BY JENNIFER BAILEY
DANVILLE
May 10, 2008 07:31 pm
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The city has received a $500,000 state grant thanks to the efforts of state Rep. Bill Black (R-Danville) to remove the deteriorating Voorhees Street bridge west of Bowman Avenue.
But don’t expect construction to start this year.
“We’ll never close Voorhees and Winter at the same time again,” Mayor Scott Eisenhauer said about limiting east-west travel.
The city’s Public Works Committee on Tuesday will consider authorizing agreements with the Illinois Department of Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway Co. for the removal of the bridge over the exempt railroad and replacement of the at-grade roadway at the railroad.
The agreement with Norfolk Southern also is to remove the exempt railroad at grade crossings at Hazel, Jackson and Bowman.
Winter Avenue is expected to reopen to traffic in December.
Engineering on the Voorhees Street work will occur this year, with construction expected to occur next summer, Eisenhauer said.
Also Tuesday, the committee will discuss bids the city received to sell the parks building at 615 N. Jackson St. and old fire station at 705 N. Walnut St.
The city received a bid of $30,100 from former alderman Charles Long for the parks building.
The city received three bids for the old fire station: $775 from Terry Moreman who would use it for storage; no monetary compensation from Habitat for Humanity which would use it for storing materials, office space and meeting room; and $2,555 from the Human Relations Commission of Danville which would use it for storage.
City officials are seeking aldermen input into the decision.
There also will be a public hearing Tuesday night regarding a financial assistance grant through IDOT to off-set capital costs associated with Danville Mass Transit’s elderly and disabled transportation program.
In other business, the committee will consider:
-- Purchasing 60,000 yard waste bags from Great Scott Services of Danville for $24,840.
There was a variance in inventory and distribution quantities resulting in a shortage.
Public Works Director Doug Ahrens said there was a discrepancy with the provider and some stores in the city have run out of bags. City hall and several stores still have some.
Eisenhauer said they’re still trying to figure out what happened because revenues haven’t equaled the bags sold. Officials are wondering if some stores sold two bags for the price of one.
-- Approving an agreement for preliminary engineering for International Drive, adjacent to ThyssenKrupp.
-- Changing in agreements the owner of the new bio-diesel facility to be served by Buchanan Street and the new bridge to Blackhawk Biofuels, LLC.
-- Approving the acquisition of permanent easements for the Holiday Hills sanitary sewer project. The city will purchase land for $500 from Immanuel Manor on Eastwood Drive, for $5,738 from Jane Hosch on North Bowman Avenue and for $200 from Jon Mourer on Eastwood Drive. Funding comes from the city’s sanitary sewer fund.
COMING UP
The city council’s Public Works Committee will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Robert E. Jones Municipal Building, 17 W. Main St.
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