Collinsville Announces Aqua Park Opening, New Hires
By Stephanie Malench
The Collinsville City Council met at the Gateway Convention Center on June 9 to hold a public hearing and regular meeting. The public hearing was held as a requirement to apply for a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for Rebuild Illinois Public Infrastructure Grant Pro- gram funding for the Wastewater Treatment Plant’s biosolids dewatering project.
Public Works Director Den- nis Kress provided an overview of the $6.9 million project. The purpose of the project is to con- vert the plant from its “current operation of lime stabilizing, storing and eld applying liquid class B bio-solids into a sustain- able process where the biosolids are mechanically dewatered and then pasteurized producing an environmentally safe, dry, class A bio-solid”.
The City is asking for $1,725,000 in the grant. A 20- year low interest loan through the IEPA’s low interest loan through the IEPA’s Pollution Control Loan Program, which will be repaid with the operational costs savings. There will be no in- crease in sewer rates.
Bene ts of the new facility include eliminating most of the odors by upgrading the odor control systems and adding additional odor control equipment to the dewatering process. Because the fertilizer will be available for sale to farms, there is no longer a need for long-term storage of liquid bio-solids.
There were no residents who had anything to say during the public input section of the hear- ing.
Deputy Fire Chief John Bailot
Chief Financial Officer Kris Mooney.
During regular business three new City employees were introduced. John Bailot was announced as the new Deputy Fire Chief, Kevin Madden as Associate Engineer, and Kris Mooney as Chief Financial Officer.
Mooney was then appointed to the Police Pension Board and the Fire Pension Board as a voting member since the City manages the money for these accounts.
During comments by council members and city staff, no one had anything but positive comments about how the police department handled the march for Black Lives Matter uptown on Saturday. Police Chief Steve Evans commented that although the organizers invited the police department to participate, he felt the role of the department was to “remain neutral and be prepared” in the event something happened.
An ordinance was passed authorizing Kehrer Brothers West Roo ng Inc to replace the roof on the police station for $299,200. The new roof will be PVC and paid for with TIF I funding. The project is approximately $99,000 more than originally budgeted because the original plan did not include tuckpointing of the walls or replacement of the parapet (wall cap).
Parks and Recreation sum- mer camp began on Monday, June 15 with three groups of 10 and still has spots available for more children. The also finally received guidelines on reopening the aqua park on June 5 and opened for the season on June 15 for lap swims, private and group lessons and a therapeutic river walk in the lazy river. Director Kimberly Caughran said they do not know what the regulations will be going forward into phase 4 on June 26.
Ordinances were passed ex- tending the declaration of lo- cal public health emergencies and authorization for the City Manager to act during the state of emergency were extended through June 27, 2020, the day after the state is scheduled to move into Phase 4.
