Storm Smith recognized for his 7,940 days of employment
Town-wide clean-up day scheduled for Saturday, May 1
By ARIANA R. CHERRY
Staff Writer
On February 1, at the most recent meeting of the Arthur Village Board, a retirement presentation was held for former city employee, Storm Smith.
“I was always counting the days to retirement,” Storm said.
Mayor Rod Randal presented a plaque and statement in regards to Storm’s retirement.
“7,940 days under the employment of the Village of Arthur. That spans a period of 22 years from May 1999 to January 27, 2021. When someone has put in that much time, it is more than just a job. It is a career. It is a personal investment and commitment to something an individual believes is worthwhile. What truly makes it worthwhile to people like Storm is not the pay or benefits, but it is the service he has provided for others,” Rod began.
“And even though there are days when this service may seem unappreciated, people like Storm carry on, do what needs to be done, and hopefully, receives some personal satisfaction that he has contributed to the welfare of his community. I want to assure you, Storm, that your service to this community has been appreciated and that you deserve to feel a personal sense of satisfaction for the work you have performed, with great skill and knowledge, for the benefit of the residents of Arthur,” Rod concluded.
“We have appreciated the steady skill set and mechanical abilities, dependability and sense of humor,” said Grant Corum from Public Works.
“Thank you for everything you’ve done Storm. We appreciate it,” responded Matt Bernius.
“Thank you, Storm. We will miss seeing you in the early morning hours with the street sweeper,” said Kenny Crossman.
“It’s been an interesting 22 years, especially with all the changes we’ve been through,” stated Storm Smith.
After Storm’s presentation, the board continued on with their meeting.
Treasurer Mike Hilgenberg reported a balance of $22,418.96 after the monthly expenditures.
Police Chief Michael Goodman thanked Storm Smith for his years of service and then continued his report. “The governor has not signed the defund Illinois Police Act yet. If it is signed, several parts of it could be devastating to small communities. There are directors with the house to work on those parts that could affect the smaller communities,” he informed.
Village Board members voted to have K Z Schrock of Arthur complete the work of the new wastewater treatment plant in the amount of $45,320.
The sanitary sewer lining project is complete and the project will wrap up with it being approved by the IEPA. Loan disbursement #16 from the IEPA in the amount of $282,829.66 was approved. Once the project is approved, the loan will be closed out and begin repayment in a year.
A proposal for an elevated water tank inspection from Farnsworth Group in the amount of $3,450.00 was approved. Board members felt it was necessary to do an inspection before painting the tank this fall. It will benefit the community financially and be cost-effective.
Board members set the date for town-wide clean-up day to be Saturday, May 1, 2021. Rod Randall informed the board that he is in the process of trying to provide some possible recycling that day too, but it isn’t a done deal.
At the end of the meeting, there was some small discussion related to COVID issues in the community. Chief Michael Goodman informed the board that for those who qualify to receive the COVID19 vaccination and would like to get it through the Douglas County Health Department, there is an online pre-registration link which can be accessed via their website (https://dchealthdept.org/). He noted that the health department is only receiving about 300 vaccinations per month, but are hoping that number increases. With that rate, it could take some time for everyone in Douglas county to be vaccinated. If they aren’t already, pharmacies such as Walgreens and CVS will be offering the vaccine as well.
