‘We need to get into the mindset that we are going to have to spend a lot of money down there’

Wilsonville village officials listen to Trustee John Veres.

Wilsonville village officials are bracing to spend substantial sums of money to retrofit an undersized lift station this year regardless of whether a federal grant application to fund the project is successful.

Trustee John Veres said the Liberty Street lift station was incorrectly designed and is inadequate for handling the volume of waste water that flows through the station on its way to the village’s sewage lagoon. The village board applied in July for a $262,500 federal Community Development Assistance Program (CDAP) grant to fund a $350,000 project to improve the lagoon and lift stations. The grant, if awarded, would require an $87,500 local match. The Liberty Street lift station would have been a part of the proposed project.

As of the board’s regular monthly meeting on Monday night, there has been no word regarding the status of the grant application.

“Whether we secure a grant or not, we are going to have to do some major work,” Veres said. “Liberty Street needs to be redone all the way out to the lagoon.”

According to Veres, the five-horsepower pumps at the lift station are inadequate for the amount of waste water the station has to handle. Moreover, the lift station lacks grinder units to pulverize debris that often enters the sewer system. He noted that mop heads, clothing, rocks and even hand tools have ended up at the lift stations, damaging pumps to the tune of $8,000 per incident.

“It’s overflowed from day one because it’s not designed right,” he said. “We all need to be getting into the mindset that we are going to have to spend a lot of money down there.”

“There are major problems out there and we have to address them,” Mayor Annetta Veres agreed. “We just need to pray that we get that grant because either way we are going to have to spend a lot of money.”

PAYING FOR NEW WATER METERS

Board members discussed but did not act on proposals for raising additional funds to buy replacement water meters to replace aging meters throughout the village.

Mayor Veres said she wants to take a serious look at using money from the water deposit fund, comprised of security deposits paid by tenant water customers. Deposits are held to cover final water bills if a tenant moves out without paying. “Our auditor says that what we have in the deposit fund is over and above what we need,” Mayor Veres said.

[pullquote]Water meters never speed up. They need to be replaced every 10 years.[/pullquote] Trustee Pam Zaksas reported that the Finance Committee discussed the issue at its Dec. 7 meeting and considered the possibility of adding a $1 monthly surcharge onto water bills. With 260 meters in the city, the surcharge would yield $3,120 per year.

The Finance Committee, however, urged the village to document the amount of water being used without being paid for because of faulty meters. To get those numbers, Zaksas said, the village would need to compare the number of gallons the village buys from the City of Gillespie to the number of gallons billed to local consumers. That documentation is needed, she said, to justify the surcharge to local consumers.

“Water meters never speed up,” said Trustee Veres. “They slow down because of calcium build up. They need to be replaced every 10 years.”

DRAINAGE ISSUE

Mayor Veres asked trustees to inspect a drainage issue at the Ron Manalia property in the 100 block of Center Street. She said Manalia contacted her during the heavy rains last week to report large volumes of water flowing across his driveway and lawn. The water apparently is diverted toward Manalia’s property from a culvert passing under the street.

“Some of it is the lay of the land,” said Trustee Veres, noting the Manalia property is in a natural low-lying area. “But whoever put that culvert in, changed the natural flow of water to cross his property.”

Trustee Dino Filippini urged caution in addressing the issue.

“If you drive around town, you’ve probably got a dozen places just like that,” he said. “If you do something for one, you’re opening up a can of worms.”

ORDINANCE OFFICER

After accepting an activity report from newly appointed Ordinance Officer Robert Reiman, the board voted unanimously to allow Reiman to buy up to $75 per month in gasoline at T.J.’s in Benld for the vehicle he uses for patrol. Reiman was appointed last month and immediately began his duties in Wilsonville. His report to the council reported on six days of activities in the village.

“You’ve only been here a month, and I think you’re doing a great job,” Trustee Veres commented.

“He’s really been there for us,” added the Mayor, noting Reiman came to the village to standby while a female subject to an order of protection moved her belongings out of a residence when county deputies were unavailable. “I called him and he said, ‘Just let me get my shoes on’.”

In a related matter, the board authorized the mayor to send notices to the owners of rental properties in Wilsonville to advise them that the Ordinance Officer will begin enforcing an existing ordinance requiring a building inspection before a new tenant moves into a rental property. Mayor Veres said there has been an ongoing problem with landlords skipping the building inspection requirement between tenants. She originally had asked for a new ordinance to require building inspections, but Reiman pointed out the ordinance already exists and only needs to be more stringently enforced.

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“They (the landlords) can be issued a $75 fine,” Reiman said. “I just issued one in Sawyerville. Even the occupant can be fined because they aren’t supposed to be living there before it is inspected.”

The Mayor noted the inspection is necessary for the safety of new tenants. She noted that some landlords have told her about former tenants stripping copper plumbing and electrical wiring from a residence when they move out. “Obviously those places need to be inspected to make sure they are fit for someone to live in,” she said.

She said she would send a reminder to the owners of rental properties. “That will be their warning,” she said, “and we’ll have Bob (Reiman) enforce it.”

Reiman also reported he has noticed numerous residences with derelict car tires on their properties. Prior to mosquito season, he said, he will notify property owners that the tires have to be removed.

EXECUTIVE SESSION

No action followed a three-minute executive session called for the purpose of discussing personnel.

In other action, the board:

• Corrected the 2016 tax levy approved last month, reducing the levy for the village audit from $4,000 to $1,900.
• Authorized Finance Committee Chairman Zaksas to reinvest an $11,000 motor fuel tax certificate of deposit for one year at the best available interest rate.
• Authorized raising the level of a manhole at Dean and Marsha streets to place it above grade. Trustee Veres said maintenance personnel will excavate the manhole and determine by how much the manhole needs to be raised. The cost of the project will be dependent upon the amount by which the manhole needs to be extended.

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