03-03-2010

HOUSE FIRE ON STEPHEN AVENUE

 

Greenville Firemen were dispatched at 8:41 p.m. Monday to a house fire at 320 Stephen Avenue.  Shoal Creek, Keyesport, Mulberry Grove, and Smithboro Departments were called within a few minutes to provide mutual aid with manpower and personnel coverage at the Greenville Firehouse.  According to First Captain Jim Sutton, the house was unoccupied and undergoing minor restoration.  The cause of the fire is not known and the State Fire Marshall was expected Tuesday to assist in determining the cause.  Sutton said the house sustained fire, smoke, and water damage.  No injuries were reported and firemen were on the scene for about two hours. 

 

COUNTY BOARD OKS MULTIPLE RECYCLING PROGRAMS

 

The Bond County Board heard from county recycling co-coordinator Emily Hartman at Tuesday’s meeting.  Two recycling initiatives were approved by the board and will start soon.  The first will allow used oil and most other automobile lubricants to be recycled at local businesses that choose to participate in the program.  Ideal places would include oil change and auto mechanic locations that already recycle oil.  The business would collect and inventory the oil and send it to be recycled while the county would advertise the program and identify specific dr op-off locations.  There will also be an opportunity to recycle large batteries, like car and lawnmower batters, in conjunction with the tree sale at the Bond County Water and Soil District, in April.  The board approved both programs in conjunction with the Water and Soil District.  In less than good recycling news, Hartman said she isn’t very hopeful that a grant will be awarded to Bond County allowing the county to purchase and maintain large recycling containers.  A final decision is expected in the next 30 days, and re-application for the grant could made. 

 

The board heard from Judge John Knight about the veteran’s memorial on the courthouse lawn.  Judge Knight said he has received many compliments about the memorial, but some have said it takes a long time to locate a specific brick, especially as more bricks are put in every year.  Knight said they are looking at the possibility of adding an outside layer of concrete around the bricks and using letters and numbers to form a grid. The location of each brick would be kept somewhere, that is accessible, in the courthouse.  No final plans have been made but research is being done on expenses for the concrete layer and its design. You can see the meeting tonight at 6:00 p.m., on Greenville Cable Channel 18.

FIRE ALARM AT SENIOR CENTER

 

Greenville Firemen responded to a fire alarm at the Bond County Senior Center Tuesday morning at 7:05.  Upon arrival, firemen found the cause of the alarm to be a faulty detector.  Firemen were on the scene for twelve minutes.

SMITHBORO VILLAGE BOARD DISCUSSES THE NEED FOR MORE VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS

 

The Smithboro Village Board met Monday night.  Pets running loose is an issue of concern for village residents.  Dogs must be on a leash if they leave the owner's yard.  Mayor Kennedy said residents with loose dogs might receive a friendly visit from a representative of the village. Smithboro Fire Protection District Treasurer Bob Tompkins attended the meeting to discuss options for the fire district.  Trustee John Krich asked if the issue was one of training and personnel rather than one of revamping the district.  He added that to be a firefighter, members must meet certain health qualifications.  Tompkins agreed the district needs younger firefighters and asked for suggestions of those between 25 - 30 years old, to join the department.  More volunteers are needed as five firefighters are needed to send out a truck to a fire call.