A private school's plan to have a ground-mounted community solar garden built on vacant land next to the school was rejected Monday by the Pekin City Council.
Good Shepard Lutheran School, located at 3201 Court St., asked the city for a special use to allow a solar array to be constructed just east of the school.
The array would have been enclosed by a 6-foot-tall chain link fence with privacy slats installed on the Court side to better hide it from view and used by the school and church members.
Council members said they weren't opposed to the solar garden, but they didn't like the location of it in an area dominated by retail establishments on a major road that was reconstructed last year in part to attract more development.
"(The solar garden) shouldn't be in an entryway to Pekin," said John Abel. "If the school wants a solar garden, it should be on the roof of the school."
"I don't like the aesthetics of putting the solar garden there," said Karen Hohimer.
The vote for rejection of the special use was 5-1. Rick Hilst cast the lone yes vote after saying that a 10-foot instead of a 6-foot chain link fence and privacy slats on all sides of the fence should be required.
City staff and the Zoning Board of Appeals each recommended approval of the special use.
Tazewell County Board chairman thanks council for partnership on Justice Center Annex project
Five days before the end of his 16th and final year as Tazewell County Board chairman, David Zimmerman gave the council an update Monday on the county's $41.1 million Justice Center Annex project.
"Thank you for your partnership on this project over the last 3 1/2 years," Zimmerman said. "Through the good times and bad times, agreements and disagreements, we maintained a good relationship."
Work on the annex is expected to begin in March with completion no later than spring 2027, Zimmerman said.
Council members were given architectural drawings of the annex, which will be built immediately north of the county's Justice Center in downtown Pekin.
"I love how the aesthetics of the building fit right in our downtown," Hohimer said.
New city website will be built 'from the ground up'
Pekin will be getting a new city website.
"City staff and residents have been complaining about our website for years, so we decided to create a new one from the ground up," City Manager John Dossey said Monday.
A team of five city staff members explored options, received five quotes from companies, and eventually chose Kansas-based CivicPlus for three reasons:
- It was the only vendor that offered a comparable cost for a new website and for migrating existing webpages to a new platform, which was not a preferred option.
- It was the only vendor that will integrate the CivicPlus agendas and meeting minutes system and Municode city code system in a new website, making search capabilities more user-friendly for website visitors.
- It had the most robust ability for website visitors to get emergency alerts, news, events and meeting information.
- The city pays $5,900 annually for its current website.
CivicPlus' quote for a new website was a $12,142 annual base cost (prorated in the first year) for three years plus $8,603 in implementation costs paid over three years for a total of $42,781. The base cost will increase 5% annually after three years.
The vote for the CivicPlus contract was 5-1, with Hilst voting no.
Restaurant drive-though lane, school bus radio air time, CityLink funding approved
In other action Monday, the council approved:
- A special use request by Core Pekin to create a drive-through pick-up lane at the Bob Evans restaurant at 3440 Court St. The vote was unanimous.
- A bid of $19,993,346 from Stark Excavating of Bloomington for the remaining work that needs to be done on a Illinois Environmental Protection Agency-mandated combined sewer overflow project. Also approved was a 3% contingency spending authority of $599,800 for City Engineer Josie Esker, who said the intent of the project is to "drastically reduce the combined sewer overflow that currently goes into the Illinois River during heavy rain events." The IEPA must approve Stark Excavating's bid, the only one received, because the IEPA will provide the loan that will fund the project. The vote was unanimous.
- The annual renewal cost of $32,815 for air time for 110 school bus radios provided by Elgin-based Radilink The council vote was unanimous. Hilst said he reluctantly voted yes because of the student safety provided by the radios, but he thinks all bus transportation costs should be covered by the high school and grade school districts, not the city. The city's bus transportation agreements with the school districts expire in the summer of 2026.
- A not-to-exceed payment of $210,000 to Greater Peoria Mass Transit (CityLink) to provide public transportation services for a one-year period ending June 30, 2025. The vote was unanimous.
- Providing an estimated $1 million in funding so the city can accept a $4 million federal grant for engineering work on the final sections of Veterans Drive between Sheridan Road and Interstate 474. The vote was 5-1, with Hilst voting no.
- Rezoning a 57-acre tract at 300 Hanna Drive from I-1 light industrial to I-2 general industrial to proactively attract development. Nic Maquet, the city's chief building official, said the city has received several inquiries in the last six months for heavy industrial uses, and many require I-2 zoning. The vote was unanimous.
Court Street 'looks really nice'
Great news for Pekin drivers. Esker said Monday the Court Street reconstruction project from Stadium Drive to Hilltop Drive is "really close" to being completed.
"I hope people are happy with it. I think it looks nice," she said.
A few lane closures, not the entire length of the project, will be needed to complete work on manhole covers, Esker said.
Will voters weigh in on 1% city grocery tax?
The Dec. 9 council agenda will include an item asking if an advisory referendum on the city establishing a 1% grocery tax should be placed on the April 1 ballot.
The tax, approved Nov. 12 by the council by a 4-3 vote, will replace the state's 1% grocery tax (with funds going to communities) that will be eliminated Jan. 1, 2026.
Pekin stands to lose $1.5 to $1.7 million annually with the loss of state grocery tax revenue.
Hilst asked for the referendum question to be placed on the agenda. Dave Nutter seconded Hilst's motion.
No Lloyd Orrick or audience comments at the meeting
Council member Lloyd Orrick didn't attend Monday's meeting. He won't be running for re-election April 1, ending a council career that began in 1991.
Also absent Monday was any audience comments, a rare occurrence at a council meeting.
