe, simple procedure that takes about 45 minutes to one hour. Individuals with diabetes or controlled high blood pressure may be accepted as eligible donors.
ImpactLife is a nonprofit community organization providing blood products and services to more than 100 hospitals and emergency medical service providers in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Wisconsin, as well as researchers and resource sharing partners across the country.
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Members of the Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education on Wednesday night approved a package of four capital improvement projects totaling more than $160,000 in value. Work will start on the projects after the end of the current school year and is expected to be completed before the start of the 2026-27 academic year in August.
The board met on Wednesday night after Monday’s inclement weather forced the district to reschedule the board’s regular monthly meeting.
The board approved entering into a contract with Fisher Tracks, Boone, Iowa, to resurface the district’s all-weather track at a cost of $105,209. Supt. Shane Owsley told the board the district will use about $50,000 from an all-weather track activity fund, with the remainder to be paid with proceeds from an alternate revenue bond issue approved last year for capital improvements.
Great Western Abatement, Jerseyville, was retained to remove flooring containing asbestos from the choir room floor and middle school gymnasium school at a cost of $40,700. Great Western’s bid was the lowest of seven bids, ranging up to $65,000, submitted for the work. Additionally, the district is paying $8,900 to Reliable Environmental Services, Springfield, for engineering and design work associated with the asbestos removal.
All-purpose rubberized flooring material will be installed on the middle school gym floor by Dynamic Sports Construction, Leander, Texas, at a cost of $51,424.
For the first time in a number of years, the high school gymnasium floor will be sanded and refinished with new artwork. Blast Technologies, St. Louis, was hired to sand the 4,200-square-foot floor at a cost of $5,250. Designs Unlimited, Pinckneyville, will paint game lines and logos on the floor before sealing it with a clear stain at a cost not to exceed $18,738.
The board also accepted a bid of $33,890 from DeLaurent Construction, Wilsonville, to resurface the 118,700-square-foot parking lot at Benld Elementary School.
Though no action was taken, Board President Mark Hayes reported that the Building and Grounds Committee had directed Owsley to investigate the cost of replacing the CUSD 7 administrative building.
“This building is very much in need of replacement,” Hayes said. “It’s beyond its time.” During Monday’s torrential rainfall, Hayes said water came in through windows and water seeped in under the sill plate, bringing displaced nightcrawlers into the building. Staff members ran fans after the storm in an effort to dry out the interior.
According to Hayes, the school has been in contact with the local Baptist Church to investigate the possibility of acquiring the former Trinity Baptist Church for use as an administrative building. Church officials, however, have not yet made a decision about the fate of the former sanctuary after Gillespie’s two Baptist churches merged.
Owsley said the current administrative building comprises about 6,000 square feet. Current estimates are $400 per square foot for new construction which would translate into about $2.5 million to replace the administrative facility. The district might be able to shave some dollars off that estimate by reducing the size of the building.
“There’s a lot of unusable space in this building,” Owsley said, suggesting a more efficient floorpan could reduce cost. He also mentioned the possibility of a basement to provide storage space for outdated documents.
In addition to construction costs, Owsley noted, the district would be responsible for tearing down the existing building.
“I have no idea what’s in this building,” Owsley said, raising abatement concerns. “I’m guessing disposal of this building is going to be expensive.”
Hayes said Kevin Wills, the district’s bond issue advisor, will attend the June board meeting to discuss the possibility of refinancing some existing bonds to free up enough revenue to build a new administrative building. The administration currently is housed in a “temporary” structure that has served as the administration building for several decades.
MINE SUBSIDENCE STUDY
After several minutes of discussion, the board took no action in relation to entering into a contract with Marino Engineering and Associates to assess the district’s risk for incurring damage from a mine subsidence event. Owsley said existing maps show that portions of Gillespie Middle School are undermined. While the high school is not undermined, a major subsidence would likely damage the high school as well as the middle school. In recent months, more than one residential home on Elm Street near the school property has experienced damage from mine subsidence.
Marino’s $94,000 Phase I proposal would “determine the likelihood of something happening to one of our buildings,” Owsley said. The problem is that too much information could negatively impact the district’s ability to purchase subsidence insurance. “Information is great until it’s not.”
The district currently pays about $300,000 for mine subsidence insurance on the middle school, high school and vocational arts building. The school carries no subsidence insurance on BenGil Elementary because mine shafts under the building were grouted before the school was built.
“If we find out there’s not a major concern,” Owsley noted, it could reduce the district’s subsidence insurance costs.
On the other hand, if the study reveals a high risk of experiencing mine subsidence, the insurer could drop the district at the end of the current policy’s term. With only two companies in the country offering subsidence insurance, the district could end up with no insurance at all to cover damage from mine subsidence.
The only way to avoid that scenario would be to implement whatever options Marino might recommend to reduce risk. Those recommendations would likely include grouting (backfilling) mine shafts under the middle school. Grouting for the elementary school cost $4 million. To grout under the middle school would likely run as much as $6 million or more.
The only way the study would make sense, Owsley suggested, would be if the district was “comfortable making the corrections the study is going to make.”
Moreover, $94,000 would cover only a preliminary assessment.
“To get a full understanding of what’s going on underground, we’d be looking at a half million dollars,” said Owsley.
The issue was allowed to die when no board member moved to consider the contract.
COMMUNITY SOLAR PARTICIPATION
On a motion by Bill Carter, seconded by Weye Schmidt, the board voted unanimously to enter into a contract with Summit Ridge Solar to participate in a community solar project. Under terms of the 15-year contract, the district will realize a 13 percent savings on electrical power bills. The contract is automatically renewable for five years unless the district chooses to withdraw.
“Illinois provides a number of incentives for using solar,” Owsley said. “However, not everyone likes the look of having solar panels on their property. This will get us the benefits without putting up solar panels on our property.”
Summit Ridge’s proposal was the most lucrative of the proposals the district received. Other companies offered shorter terms with savings of five percent.
After 20 years, it’s likely the savings would drop to five percent. Owsley said he was told the district was better off going with the longer contract to get 13 percent in savings for as long as possible.
The school district was able to secure such favorable rates, according to Owsley is because there is an issue with solar fields storing the power they generate. “Our main usage time is during their maximum production time.”
DISTRICT FOCUS
During a District Focus segment, the board recognized sophomore Matrix Wright, whose art was the only entry from the United States included in the 2026 TOLI International Student Art Exhibition. The exhibition is a project of The Olga Lengyel Institute for Holocaust Studies in New York. The exhibit includes student art relating to themes associated with the Holocaust.
Wright’s work, entitled “An Immortal Continuum,” attempts to portray “the constant entrapment a Holocaust survivor might feel.”
Exhibition organizers received more than 250 entries from around the globe.
BUDGET PROCESS
On a motion by Peyton Bernot, seconded by Board President Hayes, board members voted unanimously to begin work on developing a district budget for fiscal 2027. Board members also approved a routine measure to permit expenditure of fiscal 2027 funds after July 1, pending approval of a new budget.
The school district’s fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30 but new budgets typically are approved two to four months after the start of the fiscal year.
The current fiscal year’s $19 million budget was approved in September last year.
PERSONNEL
Following a one-hour executive session to discuss personnel and other issues, the board voted unanimously to approve the request of long-time middle school English and language arts teacher Kim Henderson, effective at the end of the 2028-29 school year.
Board members also voted unanimously to hire Andrew Crook as a first-year, non-tenured high school English teacher for the 2026-27 school year, pending documentation of certification and a routine background check. A graduate of Gillespie High School, Crook earned his teaching certificate at Illinois College, Jacksonville and for the past two years, he taught English at North Mac High School.
In separate actions, the board made multiple assignments to staff the district’s summer school program. Those hired include: Jessica Kelly as a middle school teacher, Ashlee Gibbs as a high school math teacher, and Jennifer Brown and Rob Macias as high school drivers’ education instructors. Each of the positions are contingent upon adequate student enrollment to offer the classes. In addition to academic staff, the board hired Andy Hirstein as a summer school food service worker.
The board voted unanimously to accept the resignation of Foli Seferi as high school paraprofessional and as assisted football coach. Both resignations are effective immediately.
In other personnel action, the board appointed Cate Plovich as the BenGil Elementary School yearbook sponsor, and appointed Josh Ross as a volunteer assistant football coach, pending documentation of certification and a routine background check.
OTHER ACTION
In other action, the board:
• Approved a mens highs school soccer coop with the Carlinville School District, with the provision Carlinville will dissolve the agreement if it pushes its program into a higher competitive classification.
• Approved an intergovernmental agreement with Lewis and Clark Community College under which the college will recognize some high school courses as college level credits.
• Approved early graduation requests for an undisclosed number of students, provided all graduation requirements are met.
• Approved renewing the district’s membership in the Illinois Elementary Schools Association.
• Approved the final calendar for the 2025-26 school year pending no further emergency days. Barring the use of emergency days, Monday, May 18 will be the last day of student attendance, with graduation ceremonies set at 2 p.m., Sunday, May 17.
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One of the greatest annual events in American sports is the Saturday is the Kentucky Derby, which will be run for the 152nd time this Saturday. One past champion was bred in Macoupin County.
This week marks 137 years since the victory of Spokane, who captured the 1889 Kentucky Derby during the infancy of the event. The horse was bred at “The Meadows,” the farm of Gen. Richard Rowett one mile north of Carlinville.
Rowett horses, and their jockey colors of orange jacket and blue cap, were on tracks throughout the west and south. But Spokane was the greatest production of The Meadows, a nationally recognized breeding ground for thoroughbreds.
In 1885, a prized dark brown horse named Hyder Ali was standing at The Meadows when Rowett bred him to one of his top mares, Interpose. This pairing had produced favorable offspring in the past, including Grey Cloud, a fine racer owned by Noah Armstrong of the Doncaster Ranch near Twin Bridges in the Montana Territory.
Armstrong’s famous stable included such horses as Lord Raglan, the third-place finisher in the 1883 Kentucky Derby. When Rowett offered Interpose for sale late in 1885, Armstrong, familiar with the high quality of Rowett stock, purchased the pregnant mare and her suckling filly, Madelin, for the price of $1,000 and shipped the brood to Montana.
The Doncaster Ranch was known for its spectacular, three-story round barn that featured an indoor track. While in Spokane in the Washington Territory on business, Armstrong received word of the birth of Interpose’s colt. In honor of the city, he named the colt Spokane.
Spokane showed great promise as a two-year-old, winning two of five starts in 1888, and Armstrong entered him in the 1889 Kentucky Derby. Although a premier race, the Derby had not achieved the monumental status it enjoys today.
The race was run on May 9, 1889–a Thursday–in front of a crowd of 25,000, a fraction of the throngs that fill Churchill Downs today.
Home state favorite Proctor Knott was the overwhelming favorite at 1-to-2, while the relatively unknown Spokane was listed at 10-to-1 odds. That was enough for Frank James, brother of outlaw Jessie and a regular at countless tracks.
James, flush with a windfall of $2,400 from an earlier race that day, asked a bookmaker of the odds on Spokane. The reply was “Ten-to-one and the sky’s the limit.” James threw down $5,000 on Spokane, causing the bookmaker to reply, “As far as I’m concerned, that’s the sky!”
Under jockey Thomas Kiley, Spokane edged Proctor Knott by a head, setting a record at 2:34 ½ over the mile-and-a-half layout (it was changed to a mile and a quarter in 1896). He remains the only Kentucky Derby winner ever born in Montana.
Proving the win was no fluke, Spokane again beat Proctor Knott five days later at the Clark Stakes in Louisville. On June 22, Spokane won another key race of the era, the American Derby at Washington Park in Chicago, to become the first horse to win both races in the same season.
Back in Illinois, Rowett did not live to see the triumph of Spokane, as he died on July 13, 1887. His death was covered on page one of the New York Times the following day.
In addition to breeding, Rowett is also remembered as the first to introduce the true-bred beagle hound to this country from his native England. Prior to that, he was a Civil War officer and state politician.
The only horse actually born in Illinois to win the Kentucky Derby was the 1970 champion, Dust Commander.
Tom Emery of Carlinville, who wrote the award-winning biography Richard Rowett: Thoroughbreds, Beagles, and the Civil War, may be reached at 217-710-8392 or ilcivilwar@yahoo.com.
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