Council Approves Rezoning of Hendelmeyer Avenue Property

On a 3-2 vote, the Effingham City Council Tuesday approved the rezoning of property along the south side of Hendelmeyer Avenue.

The rezoning involves 10 lots rezoned for single-family residences and two lots rezoned for development of multi-family units, which developer Keith Hartman said would involve 16 condominiums, four units in each of four buildings.

A few residents of Woodland Heights Subdivision were in attendance to voice concerns over increased traffic, more vehicles backing out onto Hendelmeyer from the single-family residences and changes in drainage.

Commissioners Kevin Willis and Kevin Esker voted against the rezonings and a plat of the property. Willis, who acknowledged that he lives in Woodland Heights, said he didn't think the development was the best use of the property. Esker's vote came without comment.

Mayor Jeff Bloemker and Commissioners Merv Gillenwater and Don Althoff voted for the rezoning, with Gillenwater and Althoff saying Hartman has done everything asked of him in an effort to come with a workable plan.

The Council amended the liquor ordinance to add a Class R-1 license that would be used by Qamil Ballazhi for a wood fire pizza and Italian cuisine restaurant to locate downtown in the former 221 location; amended the Council rules to begin future meetings at 6pm rather than 6:30pm; revised the stop sign ordinance to add a stop sign at the new intersection of Blohm Avenue and Veterans Drive and to name the east-west street Blohm Avenue all the way west to Hoffman Drive with Veterans Drive now beginning at the intersection with Blohm Avenue.

Council members approved several infrastructure projects as well as the painting of portions of the exterior of City Hall; authorized a receiver site on the north water tower to improve radio communications among emergency vehicles; and amended the appointment ordinance to name City Administrator Jim Arndt to the Board of Trustees of the Police Pension Fund.

The Council honored City Fire 2nd Lieutenant Larry Thies for 40 years' service on the fire department, and recognized City Police Investigator John Maguire as city employee of the quarter and of the year. Jayne Miller of the Public Works Department was also nominated for the Employee of the Quarter honor and Fire Chaplain Paul Bauer was also nominated for the Employee of the Year Award.

The fiscal year operating budget was amended to pay off a 2012 debt instrument that will save the City over $88,000 in interest; a natural gas purchase agreement was renewed for another year; engineering work was awarded for a carbon feed system at the water treatment plant that governs the taste and smell of water; a tractor was purchased for landscape work; and Effingham Asphalt was awarded a $370,000 contract for the Pike Avenue water main and sanitary sewer extension to serve the Beck's Hybrids development south of the Cross at the Crossroads. A plat of the addition to the Effingham Medical Center that will serve as an ambulatory care center for HSHS St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital was approved; and a $25,000 contribution of tourism funds was approved for the Effingham County Cultural Center and Museum Association.

The Council discussed regulating the sale of fireworks in the city as the County has recently approved, but City Attorney Tracy Willenborg said municipal law she has found only regulates the use of fireworks, not the sale of fireworks. There was brief discussion of renaming Outer Belt West in honor of former mayor Bob Utz, but there was not any sentiment for changing the roadway's honorary status in Utz's honor to a full renaming of the street. There was discussion on installing a guardrail along US 40 in the area where CIPS Lake comes up against the highway, and the purchase of replacement portable radios with both of those initiatives gaining some traction among Council members.

City Director of Public Works Steve Miller reminded the Council that it's National Public Works Week.