City Council rejects bid for project at Sister City Park
Charleston City Council Members Tim Newell and Jeff Lahr converse at the end of the Nov. 2 City Council meeting. During the meeting, the council voted on awarding a bid to R&R Services, Inc. from Argenta, Ill., to perform landscape waste tub grinding for the city. The total cost is $45,000 and the funds for the project have already been counted for in Charleston’s FY22 budget.
January 18, 2022
The Charleston City Council unanimously approved an item rejecting all bids for the Sister City Phase II Maintenance Building Project.
Charleston Mayor Brandon Combs said there was one bid for the project, which was higher than what the city budgeted for the project.
The city opened bids for the shell package construction on Jan. 7 and received one bid for $524,500 from K. Wohltman Construction, Inc. of Effingham.
It was recommended to the council that the bid be rejected while the city’s staff continues to work on plans to complete the construction of the building.
The council also approved a tax abatement for the $6,140,000 General Obligation Waterworks and Sewerage Refunding Bonds tax in ordinance with 11-O-36 adopted on Sept. 11, 2011.
As reported in the resolution report, “The tax heretofore levied for the year 2021 in the proceeding is hereby abated in its entirety.”
The tax was also abated previously during the Feb. 4, 2020 meeting for the year of 2019 and again during the Jan. 19, 2021 meeting for the year of 2020.
The council approved 5-0 on the mayor’s reappointment for Bob Olsen for a four-year term on the Charleston Electrical Commission.
The council voted 5-0 for a new $36,970 F-250 truck and a new $61,890 F-450 truck for the Public Works Department.
The F-250 truck will replace a 2004 F-150 truck at the Wastewater Treatment Plant, and the F-450 truck will replace a 2004 F-350 truck at the Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The council also approved the proclamation from Combs to list February 2022 as Black History Month within Charleston.
Reported on the proclamation, “Now, therefore, I, Brandon Combs, Mayor of the City of Charleston, do proclaim the month of February, 2022, as Black History Month.”
The council also approved a raffle license for The Paul McVey VFW Post 1592 which will conduct weekly Queen of Hearts Drawings at 1821 20th Street from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2022.
The weekly raffle drawings raise funds for local veterans and community members.
Combs also commended the fire department’s work and response time to a call for an adult and child who had fallen through the ice over a pond near Charleston at the end of the council meeting.
“It was a very unfortunate situation,” said Combs. “But I do want to commend the firefighters for getting out there as quickly as they could and doing what they do to try to help and save lives. So, thank you (Charleston Fire Department Chief Steve) Bennett and everyone that was involved. My heart goes out to the family.”
The council also voted to continue the local state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
City Council members Matthew Hutti and Tim Newell were present for the meeting over the phone.
The City Council will next meet on Feb. 1 at City Hall at 6:30 p.m. City Hall is currently closed to the public and any public comments can be emailed at CityClerk@co.coles.il.us or by calling (217) 345-5650.
Madelyn Kidd can be reached at 581-2812 or at mekidd@eiu.edu.
