At Wednesday’s McDonough County Board Meeting, members took action on a variety of business, including a new MOU with the Humane Society of McDonough County’s (HSMC) (see separate story on the MOU agreement).
The Board approved a signage request from the Macomb Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (Visiting Unforgettable Forgottonia) to install four Abraham Lincoln signs at the main entrances to the county. The signs, which will read “You are now entering an Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area and National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Area,” will be installed at the entrances to the county at the north and south entrances of Rt. 67 and the east and west entrances of Rt. 136.
Members of the Board also unanimously approved a survey agreement at a cost not to exceed $21,200 to improve the St. Francis Blacktop, which holds water. The road survey will provide a repair estimate for the McDonough County roadway. In other business, the Board approved a two-year agreement with QFB Energy to provide natural gas to the various county buildings, and approved salaries for the county clerk ($73,478.77) and county treasurer ($73,478.77). The approval of the county assessor’s salary was removed from the agenda and will return to the Finance Committee for additional discussion before moving forward.
The Board also voted to authorize the law firm of Esbrook P.C. to negotiate a settlement in the Top Metal Buyers, et al lawsuit filed in the U.S. Southern District of Illinois by Top Metal Buyers, Inc. against the county.
Clarence Waldinger and Bruce Burton were reappointed to a three-year term to the Good Hope Sciota Fire Protection District, while Joseph Fosdyck was reappointed to a three-year term to the Bushnell Fire Protection District.
Riley Smith was appointed to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Jack Lowderman.
During Wednesday’s meeting, Sheriff Nick Petitgout recognized six deputies for their initiative and efforts: Michael Duncan, letter of appreciation for resolution of burglaries; Katelyn Norton, letter of commendation for safely moving injured parties involved motor vehicle accident, life-saving award for preventing loss of life of rescue personnel and battery victims and letter of appreciation for providing aid potential drowning victim after rescue; Nicholas Ruggio, letter of commendation for safely moving injured parties involved motor vehicle accident; Cody Lovell, lifesaving award for preventing a drowning and letter of appreciation for homicide investigation work; Robert Phelps, lifesaving award for preventing a drowning and letter of appreciation for performance as a detective apprehending persons responsible for multi-state crime spree and Kyle Borchardt, letter of appreciation for homicide investigation work.
At the Finance Committee meeting earlier this month, McDonough County Emergency Services and Disaster Agency Director Edgar Rodriguez told the committee members that during a maintenance visit in Macomb May 8, the company found the siren at the McDonough County Courthouse, which is a Federal Model 2TT from the 60s-70s, to be non-operational as both fuses had blown and the controller was dead. Upon further inspection, it was determined the motor was burnt.
He brought this issue forward at the meeting of the full Board. At the Finance Committee, it was determined since the siren serves the City of Macomb, the matter was deferred to the city for further action; however, at Wednesday’s full Board meeting, it was determined that further discussion needed to take place.
In a story appearing in The Community News Brief earlier this month, McDonough County’s 24 “mechanical” sirens, some dating back to the 1940s, were put in place back in the day as civil defense or “air raid” style sirens.
With the old equipment and hard-to-get parts, coupled with an antiquated mechanical system, Rodriguez is looking to update the sirens to ensure a better warning system for the towns within the county.
According to Rodriguez, he is applying for one of two grants, including a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Building Resilience grant to upgrade the county’s emergency/ storm sirens. The cost to replace from mechanical to a newer, digital system will cost approximately $1 million, with FEMA grant covering roughly 75 percent, while the remaining 25 percent will come from municipalities within the county. Sirens are in place in Adair, Blandisville, Bushnell, Colchester, Good Hope, Industry, Macomb (including one by Spring Lake), Sciota and Tennessee, with the majority in Macomb’s city limits based on population density, he explained.
