Carbondale Reporter

Village of DeSoto Board of Trustees met December 4.

Here is the minutes provided by the Board:

President John Evans called the first regular meeting of the De Soto Village Board of Trustees to order at 7:00 p.m. Village Clerk Paula Parks was present to record the minutes.

Present: Paulette Johnson Brian Gleason

Tony Rushing John Evans

Heath Rushing Eric Schuler

Motion made by Tony Rushing, seconded by Brian Gleason, to dispense with the reading of the minutes and to approve them. Motion carried.

Motion made by Paulette Johnson, seconded by Heath Rushing, to approve the November expense report. Motion carried.

Motion made by Brian Gleason, seconded by Tony Rushing, to pay the list of bills. Upon roll call vote: Tony Rushing – Yes; Brian Gleason – Yes; Paulette Johnson – Yes; Heath Rushing – Yes; Eric Schuler - Yes. Motion carried.

Amanda Tinsley of J. T. Blankinship Inc. presented a change order in the amount of $25,000.00 for the Phase II Watermain Replacement Project. The $12,700.00 amount was for corrections of the water/sewer separation issue on Oak Street that were not included in the project. The other $12,300 was for other sewer services that have come up in order to meet the water/sewer separation requirements. The new contract price will be $412,561.00

Motion made by Heath Rushing, seconded by Tony Rushing, to approve the change order in the amount of $25,000.00 for the Phase II Watermain Replacement Project. Upon roll call vote: Tony Rushing – Yes; Brian Gleason – Yes; Paulette Johnson – Yes; Heath Rushing – Yes; Eric Schuler - Yes. Motion carried.

Mrs. Tinsley presented Pay Estimate No. 3 in the amount of $86,381.41 for services through November 24. The amount for Wiggs Excavating is $73,506.51. The amount to J. T. Blankinship Inc. for engineering services is $12,874.90.

Motion made by Heath Rushing, seconded by Tony Rushing, to approve Pay Estimate No. 3 in the amount of $86,381.41 for services through November 24. Upon roll call vote: Tony Rushing – Yes; Brian Gleason – Yes; Paulette Johnson – Yes; Heath Rushing – Yes; Eric Schuler - Yes. Motion carried.

Village resident Paul Waterman presented the idea of developing a community garden. He said the community garden would provide a learning opportunity for youth and adults and the benefit of raising fresh food at an affordable price. He asked the board to consider looking at some land in the village for the community garden. People could rent a parcel of land for a nominal fee or at no charge. Mr. Waterman said he would volunteer to oversee and spearhead the project. He informed the board that Thrivent Financial offers grants for community development projects. He said there is the possibility of getting $250 to $500 to help fund the project.

Board members were open to the idea. The Village owns land on South Oak Street that could be used. Trustee Tony Rushing expressed concern about the fiber optic cable that is buried on the west side of South Oak Street. This issue would have to be checked out.

President John Evans appointed Eric Schuler to be the board liaison for the community garden project.

The Village had received information from Brent Ritzel, solar project developer for StraightUp Solar. Mr. Ritzel is interested in meeting with village representatives about the possibility of installing a solar system that would subsidize electricity for the wastewater treatment system. Grants are available to cover most of the cost. In addition, solar power could be a cost-saving measure for the Village. President Evans authorized Mr. Rushing to follow up with Mr. Ritzel and investigate the possibility further.

Christmas at the Gazebo went well. Trustee Paulette Johnson and Village Clerk Paula Parks expressed their appreciation for the board members and volunteers that decorated the gazebo, donated cookies and supported the event.

Milk and Cookies with Santa will be held Saturday, December 9 from 9-11 AM at the Village Hall.

The Illinois Bicentennial Flag Ceremony was held on December 4 at noon to kick off the year-long celebrations across the state to commemorate Illinois’ 200th birthday on December 3, 2018. Village Clerk Paula Parks read a brief history of Illinois. Village President John Evans read the resolution in support of the celebrations. Then, an ensemble of De Soto Grade School chorus students led by Mrs. Pam White sang the Illinois state song as the flag was raised.

Trustee Paulette Johnson announced the Park Committee meeting to be held Wednesday, December 6 at 5:30 pm at the Village Hall.

Motion made by Tony Rushing, seconded by Brian Gleason, to approve the 2018 holiday schedule and 2018 regular meeting schedule. Motion carried.

Trustee Johnson reported that the insurance company had said that volunteers using village equipment are covered for liability purposes only. If the volunteer causes bodily injury or property damage to a third party, the liability would apply. If the volunteer gets hurt, their own personal insurance would apply.

Motion made by Paulette Johnson, seconded by Heath Rushing, to go into executive session at 8:01 PM to discuss personnel, pursuant to 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1). Upon roll call vote: Tony Rushing – Yes; Brian Gleason – Yes; Paulette Johnson – Yes; Heath Rushing – Yes; Eric Schuler - Yes. Motion carried.

Eric Schuler left the meeting at 8:30 pm.

Tony Rushing left the meeting at 8:46 pm.

Motion made by Heath Rushing, seconded by Paulette Johnson, to come out of executive session at 8:55 pm. Upon roll call vote: Brian Gleason – Yes; Paulette Johnson – Yes; Heath Rushing – Yes. Motion carried.

The next board meeting will be held Monday, December 18, 2017 at 7 pm at the Village Hall.

Motion made by Brian Gleason, seconded by Heath Rushing, to adjourn the meeting at 8:57 pm. Motion carried.

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