BY KIM LUTTRELL
ROSSVILLE — Mayor Terry Prillaman thanked everyone who was involved with the recent sesquicentennial celebration at Monday night’s village board meeting.
“I have received e-mails from all across the country telling me what a wonderful event it was,” Prillaman said.
Several trustees expressed an interest in some type of annual celebration in the town.
Police Chief William Shannon expressed his gratitude to the police departments of Alvin and Henning for their assistance in the parade on Saturday.
Also Monday, trustees approved the sale of the village-owned buildings at 115-117 E. Attica Street to Pete Gossett of Rossville for $2,500 in a narrow vote. Gossett told the board that he plans to operate an Internet selling service as well as a computer and printer repair service from part of the space.
Gossett said his plans include buying wholesale lots of merchandise and then reselling it over the Internet, as well as selling items for individuals through various online auction sites. He also will operate his computer repair business. These businesses will fill the east end of the building complex.
Gossett said he will remodel the second floor into living space for his family and the third floor will be used for storage.
Gossett said long-range plans include a recording studio for local musicians as well as perhaps a coffee shop/Internet café in the west end of the building at some future date.
The sale will be final once a sales contract and redevelopment agreement are drawn up by the village attorney.
The sale was not without some discussion between Prillaman and trustees. Prillaman felt the village should wait and see what other offers might come.
Prillaman said he would like to see a business that would employ more people in the buildings.
Trustee Richard Queen said he was afraid that if the village didn’t accept Gossett’s offer that the village may be sitting on the buildings for another two years.
Gossett hopes to have his business up and running in two months.
In other village business, trustees:
-- Approved offering two health insurance packages to employees. One plan is a preferred provider organization (PPO) that is currently offered. It will continue to be offered except employees will be required to pick up the additional premium cost of the plan. The other plan is a health maintenance organization (HMO) that employees can choose. Both plans are offered through Health Alliance.
-- Learned that the $100,000 of the recent $200,000 loan the village received from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency will come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds. Of the $100,000, the ARRA will forgive the repayment of $50,000 and the other $50,000 will be financed over 20 years at 0 percent interest. The ARRA is the official name of the Obama administrations economic stimulus program.
-- Prillaman congratulated Trustee Nancy Null on her work in writing the grant application that was recently awarded $99,000 for downtown sidewalk replacement. Null said she learned of the grant at a U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development meeting and decided to pursue a grant for the sidewalk replacement. Null said this was her first attempt at grant writing.
-- Approved the purchase and installation of two insulated garage doors and one garage door opener from Bob White Garage Door Service of Danville for $3,735.
-- Will post signs at the village maintenance area that no brush is to be burned after 4 p.m. There have numerous complaints of lingering smoke over the village when brush is left smoldering overnight.
-- Approved the purchase of 18 radio-read water meters and 3G software from Master Meter, Inc. of Mansfield, Texas for $3,500.
-- Agreed to revisit the golf cart ordinance at the September meeting to discuss possible changes to it.
NEXT UP
The Rossville Village Board will meet at 7 p.m. Sept. 21 in the municipal building.
