Glen Carbon Board approves final site plan for Olive Garden at Orchard Town Center
Glen Carbon Street Superintendent Danny Lawrence was recognized by the Village Board last Wednesday as he ends his 19 years of service to the community. Lawrence thanked everyone for the support he received from the village and acknowledged the many changes in the Village over the past 19 years.
By Kathy Turner
The Glen Carbon Village Board on Dec. 13 approved the final site plan for the construction of an Olive Garden Restaurant at the Orchard Town Center.
The restaurant will be constructed on the Governor’s Parkway side of the center, adjacent to 54th Street. The board approved the plans with two variances allowing for a reduction in parking spaces and a reduction in the number of streetside trees on the lot.
In other business, the Board recognized Street Superintendent Danny Lawrence for his 19 years of service. Lawrence will retire at the end of the calendar year. He told the Board that he appreciated the opportunity to serve in the superintendent capacity for the Village.
“I’ve seen lots of changes in Glen Carbon,” he said, “But I’ve enjoyed my time working here and seeing the growth.” Mayor Bob Marcus presented Lawrence with a plaque recognizing his service.
Brotcke Well and Pump will begin drilling four test wells for the Village after approval by the Board. The wells will be drilled on the Village’s well site and will help to determine design, location and capacity for the water treatment plant design. The total cost of the contract for the test wells is $35,850.
The Board also approved the low bid from Stutz Excavating for the Kingsbrook Subdivision portion of the 2023 street improvements. The bid was for $1,172,042. Both bids received were well over the engineer’s estimates.
Public Works Director Scott Slemer attributed this to a sizable increase in the cost of materials for some portions of the job. $215,000 for the project will be from America Recovery Plan Act funds already secured by the Village. The project will begin in April 2023.
Costs to use debit or credit cards when paying village fees will change effective January 1. Under a new ordinance approved by the board, the fee structure will change from a flat $4 fee to fees more reflective of village costs.
A convenience fee for processing credit or debit card payments will be adjusted to a flat fee of $1.85 plus .6% of the transaction amount. One-time electronic check payment will include a flat $2.75 fee per transaction. And the processing of recurring electronic check payments will include a flat $2.25 fee per transaction.
The Board approved the assignment of IT functions to the Village Police Department. Chief Todd Link suggested to the board that centralizing the functions will provide for a higher level of safety and security for the system and enhance the response of the village during emergency incidents.
In other end of year business, the board approved the 2023 budget as presented by Director of Finance Kelly Korte. They also approved a salary schedule for non-bargaining employees for the upcoming year.
Mayor Marcus announced the appointment of Paul Brown to the Cool Cities Committee for the village. Marcus also announced that village hall and service facilities will be closed on Monday, Jan. 2 for the New Year’s holiday.
The Board will next meet on Dec. 27 at 7 p.m. at the Village Hall.
