1 Front Volume 142 No. 11
Friday, February 19, 2016
Single Copy Cost 50¢
Mandates cause rate hike in Tonica
By Zachary J. Pratt news@tonicanews.com
TONICA — Tonica is preparing for the future as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) mandates an increase in sewer rates. The Tonica Village Board discussed the mandate at its meeting Monday, Feb. 15, as well as how to make it as easy on the town as possible. The USDA says the town needs to increase rates once the new project is oper-
ational, so the system will be self-sustaining. The new base rate is estimated to be around $55. How it will work: The town will take money out of the bills every month and put it into funds for needs such as spare parts. “Right now we put money every year from the general fund to the water and sewer funds,” Village President Kevin Sluder said. This will no longer be acceptable.
“This has to be in place when we go online,” Sluder said. “We have no choice; it’s unfortunate, but we have no choice.” However, the board does not want to raise the rates all at once. “What we came up with is $14 every six months for a year and a half,” Sluder said. “It’s going to be easier on them,” he said, referring to the impact on the town of slowly raising the rates rather than updating them at
once. “It does impact the fixed-income people,” Sluder continued. Town officials are trying to figure out a way to cause as little harm as possible. “If you’re using a lot of water, you’re paying more,” Sluder said. “If you’re using less, you have the default.” In related news, changes are being made to the sewer tile project. The initial idea was that this tile was important to maintain, but new
suggestions might reroute the system. Instead of fixing all of the tile, recent developments could lead to modifications made going up to the property, which would allow the town to circumvent the current tile if need be, in which case the whole system would be on town property. “It would knock about 100 feet off the digging and laying pipe, so it’ll save a lot of money,” board member Marc Lemrise said.
In other news: • To avoid activating the warranty’s countdown, the motor operators which have been installed are being pulled out and put into storage until it is time to use them. Village Engineer Jack Kusek explained it does not make sense to leave the operators in place when it would activate the warranty a year and a half before the system will be operational.
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The last reunion ... Documentary of World War II vets seeks funding By Dave Cook dcook@bcrnews.com
SENECA — “The Last Signal” is a new documentary in the final stages of production. It tells the story of Raymond “De Vere” Johnson and John Heimsoth, World War II veterans who both served in the Navy aboard LST-218. Johnson, 92, of Illinois and a signal man during his time in service, thought he was the last surviving crew member of the ship constructed at the Seneca Prairie Shipyard in Seneca, Ill. His daughter sought to prove him wrong. Johnson’s daughter, Cheryl, posted on Facebook seeking other veterans of the ship. Within weeks, the post had more than a million hits and had been shared worldwide. It also brought contact with Heimsoth, 91, of Stover, Mo. “The Last Signal” is a documentary which captures their reunion and shares their story, along with the history of the small town Illinois shipyard. “When we came to Seneca to film and highlight the community’s contribution to the war effort, I was amazed at how well the community has kept its history alive and continues to celebrate its contribution to one of the most historic times in our nation’s history,” said producer Kyle Olson. After the U.S. entered the war, defense manufacturing soon sky-rocketed. The coastal shipyards were handling the large vessels such as aircraft carriers, battleships and destroyers, but the government looked inland for the production of smaller craft such as the LST, or Landing Ship Tank. Situated on 200 acres on the bank of the Illinois River and on a bed of solid sandstone which could handle the 5,500 ton weight of the ships, the Seneca Prairie Shipyard was soon receiving accolades for their production rate. Seneca was originally founded as a watering stop for the railroad. With approximately 1,200 residents at the beginning of the war, thousands of people relocated to the area with the arrival of the shipyard. This also brought about additional housing, better roads, utilities, sewer system and an expanded school. Approximately 27,000 people worked at the yard during World War II. According to the Seneca Shipyard Days website, 16 different trades were required to construct each of the 157 LSTs built. Skilled workers earned $1.20 an hour and laborers received .83 an hour. There were two, nine-hour shifts per day, six days a week. The yard employed 11,000 people when fully staffed.
Documentary Page 3 Vol. 142 No. 11
Winter weather beauty BCR photo/Lyle Ganther
Hardy hikers can see water rushing down LaSalle Canyon in Starved Rock State Park with some icicles forming on the canyon’s roof. Recent cold weather has meant these icicles have probably grown in size from when this picture was recently taken. The park has 18 different canyons and 13 miles of trails going through tree-covered sandstone bluffs.
Notifying Tonica residents Board looks at options By Zachary J. Pratt news@tonicanews.com
TONICA — Tonica has had a major month in regards to water main breaks, and the resulting confusion has led to talks of a new system to inform the public of boil orders and other emergencies.
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You can’t avoid the mess, but you can avoid the stress.
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2 Rooms: 3 Rooms: 5 Rooms: © The Tonica News
At the Tonica Village Board meeting Monday, Feb. 15, Marc Lemrise said there has been around $10,000 worth of water main breaks. When the town tried to inform the public, it did not work as planned. “It got hectic,” Village President Kevin Sluder said. “Some people knew. Some people didn’t.”
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