Chris Chandler, a longtime Public Works employee, has been named the Village’s water superintendent, effective immediately.

He succeeds Dave Marfell, who has taken a job in the private sector.

Mayor Michael Phelan had high praise for both, noting Marfell’s long tenure with the Village starting in 1996 as a 20-year-old police dispatcher, an exit for a time, then his return in 2010 to the present. “Meticulous, hardworking, and devoted to his duties” were the words Phelan used to describe him.

“It’s been quite a journey,” said Marfell, who had kind words for those with whom he worked, specifically
Village Administrator Dustin Sutton. “Yeah, I’ll miss this place.”

Meanwhile, a door closes for one and opens for another, said Phelan.

“I go to bed every night not worrying about the streets or the water,” he said. “I know the crews are out there taking care of business.”

The Village now is accepting applications to fill Chandler’s previous job as a laborer in Public Works.

In other news, the Village has wrapped up its business relief program, through which it distributed nearly $155,000 to 36 local operations.

The program was made possible through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Business owners could receive one-time grants of up to $5,000 for reimbursement of mortgage, lease and utility expenses that many have struggled to pay during this pandemic.

That partnership came on the heels of a strictly local relief effort last May, both aimed at helping local moms and pops survive 2020’s COVID-related shutdowns to play another day. Many were grateful for the assistance.

Indeed, the $5,000 received by Hearth restaurant was “easily worth an entire week of revenue,” when once upon a time, that would have been a decent night’s receipts, owner Hugh Higgins said in an email of thanks to the Village Board. As a result, “come hell or high water, Hearth will survive this pandemic.

“I count my lucky stars that I landed in the Heights.”