After recent clearance from the Public Works Committee, the Danville City Council has passed the $250,000 worth of work created by the semi striking the Bowman and Voorhees traffic light last fall. The hope is that the company involved will cover about half of it with an insurance payment. It will all take several months; but as Public Works Chairman Mike Puhr stated, with all the modern codes that now must be met to make the repairs, it’s good to simply have a plan.
AUDIO: We have to follow all the ADA guidelines with the federal and state, and that drives up the cost tremendously. And then the size of the pole, the right of way and things; that drives up the cost even more.
And after recently receiving a positive recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission; the Council has unanimously approved, with Alderwoman Heidi Watson not in attendance, the zoning change on the north side of West Newell Road, across from Walmart, allowing the Bismarck Fire Protection District to build a new third station. While nearby property owners and residents, respectively, Dustin and Kenneth Wells, expressed concerns; Assistant Fire Chief Jake Wright stated that the department will work with neighbors when concerns arise.
Bismarck Fire Protection District Assistant Chief Jake Wright explains plans for the new fire station on West Newell Road; which will replace the current two garage station on West Lake Boulevard.
But Wright also said that that station, for the southern part of their district, gets about 100 of the departments 445 calls per year; not several per day. Danville’s Mayor Rickey Williams, Jr said that since this is the Bismarck Fire District desiring to build in an area affected by Danville zoning to keep the public safe, the entire picture needed to be viewed.
AUDIO: One of the challenging things, always in government, is balancing individual interests versus that of the public as a whole. We have to make sure that we take care of the greater good. And there are thousands, if not ten thousand plus people, that live in this fire district. So we’ve got to make sure that folks in Bismarck can take care of their people. And quite frankly some of ours, who aren’t technically Danvillians, but have Danville addresses.
Assistant Chief Wright said he hopes the work on this station can begin as soon as possible; perhaps this fall, once a builder is hired and other logistics are handled.
Meanwhile, Danville Police Chief Christopher Yates said last week’s announcement that the department has once again been awarded the Illinois Department of Transportation’s Sustained Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) Grant is simply part of their mission to keep the roads safer; and again remind everyone, please drive safely.
AUDIO: The last thing we want to do to our citizens is give them tickets. However, sometimes that’s what it takes to get people to slow down and consider other people’s safety. The grant’s all based around safe driving; reducing the number of crashes and traffic accidents.
This will allow extra officers on Danville roads during the deadliest times of the year, through the end of STEP grant’s fiscal year on September 30th.
