Following the abrupt resignations of Steve Brower and Dennis Martz last month, the Village of Grant Park Board has taken action to fill one of the seats. Angie Nowak was appointed on November 17, leaving one vacancy remaining on the village board.
“I am grateful to be given this opportunity and chance to help Grant Park in any way I can,” Nowak said in a statement to The Vedette.
Nowak has previous board experience serving on the board of directors for the South Suburban Humane Society.
Mayor Ben Detloff advised the board they do have another candidate they intend to appoint for the remaining vacancy, but he will fill in the board at the December 1 meeting.
The village also presented former student Trey Boecker with a sign commemorating his 2024 IHSA 1A Runner-up title.
Police Chief Carl Frey asked Boecker to update the board on his current achievements.
“I’m currently ranked number one in the nation for junior colleges, and I got first team All-American as a freshman last year,” Boecker said. He’ll be attending Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville next year.
In other news, the village was having issues with its internet, which cut off the first 15 minutes of its meeting. Trustee Gerry Morgan advised that Mediacom’s internet has not been working well at the village, and it had been out for several days. The village is considering exploring internet options.
Morgan also advised that Detloff informed him he should not use his personal computer to record and upload village meetings.
“If we’re going to record meetings, the village needs to have their own equipment and not rely on the generosity of someone else using all their equipment to make this run,” Detloff explained at the meeting.
“I had no idea it was yours, so thank you,” Trustee Julie Quinn said to Morgan.
The board approved the purchase of a laptop computer and a microphone not to exceed $800. Morgan said since it’s Black Friday week, they could probably get the setup for cheaper. The village owns the Owl 360 camera. Additionally, the village approved a Zoom license for recording and uploading the village meeting videos.
The board also is reviewing the public services contract with Republic. The waste management contract is up for renewal, and the board discussed other options. However, because Republic has always met their needs, they feel it is likely in the best interest to extend their contract.
Detloff informed the board Miller Pipeline is doing some directional boring work around the bank; they are staging near the police station, and Detloff informed everyone they provided proof of insurance and asked permission.
The food bank event was a success, helping 106 families thanks to the Kankakee County Service and Northern Illinois Mobile Food Bank Pop Up organizations. Detloff also reported the Veterans Day celebration was also a success.
As a reminder, Detloff wanted to reiterate that sticks cannot be in leaf piles, as they will damage the new leaf pickup machine.
Finally, Detloff gave kudos to Street Commissioner Steve Sullivan for doing a great job clearing the roads for the recent snowfall.
Stephanie Irvine is a freelance reporter.