Adams County Board to consider $50,000 for South Quincy Levee project

QUINCY — Adams County Board member Steve McQueen (R-District 4) was wearing two hats at Tuesday’s board meeting.

McQueen, the plant manager for Huber Engineered Materials, has been working on a project to repair and reinforce the South Quincy Levee, which keeps flood waters out of Quincy’s riverfront industrial base.

Huber is one of those businesses along with Gardner Denver, Prince Agri-Products, Phibro, ADM, Kohl Wholesale, Midwest Controlled Storage and others.

Although the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers controls the levee, it is maintained by property taxes assessed to those businesses located in the 5,515 acres of the South Quincy Levee District. After the second highest river stage of 31.16 in 2019, and other smaller flooding events since, the levee has sustained damage.

McQueen said it will take about $1.2 million to make the repairs and that most of the businesses within the levee district have contributed an additional $880,000 toward the project in addition to their property tax assessments. The district has about $180,000 in reserves.

McQueen said he had originally considered requesting $500,000 in American Relief Plan Act funding, but has formally requested $50,000.

The businesses have fought the major floods of the past with employees pitching in with manpower and sandbags during times of crises. McQueen said if the levee broke, the area would be flooded with as much as 15 feet of water and the county’s primary industrial corridor of Ill. 57 would be closed for months.

“This isn’t a District 4 issue, this is an Adams County issue,” McQueen said regarding a potential levee breach. “So many jobs sit with all those businesses. This is something that would impact our constituents … obviously would impact our tax revenue. We need to protect all those facilities and keep those businesses running.”

The County Board will conduct a formal vote on the funding at its October meeting.

In other action, the board voted to provide $250,000 in ARPA funds over three years to help fund the Adams County Childcare Advancement and Recruitment Effort (CARES).

The program, which was brought before the County Board last month, is an attempt to alleviate the child care shortage in Adams County by paying for the vocational training and certification of local high school and college students to become childcare specialists. The funding could also support graduates and child care employees already working in Adams County.

The county’s contribution will be spread out over two years and be in addition to $220,000 in funding from the Adams County Childcare Task Force, which consists of the Community Foundation, Moorman Foundation, Tracy Family Foundation, Great River Economic Development Foundation, Tri-State Development Foundation, Blessing Health System, John Wood Community College and West Central Child Care Connection.