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St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Lee Enterprises

Wednesday, January 7, 2009 9:28 PM CST
Mattoon approves $627,000 for public works expenses

By HERB MEEKER, Staff Writer
hmeeker@jg-tc.com

MATTOON — The city expects to spend $320,130 in Motor Fuel Tax money on street resurfacing and repairs this year, based on action taken Tuesday by the city council.

The MFT funds, distributed by the state to communities based on fuel sales, will be used for road surface materials, ice removal supplies, paint markings and sign and signal light repairs as well as any work required on storm sewers. Oil and chip materials, estimated at less than $25,000, will be purchased through bids in April.

The council also approved an emergency expenditure to repair bar screens for separating debris coming into the wastewater treatment plant. The contract with Parkson Corp. totals $307,716. Public Works Director Dave Wortman said the city had planned the repairs in the near future after damage was detected on the screens with quarter-inch wide holes. The screens prevent debris like plastic cups and cigarette butts from entering the treatment processing equipment.

However, Wortman said a recent heavy rain caused considerable damage, forcing the shutdown of one of the two screens, first installed with the new wastewater treatment plant several years ago. Failure to correct this problem could slow down or damage the treatment plant as debris collects in different processes, Wortman said.

The plan is to complete the work within 10 weeks before heavy spring rains cause more damage.

In other financial business, the council accepted a $47,900 proposal from West & Company for auditing services at the end of the 2008-09 Fiscal Year on April 30. This is the same price paid during the last fiscal year audit. The contract might be opened to bids in the future, possibly after the upcoming city election.

The council also approved a $3,000 grant from hotel/motel tax receipts to the Mattoon Wrestling Club for hosting the Mattoon Kids Open last weekend.

Commissioners Randy Ervin and David Schilling explained the tax receipts are based on overnight stays in motels and hotels. The tax collects about $250,000 per year and can only be used to assist events or activities that encourage tourism. A tourism advisory committee recommends funding with these taxes through a formal application process handled by the Mattoon Tourism Office at City Hall.

Contact Herb Meeker at hmeeker@jg-tc.com or 238-6869.

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Rotty wrote on Jan 8, 2009 12:27 AM:

" Hey Dave, use some boiler slag to plug up them holes.
I hear nothing can get through that.
It also has a long lasting effect.

Spend Spend Spend,
Sell Sell Sell;
Where does it end,
they'll never tell.

Right, Dave? "

Mike P wrote on Jan 8, 2009 1:21 PM:

" Possibly they need some graduated size and strength screens. Flooding or not, large items should not be impacting the screens to a damaging effect. I am not an engineer, but expensive replacements, probably deserve a look into what failed, and how to prevent it from happening again. But then again its only tax dollars. "

Mattoon Resident wrote on Jan 8, 2009 3:04 PM:

" I glad to see that the Mattoon Wrestling Club recieved money. That club lets every child of mattoon participate in its activities. I like see city money spent on city children. The traveling softball teams ie Pride and Cobras should take note. They hold try outs and turn away children from this city in favor of children from Charleston Sullivan Windsor Neoga and one from Vandalia. Yet the keep asking the city for tourism dollars to help support their tournaments. City Money should be spent on City Children "

Mike P wrote on Jan 8, 2009 4:49 PM:

" Mattoon is not a good sport about sports. From locked ball fields, lacking courts, and exclusive programs, kids are not the proper focus. There not being inclusive programs, in many sports, thins the pools of the stand out upper level participants. If they don't teach kids sportsmanship, and the fundamentals first and fore most, in an inclusive atmosphere, it is not a strong foundation for any sport to thrive on in this town. Not to mention the kids that miss out on learning the basics, to later build on or just have fun.

Charlestons Rec program, has long been a great opportunity for kids. Its hard to believe, the two towns were 9 miles apart, and when it comes to sports and kids, they are not even in the same time zone. "