Effingham Council discusses extension of Maple Street to Fourth Street

Jan. 4—The Effingham City Council this week considered a proposed engineering agreement which, if approved, would allow the city to continue moving forward with its plans to extend North Maple Street east to the intersection of North Fourth Street and East Santa Maria Avenue.

Effingham Mayor Mike Schutzbach and Effingham City Commissioner Hank Stephens were absent from the council's meeting Tuesday. Effingham City Commissioner Larry Micenheimer acted as mayor pro tem during the meeting.

Current plans for the roadway extension include the demolition of some existing structures in the area, and the city has already begun purchasing the properties needed for the project. There are also plans for water main and sanitary sewer extensions there as well.

"We recently signed a purchase agreement for some right-of-way and the Holste farm that's right there along Fourth Street," Effingham Public Works Director Jeremy Heuerman said. "So with that, we're looking to move forward with design."

The council is expected to vote on a proposed agreement with Milano & Grunloh Engineers for engineering and design services as well as permitting for the extension project during its upcoming meeting which is scheduled for Jan. 16.

In total, these services would cost $714,312, which would be paid for with the city's TIF funds.

"This is a really big project, so these numbers are reflective of that," Heuerman said.

Micenheimer voiced his support for the project, saying the project has a "lot of potential" for the city.

"It really is a big project," Micenheimer said. "This is going to open up a great big area of property, and it links up some busy streets."

Also during the meeting, Effingham City Planner Greg Koester told the council that it will likely soon have to address the city's zoning regulations as they pertain to data centers, particularly those used for cryptocurrency mining.

"The data processing centers, they can be rather small; they can be huge," Koester said. "But the one thing have in common is they have a large bank of computer servers that process data, store data. Companies will use these data centers to store their information off site."

Koester said that data centers "eat up huge amounts of energy," and often require cooling fans which can create some noise.

"In some cases, they may even use water to help to cool the equipment, so they could end up being a large water user," Koester said.

Koester recommended that the city amend its current zoning regulations to add a new special use permit rather than permitting data centers as an allowable use.

"The good thing about special use is you can put conditions on it," Effingham City Administrator Steve Miller said.

Effingham City Attorney Tracy Willenborg also believes that the addition of a special use permit would an effective way to address the issue, especially as it pertains to concerns over aesthetics and noise.

"I just think it fits best in that mechanism rather than an allowable use," Willenborg said.

The council did not take any action on the matter Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Effingham Tourism Director Jodi Thoele announced that a total of 11,167 cars were counted at Wonderland in Lights this year, an increase from last year.

"It was another successful season," Thoele said.

She also noted that the city saw an increase in donations collected with a total of $24,366, approximately $4,000 more than the previous year.

"We take all of that money, and it goes basically directly into the lights for the next year," Thoele said.

In other matters, the council:

—Approved an ordinance amending the city's liquor code to increase the number of Class R-1 liquor licenses that can be issued by the city by one.

—Authorized the issuance of a liquor license to The Local Bar & Grill, Inc.

—Authorized the execution of a local public agency engineering services agreement with Farnsworth Group for motor fuel tax funds in the amount of $89,835 for the design for the next phase of the Ford Avenue Extension and Box Culvert Project.

—Authorized the renewal of a contract with Dusty's Outdoor Media for billboards in Kankakee and Vandalia that promote tourism in Effingham from 2024-25.

—Authorized a contract with Dusty's Outdoor Media for a billboard in Tolono promoting tourism in Effingham for the 2024 calendar year.

—Authorized the execution of a proposal with Milano & Grunloh Engineers for engineering services for a sewer project on Mt. Vernon and Jaycee avenues in the amount of $60,000.

—Authorized the execution of a local public agency engineering services agreement with Farnsworth Group for the next stage of the reconstruction of Evergreen Ave. from Oceola Street to Willenborg Street in the amount of $173,180.

—Authorized the acquisition of a permanent public utility easement for Hidden Hills Subdivision.

—Authorized the acquisition of a temporary use permit from Darrell M. and Julie L. Hoffman for a property located at 107 South Henrietta St.

—Authorized the acquisition of a temporary use permit for utility purposes from KCG Realty Concepts, LLC for a property located at 111 South Henrietta St..

—Approved a final change order from Feutz Contractors for the city's Evergreen Avenue and Willenborg Street Intersection Project in the amount of $54,248.

—Approved a preliminary plat and a final plat for sixth addition of the American Way Industrial Park.

—Authorized the execution of an additional service agreement with Farnsworth Group, increasing the contract amount for the Evergreen Ave. and Willenborg St. Intersection Project from $51,000 to $65,800.

Nick Taylor can be reached at nick.taylor@effinghamdailynews.com or by phone at 618-510-9226 or 217-347-7151 ext. 300132.