Collinsville City Council Approves First Step in St. Louis Rd. Streetscape Project
By Stephanie Malench
smalench@timestribunenews.com
The Collinsville City Council took the first major step in starting the Great Streets Initiative for St. Louis Rd at the Gateway Convention Center on October 13.City Engineer Troy Turner announced that the city would be applying with the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program in November for the St. Louis Road Streetscape Project.
Phase 1 of this project starts at the intersection of St. Louis Rd. and West Main St. and stops at the Collinsville Rd node with McDill’s Irish Pub and Kruta’s Bakery, which both have major improvements set for their properties in 2021. The cost for Phase 1 is expected to be $1.3 million and the city is asking for $1,040,000 in Federal Funds with a local match of $260,000.
Once the results are back in the spring, plans will begin to purchase land and work with all of the utilities to move the lines, including sewer, electric, and telephone. It will take about two years for construction to begin.
A resolution was also passed authorizing the city to use the Motor Fuel Tax allotment for 2021 estimated to be $1,423,166.50 to purchase storm sewer materials for the year. Turner said the amount is higher this year due to more expensive materials being needed for infrastructure work. The city currently has “water main quality pipes under the streets due to the proximity to the water mains, which are more expensive” according to Turner and asking for the money upfront gives the city “the most bang for the buck”.
In other business the council approved refunding special liquor licenses for restaurants that pay extra for outdoor patios to help offset the expenses to local businesses due to COVID-19. The amount to be refunded is $1,950.
A recycling dumpster provided by Madison County Sustainability is now available in Woodland Park in the parking lot by Fletcher Field for all residents to use. The dumpster will be emptied on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday by Republic services. If the dumpster is not used properly or if trash is left outside the dumpster there is a chance the city could have it removed.
Farmers to Families will be having food box giveaways hosted by The Heights Community Church at the Convention Center the last two Saturdays in October beginning at 9:30 a.m. and running until all of the boxes are given away. Boxes are free.
The City of Collinsville also has a drop off box at the Convention Center collecting specific food items for the Tote Me Home program for Collinsville Unit 10 families after a request at last month’s meeting by Joyce Biegert of the Tote Me Home program during public comment for residents to help the program by donating money for the program to by menu specific food items that go home with students in need every Friday.
Assistant Deputy Manager Derek Jackson presented a new software program to the City Council, City Works, which is a web based asset management and case tracking system to be used by all of the city’s departments to track work orders and licensing. While the system is only available to employees now, it will eventually be available for residents to submit documentation for permits, licenses, and code enforcement issues in 2021.
