Effingham County Board seeks proposals for gazebo project

May 21—The Effingham County Board is picking up where it left off with plans to replace the gazebo on the lawn of the Effingham County Museum and make drainage improvements in the surrounding area.

During its meeting Monday, the board voted to publish a request for proposal for the county's Historic Courtyard Drainage and Gazebo Project. The existing gazebo has been on the museum's lawn since the mid 1980s.

The county will be responsible for covering 50% of the gazebo and drainage project cost, and the other half of the project cost will be paid for with grant funds from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

"What it will entail is the removal of the existing gazebo. That will come down," Effingham County Board Chair Josh Douthit said. "We will bury drainage lines off of the existing museum building that is causing flooding and ice issues over the sidewalks. Those will now be buried and go onto the road, so there won't be a hazard there."

The county plans to replace the existing gazebo with an approximately 30 feet by 35 feet pavilion. Douthit said the county will work to ensure that the appearance of the pavilion fits well with the existing aesthetics of the Effingham County Museum and its lawn.

"As you guys know, we had to jump a couple hurdles with the preservation society and historic society, and they have approved our plans for that," he said.

Douthit said a few trees will have to be removed for the project, and some bushes will have to be removed from the courthouse lawn as well to make way for new eight-foot sidewalks.

"All of the sidewalks that you see over there will be replaced," he said. "And then we will add an approach sidewalk."

There is an existing approach sidewalk on the courthouse lawn that runs from east to west, and this sidewalk, like the others, will be replaced. The new approach sidewalk for the pavilion will run from north to south.

"There will be a light pole added at the intersection of those sidewalks, and then, obviously, we'll have lighting within the pavilion itself," Douthit said.

Also during the meeting, the board approved updates to the county's agreement with the city of Effingham and the Effingham County Dive Rescue Team for damage assessment services in the event of a tornado or other severe and destructive weather.

"They would have a tablet. They would go in teams of two, and they would go throughout the community and assess whether a house has significant damage, whatever the case may be, and it gets sent back for insurance purposes, for declarations of emergency," Douthit said. "Those kinds of things can all be done quicker and faster with that information."

The city has agreed to provide $10,000 to the dive rescue team for the cost of equipment associated with damage assessment services, and they updated the agreement to include a requirement for the county to pay $1,000 for every year that the county doesn't honor the 10-year agreement, if it chooses to back out.

"Other than that, I think it was previously the same as the amendment, substantially at least," Effingham County State's Attorney Aaron Jones said.

Effingham County Board member Elizabeth Huston was absent.

In other matters, the board:

—Approved decennial reports from Watson Fire Protection District, Altamont Fire Protection District, Union Township and Union Township Road District, Bishop Township, Multi-Township Assessing District, Moccasin Township and Road District, and Douglas Township.

—Approved resolutions abating GIS fees for the city of Altamont and the city of Effingham for the 2024 fiscal year.

—Approved a contract with the Sidwell Company for ArcGIS Pro Parcel Fabric Migration in the amount of $24,050.

—Approved an agreement with Bushue HR, Inc.

—Appointed John Taylor and Jim Ping to the Effingham County Board of Review for terms lasting from June 1, 2024 until May 31, 2027.

—Appointed Jake Buhnerkempe to the Effingham County 911 Board for a term lasting from June 1, 2024 until May 31, 2027.

—Appointed Doug McCain to the Agricultural Area Committee for a term lasting from June 1, 2024 until May 31, 2027.

—Appointed Roy Bailey to the Agricultural Area Committee for a term lasting from June 1, 2024 until May 31, 2027.

—Appointed Jeffrey Evans to the Tri-County Fire Protection District for a term lasting from May 20, 2024 until May of 2027.

—Appointed Eric Webb to the Watson Township Fire Protection District for a term lasting from May 20, 2024 until May of 2027.

—Appointed Bill Passalacqua to the Effingham County Ethics Commission for a term lasting from June 1, 2024 until May 31, 2026.

—Approved the disbursement of $17,000 in earmarked American Rescue Plan Act funds for the Effingham Regional Career Foundation.

—Approved the disbursement of $2,500 from the county's hotel/motel fund for Fourth of July fireworks at Lake Sara.

—Approved an agreement for two school resource officers.

—Approved the purchase of two postage machines with the county's capital improvement funds.

—Approved a proclamation declaring the week of May 13-19 to be National Police Week.

Nick Taylor can be reached at nick.taylor@effinghamdailynews.com or by phone at 618-510-9226 or 217-347-7151 ext. 300132.