Fireworks show set July 4 at Community Park
By Joe Pritchett
Clarion Editor
The Village of Chatham will once again sponsor a Fireworks Display this year. It will be held
Saturday, July 4, at dusk at Community Park.
The village board approved a bid of $6,000 from Central States Fireworks at Tuesday's regular
meeting. The display, as always, is open to the public and free of charge. Bring your lawn chairs.
In other news, the board approved the following ordinances and resolutions (trustee Tom
Kavanagh was absent):
•The board granted permission for the "Heroes for Life" run scheduled for Oct. 3 along Route 4.
The organizers will now need to obtain permission from IDOT.
•The board passed a resolution pertaining to the 2010 Census, which enables the village to be
eligible for a grant from the Census bureau. A number of civic organizations and municipalities
participate in this endeavor.
•The board passed an ordinance for repair work at the bike trail at Community Park. A bid of
$9,100 from Pave Rite Paving was approved.
•The board also passed an ordinance approving the purchase of a tar pot, which will be used to fill
in cracks for street repairs. A bid of $13,800 from Missouri Petroleum was accepted.
•The board also passed the annual prevailing wage ordinance, though it was not on the original
agenda. Village attorney John Myers said the ordinance had to be passed by the end of June.
•The board held an executive session after the half-hour regular meeting to discuss personnel and
litigation.
•Village clerk and Chatham American Legion Commander Pat Schad expressed his gratitude to
village administration and employees for their assistance Tuesday in moving the stage for the
Homecoming. Some tree issues in the original location forced the move.
•Mayor Tom Gray indicated that he had received a request for the bars in town to be allowed to stay
open until 1 a.m. on the Thursday night of Homecoming. After discussion, board members were not
supportive of the change.
•The board heard the annual report from Bill Shannon, President of the Chicago & Illinois Midland
Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, managers of the Chatham Railroad Museum.
The group took over control of the museum 10 years ago, and this past year was another
successful one. In addition to having Santa make a special stop on the Amtrak train in Chatham back
in December, the museum featured about 500 total visitors from seven different states and even from
Great Britain and the Netherlands.
The Loco-Motion Cruise In (Aug. 15) and Chatham Rail-A-Rama (Nov. 21) are set to be held again
this year.
•Matt Dougherty, a member of Boy Scout Troop 202 in Springfield, asked the board for permission
to do his Eagle Scout Project, which involves painting street addresses on curbs along Teal Drive in
Quail Meadows. The board approved the request.
•Village committee meetings will be held Tuesday, June 30, beginning with Administration at 6 p.
m, with Public Works to follow.
By Joe Pritchett
Clarion Editor
The Village of Chatham will once again sponsor a Fireworks Display this year. It will be held
Saturday, July 4, at dusk at Community Park.
The village board approved a bid of $6,000 from Central States Fireworks at Tuesday's regular
meeting. The display, as always, is open to the public and free of charge. Bring your lawn chairs.
In other news, the board approved the following ordinances and resolutions (trustee Tom
Kavanagh was absent):
•The board granted permission for the "Heroes for Life" run scheduled for Oct. 3 along Route 4.
The organizers will now need to obtain permission from IDOT.
•The board passed a resolution pertaining to the 2010 Census, which enables the village to be
eligible for a grant from the Census bureau. A number of civic organizations and municipalities
participate in this endeavor.
•The board passed an ordinance for repair work at the bike trail at Community Park. A bid of
$9,100 from Pave Rite Paving was approved.
•The board also passed an ordinance approving the purchase of a tar pot, which will be used to fill
in cracks for street repairs. A bid of $13,800 from Missouri Petroleum was accepted.
•The board also passed the annual prevailing wage ordinance, though it was not on the original
agenda. Village attorney John Myers said the ordinance had to be passed by the end of June.
•The board held an executive session after the half-hour regular meeting to discuss personnel and
litigation.
•Village clerk and Chatham American Legion Commander Pat Schad expressed his gratitude to
village administration and employees for their assistance Tuesday in moving the stage for the
Homecoming. Some tree issues in the original location forced the move.
•Mayor Tom Gray indicated that he had received a request for the bars in town to be allowed to stay
open until 1 a.m. on the Thursday night of Homecoming. After discussion, board members were not
supportive of the change.
•The board heard the annual report from Bill Shannon, President of the Chicago & Illinois Midland
Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, managers of the Chatham Railroad Museum.
The group took over control of the museum 10 years ago, and this past year was another
successful one. In addition to having Santa make a special stop on the Amtrak train in Chatham back
in December, the museum featured about 500 total visitors from seven different states and even from
Great Britain and the Netherlands.
The Loco-Motion Cruise In (Aug. 15) and Chatham Rail-A-Rama (Nov. 21) are set to be held again
this year.
•Matt Dougherty, a member of Boy Scout Troop 202 in Springfield, asked the board for permission
to do his Eagle Scout Project, which involves painting street addresses on curbs along Teal Drive in
Quail Meadows. The board approved the request.
•Village committee meetings will be held Tuesday, June 30, beginning with Administration at 6 p.
m, with Public Works to follow.
Chatham Clarion
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Issue Date: June 25, 2009