Maryville takes first step to establish bicycle, pedestrian master plan
Local governing agencies know about the long wait for new vehicles when a need arises. The Maryville Fire Department has been waiting a long time but they have finally received their new ambulance. The vehicle went into service last week in Maryville. (Kathy Turner photo)
By Kathy Turner • Community surveys, a volunteer committee, village board members, village employees and engineers from Juneau and Associates all pulled together over the past months to present what is a first step in developing a bicycle and pedestrian master plan for the Maryville community. With approval of the resolution, the plans will be shared with the Metro East Park and Recreation District (MEPRD), as well as Madison County Transit (MCT), to begin the process of securing grants to develop the paths.
The first area of desired development is along Vadalabene Drive. This will allow the village to tie into the MCT Goshen Trail on Troy’s western border, which connects to Glen Carbon and Collinsville. Other areas are also planned that will make the community more bike- and pedestrian-friendly.
In other business, the board accepted a settlement and release from the insurers for mine subsidence in the village. Accepted amounts were: $723,900 for the police station; $880,325 for village hall; and $249,381.59 for the public works building. The street department claim will remain open. All the amounts are after policy deductibles.
The village continues to look at ways to remediate the subsidence issues. A group from SIUE will use drones to determine how much settlement has occurred in the past 10 years.
The board also approved the purchase and installation of soft surface playground equipment. The purchase is through Hutchinson Recreation and Design at a cost of $138,990. This is a grant-funded project.
Earlier in the meeting, the village clerk read a letter of commendation from the Illinois Department of Public Health. Addressed to the water department, the letter and a certificate recognized the village for 10 consecutive years of meeting the highest standards of compliance in providing water for the community.
The board accepted a letter of resignation from Dawsen Winkleman from the fire department. The fire chief later reported that they have identified candidates for the two vacancies on the department roster.
Police chief Manley reported an uptick in the number of fraud cases in the village. They include in-person, phone and Internet cases. Residents are urged to be very careful before sharing any information with unknown individuals and report any concerns to the police department.
The first Movie in the Park for the summer will be held on Saturday, June 13. It will start at dusk and will feature, “How to Train Your Dragon.” Please bring lawn chairs, blankets and whatever snacks you may want and join your friends and neighbors for this family-friendly event.
Finally, Mayor Wayne White has appointed Jay Wiegers to the Parks and Recreation Committee. His term will run through April 30, 2029.
Kayaking at Drost Park will be held on Saturday, June 27. Register early through the village website – www.vil.maryville.il.us
The next village board meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 17 at 6 p.m.
Maryville youth will soon be able to enjoy the brand new playground equipment at the park. Paid for with grant funds, the equipment was approved for purchase and installation last week. (rendering courtesy of the village of Maryville
