At the Kankakee City Council meeting on Tuesday, February 18, aldermen approved contracts for fireworks shows on Juneteenth and the Fourth of July, even though those events are still months away. Mayor Chris Curtis said Mad Bomber Fireworks Productions of La Porte, Indiana, basically made the city an offer they couldn’t refuse. Mad Bomber offered to do the shows for the same price as last year, but only if Kankakee signed a contract with them by March 1. The price for the displays will cost the city $42,000 for July 4 and $9,500 for Juneteenth.
In other business, the council approved a completely reworked agreement with the developer of a new apartment complex in the heart of the downtown area. Despite the rework, which includes a reduction in the number of units to be constructed and an increase in the amount of rent that will be charged, it is still not totally certain the project will proceed.
The city has included requirements for progress toward completion in the new agreement that, if not met, would terminate the agreement between the city and the developer that commits more than $3 million of city money to the project.