City Council Hears About Stevens Industries Expansion to Effingham

(TODD WEGMAN OF STEVENS INDUSTRIES AT TUESDAY NIGHT'S CITY COUNCIL MEETING)

Stevens Industries has seen phenomenal growth since it began in Chuck Stevens' garage in Teutopolis 60 years ago.

Now, that growth is expanding to Effingham.

The Effingham City Council Tuesday heard about plans Stevens has to purchase and expand into the Total Quality Warehouse in the Effingham Business Park. Appropriately, the facility is located on Stevens Avenue.

Company head Todd Wegman said Stevens is "maxed out" in Teutopolis and after looking elsewhere to locate a company whose product now touches 30 states, the decision was made to expand in Effingham.

The City Council will likely vote at their next meeting on a job creation grant. The proposal is for Stevens to retain 497 jobs...494 in Teutopolis, 3 now in Effingham...and to get paid $2,000 for each additional job up to 25 jobs per year. The agreement is for three years. The jobs would pay at least $14/hour, a figure Wegman said the company would certainly pay, if not more.

Figures distributed by Wegman and finance officer Jim Buhnerkempe showed that Stevens anticipates adding 50 to 60 jobs by 2020, seeing a growth in revenue of at least 70% in that time period, and an $18 million investment in infrastructure and equipment.

In other development news, the Council voted 4-1 to remove the Meijer site from the Ford Avenue Business District Plan. Commissioner Don Althoff voted against pulling the Meijer ground from the plan. That means the 1% tax generated by sales at the other businesses in the plan won't be realized by sales at Meijer.

The Council voted to add a provision to the City Zoning Ordinance allowing for issuance of special use permits for mixed commercial and residential use in the Central Business District. The Council was to act on a special use permit to Midland States Bank to utilize the former Effingham State Bank that also served as Midland's downtown location until their new facility was completed but, due to a scrivener's error on the document that would grant the special use permit, action had to be delayed until the next Council meeting. The old building at Jefferson and 5th will be converted to living quarters for those in town for extended stays to work on a project at a local firm.

Also Tuesday, the City Council:

--heard that the fiscal year audit received a clean opinion from West and Company

--witnessed the presentation of a Chief's Commendation Award to Officer Scott Volpi by Police Chief Jeff Fuesting for Volpi's 15 years of service on the Shop With A Cop program provided toys for kids at Christmastime, with Fuesting sharing that over $100,000 has been raised for kids through the years

(OFFICER SCOTT VOLPI AND POLICE CHIEF JEFF FUESTING)

--were introduced by Fuesting to those on the police force who have received promotions, including Deputy Chief Danny Lake and Lieutenants James Dillow, Todd Ebbert and Jason McFarland.

(FROM LEFT, DEPUTY CHIEF DANNY LAKE AND LIEUTENANTS JASON McFARLAND, TODD EBBERT AND JAMES DILLOW)

--issued a liquor license to Gopher's Grill, scheduled to be open in late January in downtown Effingham

--issued a revised liquor license that allows wine tasting to A-1 Food Mart at 4th and Fayette