The Galesburg City Council meets tonight at 6 p.m. at Galesburg City Hall with a full agenda covering community events, demolitions, sidewalk repairs, and a proactive look at the city’s aging water infrastructure.
City Manager Eric Hanson joined Galesburg’s Morning News Monday morning to preview the meeting. Listen to the full interview below.
Letter Carriers Food Drive Day
Before the meeting, Mayor Peter Schwartzman will read a proclamation declaring Saturday, May 9, as Letter Carriers Food Drive Day in Galesburg. Residents are encouraged to leave non-perishable food items near their mailboxes Saturday morning for collection.
WGIL will have local organizers of the drive on Galesburg’s Morning News Tuesday morning.
Food Truck Fridays
On the consent agenda tonight is a new monthly downtown event series. Food Truck Fridays would bring food trucks and local vendors to Parking Lot H on Simmons Street between Prairie and Kellogg on the second Friday of each month from May through September. The event is hosted by Liv Bundy and is expected to draw approximately 150 attendees. No cost to the city.
Liquor license and property disposal
Also on the consent agenda, the city’s Class A-1 liquor license inventory will decrease from 27 to 26 after Cedar Creek surrendered its license. Cedar Creek plans to use Special Event Liquor Licenses for future events, giving the venue more flexibility at lower cost.
The Council will also authorize the annual disposal of obsolete city equipment through the Purple Wave online auction system. This year, bicycles in working order will be donated to community organizations rather than auctioned.
Sidewalk replacement
The Council takes up an $88,552.90 bid from Miller and Son Construction for sidewalk replacement at various locations across the city. Work targets deteriorated sections and ADA ramp compliance, including intersections at Bateman Street at Greenleaf Street and Dudley Street at Kellogg Street. The contractor has 25 working days to complete the work, with a summer start expected.
Demolitions
Two demolition contracts are on the agenda tonight. The larger covers ten properties across Galesburg at a cost of $214,240 to N.E. Finch Company of Peoria. All ten properties have been found to be either dangerous or not economically feasible to restore. Work is expected to begin in June and be complete by the end of July. Once cleared, the lots will be put back on the market.
The second demolition item is the former Maple Avenue fire station at 647 Maple Ave., built in 1907. A $94,680 contract with D&T Demolition LLC of Galesburg is on the agenda after a previous contractor walked away from a lower bid last year. If approved, work is expected to begin within 30 days and be substantially complete by the end of August. The land will be incorporated into Bateman Park.
WGIL has a full story on the Maple Avenue fire station demolition at wgil.com.
Infrastructure
The Council will consider a new 10-year maintenance agreement with the Illinois Department of Transportation for the storm water pumps at the Sibley Underpass on East Main Street. The agreement maintains the existing 50/50 cost split between the city and IDOT for all maintenance, repair, and energy costs. The pumps are critical to preventing flooding in the underpass. The city expects approximately $100,000 in reimbursements from IDOT over the life of the agreement.
Also on the agenda is a $35,300 engineering agreement with Crawford, Murphy & Tilly for a phased inspection plan for the Oquawka water transmission main. The 31-mile pipeline, installed in 1958, is the primary water source for Galesburg and several surrounding communities including Knoxville, Abingdon, and North Henderson. A full inspection of the entire main would exceed $2 million, so the city is taking a phased approach, starting with the most critical areas. Hanson said the goal is proactive monitoring to extend the main’s life for another 20 to 40 years.
“It’s our only source of water,” Hanson said. “We want to make sure we maintain it.”
Tonight’s City Council meeting is at 6 p.m. at Galesburg City Hall. Click here for the agenda.
