Malfunctioning pedestrian crossing signals at a busy intersection adjacent to the Pekin Community High School campus will be repaired.
A lightning strike during the summer damaged the traffic signals at Stadium Drive and Court Street, causing the pedestrian walkway signs to only display "Do Not Cross."
Following the lightning strike, the traffic signals were repaired to function only on a timed cycle. The damaged components inside the control cabinet were not replaced.
The Pekin City Council this week approved paying Peoria-based Laser Electric $26,500 for repairs of the traffic and walk signals, of which $10,000 will be covered by insurance. The damaged components will be replaced.
"Our biggest concern is now that school is back in session, the walk signal isn't operating correctly," said Pekin City Manager John Dossey. "This is going address that issue, first and foremost."
The traffic signals at Court and Parkway Drive were damaged by the same lightning strike. The city is seeking insurance reimbursement for those repairs.
An Epic extension
Rising construction and machinery costs, many caused by tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration, have delayed Epic Pharma Solution's plans to build a medical manufacturing center in the Riverway Business Park.
So, with council approval, the city has extended the deadline for Epic to obtain a first building permit until March 1, 2027, and a certificate of occupancy until Dec. 31, 2028.
Josh Wray, Pekin's economic development director, said Epic is value-engineering the project, adding $5 million towards construction, seeking more incentives from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and working with an architect.
"Epic still intends to build in Pekin, but they've requested additional time for development milestones," Wray said.
In addition to the deadline extensions, the city now has a right to market the property again if Epic doesn't meet the first building permit deadline next March.
4 audits in 12 months
The firm hired to help Pekin eliminate its audit backlog has been rehired to do the audits for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 fiscal years.
The council approved paying Naperville-based Lauterbach & Amen nearly $75,000 for the 2025-26 audit and $77,000 for the 2026-27 audit.
The 2022-23 fiscal year audit was completed in February, and the 2023-24 audit was finished in June. Work on the 2024-25 audit is expected to be done in late September or early October.
If that audit is completed before Oct. 31, the city will be temporarily up to date with audits. The city plans to file with the state for an extension on its 2025-26 audit, with a completion goal by the end of next January.
"Achieving this schedule would result in the completion of four annual audits within about 12 months and position the 2026-27 fiscal year audit as the city's first audit in about a decade to be completed within a normal annual audit timeframe," said finance director Eric Dubrowski.
New tire shop
Other items approved this week include:
- a special use request by Luis Mario Zamora to operate an automobile repair shop at 912 S. 2nd Street. The shop will focus on tire sales and service and roadside assistance for passenger vehicles and light-duty trucks;
- a technology refresh for the city's emergency operations center costing nearly $109,500. The center is located in the police station. Peoria Heights-based Pearl Technology will do the work;
- authorizing Dossey to award the 2026 mill and overlay road contract funded by motor fuel taxes to the lowest responsible bidder, provided the bid is within 10% of the engineer's estimate of nearly $220,000 and meets Illinois Department of Transportation requirements;
- changes to the city code that clarify the city's wastewater monthly billing and collection process.
