The Washington City Council this week gave the owner of a future Ben Franklin craft store its thumbs up to receive a $50,000 business improvement grant from the city that will help cover the cost of renovation expenses.
That grant request and four others were presented to the council Monday by Jon Oliphant, the city's planning and development director, at the council's committee of the whole meeting.
A majority of the council expressed support for all five grant awards. A first reading for the awards will be at this coming Monday's council meeting, with final approved expected Aug. 4. Grant-eligible work cannot begin until the grant is approved by the council.
Based on the grant program's scoring system, a business can receive up to a 50% of grant-eligible project costs or $50,000.
For the Ben Franklin store at 1503 Washington Road, the grant will help owner Frank Bray pay for the cleaning of the exterior of the building, replacing the awnings, installing store signs, repairing the parking lot, and redesigning the landscaping on the front of back of the lot.
The 18,000-square-foot building formerly housed American Freight and Baurer Furniture, which closed in 2009.
This will be Ben Franklin's first new location nationwide in 40 years. The only other Ben Franklin store in Illinois is in Chatham.
Oliphant said Washington's Ben Franklin store most likely won't open until next year.
Other grant requests given the go-ahead by council this week were $50,000 for the Cherry Tree Shopping Center on Washington Road; $20,810 for Countryside Banquet & Catering, 659 School St.; $10,975 for Sleep Inn and Suites, 1101 N. Cummings Lane; and $7,265 for Russell's Cycling & Fitness, 10 Valley Forge Plaza.
The grants total $139,050 of the $290,000 budgeted for the 2025-26 fiscal year. Total public and private investment in the five projects is $282,980.
Are golf carts good 'fore' Washington streets?
In other news from the committee of the whole meeting:
• Council asked city staff to explore if golf carts can be allowed on some city streets, including doing research on how neighboring communities including Metamora that allow golf carts regulate them. Washington Police Chief Jeff Stevens told the council he's opposed to the idea of allowing golf carts in town. "In general, I don't think off-road vehicles are safe on roads. And do you want our officers spending time stopping 13-year-olds who are driving golf carts without a license or impounding golf carts?" he said.
• Council asked city staff to review the city's billboard ordinance and suggest possible changes that would allow billboards in more locations, but was against a proposal to put up a billboard at the northwest corner of the intersection of Peoria Road and Eagle Avenue because of the possible distractions the billboard could case.
• Council approved using a hybrid approach of hiring Arndt Municipal Support of Charleston as a consultant in the search for a new city administrator, plus utilizing city staff including Human Relations Manager Maureen Chambers and the new communications specialist. Finance Director Joanie Baxter called the hybrid plan a "very efficient and cost-effective option" for the city administrator search. Alderperson John Blundy said he's concerned about city staff being involved in the search if there's an internal candidate for the job.
• Council directed Public Works Director Brian Rittenhouse to spend $340,000 in insurance money to repair the fire-damaged public works storage building on Jefferson Street.
• Mayor Lilija Stevens said she wants to begin recommending board and committee appointments for council approval as early as the Aug. 4 meeting.
• Interim City Administrator Dennis Carr said he planned to make a job offer to a candidate for the communications specialist position.
