Another McCook Village Board meeting, another spending spree.
Such is life in the tiny village which — thanks to a large amount of industry and fewer than 300 residents — is blessed with deep pockets and never unable to fund projects.
The village board approved more than $1.4 million in spending on three infrastructure projects Monday night, Aug. 17.
“You can’t take it to the grave with you,” Mayor Terrance Carr said.
“It was a good meeting. We spent a lot of money. We can spend money like a drunken sailor and still be within our means,” Carr said.
The board first approved spending no more than $100,000 for a new vertical turbine pump at the Egandale Pumping Station. When the village pumps millions of gallons of water every month to surrounding communities that buy water from McCook, reliable pumps matter.
That means replacing a pump that is working but nearing the end of its life.
“It’s the Terry Carr mentality,” he said. “I want to be proactive instead of reactive. Before it starts having problems, I want to replace it now. Every year, I spend a couple million dollars on the water department to keep it going.”
The board also approved paying K-Five Construction $536,853 for the 2026 Street Resurfacing Program and paying Utility Dynamics Corporation $802,500 for the Street Lighting Replacement Project.
New street lights will be installed in the village’s residential area in the coming weeks, part of the plan to spruce up McCook for its 100th anniversary, which will be celebrated Sept. 19 with a party at the park district.
There was no discussion by trustees. Each project was unanimously approved.
In other business, the board unanimously approved hiring Tenleigh Vedok as administrative/clerical assistant.
The board usually meets Monday nights, but the next meeting will be Tuesday, Sept. 8, at 6 p.m., because Labor Day falls on Monday, Sept. 7, and village hall will be closed.