The Centralia City Council passed resolutions for multiple projects to improve city roads. The first resolution was to approve the replacement of the Fifth Street railroad crossing. The project is estimated to cost 93 thousand dollars with no cost incurred by the city. According to the contractor handling the project could take up to nine months to complete, though city manager Kory Smith said that once the project was underway following a sixty-day advance notice, it could be finished much sooner.
“We’ve been told up to 9 months, however being on the phone with them on a consistent basis, it could take 1-2 weeks, so they just project for a longer time just in case something unexpected happens.”
The second resolution was larger in scope, approving plans to improve sections of State Route 161 in Centralia to comply with ADA regulations, including sidewalks and curved ramps for accessible crossings. Improvements will be made along the stretch of road from Beech Street to Pleasant Street. The project is estimated to total 1.6 million dollars, with no cost to the city. The project will be carried out on a rolling timeframe with the Illinois Department of Transportation.
The council also approved resolutions to declare nine surplus properties as surplus and seek bids for their purchase. The city will solicit sealed bids for each of the properties. Information about these will be posted on the city website and in the press within the next few days, and bids will be accepted during a September council meeting. The properties up for sale are: 1107 South Poplar, 316 West McCord, 215 West Third, 705 East Cormick, 424 West Second, 916 East Second, 1335 South Locust, 330 Melrose, and Meadow Lane Raccoon Lake Third Addition Lot 16.
Centralia approved a new agreement with the EJ Water Cooperative as the city’s certified wastewater operator, a modification of the existing agreement to bring Centralia into compliance with IEPA standards.
