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Oquawka Village February Meeting

The Oquawka Village Board held its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, February 1st.

Present were Trustees Don rice, Shawn Lain, Tammy Bundy, Brian Collier, Scott Ray, Brenda Tee; Village President Lori Lipes; Village Attorney Andy Youngquist; and Village Clerk Callie Thacker.

PUBLIC SPEAKING

Resident John Newton asked if the village was being charged for several portable restrooms around town while they weren’t being used during the winter months or if they simply hadn’t been picked up by the owner.

Tee noted the board had discussed having the restrooms picked up at a previous meeting.

Rice agreed saying they had decided to have all the restrooms picked up except the one at the harbor which was to remain until the river froze. Rice said he didn’t know if the call to have them picked up had been made. Lipes said they would have to get ahold of the restroom owners to make sure they get picked up.

MAYOR & STAFF REPORT

Former Village Trustee and Village President Nancy Bundy was presented an award for Citizen of the Year in front of a standing ovation. Nancy was surprised by the award as she was attending the meeting for other business pertaining to the Oquawka Parks and Tourism committee, on which she currently resides. Nancy’s family helped with the surprise by waiting outside until the award was presented. Nancy has served our community in many ways for many years and her dedication is much appreciated.

STREETS & WATER REPORT

Mick Olsen addressed the board to inform them that the water main extension project on the north end of town was moving forward. The project is necessary to feed water to a residence that is currently without service and also will connect two water mains to give the area redundancy and better flow. A private easement will be required before the project can be completed and is the next step in the process.

Mick then noted they had begun to get numbers together to move forward with the IEPA loan. The loan provides up to $400,000 available to the village and is 50% forgivable. The village will use the funds to upgrade the current water system by installing new curb stop shut off valves and hydrants where needed, as well as new automated meters.

POLICE REPORT

Police Chief Tim Edwards is new to the area and informed the board he has been making a point to introduce himself to the people of Oquawka. If you see Tim out and about, say hello and welcome him to the community.

PARKS AND RECREATION AND POOL REPORT

The Oquawka Parks and Tourism Committee will host a soup supper Saturday, February 26th 5-8 p.m. at Oquawka Township Hall. Money raised from the event will go towards flowers for Schuyler Street.

Former pool manager Destinee Cornic has opted not to return as manager next summer. The board will discuss hiring a new manager and pay rates at the next work session.

ARPA

The board has decided to use the ARPA money for full time employees and qualifying businesses located inside village limits. An application for businesses who wish to receive ARPA funding can be picked up at Village Hall starting Monday, February 7th.

MUSEUM

Susan Miller, representing the Oquawka Parks and Tourism Committee, addressed the board to discuss buying the Western Illinois Realty building, which is located across the street from Village Hall. The committee feels the building and it’s location would be a good choice for the new museum, as well as the least expensive option.

Susan noted the building has approximately 2011 square feet and has a large window measuring 13 feet in width making it an ideal spot to display the antique fire truck. In the event of sale, the current owner would rent a small office in the back of the building in order to keep his business in Oquawka.

The current museum is in major disrepair; however, it was noted that the property owners to the north are interested in buying the property. The money acquired from the sale of the current museum property would go towards the purchase of the new location.

Susan stated there are grants available for museums. It was noted that in order to qualify for a grant, the museum would have to have set hours. It was suggested the museum could be available to the public during normal village hall hours. Don Rice suggested they talk with the owner of the Horse and Buggy Museum in Biggsville for more information pertaining to grant funding.

The owner had not decided on a purchase price at the time of the meeting. The discussion will continue at the next work session.

CLOSED SESSION

The board entered closed session to discuss employee contracts.

MEETING ADJOURNED

-Jeff Tee

River Rat News

“Just the Facts, Ma’am”