City Council Earmarks Funds for Engineering Work at Evergreen and Willenborg

Effingham City Council members Tuesday earmarked $39,000 for design work on the intersection of Evergreen Avenue and Willenborg Street.

The work by Farnsworth Group will include the design of roadway widening as well as sight distance and safety improvements at the intersection. Once the engineering work is completed, the City will look at awarding construction work. 

The desire for work at the intersection resurfaced when Quik Trip asked to locate a convenience store near the intersection of Technology Drive and North Route 45. Several who opposed the project said it will cause those who work in Network Centre High Tech Park to consider going east and south on Evergreen and Willenborg to avoid the intersection by Quik Trip.

Also Tuesday, the Council annexed the site of a new I-70 Truck Center on North Route 45 into the city. The facility will relocate from its current location on East Rickelman Avenue. Also approved was a proposal for a water treatment plant storage building; allocation of funds for engineering work on a box culvert on Evergreen Avenue; donation of $15,000 to the Effingham County Committee on Aging; reconstruction of the city parking lot north of Joe Sipper's Cafe and the alley to the north of the lot; and awarded a proposal from Central Roofing for just under $210,000 for re-roofing the J.C. Penney portion of Village Square Mall.

The Council appointed Mike Mumm as chairman of the City Zoning Board of Appeals and named Theresa Hillyer to succed Gary Welton on the board. There was also discussion of sharing the cost of exterior improvements to Fox Holler Coffee on South Banker Street with the City paying a share through its Downtown/Southtown Economic Development Program with final action at a future meeting.

Council members also heard from Mike Wilson, who lives at the corner of Penguin and Flamingo, about the number of motorists who speed through the intersection and disobey the yield sign on Flamingo. Wilson said a lot more travel and a lot more kids are prevalent at the intersection, and there are no sidewalks in the neighborhood so people walk in the streets. He said those who live in the neighborhood slow on Penguin since they are aware many people disobey the yield sign on Flamingo.

City Administrator Steve Miller said he would meet with Director of Public Works Jeremy Heuerman and City Engineer Luke Thoele to study the intersection as well as the subdivision as a whole to see how the situation could be addressed.