Highlights of the Aug. 19, 2024 Decatur City Council meeting include approval of the annual street rehabilitation project funded by fuel taxes, the purchase of two former Vulcan sand and gravel pits to improve water supplies, and a project to improve the Hot Water Ditch area of ​​Lake Decatur.

Annual road rehabilitation/local road works

On Monday night, the Decatur City Council approved a contract with Dunn Co. for this year’s local road construction projects. With $2.2 million in fuel taxes, approximately 9.4 miles of pavement will be rehabilitated as part of this annual project. These roads will be rehabilitated:
Mound Road: from Rt. 121 to Taylor Ave – Mill & Overlay
Taylor Ave: by Greendell Dr. to Mound Road – Mill & Overlay
Macon Street: from Dipper Ln to Westdale Ave – reconstruction
Wood Street: from Fairview Ave to Monroe St. – Mill & Overlay
Monroe Street: from Sawyer St. to Pershing Road – Class B improvements
In addition to paving these roads, the curb ramps and gutters on the curb ramps will be replaced and new road markings will be installed.
The city’s Public Works Department inspects half of the city’s streets each year and assesses their condition. Staff then decides which streets will be improved based on available funds.

Purchase of Vulcan Pit

Council also continued to invest in improving the city’s water supply and water quality. For drought resilience, a 2019 Intera report recommended the city close an estimated 3,100 million gallon (MG) gap in water supply. In addition, industrial economic development continues to require greater use of city water, which means we need more water supply. To meet these goals, Council approved the purchase of two former sand and gravel pit sites Monday night.
The first site is a 473-acre former Vulcan Pit near Harristown. This site consists of two large ponds created by extracting sand and gravel deposits. The ponds are among the largest in the area and would almost completely fill the 3,100 MG gap. Additionally, one of the ponds is connected to the Sangamon River, allowing it to be refilled by pumping the water out. Additionally, the water quality is expected to be better than Lake Decatur because this pond does not receive much runoff from the surrounding watershed and contains less nitrate. Simply put, this site not only supplies almost all of the estimated drought reserve, but also allows for a more efficient water treatment process because the water is purer, increasing the city’s water supply by 30 percent. The city will save approximately $100,000 annually in water treatment costs.
The second site is an 11.7-acre former Vulcan mine near the city’s tailings lagoons. This would not be used for water supply, but offers other potential benefits to the water utility due to its proximity to other city properties and facilities.
The city will now examine the two sites in detail and conduct environmental impact assessments before entering into a purchase agreement for the properties. The purchase price will not exceed $6.35 million and will be paid from the Water Capital Fund.

Improvements to the warm water ditch

Thanks to the generous donation of the Staley Family Foundation, the Hot Water Ditch area of ​​Lake Decatur in the Staley Basin will be opened to the public. The City Council approved a project that includes rehabilitating and expanding the parking lot and making significant improvements to the shoreline. The City will remove the existing seawall and then install a concrete block mat to protect the shoreline and a rock retaining wall. The parking lot will be repaved and the area will be replanted.
To commemorate AE Staley’s contributions to the creation of Lake Decatur, the Staley Family Foundation made a significant gift to the City in 2023 to preserve Lake Decatur’s new “Staley Basin” (formerly Basin 3).

Miscellaneous

Other matters… The Council discussed the regulation of video games and proposed steps to amend the Alcohol Licensing Regulation. This was only a discussion point and no action was taken during the meeting. The Council made several changes to the regulation in November 2023, such as introducing a Class V license for businesses that own video gaming machines, as well as limiting the number of V licenses to 89 and making the V licenses non-transferable. Several members expressed interest in reconsidering the way V licenses are awarded and the non-transferability clause.

For more information on these topics, please see the City Council meeting packet, which you can download/view here: www.decaturil.gov/389/Agendas-Minutes