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Ameren to reimburse City of Chester for gas leak costs

Posted April 06, 2015 11:00 pm

By Pete Spitler The Herald Tribune

CHESTER -- In a swift meeting on Monday, the Chester City Council authorized Mayor Tom Page to execute a "limited release" of funds for property damage to the natural gas line that ruptured in the August 16, 2014 incident.

The City of Chester had asked Ameren Illinois to reimburse $13,905.89 in city-incurred expenses due to the gas leak, which resulted in the evacuation of roughly 50 homes in a four-block radius of Swanwick Street. Nearly 500 gas meters also had to be shut off.

City Attorney Jeff Kerkhover said Ameren has agreed to the amount.

"We're pretty certain this is all the property damage we have," said Alderman Dan Ohlau, who is chairman of the Chester Gas and Public Property Committee.

There were no injuries in the incident, which was contained to Swanwick Street.

According to reports, a power line came loose from a section joint and fell on a nearby street sign, electrifying the sign and setting an adjacent vehicle on fire. The electrical current from the sign also traveled underground and ruptured the gas line.

In previous statements to the Herald Tribune, Chester Gas Department Superintendent Jeremy Homan estimated he worked 30 hours of overtime to address the incident, which included two 12-hour days getting affected residents relighted.

"Every house is different," Homan said at the time. "There are some houses where you turn the gas on and the appliances relight themselves and there are some houses where you have to relight every appliance.

"You're talking five minutes on one house and 20 minutes at another one."

In other action, the council approved the purchase of a new one-ton truck, with a utility bed and snowplow, for the gas department. Ohlau said the $39,000 cost of the vehicle will be coming out of the fiscal year 2016 budget.

"We have had a truck budgeted for the past two years and we did not buy a truck," Ohlau said.

The council also discussed amending the agreement with Chester Sports, Inc. to operate the concession stands at the Cohen Complex.

The amendment adjusts the contract's ending date to July 31.

"Chester Sports had mentioned that earlier, but it was my error to mention (the contract) was through October," Page said.

Both Alderman Robert Platt and Alderwoman Nancy Crossland raised concerns about which organization would take over the concession stand duties after completion of the Chester Sports contract.

"I'm guessing the Chester Grade School will have to get involved," Page said.

"We don't want to fall into something where people show up and there's nobody there," Crossland said.

The council later voted 4-2, with aldermen Dan Geisen and Ray Allison absent, to approve the amendment. Platt and Alderman Russ Rader were the "no" votes.

Committee Reports

Fire Dept.

Chester Fire Chief Marty Bert gave the council his report for March, which included 11 calls for service.

Bert said his department has had 25 calls thus far in 2015, which is down slightly from the 30 calls it had at the end of March 2014.

Bert also said that the paging system at Chester Grade School water tower is getting very old. He noted the system sounds the city's outdoor storm sirens, with a backup system at the Chester Firehouse.

"The equipment is getting very old and since we're no longer in 911, we're maintaining that equipment," Bert said. "If it goes down, we do have a backup."

Police Dept.

Chester Police Chief Ryan Coffey told the council his department's drug education program now has a name - Challenging Ourselves and Promoting Safety (COPS). The COPS program, led by CPD officer Bobby Helmers, will begin on April 16.

Coffey reported on recent "active shooter" training at area schools, with St. Mary's Catholic Grade School scheduled to take its turn on May 1.

Coffey said his department is in need of new bulletproof vests, which is a project that occurs every five years. The CPD is looking to replace 15 vests and is pursuing a grant through the Bulletproof Vest Program, which could cover 50 percent of the cost.

Roundup

The council approved the hiring of Christian Gray at Chester Skateland, replacing an employee who had quit.

The council approved Carol Harrison to the Chester Tourism Commission.

The council approved the hiring of Delmar Wells as season summer student supervisor starting April 13.

Finally, the council approved refunding a portion of the 2005 bonds. A separate portion was refunded in 2013.

The city is restructuring the newest portion to get a lower interest rate for the remaining bonds.

"It's like refinancing your house and we're going to save the city some money," Page said.

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