Mayor Gregg: This is the year we are going to get to work

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Harrisburg Mayor Eric Gregg used the first meeting of the new year to reflect on the portion of the past year his council has been in control of the city and he looked forward to the coming year.

Gregg said the body has placed ideas, issues and concerns on the table for the citizens to discuss. He described the time the council has been in office as a time when a progressive agenda has been prepared.

He declared, "This is the year we are going to get to work."

The council, he said, will be both watchful and careful as the city is moving ahead.

"I am excited about this year," Gregg said. "We are absolutely hitting the ground running."

Council then set itself on the task of finding money and spending money.

The city currently has a grant request under study by the state for $350,000 to pay a portion of the cost of replacing the water mains in a portion of Dorrisville.

Commissioner Ron Fearheiley, retired water and sewer superintendent, pointed out the lines are the oldest cast-iron water mains existing in Harrisburg.

Council on Tuesday authorized application for a low-cost Illinois Environmental Protection Agency loan to complete the cost of the project.

The projected total currently is estimated at $915,000.

At the request of Treasurer Charlie Will, council authorized purchase of a central voice mail system for City Hall at a cost of $800. Will emphasized the machine will not replace human voices in answering calls.

At the request of Will, the city will move toward a central server system for computers at City Hall with service via high-speed T-1 lines. Will said the city+s systems are failing. The oldest equipment, in the Water and Sewer Office, is in bad condition due to age and there is a "severe risk of significant loss" of data should there be a failure.

After purchase of equipment, T-1 line and administrator costs are expected to be $925 a month, he said.

A new program for the water and sewer records is expected to cost between $18,000 and $23,000.

Gregg said a new system will contribute to the efficiency of the city and Will said, "There is no question in my mind at all it will pay for itself in relatively short order."

Council endorsed using Terrance Henry of the Marion-based form of SI Small Business as the system administrator.