Adams County Board puts ball in Park Board’s court regarding power line burial project

QUINCY — The Adams County Board tabled a decision to commit $350,000 toward burying Ameren power lines at Clat Adams Park.

At Tuesday night’s County Board meeting, Riverfront Development Corporation member Duane Venvertloh, a former Adams County Board member and Finance Committee chairman, asked his former colleagues for an additional $150,000 on top of the $200,000 the board had previously committed toward burying the lines.

Venvertloh said the bids on the $1.3 million plan were higher than expected. State Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) had secured a $350,000 grant for the project and the City of Quincy had also previously committed $200,000.

Venvertloh said Ameren will pay for the new underground power lines themselves, but the Riverfront Development Corporation is responsible for paying for the conduit, piping and other necessary hardware to complete the project. He equated the action to putting in the foundation of a house before building the house as the work on the power lines must be done before other infrastructure work can be done around Clat Adams Park.

Finance Committee Chairman Bret Austin (R-1st District) said the County’s contribution would be contingent on all three of the taxing bodies who are involved in the Riverfront Development Corporation (Quincy, Adams County and the Quincy Park District) putting in the same $350,000.

But the Quincy Park District Board of Commissioners has yet to pledge any funds toward burying the lines, which primarily sit on Park District property. That seemed to be a sticking point in garnering support as County Board members discussed the issue.

The Park Board will consider the funding request at tonight’s Park Board meeting and Keith Callaway (R-1st District) asked to table the request until after the Park Board votes. The County Board voted 12-5 to table the issue until its November meeting.

In other action, The County Board unanimously voted to have all houseplants removed from offices within the Courthouse within 30 days.

The recommendation is one part of the remediation plan from Jurgiel and Associates to resolve the issue of mold in the building, which several County employees and others who conduct business in the Courthouse claim has caused them to become sick.

Jurgiel’s report said the plants are a source of mold along with watering, which leads to wet soil and wet carpet if people spill while watering plants.

Dave Bellis (R-3rd District) chairman of the Transportation, Building, and Technology Committee, said the options presented were removing the plants or having the County hire a professional to maintain the plants within the Courthouse. Bellis said hiring a company or a person to solely look after houseplants was not a good use of taxpayer dollars.

As for the remainder of the remediation plan, Bellis said work will be conducted in the evenings when employees aren’t in the Courthouse, including duct work, air scrubbers and sealing unused parts of the building.

The County Board also tabled a collective bargaining agreement after learning the corrections officers of the Adams County Sheriff’s Office had rejected the contract proposal. Austin said the County and the bargaining unit had reached a tentative agreement, but union members rejected the deal and the County would not accept a counteroffer.

Austin said the issue will more than likely head to arbitration.