Atwood Village Board Approves Repair of Bank Sidewalk

Picture of the First State Bank of Atwood when project is completed

By Doris Elmore
Staff Writer

Issues with the sidewalk around the First State Bank in Atwood was a topic of discussion at the regular meeting of the Atwood Village Board on Monday, September 13. The board approved the firm of Jess Concrete Enterprises LLC of Sullivan for the project. The bid included repair of the city sidewalk, approximately 904 square feet of sidewalk, which includes remove and dispose of old concrete and replace with 6” concrete with ADA boards in sidewalk by street. Cost will be $15,250.

The bank has been having leaks down the walls in the basement of the bank due to the damaged sidewalk. The parking will be removed on the north side and will be replaced by a small boulevard with trees. Pictured above is how the bank will look after the project is completed.

Village President Bill Fleming gave the following report:

He thanked the employees for all their work in preparation and clean-up for the Apple Dumpling Festival. Fleming also thanked the Atwood Chamber for a great festival.

Bill remarked about all the work the employees have done with the clean-up after two significant storms (5” in an hour and 4” in 30 minutes) that brought high winds, trees/big limbs down and flooding.

He said the village typically process 80,000 gallons through the sewer plant per day. As a result of the storms, they were over 2 million gallons per day, which means storm water is not only being drained by storm drains & tiles, but also being pumped out through the sewer plant processing. Fleming said the village can’t just look at where the flooded areas are immediately after the storm, but instead, what’s still flooded the day after and those areas will be the focus for future improvements.

The backstop at the ball diamond in Atwood Park was damaged during the storm and an insurance claim has been filed.

Fleming stated the village has been approved for the ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act)-Federal Grant for $156,000 payable in two installments. The first installment will arrive in September/October. These funds must be used for improvements to the Water and/or Sewer Infrastructures.

The board was reminded of the Kirby Open House on Saturday, September 25, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. The clinic will be closed the following week and then open for business on Monday, October 4. Steve Tenhouse, CEO of Kirby Hospital, talked to Fleming about the availability of the office furniture in the Main Street facility. They will be relocating some, but any furniture (other than specific clinical furniture) will remain for the village to use or dispose.

The transfer of ownership from Kirby to the Village of Atwood is still underway. There are a few more hurdles for them to jump through before it can be finalized.

The village has received the Ameren Rebate in the amount of $17,044 for the upgrade of the of the lighting at the park, village hall and water plant.

Two training sessions will be scheduled for trustees and employees, attendance optional, one for the sewer plant and one at the water plant. Superintendent of Public Works Jeff Mercer has been asked to lead these sessions for the purposes of explaining how these plants operate. This is strictly a learning opportunity for those who are interested. Dates and times will be announced at a later date.

Fleming continued that the village buildings have been inspected pertaining to their condition and suggested repairs or improvements so they can be included in the 3-year plan. The water treatment building is in good shape. The only thing to be done is power wash the steel roof and clean gutters. The concession stand at the old high school ball field is in bad condition. First the board needs to determine if they should keep it or demolish it. If the board decides to keep it all the exterior will need to be replaced. If not, it needs to be cleaned out and sell that tract as is, keeping the ball diamond land and lights as is for now.

Report on other buildings:

Sewer Treatment Building- Relocate aeration pumps to exterior, remove interior wall to expand water testing area and insulate room and upgrade heating/cooling.

Street Building (old fire house)—Power wash and paint interior walls, repair wooden door frames, clean house in all areas of that facility.

Telephone Building- Possibly demo and retain land for future wells. Fleming said that if the village decides to keep it, it would need a pitched roof and door replacement.

Salt Storage Building-This building is a low priority, but if addressed he said it would need removed and replaced with a newer & larger building.

Mary Belle Conner was hired as the new Municipal Building custodian.

Trick or Treat hours have been set for Sunday, October 31, from 6-8 p.m.

The board authorized payment of $667.50 for materials for concrete replacement for the new sidewalk at the United Church of Atwood. The church will pay labor costs of $700.

The board agreed to replace the lift cables on high surface pumps at the sewer plant, not to exceed $5,000. A motion was also passed to replace check valves on high service lift station at the sewer plant, not to exceed $17,000.

A motion was passed to allow Harris Companies to re-landscape the boulevard and fix the sidewalk between 303 and 309 N. Illinois Street.

Bob Bialeschki was in attendance to ask the board to allow him to re-landscape the boulevard in front of his property on N. Main Street. The board passed a motion allowing his request.

The police activity report for August 1-31 included: case reports: 10; case supplements: 7; activity logs: 26; traffic citation: 4; and written warning: 3.