By Jeff Vorva
The new police station in Beecher is still a long way off before being built. However, there were some preliminary items discussed at the January 9 village board meeting about the new project.
The board approved that Kewanee National Bank would purchase the village’s bonds at a 5.45 percent rate for the project. When the referendum was passed in November, it was with the understanding the interest rate on the $3.9 million bond would not exceed 5.9 percent.
“We are happy with that because at one point, when the Fed was raising rates at three-quarters of a percent about every other month, that got our attention a little bit,” First Midstate Incorporated Senior Vice President David Pistorius told the board members before they voted.
“We thought we would be pushing the 5.9 at some point, but we came about a half of a (percentage point) less than that.”
The design of the building is still in the planning stages, and board members are eyeing either May or June for that to be finalized. After that, the project will go to bid.
A closer inspection
Village officials, including Mayor Marcy Meyer, sat down with representatives of the fire department recently to try to figure out some of the language in the intergovernmental agreement the two parties have regarding fire inspections.
Meyer said during one long meeting, the conversation was going around “in circles.”
A possibility of ending the agreement could be in the works.
“We have to ask ourselves, what is the goal of the inspection process?” Meyer said. “What do you want it to be?”
The issue was brought up in December, when members of a crypto mining business were at a board meeting to get some clarification about the findings of a recent fire inspection.
The fire department has farmed out inspection to an independent service.
Budget banter
The Finance and Administrative Committee will host a budget workshop at 7 p.m., on February 25, at village hall, to get the process rolling on a new budget.
The village’s March 27 meeting will be relocated to the Public Works garage (30201 Cardinal Creek Boulevard) and the time will be changed to 6 p.m. Only action items will be handled followed by work on the budget.
A public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. on April 24.
Park facelift
The board approved the purchase of 20 light fixtures and poles for the path at Firemen’s Park for $27,322 from Lake Zurich-based Lightmart.
It also voted to purchase three picnic tables, eight park benches, and two garbage receptacles for the park from Waukesha, Wisconsin-based LirbyBuilt Quality Products for $8,781.95.
There was talk about replacing steel plates on the pedestrian bridge, but nothing was resolved.
A car for the chief
The village will purchase a used 2021 Ford Explorer that has 22,754 miles and a 150,000 warranty from D’Orazio Ford of Wilmington to replace the police chief’s current vehicle, a 2011 Chevy Traverse.
The price tag for the Explorer is $25,000 and should be good for six-to-eight years, according to Public Safety Committee Chairman Joe Tieri. The current car will be sold in a silent auction.