City Council Acts on Several Projects

The Effingham City Council Tuesday approved creation of the Triangle Business District, a development involving some 300 parcels of residential and commercial properties on the City's west and northwest side.

The business district will allow imposition of a 1% sales tax with the proceeds to be used on improvements within the district. The business district, and others like it, is seen as the replacement for the city's Tax Increment Financing districts when they end within a few years.

The Triangle Business District is so named since it involves roughly a triangle-shaped territory bounded by the interstate on the west, Keller Drive and Henrietta Street on the east, and Fayette Avenue on the south.

Commissioner Don Althoff voted against the district, saying all of those within the district should have been forced to participate in the district. Some property owners opted out of the district and will not receive direct benefits, although their location will likely provide some indirect benefits.

The district is to take effect January 1, 2017. 

The Council also amended the liquor license, changing a Class T or theatre license to a Class T/E license that will allow a venue like the Effingham Performance Center to serve liquor at outdoor events on its property. Another amendment creates a Class HM license that will allow certain estabilshments with a certain number of rooms to serve alcohol at various functions. At present, the Hampton Inn and Suites can take advantage of the license. Owner Richard Beatty said the license will put his establishment on a more equal footing with the Thelma Keller Convention Center.

Council members discussed a downtown/southtown TIF rehabilitation project with China Express on Banker Street downtown. The restaurant plans to remodel the front of their building at a cost of about $48,000 with the City going halves on the project.

The Council heard from the proposed developers of Bella's Bistro to be located at 1302 Avenue of Mid America. The firm plans to market the sale of wines in addition to sale of liquor for on-premises consumption, so a different liquor license than was first being sought will need to be obtained.

Council members also discussed a change in the City Code that would provide for development of a brew pub, formerly known as a microbrew, where the operators would brew their own drinks. Mayor Jeff Bloemker said the move would help Effingham follow a nationwide trend toward such establishments, and said he expects operators to begin in Effingham once the rules are formally adopted for the establishments.

Also Tuesday, the City Council:

--honored Fire Chief Joe Holomy for achieving Executive Fire Officer status, a nationwide honor earned through four years of schooling at the state and national level

--granted Effingham Sunrise Rotary permission to host the 2016 Halloween Parade at 2pm on Sunday, October 30

--approved a preliminary engineering agreement with Civil Design for reconstruction of Vulcan Drive west off Banker Street

--authorized a contract for private development with JTL Effingham for assistance with public infrastructure improvements in the Outer Belt West TIF District

--awarded a $98,000 contract with Kinney Contractors for pavement patching around the city

--awarded a $107,000 contract with B&T Drainage for an upgrade of the Santa Monica Avenue storm sewer system

--approved holding an Effingham Cruise Night downtown on Friday, October 7 by Village Wine and Thursday Thunder, involving two-way traffic on Jefferson Avenue that night as it was in the old days, food, music and a car show, with Northside Ford, Goeckner Brothers, Legacy Harley-Davidson and CW Motorsports among the participants

--discussed a planned replacement of the City's outdoor warning siren system over the next several years as many of the sirens are more than 20 years old

--discussed using the new indoor shooting range for training for city police officers at a lease cost of $30,000 a year for five years

--discussed the development of Prairie Ace Estates, a more than 40-lot residential development along Country Club Road, north across from Effingham Country Club

--and discussed a possible hotel/motel redevelopment program policy where establishments could be demolished and replaced with new developments