Former Washington Mayor Gary Manier, the city's longest-serving mayor, was honored Monday at a city council meeting.
Manier did not attend the meeting because of another commitment, but he thanked the council through a written statement read by current Mayor Lilija Stevens.
Stevens said she thought it was appropriate to honor Manier, the city's mayor for 24 years from 2001-2025, during the week of the city's bicentennial celebration, so she spoke with him about that last week.
"Probably one of the reasons Gary couldn't make here tonight is because it was short notice," Stevens said. "I'm sure he would have been here otherwise."
Alderperson Bobby Martin III thanked Manier's family members for their sacrifices that allowed Manier to do his work as mayor. Martin also praised Caterpillar Inc., Manier's former employer.
"Thank you Caterpillar for giving Gary the time to serve his community in its time of need," Martin said, referring to the aftermath of the 2013 tornado.
A proclamation honoring Manier praised him for "guiding the community with commitment, vision, and love of Washington," and said under his leadership, "Washington experienced significant growth, economic development, and infrastructure improvements than strengthened the city's foundation for years to come."
Manier's work directing the city through its recovery from the tornado, making the Five Points Washington multi-purpose facility a reality, and building strong relationships with state and national elected officials also were mentioned in the proclamation.
Also honored with a proclamation Monday were the runners and volunteers involved in the Washington-to-Peoria St. Jude Runs satellite run earlier this month. Several attended the meeting.
The 200 Washington run participants raised $625,018, increasing the 18-year fundraising total for the group to more than $5.4 million.
Tangled Roots TIF total tops $800K
In other action at Monday's meeting:
• The council unanimously approved a TIF payment of $9,372 to partially reimburse CL Red, developer of the Tangled Roots Craft Beer & Kitchen, for interest costs incurred in July. TIF funding to CL Red to reimburse interest costs now totals $126,746 of the maximum $305,000. No interest will be reimbursed after Dec. 31. Total TIF payments for the restaurant now total $801,746 as the TIF funding nears its conclusion.
• The council approved maximum TIF funding of $9,600 for the removal and replacement of the back half of the roof at the historic Denhart Building, 101 Washington Square. The project cost is $48,000. The city has provided TIF funding for several projects over the past 20-plus years for the Denhart Building, which was built in 1872. Alderperson John Blundy voted against the latest TIF payment for the building. He expressed concerns about the number of times the building has received TIF funding and future projects that are eligible for TIF funding, including the former Knights of Columbus Hall at 120 Walnut Street, that has been put up for sale by CL Red. The building was intended to be an event space connected to Tangled Roots.
• The council unanimously approved reappointing Washington attorney Brian Heller as the city's code enforcement adjudication hearing officer. Heller was first appointed to the new position in 2024 and paid $150 per hour in a one-year agreement with the city. He'll be paid $160 per hour for the first year of the new agreement and $165 per hour for the second year. The city paid Heller about $1,700 over the course of the initial one-year agreement. So far in 2025, Heller has dealt with 15 inoperable vehicle cases, nine refuse cases, five poor building cases, one nuisance property case, and other issues including dead trees, parking on the grass, limbs over sidewalks and abandoned signs.
• The council unanimously approved a payment of $248,679 to P.J. Hoerr of Peoria for construction of the police evidence building. That brought the total payments for the building to almost $2.3 million, including $62,314 in value engineering reductions and $19,411 in change orders. The city agreed to a $2.34 million contract with P.J. Hoerr. Construction is slightly ahead of schedule.
• The council unanimously approved $50,000 business building and property improvement grants for Frank and Lucienne Bray for the Ben Franklin store project at 1503 Washington Road and the Cherry Tree Plaza on Washington Road.
• The council unanimously approved hiring Blunier Builders of Eureka to repair the siding and roof and make other necessary improvements to the 700 Woodland Trail public works storage building at a cost not to exceed $85,000. The building was formerly used as the filter building for the now decommissioned wastewater treatment plant No. 1.
Speed trailer doesn't slow down
Here are highlights of department heads' reports Monday to the council:
JEFF STEVENS, POLICE CHIEF
• The speed trailer was on Kern Road westbound at Primrose Lane from Aug. 4-9. The 85th percentile speed in the 25 MPH zone was 32 MPH, which means 85% of vehicles detected were at 32 MPH or less. Of about 5,000 vehicles detected, 212 were clocked at more than 35 MPH. There have been four property damage accidents on this section of Kern since 2020.
• The speed trailer was in the 100 block of northbound Lynn Street from July 23-26. The 85th percentile speed in the 25 MPH zone was 28 MPH. Of 6,196 vehicles detected, nine were clocked at more than 35 MPH.
• The speed trailer was on the 400 block of Hilldale Avenue from July 27-Aug. 4. The 85th percentile speed in the 25 MPH zone was 26 MPH. Of 3,025 vehicles detected, 23 were clocked at more than 35 MPH.
• Specialized active intruder training was held at Washington Community High School and robbery response training was held at Heartland Bank.
• The Guth Road outdoor warning siren was repaired following the monthly August test of all sirens. The Guth siren didn't rotate continuously after its first complete turn.
VALERI BROD, CITY CLERK
• The Laserfiche public document portal has been launched on the city's website under the City Clerk tab. The portal contains historic and official documents, which will be added on an ongoing basis.
JON OLIPHANT, PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
• Cana Lutheran Church has been given permission to block a city-owned parking lot at 105 S. Elm Street from 3-7 p.m. Sept. 7 for a youth activity event. There will be access to adjacent allies.
'Let's Talk Ward 1'
Ward 1 alderpersons Todd Sluder and Paula Johnson will hold a "Let's Talk Ward 1" session from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Aug. 27 in a Washington Public Library study room, they announced Monday.
"You don't have to come with comments or concerns," Johnson said. "Todd and I are new to the council, so if you want to just come meet us, that's fine, too."
The session is patterned after the monthly "Let's Talk Washington" get-togethers organized by Mayor Stevens. She said Monday the September date and location for "Let's Talk Washington" have not been determined.
Board vacancies filled
Vacancies were filled on the city's Historic Preservation Commission and Tree Board.
Jennifer Essig, John Edward Norlin and Adam Rankins were approved by the council for three open positions on the Historic Preservation Commission, which is now full.
Katie Beale, Lisa Sherman, Brian Tibbs and Randey Wall were appointed to the Tree Board, which previously had no members and needs a minimum of five.
Essig, president of the school board for Washington Community High School, is a long-time Washington resident and descendant of city founder William Holland; Norlin, a lifelong Washington resident, is church council chairman at Calvary Community Church, which has been in Washington since 1866; Rankins, a Washington resident for a little more than a year, lives with his family just under two blocks from the downtown square.
Washington is a Tree City, one of more than 3,400 in the U.S. that have earned the designation from the National Arbor Day Foundation and National Association of State Foresters. The city's Tree Board makes recommendations regarding trees on public property and presents educational programs about trees.
Beale is an avid gardener with an interest in native species; Sherman is a Girl Scout leader who takes her scouts and family out hiking and camping frequently; Tibbs, executive director of the Washington Park District, was one of the original appointees to the board when it was formed so Washington could be recognized as a Tree City; Wall is a retired professor of horticulture at Illinois Central College with 36 years of experience.
