Council faces a stack of decisions

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Harrisburg City Council members on Thursday faced a stack of decisions, most of which put them out on a financial limb at a time with the economy is in trouble and the city is operating under a deficit budget.

After reasoning many avenues, members of council found they had no choices.

They acted.

The most visible item is the start of Phase 2 of the state Route 13 bypass, to be bid by the state in March. The most important item is moving to commit to the U.s. Army Corps f engineers handling the certification of the city's levee, an action considered a "must" by the council.

Phase 2 of the highway bypass will couple state Route 13 west from the Lover's Lane-St. Mary's Drive area to the western terminus of Phase 1 at McKinley Street. Phase two also will include connecting the "stub" on the east side of Commercial Street at the eastern terminus of the present bypass back to state route 13.

The connection will be just west of the bridge east of Harrisburg, between the bridge and the old Wagonwheel.

Council on Thursday authorized for advertising for bids for moving sewer and water lines. In each instance, the state will pay a portion and the city the remainder.

Moving water lines is not a financial burden as the water fund has sufficient money to handle the work. The city's share of the water line work is estimated at $56,000 and the state at $56,000. The state is paying 45 percent of the cost.

The sewer line movement pinches the city a bit as the sewer fund is currently broke.

The state will pay about $75,000, or 56.6 percent of the cost. The city will pay an estimated $57,000.

With the sate wanting the work done before construction of the highway begins in the spring, council acted without determining exactly where the sewer money will come from.

City Treasurer Richard Harper pointed out to council if need be, the city can borrow the money.

"Fifty-seven thousand is not a lot of money when paid over a number of years," he said.

The bids council will seek will cause another complication.

The 8-inch water line running to Southeastern Illinois College but no longer used by the college would cost an added $70,000 to encase.

Engineer Jim Brown is bidding on a plan that would abandon that line, switching the Berry Hill water group - a group of mainly farmers who have their own informal water district - and the old Wagonwheel building to the main transmission line of the Saline Valley Conservancy District.

Brown said that could cause a problem for the Berry Hill group as, at times, the water pressure would increase to 40 pounds per square inch.

Brown said he does not know about the system and it "may not endure that amount of pressure."

However, Brown said, "It shouldn't hurt if it is a decent quality line."

More important to city residents than the bypass was the council's movement to move closer to certification of the levee by the U.s. Army Corps of Engineers.

The cost is estimated at $205,000 and Delta Regional Commission has committed a grant to the work. However, there are many details to be worked out.

Council determined time is short and it is in the best interest of the city to get a rapid start on the work.

Even in the early stages, expensive problems have cropped up.

Brown indicated the Corps has pushed for relocating major power lines that bring power to Harrisburg.

That is a big ticket item, if we have to move them," he said - noting the poles were in the original plans for the levee.

The Corps also has required the city to explore drains that go through the levy and in one instance, a problem developed.

A drain that went through the levee, according to plans, could not be found. With some digging, it was located. Brown believes it has been abandoned since the rail lines were pulled. With the drain line found, the city has applied to the Corps for permission to properly seal it, but that permission has not arrived.

Warning the council the Corps requirements for the sealing could be expensive, Brown also indicate he is anxious to get a response from the Corps, explaining, "Right now, if it floods on the exterior it is just going to flow back into the city."

Several governmental programs are moving rapidly on the federal and state levels regarding flood-prone areas.

If Harrisburg has a certified levee in time - late 2009 - major problems will be avoided.

With certification, all of the city within the levee will be mapped as being "flood safe" and flood plain permits no longer will be needed, even though a flood lie last year's flood - which came from headwaters - could again occur.

Without certification in advance of completion of new flood plain maps, city residents will face complications.

Brown told council, "We are sort of in a time crunch. If (certification of the levee) is not done in the next couple of years, then those in the flood plain have problems.

"We have the potential of getting this whole community mapped without any indication of a levee."

During the meeting the brightest point was the announcement by Mayor Valerie Rose Mitchell that the city has received a $59,000 grant for the design phase for the long-awaited Garden Heights sewer project.

She cautioned residents the money is only for the design, and said immediately upon learning of the grant authorized application for construction grants.

During the meeting:

Council again considered and again tabled a suggestion to at least double liability insurance at a cost of just over $18,000. The city has carried the same limit for about 25 years.

Council authorized application for a permit to tie the existing dead-end water line to century estates to a larger line, creating a loop that would be advantageous in event of a fire.

Commissioner Linda Mitacek said she has received about 20 suggestions for the naming of the state route 13 bypass. The next step will be meeting with Illinois Department of Transportation officials to be sure the suggestions meet state requirements.

Julie Patera of Southeastern Illinois Regional Planning brought to council a series of revisions to the county's Enterprise Zone. Some areas, mainly mine properties, would be removed and several businesses want to be under the classification.

Patera urged anyone planning to build a business or do extensive remodeling to contact her.

Mitchell said in preparation for the 2010 census, she will respond to a call to collect data about any homeless shelter or soup kitchen in the area. You may call the mayor's office.

Council received a demand for bargaining from the firefighters, marking the start of the 2009 bargaining season.

Mitchell suggested the community consider a commemoration of some sort for March 18, "Flood Day" for Harrisburg.

Citizen Conrad Wetzel told council of a dangerous situation that exists at night at Sloan Street and Rollie Moore Drive. He urged a streetlight be placed there. Mitacek will check both ends of the roadway at night.