Utica may sell its two cell towers on Clark’s Hill

Utica is investigating whether to sell the leases to two cellular towers located on village-owned property at Neighbors Park on Clark’s Hill.

Thursday, the Utica Village Board emerged from extended closed session (1 hour, 18 minutes) and agreed to let Mayor David Stewart enter into a listing agreement with Cell At Auction LLC, which will market the two village-owned parcels with cell towers.

“The market is very strong now,” said Village Attorney Herb Klein “We’re going to see what kind of price we can get.”

The vote was 5-1. Trustee Jim Schrader voted no but declined to disclose comments made in closed session.

Separately, village staff has largely moved into the new municipal complex. Soon, the village will host a ribbon cutting ceremony. Stewart announced a dual ribbon cutting, one for the village hall and another for the Heritage Corridor, at 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 11.

Stewart said the transfer from old village hall to new should be completed midweek, meaning villagers should report to the new complex for services.

Finally, anyone interested in learning more about the proposed outdoor retail plaza is invited to attend the Jan. 27 meeting of the Utica Planning Commission. There, the village will discuss in detail its plans for portable retail stalls — depending on whether it gets a hefty grant — to be located north of the tornado memorial.

Other matters:

• The village has completed its utility work at U.S. 6 and Route 178. Construction of the roundabout begins in spring.
• Stewart was given authority to work with the Illinois EPA on remaining work at the old sewer plant
• New trustee Kylie Mattioda was named a liaison to the Utica Fire Department and Waltham School District along with fellow trustees Mary Pawlak and John Schweickert