City Seeking Funds for McGrath Avenue Extension Project; Could Lead to Stevens Industries Expansion

The City of Effingham has been successful in obtaining grant funds that are aiding with a northerly extension of Thies Avenue in the area of John Boos and Company.

Now, they are trying for funds that would assist Stevens Industries in a similar project.

Effingham City Council members Tuesday heard that funds will be sought totaling $933,972.50. The funds would be used for an extension of McGrath Avenue to help with a project at Stevens' Effingham location. The project would retain 57 jobs and create 13 more positions. The City would have to provide funds that would total around $20,000.

The Thies Avenue extension project was recently awarded and will be built in conjunction with improvements to Airport Road from US Route 45, east to Hetzel's Overland Transport.

Also Tuesday, the Council voted to declare property at 510 West Clinton Avenue as dangerous and unsafe, allowing the City to move ahead with taking the building down. The Council also voted to annex three residential properties and the lot south of Fast Stop General Store at Willow and Gordon into the City/County Enterprise Zone; approved an agreement for the remediation of hazardous materials with E-Environmental Solutions and the Effingham Fire Department; approved a traffic signal service agreement with Bodine Electric; granted Effingham Sunrise Rotary permission to hold the Effingham Halloween Parade on Sunday, October 29; agreed to close portions of city streets for Effingham American Legion Post #120 and America's Groove Record Store to hold a Record Fair on Saturday, September 30; and approved a donation of $15,000 to the Effingham Retired Volunteer Firefighters Association toward the cost of a St. Anthony Hospital Fire 75th Anniversary Memorial.

The Council also granted a one-year extension of time for the platting of property acquired by Mark Mayhood at Keller Drive and Rollin Hills Boulevard as Mayhood may be acquiring additional property at the location; granted an extension of time for the purchaser of property at the former John Boos plant location to complete the acquisition; granted a special use permit for the construction of miniwarehouses at 805 and 807 West Wabash; and approved the vacation of the portion of Henrietta Street north of Franklin Avenue in the area owned by Elvan and Carol Wallace, who have plans to redevelop a house at the location into an office building. The former portion of the street will be developed into parking.

City Engineer Luke Thoele reported that an additonal $310,085 in grant funds has been received for development of property adjacent to Thies Avenue with sanitary sewer; and discussion took place on accepting a manhole rehabilitation project from Culy Contracting of Winchester, Indiana for $37,618.

Council members heard a series of reports on upcoming events in the city, starting with the ribbon cutting of the latest TREC Trail improvement this evening at 5:30pm, and including the annual visit by Gold Star Mission on Friday evening and Saturday morning; the Effingham Fire Department annual Open House on Sunday, October 1 from 1 to 3pm at the Central Fire Station; the Annual Family Celebration at Evergreen Hollow Park on Tuesday, September 26 from 5 to 7pm featuring emergency services vehicles, National Child ID Kits and other events; and the Effingham High School Homecoming Parade on Wednesday, September 27 at 6pm. One other event will be the American Red Cross blood drive this afternoon at the Effingham Event Center where the Effingham Police Department battles the Effingham Fire Department to see who gets the most donations of blood.