Carthage applies for food service feasibility study grant

Carthage is applying for a grant to pay for a feasibilty study for a food service program within the city.

The $30,000 matching grant is split 50/50 with the state. The city's $15,000 half is split with local businesses that are interested in using a food service program.

“The two largest donors are Memorial Hospital and Carthage Veterinary Clinic,” said Mayor Jim Nightingale.”There are about five groups that are helping pay for our part.”

Carthage is paying $500 of the $15,000.

The grant is through the Economic Development Administration within the Department of Commerce. The program may be tied in with Meals on Wheels, the program through the Carthage Senior Center that delivers a meal each day to seniors.

If the feasability study is approved, the city applies for a grant to help pay for the food service program.

The council authorized Nightingale to sign for more than $1.1 million from the USDA at a presentation ceremony at Western Illinois Electrical Co-op last week. The money is broken into a $740,000 no-interest loan for the city and a $300,000 grant. The funds are paying for the water and sewer lines being run to the the future location of Memorial Hospital near the Rt. 336 interchange.

The money is paid back and the $300,000 grant money is kept by WIEC for future loans to area businesses.

The council paid the final pay estimate of $22,028.91 for the watermain project. The sewer project is behind schedule due to waiting for supplies. There were 30 days left to finish the project as of the council meeting, Aug. ??.

The city has received money from two member initiatives. Carthage received $170,000 from Rep. Rich Myers (R-Colchester) for watermain work on South Washington Street. It received $20,000 from Sen. John Sullivan (D-Rushville) for a generator at the water plant.

Nightingale received notification that five more employees at Methode Electronics are being laid-off. It brings the total number of employees notified they are losing their jobs to 149.

Nightingale had to break a 3-3 tie vote to approve offering Carroll Buckert an extra $200 for extra fuel expenses he incurred while running the city's pasture dump during clean-up from two high wind storms in June.

Buckert had asked for $250 to cover his fuel costs.

Voting ‘yes' were Nightingale, Gary Smith, Dan Neally, who made the motion, and Randy Fleming. Voting ‘no' were Scott Bentzinger, Donna Walker, and Sean Campbell.

The city is going to spend about $350 to treat the former city hall building for carpenter ants after it was discovered they had damaged wood in the south wall, including the bottom of several studs. Nightingale suggested checking other city-owned buildings for carpenter ants and termites.

“I thought they were checking for them already,” said Nightingale. “It just slipped through the cracks.”

Dadant and Sons of Hamilton and a termite company are working to remove a bee colony from a dead tree near the sale barn. They hope to remove the bees without killing any of them, although it is late in the year to try to relocate a bee colony. Honey bees are disappearing around the country in a phenomenon called colony collapse syndrome.

The tree is dead and needs to be cut down.

The council approved Gary Smith hiring an applicant for the vacant codes enforcer position out of a pool of applications. Interviews were held Saturday at city hall. One candidate was offered the position.

Smith is the acting interim codes enforcer. He is not paid for the position, but can turn in expenses related to the job.

Fleming reported the police department requested brake work on one of their police cars. A few older portable radios need repairs. A new portable radio was sent in under warranty for repairs.

Brandon Mann was hired as a part-time police officer.

The fire department is taking parts from an old truck and using them on a newer truck, No. 20. They are cutting down the pine trees next to the fire station and doing some of their own sewer work on a collapsed portion of sewer pipe under the fire station. That line was built in the early 1960s.

The fire station roof may be repaired in the next two weeks.

City crews put in another three-and-a-half days work on storm cleanup.

The council approved Kiwanis soliciting at the four-way stop on Sept. 12, from 7 a.m to 3 p.m.