 Police chief presents letters of commendation to firemen for
helping subdue hostile subject in ERThe regular workshop
meeting for the city of Lincoln was called to order by Mayor Beth
Davis-Kavelman, and the floor was turned over to police Chief Stuart
Erlenbush.
Erlenbush recounted an incident at the Abraham Lincoln Memorial
Hospital emergency room on Feb. 11 that resulted in police Cpl.
David Oltmanns issuing numerous warnings to a belligerent party
before putting the person under arrest. The individual resisted
arrest, and three firemen immediately assisted Oltmanns. The subject
was subdued, forced to the floor and handcuffed.
The chief read a letter expressing appreciation and commending
Assistant Chief Mark Miller, Lt. Ben Roland and inspector Chris
Harding from the Lincoln Fire Department for their professionalism.
Each officer was presented with a copy of the award.
Child and crosswalk safety
Northwest School is having some problems with poor drivers near
the school. According to Tracy Jackson, street superintendent, the
principal says that when the city patrols are there everything goes
well, but once they leave, it seems that drivers become very
reckless, endangering the children.
The school has put together a safety committee that suggested
that the street in question be made one way. The council discussed
this and said that they would like to explore other options before
resorting to a one-way street.
Erlenbush said that at the junior high, the city put in a
crosswalk, moved some of the parking spaces and opened it up a bit
to improve child visibility and that it has worked very well.
Jackson says that at Northwest there are no parking spaces
painted and that they could do that. He will contact the principal
and discuss this option.
IDOT stimulus funds
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 includes
funding for infrastructure improvements. These funds are being
allocated through the Illinois Department of Transportation
according to population.
The city of Lincoln will receive $464,878. Specific streets
within the city are eligible for improvement with these funds:
Broadway, Pulaski, State Street south of Fifth, College Street and
Union Street.
City engineer Mark Mathon asked that the council consider what
should be done with these funds and offer him guidance on how to
proceed. He also advised them that the money cannot be used for
normal maintenance.
CEDS meeting scheduled for April 15
Joel Smiley, executive director Lincoln & Logan County
Development Partnership, told the council that the partnership is
ready to start having meetings regarding the Comprehensive Economic
Development Strategy for Lincoln and Logan County.
Four meetings are planned, which the public will be encouraged to
attend. The city meeting date was set for April 15 at 6:30 p.m.
There will be another meeting in Lincoln for the county, a third
meeting in Atlanta for the northern communities and a fourth in
Mount Pulaski for those in the southern part of the county
Tom Akers of Heartland Community College will be the meeting
facilitator.
Smiley said that there would be formal press releases once all
the meeting dates were set.
He added that the business incubator project is moving very
rapidly. The concept has changed from having one central location to
include multiple locations all over Logan County. This would
accommodate diverse opportunities, with the possibilities of
high-tech, warehouse operations and manufacturing. Having a
portfolio of locations gives us a great edge in bringing good
startups here, Smiley said.
A meeting with SCORE representatives has been scheduled for March
18. SCORE would work closely with the business incubator project.
Smiley also said that another program of the partnership's
five-year strategy is about to launch. He and a committee would be
going to each of the top employers in Logan County -- about 30
companies -- to discuss their needs and issues and look at the
companies' potential to expand.
Models of what other communities have done would be used to
assist in this process, he said. He invited council members who
would be interested in participating to contact him.
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Lincoln citizens are not happy with Comcast
Alderwoman Kathy Horn said that she is getting several calls
about Comcast. The company is raising their prices without notice
while at the same time taking away services. She wonders whether
there is anything the city can do about the situation.
City attorney Bill Bates said that they had to give notice of
rate increases, but Alderwomen Joni Tibbs and Melody Anderson both
said that they have had similar experiences, and without notice.
Both said that they had in the past made numerous calls to the
company to get their bills straightened out and that other customers
should do the same.
Bates said that the city can lodge a complaint with the company,
but other than that they don't have any control over Comcast.
Immediately following the Comcast discussion, Alderwoman Kathy
Horn moved that the council go into executive session for the
purpose of discussing collective bargaining. The motion passed and
the public portion of the meeting concluded.
Emergency sirens are acting up
Fire Chief Kent Hulett said that at last Tuesday's test of the
emergency sirens, they did not work. They have been repaired and
will be tested again next week.
However, shortly after that the alarms sounded in town. The chief
went to investigate and returned to say it was a false alarm, and
the system is not fixed. He assured the council that the problem
would be addressed and repairs made as quickly as possible.
Petition for street closing April 25
Lincoln College has requested that a portion of Feldman Drive
between Nicholson and Kankakee be closed between 8:45 and 10:45 a.m.
April 25 for the college's 5K run and one-mile walk.
City engineer Mark Mathon said that he'd be talking to the
college to make sure that press releases went out regarding the road
closure.
Bids for City Hall roof
Bids were opened for the roofing project for City Hall. Four
companies had placed bids. Robert Shattuck of J.H. Petty was present
for the opening of the bids. Because the bid packages were sent out
with options as to what work would be performed, the building and
grounds committee will have to meet and review each bid to determine
which one is the best value.
Bids for farm property behind Wal-Mart
Bids for the farming rights of the 25 acres behind Wal-Mart were
opened. The council will discuss and vote on those at next week's
meeting.
Bids for new truck for sewerage treatment
Bids were opened and read for a new 2009 pickup for the sewerage
treatment plant. Bids were received from six businesses, three of
them local. The bids will be reviewed for compliance to
specifications and voted on at the next meeting.
FEMA grant for new firehouse
Hulett told the council that he has learned that the Federal
Emergency Management Agency will announce a $250,000,000 grant
program earmarked for new construction of fire stations.
Hulett has talked with FEMA representatives, and the city of
Lincoln is now on the contact list to be notified when the program
is announced.
[By NILA SMITH]
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