McCook village trustees approved making three payments to the tune of more than $326,000 to the M&J Asphalt Paving Company for three projects in the village.
McCook will pay $165,913 for the fire department addition that is rapidly nearing completion.
McCook will also pay $61,195 for the storage room addition at the MAX, and another $99,000 to M&J for the floor replacement at the MAX.
“The MAX floor is beautiful, just beautiful,” Mayor Terrance Carr said.
The village renewed its health insurance plan with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois for a 7.1 percent increase. Carr said he was pleased with that number.
At the start of the meeting, Trustee John “Jerry” Bubash Jr., noted that Sept. 2 marked the 80th anniversary of V-J Day, the victory over Japan that brought a halt to World War II.
“Thank you for that history,” Carr said.
After the meeting, Bubash, 80, said he served in the Air Force during the Vietnam War,.
“I wasn’t sent to Vietnam. I was sent to Korea. It was cold,” he said.
Bubash said that his father, John Bubash Sr., served in World War II.
“He was stationed in San Diego. His ship was going to be heading to Japan. He had emergency leave because I was being born (in 1944). They replaced him on the ship.
“On the way to Japan, the ship got torpedoed. Half the guys drowned,” Bubash said. “My dad, he never talked about it. My grandmother told me.”
That board meeting was held on a Tuesday. The board normally meets on the first and third Monday each month, but Sept. 1 was Labor Day.