Creston Village President Tom Byro announced Tuesday, Jan. 6, that Creston has sent out a request for qualifications to find a new engineering firm for the village.

At the Creston Village Board’s December meeting, Byro announced that previous Village Engineer Kevin Bunge of CES Inc. had resigned from his position. The village will also be working on the return of its utility inventories, maps and documents from past work from CES.

Byro said interested engineering firms will have until the end of January to reach out to the village with qualifications and the fees they’re seeking and then interviews will take place.

“I’m hoping we get 3-4 different interested engineering firms,” Byro said. “We’ve already sent it out to 4-5 firms. The process is underway and it’s a good thing. Hopefully we get a good engineering company in here.”

Water main

Trustee Curt Ward said during the meeting that he has been working with Martin & Company Excavating on needed changes to an upcoming water system project on South Street.

At its December meeting, the board unanimously approved a $198,955 bid with the contractor. The project is being done in an attempt to alleviate rust issues in Creston that would include upsizing 4-inch mains, shutoff valve work and hydrant work including removing dead-end lines.

The work will likely start in March and will take up to 20 working days to complete. Contingency funds were put in place due to the village desiring larger valves, among other things. Ward has taken on the task of working with the contractor on changes as the village is currently without an engineering firm.

“They will be coming back with pricing,” Ward said. “I think we will be able to keep it within the contingency.”

Engineering firm Willett Hofmann & Associates will be submitting an Illinois Environmental Protection Agency permit application for the project on the village’s behalf.

“We’re trying to keep that moving forward and get that permit in so the project doesn’t see any delays,” Ward said.

Village Hall

Byro expressed a desire during the meeting to upgrade security at Village Hall, which could potentially include cameras, an intercom system, door and/or window upgrades, fire and security alarms and signage.

“I have been in other local government buildings and have seen what they have for security,” Byro said. “I think it’s time we look at that too. I’d like to get some ideas and some quotes on what we need and what it would cost. I want to see what we could do here.”

The board agreed with Byro and gave a consensus for him to explore options and pricing.

Water tower

Byro said controls have been installed on Creston’s water tower for a new mixer that will soon be installed.

The mixer installation project was put into motion following rust issues that have been seen in Creston’s water system. The village found difficulty hiring an electrician for the project and approved an $11,725 bid for the work.

Sidewalks

Trustees discussed setting a yearly amount for a sidewalk replacement program in Creston. The talked-about idea on Tuesday was utilizing village interest income funds, which number around $172,000-$175,000 each year. With that framework, Creston could replace around 2,100 square feet of sidewalk per year.

Village Trustee Mark Hibshman has said in past meetings that “most of” the sidewalks in Creston need replacement. Any sidewalk that hasn’t been replaced in the village since its installation will need replacing, due to meeting ADA requirements.

The top of the village’s sidewalk replacement plan list is work in the area of Depot and South streets, along with Main Street.

Ward said $150,000 could be a good figure to be budgeted each year for sidewalk work. Hibshman said he plans to discuss the matter with Village Treasurer Penny Payton for future action.

Comprehensive plan

Byro again expressed a desire to hold a public meeting in coming weeks in an effort to update Creston’s comprehensive plan.

Creston has started the process of updating its outdated comprehensive plan, which includes the future vision for the village and includes infrastructure, business development, housing and codes.

Byro and Trustee Reid Elliot have worked with the Ogle County Economic Development Corporation and a representative from the University of Illinois on a framework of a plan. The public meeting will allow residents and other Creston entities to provide feedback.

The village’s last comprehensive plan was done before 2000, and municipalities typically update them every 10 years. By law, comprehensive plan updates must be done following boundary agreements, and Creston agreed to one with the city of Rochelle in recent years.