Philo 150th Anniversary Committee to hold first meeting

Philo - The Philo 150th Anniversary Celebration committee will have its first meeting tomorrow at 1 pm in the R E Franks Center Boardroom. This will be the first in the series of many to plan for a festival and celebration in summer 2025, said village board member David Happ.

"I'm asking anybody interested in serving on the committee or if they have ideas to share, to come," Happ said.

Named after Philo Hale, the Philo Township was created in 1859 and the Village of Philo was incorporated 16 years later in 1875. The earliest census listed the population at 291. Today's population is around 1,421 according to Data USA.

Once established over the next couple of months, the committee will meet monthly.

"Tomorrow, we are trying to get a feel of who would be willing to serve on the committee," Happ said, hoping to add more names to the few on his list so far who have expressed an interest in helping plan the event over the next year.

For more information, contact David Happ at (217) 417-3128.

New library rules now in effect

With the state entering a new phase in its pandemic mitigation strategy, the St. Joseph Township-Swearingen Memorial Library has updated their visitor rules in accordance to Illinois' newly relaxed restrictions.

Effective yesterday, the library will allow 25 people in the building. That maximum number includes both staff and patrons. Patrons, who must also wear mask when admitted, will be allowed 30 minutes a day inside. Restrooms and water fountains will not available for public use.

The library will continue to offer curbside service for those who can not or object wearing masks inside the building.

Residents and patrons who have a question about the updated policy can contact the St. Joseph Township-Swearingen Memorial Library by phone at (217) 469-2159 or via email at stjosephtownshiplibrary@gmail.com.

Village of St. Joseph board meeting agenda this Tuesday set

The St. Joseph village board meeting will be held this Tuesday at the Municipal Building at 7pm.

After the motion to approve minutes from April 13 and pay Village bills, trustees will consider approving six items on the April 27 agenda.

The following items are up for discussion and approval:

• A MFT Resolution for Maintenance
• Approval a contract with Jamaica Fireworks
• Approval of the bid for directional boring for the streetlights conduit
• A motion an ordinance and policy prohibiting Sexual Harassment
• Review and approval a resolution and the employee manual with a drug and alcohol policy
• Approval of a resolution accepting the low bid for drainage improvement at Meadow Circle

The board will also hear a report from the Finance, Personnel, & Economic Development Department on the current budget and filling the newly created Village Administrator position.

Members of the community are welcome to express their input. If you plan to attend the meeting, only the side door which enters directly into the Village Board room will be open. The rest of the building will not be accessible during the meeting. Guests are required to observe social distancing guidelines. If you have something that you want to bring up at the Village Board Meeting but do not want to attend in person, you may email the information to tasmetzer@gmail.com. Please include your full name, phone number, and address in the email.

Members of the community may address the Board/Committee by completing the information requested on the Attendance/Oath Sheet prior to the start of the meeting. After state their name and address for the record, speakers will have the floor for a maximum of five minutes to address the board.

Apply for the Governor's Hometown Award, applications are being accepted now

The Governor’s Hometown Awards program, now in its fourth year, recognizes individuals and organizations that make an impact on the quality of life in their community. The award is given to projects that met a need with substantial volunteer support and made a significant impact in the nominee's town or village.

The Serve Illinois Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service is accepting applications for this year's Governor’s Hometown Awards (GHTA) program now through February 19. The Governor’s Hometown Award promotes the Commission’s mission to improve Illinois communities "by enhancing volunteerism and instilling an ethic of service throughout the state." The GHTA recognizes projects that, with the help of local government, enlisted sizeable community support and volunteerism resulting in beneficial outcome not only for recipients of the effort but the for the overall community.

The competition is open to townships, villages, cities, and counties for projects during the period of January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2020.

Past recipients include Edwardsville's Growing with the Garden which was recognized in 2018. Working with the Edwardsville YMCA Early Childhood Development Center to design and develop three raised gardens in the facility’s children’s playground, an Edwardsville High School senior taught kids at the center the importance of vegetables in the diet, helped them plant, cultivate and harvest vegetables from the new gardens.

With more than 35,000 veterans in Lake County, an educational program that demonstrated the benefits that equine-assisted therapy provides service men and women and veterans who face challenges such as PTSD was the result of a collaboration between BraveHearts, a therapeutic riding and educational center, and the Veterans of Lake Barrington Shores in 2018. The joint cooperation created an interactive event for Lake Barrington and its surrounding communities that resulted in GHTA recognition the following year in 2019.

Locally, in 2018, Urbana was honored as a project winner for their "Friendship Grove Nature Playscape" project. A year later, Urbana received an Honorable Mention for their "Urbana Park District Advisory Committee" work and Vermilion County also received and HM nod with their "Step Up Vermilion County" project.

For additional information regarding program and the application process, please visit www.Serve.Illinois.gov. This year's application can be downloaded from this link: 2020 GHTA Application.

The Serve Illinois Commission is made up of a bipartisan group of 40 members board appointed by the Governor JB Pritzker and is administered by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Keep your friends and neighbors informed

The Sentinel believes an informed community is a stronger, more vibrant community.

Reaching more than 500 readers a day, The Sentinel is mission is to keep people we care about informed by sharing local news and views to the readers in the communities we serve. We encourage village board and committees, school superintendents, and local organizations in the six villages we cover to send us your press releases, latest news and special event announcements.

To the village government and civic organizations who have put us on your contact list, thank you and keep the news coming. To the schools that have proudly send us honor roll and National Honor Society announcements, a high-five.

Email press releases, meeting agenda/minutes and your letters to the editor to editor@oursentinel.com.

Four village trustee seats open next April in Tolono

Four of the six trustee positions for the Village of Tolono up for election on April 6, 2021.

There are three four-year term trustee seats and one two-year term that will be contested as well as the seat for Village President.

Prospective candidates can pick information packets and petition forms at the Village Hall, located at 507 W. Strong Street in Tolono. The filing period will be December 14-21, 2020.

For more information contact village all at (217) 485-5212 or via email at info@tolonoil.us It is recommended candidates consult an attorney or contact the Illinois State Board of Elections for additional campaign information.

Village sewer rate increase goes into effect in St. Joseph

At the beginning of this month a scheduled sewer rate increase went into effect for the Village of St. Joseph. The new rates will be reflected on residents' upcoming November billing.

The schedule rate increase, approved in April 2019 by the St. Joseph Board of Trustees and put on hold due COVID-19 pandemic, will pay for upgrades as the aging plant nears its maximum operating capacity according to a release from the village.

The 15-year plan created last year is a detailed road map to ensure costs, operating expenses and plant capital maintenance needs are met to keep pace with the community's growth. The plan included incrementally increasing rates, which will be determined annually by the board, on a yearly basis rather of one or more large jump in monthly fees.

While the increase will impact low volume users minimally, heavy users will see likely see a noticeable change on their statements.

The new rate, starting on October 1, is $17.50, up from $15.00, for the first two units. Each additional unit used will be billed at at $1.75 more then the previous amount of $5.25 at $7.00 each.

Village Administrator job on St. Joseph board agenda

The Village of St. Joseph moves one step closer to hiring a Village Administrator. A proposal from the Finance, Personnel, and Economic Development department will ask the board to approve a job description and new ordinance for the position of Village Administrator at Tuesday's board meeting.

The Village Administrator would be responsible for day-to-day operation of village services, keep track of financial health and capital projects, assist in zoning enforcement as well as ensuring permit fees are collected.

"The way we do things now, we are far from being efficient," said Tami Fruhling-Voges, Village President/Mayor. "The Village should be ran like a business."

She said the Village Administrator is needed to help her and the trustees with research and policy recommendations. The person in the new position would also actively apply for state and federal grants.

"It will truly be a benefit to the community."

According to agenda for Tuesday, Mayor Fruhling-Voges will present a new Village Public Works calendar and announce the recipient of the St. Joseph's first Employee Appreciation Award. She will also unveil a Halloween Proclamation as well as tax levy comparisons and late distributions from the County Treasurer's Office.

The board will also hear and vote to approve an audit report from Feller & Kuester CPAs LLP, receive an updated from the recent Sewer Committee meeting and an update on the Linden Street retention pond.

If you have something that you want to bring up at the Village Board Meeting but do not want to attend, residents are encouraged to email the information to tasmetzer@gmail.com. Your email should include your full name, address and phone number.

If you would like to attend the meeting in person, please use the side door which enters directly into the Village Board room. It will be the only door available for entry. Visitors may address the Board /Committee on subjects listed and not listed on the agenda during the Public Comment portion of the meeting. Speakers will must state their name and address for the meeting records. Masks and social distancing will be observed.

You can find the October 13 agenda here.

A letter from Mayor Tami Fruhling-Voges

To the Residents of the Village of St. Joseph,

I wanted to give a brief update as to what the next two weeks may look like in the village.

We will continue to have the village office closed to the public this week and probably the following week. Staff will be in the office answering phones and handling all daily operations. Sewer payments can be made by phone, mail or dropped off at the village’s night deposit located next to the front door.

The public works department will also continue to operate as usual to keep the village running as smoothly as possible under these circumstances. Please avoid approaching the village workers and practice safe distancing.

If you have concerns, questions or emergency needs please contact the office during office hours. The office staff will notify the public works department or have someone contact you by phone.

The village parks will be closed. Enjoy the open space but avoid the playground and the restrooms will remain closed.

Please visit the village website for more information and changing schedules. We will do our best to keep you informed.

I want to thank our wonderful community for being the St. Joseph that I have always loved. Once again, I’m proud to say that this is my hometown and so very thankful to be able to serve my community as your Mayor.

As we make our way through these frightening and trying times continue to be patient with those around you. Continue to work together to help our community members and businesses. Help our local businesses during the shutdown and thereafter. Curbside services are being offered by the restaurants, grocery store and apothecary.

Please check on your neighbors especially our senior citizens and those with disabilities medical or otherwise.

Contact the village office if any of these citizens need help picking up groceries or prescriptions.

Just a few suggestions as we continue to practice safe distancing and staying home; go online and complete your census, read a good book, play board games with your children, take a walk or bike ride (the bike trail is open for business), contact the food bank or schools to help with their curbside services and most of all smile and wave at those you meet each day.

We will all need that bit of encouragement as we work our way through the next few days or weeks to come.

Thank you and God Bless.

Tami Fruhling-Voges, St. Joseph Village Mayor

Village of St. Joseph office closed to the public until further notice

While there has been only one confirmed case of the Coronavirus in Champaign County, following the lead of government offices around the state, village officials have closed their physical office in St. Joseph to the public.

There was no indication on the village website when they might reopen at this time.

Residents can, however, still interact with the village and leaders by phone or email during normal business hours. Staff members will be available to answer phones, respond to email and process all payments as usual.

Sewer payments are asked to be made by using the night box on the left hand side of the building. While checks and money orders are the preferred methods as they leave a paper trail to verify receipt, cash payments will be accepted by the village and a receipt will be mailed as soon as possible.

For more information contact the village office by phone at (217) 469-7371. Questions or concerns can be emailed to office manager Julie Hendrickson at julie.quednau@stjosephillinois.org or Debbie Routh at debbie.routh@stjosephillinois.org.