Oglesby applauds officer of the year, retiring police chief

There was big applause Monday for two of Oglesby’s finest: Michael Rivara, Oglesby’s officer of the year, and for retiring Chief Doug Hayse.

At the City Council meeting, Hayse recognized Rivara for outstanding service. After Hayse handed the plaque to Rivara, he got one of his own. Commissioner Terry Eutis recognized the retiring chief (last day: Jan. 17) for his service.

“Doug, I just want to say thank you so much for all you’ve done for the city,” Eutis said. “We were so fortunate to have you.”

Separately, Oglesby firefighters are tired of answering calls set off by faulty fire alarms. The city is doing something about it.

The council established a fee schedule for false alarms. There is no charge for one or two calls, but a third call will be subject to a $100 fee followed by incremental rises of $50 up to a maximum fee of $1,000.

“If we hit that,” Eutis said, “then we’ve got a real issue.”

Also, the fire department had some gear irreparably damaged in the Carus Chemical fire. The city’s insurers likely will seek reimbursement from Carus, but five firefighters are without gear. The council approved replacement costs up to $30,000.

“We’re not going to have our people out there without the proper safety equipment,” Mayor Dom Rivara said.

Finally, the council agreed to assist Illinois Valley Animal Rescue with stray dogs.

Chris Tomsha, executive director for IVAR, asked for the city to acquire a crate for after-hours containment until it can be brought to the La Salle shelter.

“You don’t have to feed it,” Tomsha said. “Just give it some water, a blanket – done.”

Eutis pledged to have a proposal for council approval at the next meeting.