High speed rail project moving forward;
police close to K-9 unit
By Joe Pritchett
Clarion Editor
Chatham Village Board members moved through their committee meetings in just over an hour
Tuesday night at Municipal Hall.
There were a number of topics discussed, including the proposed high speed rail project, which
involves major upgrades to the line from Chicago to St. Louis.
Mayor Tom Gray told the committee that IDOT has indicated that work on the line from Alton to near
Lincoln will be starting soon, and will include crossing and track upgrades.
Both Gray and Planning and Engineering Coordinator Mike Williamsen said a public outreach
program will be launched soon by IDOT, and that will include getting information out to the public and
local interest groups.
Specific questions about double tracks and crossings to be closed were not addressed in the
latest report, though Chatham officials are confident and have been given every indication that the two
crossings through town, on Walnut and South Main, will remain open.
Questions about a fence were also asked but again there have been no specifics on that either,
officials added. There will also be high interest in finding out if any farm crossings will be affected.
•Police Chief John Holm indicated that plans for a K-9 unit continue to move forward. Though
plans to take and train a local dog fell through, officer James Richards has found a new dog from
Missouri, and that dog is currently being tested with the Illinois State Police Academy and being
checked out by a local veterinarian.
If all goes well, it appears the ball will get rolling on this program. Holm reiterated that costs to the
Village will be minimal due to grants and discounts obtained. More details will follow in the coming
weeks.
•Committee members expressed thanks to Ryan Crawford for helping to obtain two grants for
energy efficient traffic signals, one being a 23,000 grant from Regional Planning and the other a
$14,000 rebate from IMEA on a $24,000 project.
•After last week’s 4-3 vote against the proposed tent/tarp ordinance, village officials will get back to
the drawing board. Trustee Joe Schatteman was put in charge of the matter, which appears will
center on proposing an ordinance that would limit the number of storage structures allowed on a
single property.
The issue, however, will have to go through the Planning Commission, and committee members
will ask for guidance and opinion from that board as well.
•Oil and chip work from the MFT street project has been completed, and overlay work is to be
finished this week, officials stated. Village workers are behind on chipping requests, Director
Meredith Branham stated, due to the number of workers needed for the water pipe projects.
The Village is saving money by hiring its own workers to do the work, and as Village Manager Del
McCord pointed out, the process is infusing extra capital into Village bank accounts at a time when it
is needed.
“We have totally spoiled our people, we can’t keep up with the chipping under normal
circumstances,” Branham added. “You would be amazed at the chipping order lists we have.”
•In Foxx Creek Estates, developer Bob Plummer is planning a couple of more commercial lots.
They would be located to the west of Car Wash City in the vacant lots in that area. Also, he is planning
on having storage facilities behind those commercial properties. The zoning for that area would have
to be changed, as the Village currently allows for storage units only in Industrial zoned areas.
Also, commercial tenants are planned along Independence, just south of the substation. Village
officials indicated that the one lot directly west of St. John’s Lutheran Church is church property, and it
is currently farmed and actually not annexed into village limits.
Also, the village has received a request for a liquor license for a restaurant planned for the Foxx
Creek Plaza, in the former Four Seasons location. Though a name was not available, village officials
did say plans called for a Mexican restaurant. When background checks are completed, village
officials will vote on adding a license.
•There have been issues with cars parking over the sidewalk near the Mulberry/Arch intersection,
across from R. P. Lumber. Branham, citing a safety hazard, is hopeful the area in question can be re-
zoned to B-1, conditional parking lot only, in order to make the area a parking lot.
Plummer had proposed the change a few years ago, but backed off when there were objections
from neighbors. However, the request this time is coming from the Village itself, and after checking, it
is allowed by law to make the zoning conditional, meaning it can be used for a parking lot only and not
later developed.
•A power outage Saturday morning was caused by a motorist hitting a utility pole near the Route
4/Cottonwood intersection. This was the third time the same pole has been hit, officials said.
Residential service was restored within an hour, but businesses near the area were without power for
four hours.
•A new plat for the Glendale subdivision has been proposed, and will go before the Plan
Commission this week. The 14 lots are located along Grove Street and Timmy Court.
•The Illinois Law Enforcement Commission has presented $13,668 in grants to the Chatham
Police Department for two in-car computers. These state of the art computers provide the ability to
access state and national crime file and intelligence databases and communicate digitally with other
law enforcement agencies statewide.
•Williamsen provided an update to the water project. A September closing on the bonds is
anticipated. Field work continues on pipe fusing, boring and pulling, boring and jacking and open
cutting.
As of this week, Petersburg Plumbing had completed 89.5 percent of the open cut work currently
authorized. Over 80 percent of the pipe fusing has been completed, along with 45 percent of the
boring and pulling and 30 percent of the boring and jacking.
•As for the Gordon Drive culvert projects, flag personnel will once again be placed at the
Gilreath/Walnut intersection to aid traffic flow during peak hours now that school is back in session.
All of the concrete work at the Mau culvert has been completed; and final clean-up, curing and back
filling has to be done there. A fiber optic line from Verizon is still in the way at the north culvert at
Spruce Street. Verizon is scheduled to be on site this week, with Sangamo Construction hoping to
begin work there next week.
When work there starts, Gordon will be closed between Spruce and Ramblewood. Once work
starts at the Spruce culvert, it should take two weeks to complete. If all goes well, according to
Williamsen, the contractor hopes to open the entire length of Gordon by mid-September.
The next regular village board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 24, at 6:30 p.m. at Municipal
Hall.
police close to K-9 unit
By Joe Pritchett
Clarion Editor
Chatham Village Board members moved through their committee meetings in just over an hour
Tuesday night at Municipal Hall.
There were a number of topics discussed, including the proposed high speed rail project, which
involves major upgrades to the line from Chicago to St. Louis.
Mayor Tom Gray told the committee that IDOT has indicated that work on the line from Alton to near
Lincoln will be starting soon, and will include crossing and track upgrades.
Both Gray and Planning and Engineering Coordinator Mike Williamsen said a public outreach
program will be launched soon by IDOT, and that will include getting information out to the public and
local interest groups.
Specific questions about double tracks and crossings to be closed were not addressed in the
latest report, though Chatham officials are confident and have been given every indication that the two
crossings through town, on Walnut and South Main, will remain open.
Questions about a fence were also asked but again there have been no specifics on that either,
officials added. There will also be high interest in finding out if any farm crossings will be affected.
•Police Chief John Holm indicated that plans for a K-9 unit continue to move forward. Though
plans to take and train a local dog fell through, officer James Richards has found a new dog from
Missouri, and that dog is currently being tested with the Illinois State Police Academy and being
checked out by a local veterinarian.
If all goes well, it appears the ball will get rolling on this program. Holm reiterated that costs to the
Village will be minimal due to grants and discounts obtained. More details will follow in the coming
weeks.
•Committee members expressed thanks to Ryan Crawford for helping to obtain two grants for
energy efficient traffic signals, one being a 23,000 grant from Regional Planning and the other a
$14,000 rebate from IMEA on a $24,000 project.
•After last week’s 4-3 vote against the proposed tent/tarp ordinance, village officials will get back to
the drawing board. Trustee Joe Schatteman was put in charge of the matter, which appears will
center on proposing an ordinance that would limit the number of storage structures allowed on a
single property.
The issue, however, will have to go through the Planning Commission, and committee members
will ask for guidance and opinion from that board as well.
•Oil and chip work from the MFT street project has been completed, and overlay work is to be
finished this week, officials stated. Village workers are behind on chipping requests, Director
Meredith Branham stated, due to the number of workers needed for the water pipe projects.
The Village is saving money by hiring its own workers to do the work, and as Village Manager Del
McCord pointed out, the process is infusing extra capital into Village bank accounts at a time when it
is needed.
“We have totally spoiled our people, we can’t keep up with the chipping under normal
circumstances,” Branham added. “You would be amazed at the chipping order lists we have.”
•In Foxx Creek Estates, developer Bob Plummer is planning a couple of more commercial lots.
They would be located to the west of Car Wash City in the vacant lots in that area. Also, he is planning
on having storage facilities behind those commercial properties. The zoning for that area would have
to be changed, as the Village currently allows for storage units only in Industrial zoned areas.
Also, commercial tenants are planned along Independence, just south of the substation. Village
officials indicated that the one lot directly west of St. John’s Lutheran Church is church property, and it
is currently farmed and actually not annexed into village limits.
Also, the village has received a request for a liquor license for a restaurant planned for the Foxx
Creek Plaza, in the former Four Seasons location. Though a name was not available, village officials
did say plans called for a Mexican restaurant. When background checks are completed, village
officials will vote on adding a license.
•There have been issues with cars parking over the sidewalk near the Mulberry/Arch intersection,
across from R. P. Lumber. Branham, citing a safety hazard, is hopeful the area in question can be re-
zoned to B-1, conditional parking lot only, in order to make the area a parking lot.
Plummer had proposed the change a few years ago, but backed off when there were objections
from neighbors. However, the request this time is coming from the Village itself, and after checking, it
is allowed by law to make the zoning conditional, meaning it can be used for a parking lot only and not
later developed.
•A power outage Saturday morning was caused by a motorist hitting a utility pole near the Route
4/Cottonwood intersection. This was the third time the same pole has been hit, officials said.
Residential service was restored within an hour, but businesses near the area were without power for
four hours.
•A new plat for the Glendale subdivision has been proposed, and will go before the Plan
Commission this week. The 14 lots are located along Grove Street and Timmy Court.
•The Illinois Law Enforcement Commission has presented $13,668 in grants to the Chatham
Police Department for two in-car computers. These state of the art computers provide the ability to
access state and national crime file and intelligence databases and communicate digitally with other
law enforcement agencies statewide.
•Williamsen provided an update to the water project. A September closing on the bonds is
anticipated. Field work continues on pipe fusing, boring and pulling, boring and jacking and open
cutting.
As of this week, Petersburg Plumbing had completed 89.5 percent of the open cut work currently
authorized. Over 80 percent of the pipe fusing has been completed, along with 45 percent of the
boring and pulling and 30 percent of the boring and jacking.
•As for the Gordon Drive culvert projects, flag personnel will once again be placed at the
Gilreath/Walnut intersection to aid traffic flow during peak hours now that school is back in session.
All of the concrete work at the Mau culvert has been completed; and final clean-up, curing and back
filling has to be done there. A fiber optic line from Verizon is still in the way at the north culvert at
Spruce Street. Verizon is scheduled to be on site this week, with Sangamo Construction hoping to
begin work there next week.
When work there starts, Gordon will be closed between Spruce and Ramblewood. Once work
starts at the Spruce culvert, it should take two weeks to complete. If all goes well, according to
Williamsen, the contractor hopes to open the entire length of Gordon by mid-September.
The next regular village board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 24, at 6:30 p.m. at Municipal
Hall.
Chatham Clarion
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Issue Date: Aug. 19, 2010