A strike at a local limestone quarry that already had impacted projects at one local school district now has put a long-awaited Flossmoor project on hold, as well.
Flossmoor Public Works Director John Brunke told the village board Monday, June 20, that a union strike that includes Thornton’s limestone quarry led to work being paused on the village’s long-awaited Berry Lane Drainage Improvement project. The Local 150 strike, which began June 7 and is impacting three local quarries, already put asphalt repairs on hold for Flossmoor School District 161 this summer.
“It’s affecting a lot of construction projects in our region, including our Berry Lane project, which has been shut down for two weeks,” Brunke said. “They can’t get stone for the project, so they can’t put storm sewer pipe in the ground. They can obviously travel farther to get stone but at a cost we don’t want to bear.”
Brunke said they have heard the strike could settle soon, which would be “good news.” The hope is that it does not go on long enough to impact the village’s street program, he said.
“We’re hoping that it does end soon and they come to terms and an agreement,” Brunke said.
The Berry Lane project just celebrated its start with a groundbreaking in early May.
Flossmoor Village Board mourns death of retired Fire Chief Gregory C. Berk
Before conducting any business June 20, Mayor Michelle Nelson read a press release regarding retired Fire Chief Gregory C. Berk, who died June 18.
“Definitely our thoughts and our prayers are with the fire department family and the Berk family, as well,” Nelson said.
Berk, Flossmoor’s first full-time fire chief, served the community for more than 25 years. He retired from Flossmoor in 2003 but came back in April 2020 as interim fire chief for a year.
“Chief Greg Berk served as a model of hard work, integrity and dedication to the fire service,” Nelson read. “His passion for the fire service and the people he served will be deeply missed.”
Board adopts Strategic Plan for the next five years
The village board voted unanimously to approve a Strategic Plan for 2022-2026. The plan is described in a report by Village Manager Bridget Wachtel as a refresh of the village’s 2017 Strategic Plan.
The updated 2022 strategic initiatives include developing greater revenue to support core services and improvement of infrastructure through a balanced budget; increasing property values through the improvement of village infrastructure, beautifying the community and assuring a high-quality housing stock; engaging in an economic development program for added tax revenue, and attracting and retaining businesses that meet residents’ needs; fostering a united and engaged community by a commitment to inclusion through fair and impartial opportunity and access; and promoting excellence in service delivery.
Nelson thanked everyone who participated in the process to update the plan.
“I think it’s really important to see where the community’s values are now versus five years ago,” she said. “Largely, they’re the same. Through everybody’s voice, I think this plan is much improved over the original version we had. I really appreciate everybody’s time and the back and forth that went into getting us here.”
Wachtel noted there will be periodic updates to the village board on the progress of the plan.
Other Business
- The village board voted unanimously to approve its consent agenda, which included an $85,800 contract with Strand Associates Inc. to perform water system improvements engineering. The work is in relation to the village’s change in water supply connection.
- With the consent agenda, the board also approved a $58,685.85 contract with Matrix Coating Solutions Inc. for the resurfacing of fire department floors. Matrix submitted the lowest of three quotes for the project, according to a board report.
- The consent agenda also included a budget amendment for the purchase of a sculpture called Red Cross Lines by Luis Kaiulani at a cost of $7,000. The purchase was approved in April, but the price had to be negotiated before being included in the budget.
- Approval of the consent agenda also authorized the pursuit of a possible direct placement refunding bond issue related to the remaining $2.92 million principal on bonds sold to finance a 2014 Water Main Improvement Fund, if it can save taxpayer money.