The city has pitched in to mow the area formerly known as Lakeside Lake this summer to help the Park District and prevent an eyesore. When the dam was breached several years ago, the area was designated as a “wetlands” area. I have contacted Congresswoman Mary Miller for an appointment to discuss Lakeside. It is the first step in getting the Army Corps of Engineers to change the designation so we can eventually restore the lake.
Our environmental legal counsel Peter Trimarchi has recommended an environmental consulting engineering firm to the city for the continuing clean-up of Airtex Plant 1. It is vital to keep the pressure on the owners and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Very little has occurred in 2021 at the site.
I’ve asked our garage staff to study how we might be able to utilize thousands of gallons of diesel fuel currently being stored next to the abandoned city power plant. The fuel was intended for the diesel turbines inside the facility which are no longer operable.
I showed representatives of Rides Mass Transit properties in town last week as they prepare to construct a new area headquarters for their operations in Wayne County. The proposed building will be an operations/garage facility funded by a Rebuild Illinois grant.
Additional personnel have been assigned to the Maple Hill Cemetery for the rest of the summer and fall to keep up with grass mowing/trimming. In the meantime, I have told workers not to use weed control products around tombstones. We, of course, want the cemetery to be in great shape for the upcoming Historic Society cemetery tour on September 10-11.
We will be breaking ground for the new T-Mobile building near Wal-Mart on Friday at 11:00 a.m.
