REQUEST FOR MINOR SUBDIVISION TABLED AT CITY COUNCIL MEETING
The big crowd at city hall Tuesday night was mostly there in opposition to a proposed three-lot subdivision on Iron Gate Road. Larry Snow, speaking for the group, presented a petition from area residence asking that the city not approve the subdivision. The council ended up tabling action when City Manager Dave Willey told the group that he needed to get some questions cleared up with Mark and Kim Gan, the couple that are proposing the subdivision. According to Larry Snow the petition to deny was based on the poor condition of Iron Gate road and surrounding roads.
In other action the council approved a contract with Korte Construction to build a parking lot for the new Nevco Scoreboard plant in the Industrial park. According to Dave Willey the state grant for 410 thousand dollars to build the parking lot has been approved and final changes to the contract with Korte set a limit of that grant amount for the City's commitment to the project. Mayor Gaffner hailed this as the first step to beginning the construction of the new Nevco facility in the Industrial park.
The Council passed the Tourism Committee's budget, they discussed purchasing with Greenville College a pedestrian traffic control light at Ganton Circle and Beaumont and under new business they discussed the possibility of taking sewer service South of I-70. Willey believes there is already a casing under the Interstate.
CITY OF GREENVILLE WANTS TEN YEAR EXTENSION FOR ENTERPRISE ZONE
The Greenville City Council voted to seek a ten-year extension of the Greenville-Smithboro Enterprise Zone at their April meeting. If not renewed the zone will expire on December 31st of this year.
According to City Manager Dave Willey the zone has been successful in attracting commercial, industrial and even multi-family residential investment to the tune of over 47 million dollars thus far. Nearly 750 jobs have been created and one thousand retained for local residents. The zone has helped to lower the unemployment rate in Bond County from more than 9 percent in 1998 to an average of 4.8 percent in 2006.
A majority of mid-sized to larger communities in South Central and Southwestern Illinois continue to offer the enterprise inducements and failure to extend the zone's life would leave Greenville-Smithboro at a distinct disadvantage.
Again the Greenville City Council passed an ordinance authorizing an extension of the original termination date of the Greenville-Smithboro Enterprise Zone until December of 2017. The extension will have to be passed by the Smithboro Village Board and certified by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
USPS CREATE FOREVER STAMP TO COMPENSATE FOR RATE INCREASES
It's soon going to cost you more to mail letters and boxes through the United State's Postal Service. Beginning May 14th, prices will increase for most services through the USPS. Stamps will cost $0.41, a two-cent increase. Each stamp will be good for one piece of First-Class mail weighing up to 1-ounce. Retail flat and parcel rates will also go up, along with international rates.
To compensate for the inconvenience of past rate increases, the USPS will be issuing for the first time, a Forever Stamp. It will initially be sold at the new 1-ounce First-Class rate of $0.41. The value of the Forever Stamp will be that of the 1-ounce First-Class rate on the day of mailing, and be unaffected by any future increases. The Forever Stamp goes on sale Thursday, April 12th and is available in booklets of 20.
SIXTH WARMEST MARCH ON RECORD IN ILLINOIS
After a cold February, Illinois saw their sixth warmest March on record since 1895. Temperatures averaged 6.5°F above normal. Statewide March precipitation was 3.43 inches above normal, with most of the heavier rainfall covering the northern part of Illinois. The National Weather Service outlooks for April through June and July through September call for both temperatures and precipitation to be near normal.
State Climatologist Jim Angel says that warm March temperatures may have fooled Illinoisans into thinking Spring was here to stay, but freezing April temperatures still found their way into the mix.
