Village of Oblong

DRAFT MINUTES

May 5, 2004

The Village Board of Trustees met in regular session on May 5th, 2004, in the Farley Room of the Municipal Building.

Members Present: Mayor Keith Waldrop, Clerk Ladora Boyd, Trustee Bill Hatch, Trustee Bonnie Finn, Trustee Jack Gallion, Trustee Carole Jones, Trustee Sherry Catt, Trustee Debi Wilson and Treasurer Jan Miller.

Others Present: Public Works Superintendent Gary Lanter, Police Chief Chad Pusey, Tom Compton (Daily News), Shannon Woodard (Connor & Connor, Inc.), Charlotte Cannon (Oblong Gem), Karen Johnson (RHS Recyclers Sponsor), Matt Briner (RHS Recyclers), James McCullough (RHS Recyclers), Chris Forde (Leadership Crawford County) and Randy Rich (Rusty Nail Hardware).

1. The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm by Mayor Waldrop.

2. The Regular Meeting minutes of April 7th were approved with a motion by Debi and a second by Carole. All ayes, motion carried.

3. There were no additions or deletions to the agenda this month.

4. There were no delinquent water bill customers at the meeting this month. Bill suggested that the agenda item delinquent water bills item be changed to just read Water Bills.

5. Matt Briner and James McCullough (RHS Recyclers) made a power point presentation on the recycling of old tires. The RHS Recyclers will be accepting old tires on May 21st and 22nd from 8 am to 2 pm. The direction to drop off the old tires are as follows: From Route 33 to Mitchell Avenue go North to Wastewater Treatment Plant East Gate then exit at the West Gate onto Wilkin Avenue Northeast to North Jackson street. Illinois EPA will then have a tire recycling company come down and pick up the tires. There were some questions about local use of the tires that are collected. The tires must be off the rims for the RHS Recyclers to accept them. There will be a statement to be signed.


6. Shannon Woodard came before the board to state that there were no bills this month. Shannon stated that Connor & Connor had received the lab report on the paint complaint. The report stated that the sample consisted of silica sand material and pollen particles. The silica sand appeared to be of soil origin while the pollen particles resembled certain tree pollens. (See attached report.) Shannon updated the board on the progress of the Water Tower Project. The painting of the new Water Tower is about completed, the painters have started putting on the last coat of paint. Shannon stated that he had prepared a motion that he would like the board to make. Motion by Bonnie, with second by Jack, to authorize the issuance of the "Notice to Proceed" to Munson Construction upon the completion of the new water tower and subject to the approval of the engineer, Village Superintendent and Village President and notification of adjacent property owners. All ayes, motion carried. There was some questions about the dismantling of the old water tower. Shannon stated that there are several facts (weather & etc.) that will need to be done before the project can start. Bill asked if there was anything

new about the water extension. Shannon stated that as of now it looked like there were 78 people interested in connecting to the Village's water system. Shannon hopes to have everything ready to present by the next board meeting.

7. Chris Forde (Leadership Crawford County) came before the board to inform the board on the plans for starting a leadership program in Crawford County. The goal of this program is to make good community leaders.

8. Motion by Jack, with a second by Debi, to adopt Resolution #04-4 "A Resolution Opposing the Closure of the Vandalia Correctional Center." All ayes, motion carried.

9. Motion by Bill, with a second by Sherry, to adopt Ordinance #2004-0-467 "An Ordinance Implementing the Provisions of the State Officials and Employment Ethics Act (5 ILCS 430/1-1 ET Seq.) in the Village of Oblong, Crawford County, Illinois." All ayes, motion carried.

10. Motion by Carole, with a second by Bill, to grant the mobile home permit submitted by Gary and Carole Lance. All ayes, motion carried. There was some discussion on making some changes to the mobile home ordinance. It was tabled until next month so that there can be some research done.

11. The Bids were opened that were submitted for the purchase of the two building under the old Water Tower. The bids are as follows:

For the Yard Barn
Emril McKee $75.00
Jeff Allen $65.00
Doug Jones $75.00
Rick White $20.00

For the Storage Building
Rick White $20.00

The board decided to accept the bids from Emril McKee (Yarn Barn) and Rick White (Storage).


12. Under Mayor's Comments: a.) Keith stated that the signed deed for the Atkins' property is at the attorney's office. The attorney is preparing paperwork to have the property taken off the tax roll.

b.) Keith informed the Trustees that Marathon is going to collect Hazardous Material. The cost of this project will be around $10,000.00. Marathon is paying around $5,000.00 and would like for the Village to donate $500.00. Motion by Bill, with a second by Jack, for the Village to donate $500.00 towards the cost of disposing of hazardous materials. All ayes, motion carried. The mayor will be going to a meeting over at Marathon on May 13th and will probably get more information on the matter such as when and where.

c.) Keith stated that there is a problem with grass being thrown into the streets, which causes problem with the storm sewers. It was stated that the first time the property owner/renter will receive a warning. The second time the property owner/renter will receive a citation.

d.) Keith stated that the First National Bank in Olney would like to use the Park on June 17th for Customer Appreciation Day from 5 pm to 7 pm. Motion by Carole, with a second by Bonnie, to grant permission to the First National Bank in Olney to use the Park on June 17th. All ayes, motion carried.

Motion by Carole, with a second by Bill, to grant permission to the Oblong Antique Tractor and Engine Association permission to use the Park on August 13th, 14th and 15th for their annual show. All ayes, motion carried.

e.) Keith stated that the Lake Committee would like to use the Park on June 4th, 5th and 6th for a big party. Motion by Jack, with a second by Debi, to grant permission to the Lake Committee to use the Park on June 4th, 5th and 6th. All ayes, motion carried. Carole asked if the meters will be read like when the Antique Tractor and Engines Show is going on. Bonnie stated that event is only Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday morning. Bill asked if the Lake Committee coordinate with the Village Building/Park Committee and if not why. Bonnie stated that it had never been done that way before.

f.) Keith stated that there will be a wedding on June 12th at the Memorial Wall. The couple would like for the fountains to be on during the ceremony.

g.) Keith stated that in looking at the Horseshoe Pits; he thinks that the North and South Horseshoe Pit is the better of the two and that it should be the one to keep. The East and West Horseshoe Pit will be the one to be taken out and the Basketball Court put in. The Board agreed.


h.) Keith stated that George Carpenter, from C & S Paving, had come in and talked to him about seal coating the walkway out at the park and the back parking lot at the Municipal Building. Keith told Mr. Carpenter to give two separate bids, one for the walkway and one for the parking lot. Mr. Carpenter brought the bids to Keith. The bid for the walkway was for $4,488.00 and the bid for the parking lot was for $940.00. The board felt that the bids were reasonable. Motion by Bill, with a second by Carole, to accept the bids from C & S Paving. All ayes, motion carried. It will be about a month before the walkway at the Park will be ready.

13. The treasurer's report was given by Jan. Jan explained to the board why the difference was in the CD balance from last month's report.

14. Motion by Debi, with a second by Sherry, to pay the bills that were on the voucher and any utility bills, bills that will incur a late charge or reimbursements to employees. All ayes, motion carried.

15. Reports of Committees:

A. Police: Carole stated that everyone had a copy of the monthly police report. Carole stated that Kristin Avery will be attending Juvenile schooling on May 18th thru 21st. The Chief will be going to get the new police car tomorrow (5/6/04).

B. Buildings and Park: Sherry stated that she would like to remind people that walk the dogs around the lake to pick up and dispose of the deposits that the dogs make. Debi asked to know what the committee would like out at the Park, flowers, shrubs or trees because Ridgeview Nursing Home will be planting next week and would like to get it ordered. The committee will get together and take care of the details.

C. Sidewalks and Lights: No Report.

D. Street and Alley: No Report.


E. Water and Sewer: Bill told Randy Rich that he could go first. Randy came before the board to express some concerns about safety during the dismantling of the old water tower. Randy stated that the project could possibly take five days depending on the weather. Randy stated that he would be shutting down his business (Rusty Nail Hardware) during the dismantling of the tower, but he would loose money. He is asking that the Village Board be considerate and compensate him for lost revenue. Bill asked Randy if he could get figures together. There will be an All Committee Meeting on May 17th at 8 am.


Bill stated that for the past year he has been chairperson of the Water/Sewer Committee. There have been some things that have come to his attention that he feels should be addressed. One is the difference between water purchased from Robinson-Palestine Water Commission and the water sold by the Village. The difference runs between 11% to 35.2%, which means that 1 out of every 5 gallons or even sometimes every 3 gallons of water purchased is lost. Bill stated that he had called the Chairperson of the Illinois Rural Water Association (IRWA) to ask for some suggestions on how to solve this problem. Bill was told that losing 6% would not cause trouble. Bill does not know how Gary figures the numbers but stated that Gary was giving honest figures; this has weighed on Bill's mind for the whole year. Bill stated IRWA has offered to assist the Village, some of the assistance would be free and some have fees. IRWA said it might be the accounting system, which the Village has now purchased a new accounting software. Bill stated that there are some detail still to be worked out with the new system. Bill stated that Gary informed Bill that there are some businesses in town that do not have water meters. Bill feels that to solve this problem there needs to be meters installed where there aren't any right now. Bill feels that there needs to be a system set up for meter replacement. There was a problem that developed where there was a water leak and the water line had been identified as a private line, but the water was not going thru the meter so it was decided that the problem was the responsibility of the Village. Bill stated that the point is that the Water Department needs to show some accountability to the Board. Motion by Bill, with a second by Sherry, to require the Superintendent of Public Works to give a report to the Village Board at their regularly scheduled monthly meetings to include but not limited to the following items:

(1) Amount of water purchased and the amount of water sold, the difference if any, and what is being done to correct the discrepancy.

(2) List of all delinquent water bills and a list of water meter reading deviating from their norm -- high or low -- and what is being done to find a reason for the difference from month to month.

(3) Major projects report -- streets and water - new meter replacements - testing of meters - installation of meters - tracking of water loses - Seasonal projects; projection of time to start and complete the projects. (ex. public restrooms, Park - Basketball court. Ayes: Bill, Carole, Sherry, Debi. Nays: Bonnie, Jack. Motion carried.

Gary would like to send Rick & Jason to a class on underground construction on July 21st. Rick and Jason would go up the day before and come back the next day. Gary and Travis would like to go to Effingham to attend the American Water Works Association (AWWA) on June 10th.

F. Finance: No Report. Sherry asked Jan what she learned at the Treasurer Symposium. There was some discussion because Jan had not attended. Gary asked to go ahead and purchase some of the items that he had budgeted for. The board told him to go ahead because it was in the budget.

16. Motion by Carole, with a second by Debi, to go into executive session at 8:55 pm to discuss personnel. All ayes, motion carried.

17. Motion by Jack, with a second by Bonnie, to come out of executive session at 9:10 pm. All ayes, motion carried.

18. Motion by Sherry, with a second by Debi, to hire Jesse Randolph, Jared Pepmeier and Jesse Stephens as the Summer Help for this year. All ayes, motion carried. Sherry asked Gary if he had ever fired anyone. Gary said yes he had.

19. In other items of business: Keith passed out the new committees' page to all the Trustees. They are as follows:

POLICE: Jack Gallion, Debi Wilson, Bill Hatch

FINANCE: Bonnie Finn, Debi Wilson, Jack Gallion

WATER/ SEWER: Debi Wilson, Bonnie Finn, Sherry Catt

BUILDING/PARK: Sherry Catt. Bonnie Finn, Carole Jones

STREET/ALLEY: Carole Jones, Bill Hatch, Sherry Catt

SIDEWALK/LIGHT: Bill Hatch, Carole Jones, Jack Gallion

20. Motion by Jack, with a second by Sherry, to adjourn at 8:24 pm. All ayes, motion carried.

Respectfully Submitted,


Ladora Boyd, Clerk

2004 Board Meeting Dates

January 7th.
February 4th.
March 3rd.
April 7th
May 5th.
June 2nd.
July 7th.
August 4th.
September 1st.
October 6th.
November 3rd.
December 1st.