The Peoria Heights Village Board has signed off on easements with Illinois- American Water Co. that will close parts of the Rock Island Greenway trail for underground pipe installation for a couple of months this winter. Sections of the path will be off limits to traffic between January and March, 2022 as Illinois American runs a water line through the Village that will connect its service area in Peoria to Pioneer Parkway, with the Heights in between. The Heights has its own municipal water company. In exchange for the easements, Illinois American will be deeding 10 acres it owns near the Illinois River off of Galena Road/Illinois Route 29 to the Village. Illinois American will restore the path to its previous condition in the spring following completion of the water line. The line – essentially “an interstate for water,” said Illinois American engineer Josh Harken – also will be going under certain streets in April and early May, 2022. Marietta, Monroe, Toledo and Glen will see construction but are expected to remain open to traffic. Granting utility easements is common with municipalities. Energy provider Ameren recently compensated the Heights for two easements along the trail for the purpose of trimming trees that threaten power lines in that area. That the Illinois American construction will occur during the colder winter months, when the path typically has fewer users, did alleviate some initial concerns.
In other business:
• The Board approved payment for demolition of a property at 4315 N. Atlantic Ave. that “has been an eyesore for this neighborhood for years,” in the words of Village Administrator Dustin Sutton. The work is in keeping with the Village’s renewed emphasis on neighborhood restoration and improvement following the board’s recent retreat and goal-setting exercise. The Village now owns the lot following a judge’s order last spring and will be putting it up for sale.
• The Village is exploring ways to better regulate short-term rentals such as Airbnb and Vrbo after hearing concerns “about the impact of these commercial entities operating in our neighborhoods,” such as potential parking issues and noise, according to Trustee Brandon Wisenberg. The Heights will be looking to other communities for guidance and is likely to address the issue through its zoning code. “I think we do not have an issue right now, but we do need to be proactive,” said Trustee Elizabeth Khazzam, adding that “a healthy balance” should be the goal.
• The Village Board recently welcomed four new firefighters to the volunteer department, with Chief Donovan Thompson acknowledging three of them – Hunter Bevirt, Alex Agenor, and Logan Watters, pictured to the right – at a recent meeting. The fourth is Brian Williams. Recruiting firefighters has been a challenge the last several years, but “service to the community” and a family firefighting heritage are what drew these three young men – age 19, 23 and 25, respectively, all with other careers – to the department.
• Trustee Jeff Goett detailed a number of capital improvements that will be forthcoming, including tuckpointing at Fire Station 2, roof and ceiling work at Village Hall, and painting the legendary woodpecker on the side of the Heights’ iconic tower. The Village will be looking to get the best deal for taxpayers on all the above.