Maryville Board Takes Steps to Upgrade Parks
by Kathy Turner
The Maryville Village Board on Wednesday, March 5 took steps to make improvements at the Village parks. The first action was a resolution to authorize the Village application for a Madison County PEP Grant. Maryville is eligible for an increase in funding this year because the County has reassigned previously unused PEP funds.
Maryville will ask for $64,946. This will fund a new disc golf course, surveillance cameras, bench shade coverings and some new trash cans. It is anticipated that these funds, if approved at the County level, will be utilized immediately to get the project completed for summer.
The Board also authorized a contract with Henderson Associates to proceed with the design and construction of an entertainment pavilion at Fireman’s Park. This will provide a band stand and presentation pavilion at the park for events in the future.
Fire Department to Add Operation of Second Ambulance to Meet Needs
The Board authorized the fire department to add the service of a second ambulance three days per week for 12 hours each of those days. Chief Dankenbring has been reviewing call sheets to determine that this will help the department meet the needs of the community.
The second ambulance will be used to transfer patients to and from local nursing homes and assisted living facilities and the hospital. It will mean that the primary ambulance will be available for emergency calls during the times of these transfer calls.
Dankenbring has determined that the highest call times are Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. That will be the schedule for the second ambulance.
Besides providing better service and response times, the second ambulance will help in minimizing back-to-back service calls that lead to burnout of the full-time on-duty primary ambulance staff. The billing for calls for the second ambulance will cover the cost of the coverage both in vehicle costs and personnel costs which will be part-time staff.
The Board also approved the purchase of the ESO Scheduling Module for the fire department. The cost is $795 plus a one-time implementation fee of $595. Along with this, they’ve authorized the employment of Isaiah Norton as a paid on-call firefighter with the department.
Thanks to an IPMG (the department insurer) grant, the police department was authorized to purchase new training and certification equipment. Included for the wellness center and police training room are 10 2 x 6 wall pads, two 2XL rollout mats, a 2XL Wavmaster Heavy Bag with Base, a 129-pound grappling dummy all from Century Martial Arts at a cost of $2,178.99 plus $589.52 shipping costs. It will also include a Gracie Survival Tactics Instructor Certification program at a cost of $5,268.21.
The Village will seek a vehicle loan through First Collinsville Bank to cover the cost of a street sweeper. The total cost, $258,665.50, will be covered by the loan which will be paid back over five years. The cost will be budgeted by the street department over the five-year period.
Finally, the Board approved a contract with Christ Bros. Asphalt, Inc. for the Nottingham Pavement Rehab Project. Total cost of the project is $383,306.46. The project will be paid for using Rebuild Illinois funds and MFT funds.
The department heads were on hand to report February numbers. Building and Zoning reported the issuance of four permits with an increased property valuation of $70,750.
The Maryville Fire Department responded to 170 calls for service, a 13% increase over 2024. This included two fire calls – one residential and one grass fire along Interstate 55.
The police department responded to 946 calls for service, up from 597 in 2024. They issued 76 citations and wrote 7 accident reports. They also conducted in-house training in cyber security and domestic abuse response.
The Discovery Series will kickoff in March. “My iPhone Can Do All This!!!” will be held on Sunday, March 16 from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Maryville Community Center. Space is limited so signup for the event is required via the Village website.
The series offering of “Mixology” will be held on Sunday, March 30 from 2 to 4 p.m. It will take place at the Old Herald Brewery. There is a $25 cost for the program and pre-registration is needed until the limited number of registrants is reached.
In closing action, Mayor Craig Short requested the appointment of Megan Fuhler to the Zoning Board of Appeals. This is for a term to expire 4/30/2028. The Board approved the appointment.
The next meeting of the Board will be held on Wednesday, March 19 at 6:30 p.m.
