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Thursday, July 18, 2013
Be cool! Helping seniors to beat the heat By Donna Barker dbarker@bcrnews.com.
PRINCETON — With high temperatures and heat indexes expected to be near 100 degrees for the next several days, the Bureau County Senior Center is opening its doors as a cooling site and is offering fans for senior citizens who need them. As an additional outreach, the senior center has also started a noon time meal program. On Tuesday, center Director Denise Ihrig said the center is serving once again as a cooling center for people who want to get out of the heat. The center is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. People can just come in and sit in an easy chair and relax or they can join others in some an activity, like bingo, cards, watching a movie or just visiting with people. Also as in previous years, the senior center does have a limited number of fans available for senior citizens ages 69 years or older, Ihrig said. When the seniors are finished with the fans, they may return them to the center or they may keep them if needed. For the first time, the Bureau County Senior Center has become a congregate meal site for all of Bureau County, Ihrig added. Through a joint effort, the Voluntary Action Center, Western Illinois Area Agency on Aging, and the senior center have started a trial program for July and August to provide a noon meal for senior citizens ages 60 and older, as well as others. Meals will be served at noon Monday through Friday. There is a $3 suggested donation for seniors having the noon meal, but no senior will be denied service if they are unable or unwilling to provide a donation toward the cost of a meal. Non-senior citizens can also eat with the seniors for a $5 cost. However, there are no carry outs or home deliveries made.
Serving Bureau County Since 1847
Sewer line solutions Putting some $$$ down the drain By Donna Barker dbarker@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — The Princeton City Council continues to address sanitary sewer issues facing the city and what can be done, and when, to correct those issues. At this week’s council meeting, Princeton City Manager Jeff Clawson said the Farnsworth Group expects to have its drainage
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study report ready for the council’s Aug. 19 meeting. The council had hired the engineering firm in May to evaluate the city’s sanitary and storm sewer issues, as well as the flooding issues in the Dover Road/Euclid Avenue area and the Greencroft/Metro Center area. Commissioner Joel Quiram said he’s glad the city is moving forward with the study, but thought it should be expanded to other areas of town like South Church Street, which he
said is in terrible condition. Princeton has had nine sanitary sewer collapses since the first of the year, with seven of those collapses happening since the April heavy rains and flooding, he said. Quiram recommended the city start scoping all the sanitary sewers to identify and categorize them from worst to best and then put dollar amounts on fixing the worst problems first.
See Council Page 4
Park projects Board talks parking lots, lights and resignation By Donna Barker dbarker@bcrnews.com
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BCR photo/Becky Kramer
A tisket, a tasket ... a Girl Scout basket Mattie Michlig works on a basket project during Girl Scout Troop 4011’s day camp, held this week at Alexander Park in Princeton. Leader Jill Carrington said 47 girls are registered in addition to the 10 girls from the troop who are helping. All profits from this camp go toward the troop’s fund for their June 2014 trip to Savannah, Ga. Scouts are doing crafts, playing games and swimming for 3 days.
PRINCETON — The Princeton Park District will go ahead with a paving project at the Bureau County Metro Center which will require the Metro Center to be closed for two or three days in late August. At Monday’s meeting of the Princeton Park Board, Superintendent of Parks Keith Scherer said two bids were received for the parking lot project, which includes the removal and paving of the center island that designates parking spaces for patrons. The project also includes the resurfacing of a dumpster collection site on the east side of the building. The park board awarded the Phase 1 project to Advanced Asphalt with a low bid of $43,602. According to Elaine Russell, executive director, the park board hopes to have the project finished sometime during the last two weeks of August, as stated in the bid specifications. As soon as the dates are determined, the information will be posted at the Metro Center and also announced through area media. Bureau County Highway Engineer John Gross will oversee the project, she said. Phase 2 of the parking lot project includes the resurfacing of the remainder of the Metro Center parking lot and will come from the 2014-15 fiscal year budget. Bids for Phase 2 will not go out until this time next year. In other business at Monday’s meeting, Russell said the Metro Center is nearing the completion of a three-year lighting upgrade project. The entire lower level and main floor of the Metro Center, along with all outside and parking lot lighting, has been changed to save on utility bills. To fund the lighting upgrade, the park board budgeted about $12,000 a year toward the three-year project, plus the park district received $22,984 in grants for the project. Also at Monday’s meeting, the board accepted with regret the resignation of aquatics coordinator/interim recreation coordinator Beth Coleman, effective in two weeks.
See Park District Page 4
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