Carlinville approves loan request for water, sewer upgrade projects
By ERIN SANSON
Enquirer~Democrat Reporter
The Carlinville City Council meeting began on March 20 after a public hearing was held regarding the lead service line replacement project the city will soon be undertaking and water main replacement project on Highway 108.
Lead Service Line Replacement
The Lead Service Line replacement project will replace 210 lead service lines that exist within the City. The project is expected to take five years with 42 service lines being replaced per year. The construction for Phase 1 should begin in March 2024 and should be completed in March 2025. Each of the five phases will take a year to complete with the estimated completion date of the entire project to be March 2029. The project total will be $1,832,000.
The City is applying for a loan from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) Public Water Supply Loan Program (PWSLP). The current loan rate is 1.04 percent due to an environmental discount of .2 percent. The PWSLP has several incentives such as reduced interest rates and partial loan forgiveness. If the Carlinville project does not qualify for those incentives the estimated annual repayment of the loan would be $101,496 a year for twenty years.
The listed source for loan repayment would be an increased water usage fee for all users of 4.2 percent, which approximates to a $2.25 increase per month for residents. The projected average monthly cost with the 4.2 percent increase would be $56.18 for Carlinville residents.
The IEPA and the Illinois Historic Preservation Division of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources have approved the project. They found that no historic properties would be affected and that there may be temporary environmental impacts. Those temporary impacts included construction noise, blowing dust, air emissions, traffic disruptions and soil erosion. Adverse effects to endangered species, natural areas or wetlands were initially indicated but later found to be unlikely.
Watermain Replacement
The second project Carlinville is taking on is the replacement of the watermain on Highway 108 from the McCausland St. to Colt Road.
The existing six-inch main is to be replaced with eight-inch main to update and correct the undersized pipes that are currently used. The estimated construction date will be Aug. 2023 with the project set to be completed in No. 2023.
The City is seeking a loan from the PWSLP for $1,479,000 for this project with an estimated interest rate of 1.24 percent and a 20-year loan. The annual estimated repayment is $83,536.
The same method of repayment is outlined in both project summaries, an increased water usage fee of 4.2 percent. The fee will not increase by the 4.2 percent rate twice as the project summaries were detailed separately but the funds for the projects come from one loan.
During the Council meeting the Mayor was granted the power to sign an Ordinance allowing the city to borrow funds from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency State Revolving Loan Fund for both projects in an amount not to exceed $4,763,000.
The Project Summaries and Environmental Impacts Determination for both projects are available at City Hall. There is a 10 comment period from the time of the Council approving the ordinance on March 20, the comment period is open until March 30. Comments can be submitted to the City or to Chad Rice at the Illinois EPA, Infrastructure Financial Assistance Section, P.O. Box 19276, Springfield, IL, 62794-9276.
Projects and Repairs
Emergency repairs to the Waste Water Treatment Plant were approved by the council. The check valves at the treatment plant are in need of replacement. These valves keep the waste water from flowing backwards through the pipes and motor. Woodard and Curran recommended C and C Pumps and Supply be selected for the work at a cost of $29,164.76.
A drainage improvement project was approved for the street outside of Ace Hardware. The project includes the installation of a new inlet and sewer tap. The project was approved for $28,625.
Correspondence
The Council approved several requests from community members. St. Paul United Church of Christ asked for permission to close the 200 block of East Street on June 17 to celebrate the 165th anniversary of the church by hosting a German Festival. The road would need to be blocked from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The request was approved pending verification of where the road would be blocked so as not to block the parking lot located off of East Street.
Jon Convery submitted a request to block the sidewalk on the south east side of the Square from Tarrant and Harmon to the corner of South Broad St., the north half of the alley on the south east, four parking spaces in front of Brave Hazel, the gazebo and lawn area of the Square and for electrical usage on the inside Square. This will be a two day event on April 28 and 29. The council approved the request.
Joe Direso sent a letter to the council regarding the property at 911 North Broad St. He asked several questions regarding clean up of the property and action the city might take against the owner. Chief Derek Graham stated that he had been attempting to make contact with the owner for two weeks and has yet to receive a reply. Graham stated that information about the property was sent on to the office of Don Craven to see what may be done about the property.
Public Comment
During public comment, one member of the community came forward with an issue. Scott Konneker lives and owns properties across the street from the HeadStart School. Konneker told the council the lights from the LED sign outside the school shines through the windows of his home at night and the homes of his neighbors keeping them awake. He requested the council have HeadStart move the sign. Alderman Doug Downey, acting as Mayor for the meeting, stated that he had spoken to the Executive Director of HeadStart who informed him that the sign had been disconnected and they would look into relocating the sign.
Other Business
A resolution was passed allowing the City to make the last payment on a water and sewer bond. The bond is due in November but the funds are available now to repay the bond in the amount of $61,500.
