NORMAL – With high school seasons concluding, the time for honors to be given out has arrived and students, coaches, parents, and friends gathered at The Chateau in Bloomington June 21 to recognize the honorees at the annual Student-Athlete Recognition Banquet. Numerous categories were introduced and a number of local athletes and coaches were recognized for their efforts during the previous school year for their accomplishments. The event was sponsored by State Farm Insurance, Bloomington-Normal Convention and Visitors Bureau, Starnet Digital Publishing and Printing, WJBC Radio, Special Olympics Illinois, and Bloomington-Normal Sports Commission.

The event, held in the main ballroom of the hotel, featured Downs Tri-Valley High School graduate Stephanie Brokaw Brown, a six-time State champion in the 800 meter run from 7th grade through her senior year of high school in 2009. She is a graduate of University of Arkansas with a degree in Communications and Journalism-Advertising.

She said when she began her college life 13 years ago after having had help in previous years from her parents, she quickly learned “that balancing school, athletics, nutrition, finances all by yourself is a whole new world” when you come from living at home and the environment that provides.

Part of her adjustment to college life, she said, included throwing herself into her training. But after herniating a disk in her back which led to her needing back surgery. “I tell you that story, not so you’ll feel sorry for me, but so you will find your balance as a person.”

But Brown was quick to tell the students in the audience, “You really need to find out who you are outside of athletics.” For her, she said, it took “losing it all until I started seeking my value as a person. I have been given comfort in being able to reach other athletes and to figure out who I am. It has really been awesome.”

“Now I celebrate God and the gifts he gave me,” Brown told the gathering of around 100 people.”

West Volleyball Player Hernandez “Female Athlete Of The Year”: Newly graduated from Normal Community West High School, Averie Hernandez led the Wildcats Volleyball team for four years, helping them finish in 3rd place at State, the highest finish the team has ever had. She has also been ranked as the 35th player nationally in the Class of 2022 by prepvolleyball.com. She holds the all-time record for kills with 1,353 and has 783 digs to her credit. She will carry that type of play with her when she attends and plays for Northwestern University where she will start her college career this fall.

BHS’ Jack Weltha “Male Athlete Of The Year”: Newly graduated from Bloomington High School, Jack Weltha has participated in football, wrestling, and track and field throughout his years there. He received honorable mention as an All-State linebacker, was Big 12 Conference Player of the Year in 2022, made 1st team Big 12 offensive line, made 1st team Big 12 linebacker, and received Illinois High School Association and Big 12 Scholar Athlete awards. He will continue playing football at Truman State University.

West’s Mueller Named Female Sport Coach Of The Year: Normal Community West High School Head Volleyball Coach Kelsey Mueller was named Coach of the Year in female sports. Her efforts help lead the Class 3A Wildcats to State Finals for the first time in 26 years, where, in November 2021, they finished third, setting a record for 34 wins in the season. Their wins included a come from behind victory in super-sectional competition, and how far they got this season is the furthest the team has gotten in a State Tournament.

Knudsen Siblings Honored As Special Olympics Athletes Of The Year: A brother and sister were honored as Special Olympics Athletes Of The Year. Thomas “Tommie” Knudsen was honored as “Special Olympics Male Athlete Of The Year” and his sister, Abigail Knudsen, was honored as “Special Olympics Female Athlete Of The Year.”

The Knudsen duo has participated in Special Olympics since age three when they joined Special Olympics’ “Young Athletes” Program at age three. Tommie has competed in Basketball Skills events while his sister also was part of that program and Unified Sports which pair a Special Olympics athlete with a person who has no disability.

The Knudsens were joined by Caleb Busick, a four-sport athlete in Special Olympics who competes in swimming, bowling, basketball, and track & field. Off the field, Busick is a messenger for Special Olympics Illinois. He shares his stories of hope, acceptance, and encouragement which his experiences have given him with the hope they will inspire others.

U-High Girls Earns “Female Team Of Year” Honors: University High School’s Girls’ Track & Field team earned “Female Team Of The Year” honors having placed 2nd at the 2022 IHSA Class 2A State Finals. Pole vault champion Sydnee Scott showed the way having cleared 11 feet 7 ¾ inches. That helped U-High claim 51 points in order to claim 2nd place behind first place finisher Kankakee High’s 74 points. The Pioneers scored in 10 events.

Cornerstone Christian’s Schippert Named Male Sport Coach Of The Year: Cornerstone Christian Academy head boys basketball coach John Schippert was named male sport coach of the year, having led his team to a 24-3 mark this season and managing to break five team records in the process. Other nominees in this category were Leroy High School head baseball coach Wayne Meyer and Bloomington Central Catholic Head Boys Soccer Coach Reza Ghasemi.

Bloomington Central Catholic Boys’ Soccer Earns “Male Team Of Year” Honors: Bloomington Central Catholic High School’s Boys’ Soccer Team, under Head Coach Reza Ghasemi, earned the honor of Male Team Of The Year. The Saints placed third in Illinois High School Association’s Class 1A Tournament, finishing with a 25-4-1 mark. That is the best record the Saints have posted in school history.

State Farm Holiday Classic Scholarship Recipients Named: Matthew Wingate from Calvary Christian Academy and Jordyn Cannon from El Paso Gridley High School were named as State Farm Holiday Classic Scholarship Recipients. They were named for the award based on academic performance, leadership skills, student activities and community service. Wingate was a four sport standout for his school playing basketball, golf, soccer, and baseball, and was named all-conference in all four seasons. His volunteer efforts included helping a cleanup project of Constitution Trail, and helped deliver gift bags to local nursing home residents. He plans to major in marketing at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais.

Cannon was named all-conference in both basketball and volleyball. She read morning announcements over the school public address system. She also volunteered for Midwest Food Bank and area Kiwanis Club activities. She plans to major in Nursing at Illinois College in Jacksonville.

NORMAL – Improving streets and a system for decreasing crime were presented to Normal Town Council members during a work session prior to the governing body’s regularly scheduled meeting in Council Chambers on the fourth floor of Uptown Station Monday night.

Joe Stefanski, senior engineer at Applied Research Associates (ARA), informed Council members concerning a pavement assessment survey that organization conducted in town last summer. He explained ARA establishes a preventive maintenance plan which takes cost into effect. The plan identifies streets in need of repair, a surface treatment, and any rehabilitation as needed for various roads in town.

Council Member Kathleen Lorenz asked Stefanski if the Town was underfunded in terms of progressing to improve its pavement. For Stefanski, the short answer was yes with Town Engineer Ryan Otto adding “additional funding is needed to maintain our streets.” She also asked if new technologies which help construct roads are doing the job as well as traditional concrete usage. Stefanski said he didn’t see anything “that tells me you are on the wrong path” in terms of what has been used to rebuild cracking streets.

Council Member Stan Nord asked Stefanski if the Town uses their product, was the Town obligated to use the data ARA provides when projects are completed. Stafanski said the Town wasn’t. Nord was informed by Stefanski and Town Engineer Ryan Otto the funding sources for pavement projects would be money from roadway funds and the Town budget street resurfacing line item which is paid for using Motor Fuel Tax dollars.

Otto added the public will be able to look at the report which details how this road plan is budgeted once it’s posted on the Town website.

New License Plate Identification System Proposed: The second item Council members were informed about during the session was the Flock License Plate System. Normal Police Chief Steve Petrilli, joined by Josh Thomas, vice president from Atlanta, Ga.-based Flock Safety, addressed Council members concerning a public safety project Petrilli told Council members NPD has been researching “for about 6 to 8 months.”

Thomas said the country has noted an increase in crime and that the mission of the company he works for “is to eliminate crime – full stop.” He added he understood it was “audacious” to say that out loud but that the product he was proposing for Council consideration to help in the fight against what is becoming an increasing crime rate. A solution the company Thomas proposed is about the size of a football to be placed on streetlights which would take a picture of the back of cars for identification purposes which would include the car type, style, and license plate information. The system then checks if the car is stolen or not, he explained, adding if it is, an alert is sent to Normal Police.

The only information about the vehicle Flock Safety’s system addresses are the license plate information and some of the details about the car such as the make, model, and license plate number. Thomas said the information gathered is “indiscriminate and not targeting any individual or any person. It is not facial recognition. It is not identifying people.” If there is a crime, it allows police to do something about it, he added. He emphasized this technology “has helped solve roughly 500 crimes every day.” He cited an example of a police department in Georgia of a child abducted by a stranger. With information provided, he said, the system was able to locate the vehicle, apprehend the kidnapper and return the child to his mother in a six-hour time span.

Should Normal purchase the equipment when the proposal comes before Council at a future meeting, it would be joining other communities in the State like Peoria, Champaign, Springfield, and Rantoul which have the system as well as 600 more cities in 38 states, Thomas said.

Petrilli added he has spoken with his counterparts in communities using this technology and found “the technology has been nothing but a positive added to every agency whose taken it on.” City Manager Pam Reece told Council members the Town has been looking into this technology since before Petrilli’s predecessor, Chief Rick Bleichner, retired in April. She added a proposal for purchasing the system would be brought to Council members in July.

Petrilli said the technology would be placed in entrances and exits to and from the community, and in response to a question from Council Member Chemberly Cummings, added campus and school safety in Town was a consideration as to where it was desired to have cameras placed. He added placement was also based on NPD potentially needing to do a query or search in relation to a crime.

Responding to a question from Council Member Kathleen Lorenz, the cost of cameras is a one-time installation fee and $2,500 per camera per year, Thomas said. Nord asked if the cameras proposed for purchase will replace any cameras currently being used. Petrilli said the proposed purchased cameras will not replace any cameras currently in use. Petrilli added when he returns to Council for a vote to purchase, he will request buying 20 cameras. He added he has mapped out locations where he believes the cameras would be best to be located. Examples of where Petrilli said he thought would be best used would be so they are aimed toward public areas — interstate entrances, campus areas, and schools.

Agenda Items Pulled, Voted On: Council Member Stan Nord asked to pull three omnibus items from the agenda for, among other reasons, clarification. Mayor Chris Koos, and Council Members Scott Preston and Karyn Smith were absent from Monday’s session. First, Nord asked for an edit be made minutes from the meeting because of an incomplete sentence. The vote to approve that was unanimous, 4-0.

Next, Nord sought an explanation of a charge to the Town from Paul Davis Restoration totaling $5,202 having done service at 1202 N. Linden St. Town Water Director John Burkhart explained the Town shut off water on North Linden Ave. to affect some repairs. But when the Town turned the water back on, a leak developed as a result of water being turned back on. The cost the Town paid, Burkhart said, was to repair that leak. Asked by Nord, Burkhart said the Town was to blame for the leak, but that such instances are not typical of how such matters often occur when Town Water Department staff work on such matters.

Next, concerning authorizing a resolution which would execute an agreement for technical planning services for the Town from McLean County Regional Planning Commission, Nord wanted to know what specific project the Town was paying for. Town Planner Mercy Davison outlined a number of items MCRPC assists the Town with, including regional comprehensive planning, assistance in applying for grants that also affect other governing bodies regionally, and matters related to certain Tax Increment Finance zones.

One Omnibus Agenda Item Removed And Will Return: Mayor Pro Tem Kevin McCarthy chaired Monday’s session and announced prior to Council members addressing omnibus items that an item was removed and will be brought back at a future meeting. That item was a resolution to approve executive session minutes from a meeting in February and a meeting in April. Another similar item – to retain confidential executive session minute meetings from one meeting in 2017, two meetings in 2019, one meeting in 2021 and a meeting in 2022 will be brought back for a decision from Council members at a future date. There were no items under general orders for Council members at Monday’s meeting.

Public Comment: Council members heard a public comment from Cathleen Hays, a project coordinator with Illinois Recovery Corps. She told Council members that in her position, she has been serving the substance abuse and mental health recovery team in McLean County. She added she has spent the past seven months working on a recovery initiative to aid people needing help with substance abuse issues as well as helping those with mental health issues. She said IRC is considering developing a community recovery center to help persons needing help from their organization. To gage interest, she explained, she is conducting a community-wide survey to determine interest and readiness for such a service.

Omnibus Agenda Items Approved: Omnibus agenda items approved by the Council included:

• Approval of minutes of the regular Council meeting of June 6, 2022.

• Report to Receive and file Town of Normal expenditures for payment as of May 11, 2022.

• A resolution authorizing a contract with Peoria-based Hoerr Construction, Inc. for the 2022 sanitary sewer lining contract in the amount of $790,078.

NORMAL – At what was the only Board meeting slated for this month and the last one for the 2021-22 school year, members of Normal-based Unit 5 School Board were updated on the latest results of a survey commissioned by the district and conducted by Libertyville-based EOSullivan Consulting, regarding the second of a four-phase community engagement project. The surveys were to seek input from the community concerning how the district should address handling a deficit the district has in its education account.

During the first two phases of the survey, over 1,000 responses were received by the consultants, Sullivan explained. A total of 200 more responses were added courtesy of a community committee, and another 530 responses were received during phone polls.

In the first two phases of the project, Sullivan told Board members, 1,050 responses have been received. First, respondents were asked to say what would be a worst possible thing the district would be forced to address. Respondents registered that decreasing staff was classified to be highest ranked as the worst thing the district would have to be addressed, according to Sullivan.

That was followed in descending or second worst and so on by the following items: Increased class sizes, reduction of extracurricular activities, reduction of program offerings, shortened school day, and building closures. Increased resources and support, however, were ranked highly as needs the district needs to address, Sullivan explained.

Sullivan said were a referendum to be considered, respondents were asked what dollar amount for the referendum to be considered would they be comfortable with. He said four potential dollar levels (and potential related dollar amounts) were part of the question – a minimum level ($11 million), a base level ($13 million), a medium level ($17 million), and a high level ($21 million). A total of 24 percent of those surveyed said they would want to see the choice of deciding on the base level appear on a future ballot.

Sullivan’s group found that 19 percent of survey respondents felt increased class sizes as being the top item which would have potential negative effects for students in the district. That was followed closely by 18 percent who said decreasing staff numbers needed to be addressed. There was a trio of issues which each got 13 percent of parental ranking of items needing the most attention after that. Those items were increasing fees, shortening school days, and reducing extracurricular offerings.

Board Member Alan Kalitzky responded to the survey results saying he saw a positive in that respondents were “incredibly encouraging and in supportive of Unit 5 to almost an overwhelming amount,” and they were “in favor of adequately funding our schools.” He credited residents for “recognizing the deficit and recognizing the need” the district faces.

To answer a question from Board President Barry Hitchins, Sullivan indicated respondents’ ranking solutions to the district’s current situation has closing schools being a last resort measure.

Amended Budget Approved: Board members unanimously approved a tentative amended budget. The budget had been presented to Board members at their meeting May 25. Part of the amended budget included lowering the amount of cash money being moved from the district working cash fund to its education fund. That reduction was to transfer to $11 million from $12.5 million to $11 million, reducing a deficit in the district’s transportation account from $3.26 million to $1.27 million.

Board Unanimously Approves Property Tax Abatement In Enterprise Zone: Board members unanimously approved a resolution authorizing abatement of incremental property tax on improvements within the Bloomington-Normal Enterprise Zone.

Inaugural Unit 5 5K Run Numbers Are In: During Board Members comments, Kalitzky mentioned that the inaugural Unit 5 5K Run held on May 1 at Parkside Junior High School, drew over 600 participants and raised over $14,000 to be added the coffers of Unit 5 Foundation.

Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Update Provided: Board members next heard from members under supervision of Dr. Kristal Shelvin, the district’s Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, concerning progress made by the district in this area in just its first year of existence. She was followed by a member of the district’s District Equity Leadership Team, Cameo Williams, who led off explaining the group she worked with have spent part of their time over the past year developing and reviewing policies concerning Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.

Maggie Linkbank, a member of this group concentrating on instructional aspects of these items, told Board members they worked to find out how students might feel more included and welcomed at their schools. Among the results students sent back about how they felt included were having various inclusive clubs specific to certain needs, meetings with teachers as needed, and having organizations which support them at the schools. Those clubs include Not In Our School which tries to eliminate bias and prejudice, and Black Student Union. Dr. Shelvin said teachers have been to numerous training sessions related to learning to overcome biases.

Board Member Kentrica Coleman publicly thanked district superintendent Dr. Kristen Weikle and Dr. Shelvin for their efforts on this subject, adding a thank you to committee members for what she characterized as “what is probably uncomfortable work.” She added a thank you to all staff members for going through training concerning this area.

Following the Leadership Team presentation, Board Member Dr. Kelly Pyle read the district school board’s equity statement, which reads as follows: “The Unit 5 Board of Education is committed to dismantling systemic barriers to learning and educational success for every student. In doing so, Board Members pledge to pursue educational equity and excellence for all and empower a climate and culture of respect for students, families, and staff. This commitment advances Unit 5’s mission, philosophy, and equity action plan.”

Superintendent Comments: Dr. Weikle, informed attendees summer sessions are in progress in Unit 5, with students in Pre-K through 8th grade focusing on literacy, math, and social emotional learning in sessions which run through mid-July. She added students in grades 9 through 12 are working on credit recovery in sessions which run until the end of June.

She said the district is also offering free meals to young people age 18 or younger. When school is in session, breakfast is Monday through Friday from 8:15a.m.-9a.m. at Cedar Ridge Elementary School and Oakdale Elementary School, and lunches are available at Unity Community Center Monday through Friday from 11:30a.m.-12:30p.m. from now through the end of July. Adults wanting to eat with their children must pay cash in order to have a meal with their students.

She said Unit 5 is operating camps and summer programs for which information can be found on the district website, www.unit5.org.

Board Approves Statement Concerning Equity: Board members unanimously approved Dr. Weikle said Board members’ voting on this statement “reinforces their commitment to the equity for Unit 5 students, families, and staff. Unit 5 works with a variety of families to help achieve our mission including the Bloomington-Normal Chapter of the NAACP.” She added the district’s educating its students “requires a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.” She said the district “works proactively to create a safe and welcoming environment for all, regardless of identity, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, sex, nationality, ability or differently abled individuals, immigration status, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, social economic status, and language.”

She said this means the district will “be advancing equity in its policies and practices while removing institutional barriers that affect student learning and achievement.”

She said June is Pride Month and thus, the district “is recognizing and celebrating Pride Month to support our LGBTQ+ students, families, and staff and to encourage others to honor our diverse communities.” She added the district “is proud to commemorate Juneteenth which celebrates the end of slavery in the United States.”

Public Comment Concerning Book Author Gives For Failing Education System: Resident Mary Carlisle addressed Board members during the public comments segment, used statements from the book, Race To The Bottom by Luke Rosiak. She quoted Rosiak, in part, saying, “Americans should expect that the schools to which we send our children aren’t indoctrination centers dominated by special interests but they can’t.” Carlisle said Rosiak’s view of a failing K-12 system “is damning and deserves indictment,” she said.

“What you’ve heard about Critical Race Theory is only the tip of the iceberg,” Carlisle added. “If you want to preserve a good life for your kids and yourself, you need to understand what’s in this book.” She said Rosiak examines “a complex network of unions, activists, bureaucrats, and philanthropists who are hellbent on racializing the American education system and indoctrinating students with leftist ideology.” She also mentioned a book titled, Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters by Abigail Shrier which she said points out girls from middle school through college age have been coming out as transgender. She said school assemblies where transgender girls have spoken is responsible for girls changing their sexual identities.

“So far, 320 school districts have opted out of the comprehensive sex education curriculum,” Carlisle told Board members.

PONTIAC – In the last games played for the school year at Illinois Basketball Coaches Association’s annual high school all-star games Saturday at Pontiac high school gym, teams from southern schools took 3-of-4 contests during the annual event. In Boys Class 1A/2A, South beat North, 113-105. In Boys Class 3A/4A, South beat North, 117-113. In Girls Class 1A/2A, South beat North, 98-75. Only the Girls Class 3A/4A North squad was able to come away with a victory, beating their South counterparts, 86-81.

Boys Class 1A/2A – South Beats North, 113-105: South may have been victorious over North in the Boys Class 1A/2A contest, 113-105, but El Paso Gridley senior shooting guard Asa Smith managed to get into double figures with 10 points in his time on the court. In addition, Smith picked up a post-game honor receiving honorable mention getting 23 votes from sportswriters. Titans head coach Nathaniel Meiss was among the assistant coaches for the squad in the contest.

The 2021-22 Illinois Associated Press all-state boys’ basketball teams were voted on, as well, by a statewide panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Each voter picked a five-player first team and five-player second team in each class. Players received five points for a first-team vote and three points for a second-team vote. Bloomington Central Catholic 6 foot-4 sophomore guard Cole Certa garnered 26 votes and Lexington High School 5 foot-8 senior guard Ben Peacock received an honorable mention in AP polling receiving six votes.

Boys Class 3A/4A – South Beats North, 117-113: The North failed to keep up with the South in IHSA Class 3A/4A contest, as South won, 117-113. No local schools are listed in IHSA Class 3A, but in Class 4A, Normal Community High School 6 foot-7 senior forward Zach Cleveland landed on the second team roster garnering 41 votes, the second highest vote recipient in that category.

Girls Class 1A/2A – South Beats North, 98-75: In IHSA Girls Class 1A/2A action, South beat North, 98-75. Although there were no area players in double-figures, 5 foot-7 point guard Naomi Elliott received a leadership award for her efforts following the game.

Girls Class 3A/4A – North Beats South, 86-81: In the lone victory North teams had all afternoon, in Girls’ Class 3A/4A, North outpaced their opponents, 86-81.

NORMAL – Normal Town Council members unanimously approved a resolution executing a grant agreement authorizing American Rescue Plan Funding be distributed to MarcFirst. MarcFirst first came into being in the mid-1950s with the goal of supporting people with developmental disabilities and their families in McLean County, giving those disabled individuals opportunities to reach a lifetime of full potential through numerous services. But MarcFirst executives and employees have seen that to serve those persons they serve fully, expanding to another location became a necessity.

MarcFirst has purchased vacant commercial property on Jacobssen Drive adjacent to Shepard Park. Council members approved a resolution giving MarcFirst $500,000 from American Rescue Plan funds it received from the Federal government to support MarcFirst’s efforts to secure purchase of a 36,000 sq. ft. facility located at 2000 Jacobssen Dr. MarcFirst will be moving, having been housed at 1606 Hunt Dr. where they have operated since moving there from Downtown Bloomington 20 years ago. The Jacobssen Drive building has been home to Compeer Financial.

Brian Wipperman, Chief Executive Officer of MarcFirst, said the move will adding more space to work in will allow MarcFirst to help more people in the community through its Behavior Health Clinic. He said the expansion will help in its association with the Regional Office of Education’s local office, in servicing people they deal with, as well. Wipperman added persons from “other non-profit communities” will also benefit from the expanded location.

Beyond servicing those groups, Wipperman said, the facility would also help the general public for support with behavior health support.

In addition to MarcFirst being in the building, so, too, will be the Regional Office of Education’s Bridge Academy will also be in the new facility, occupying about 6,000 sq. ft. ROE’s Bridge Academy serves a program which helps schools tackle students’ mental health needs. One media story indicated School administrators say behavioral health has only gotten worse during the pandemic the country has experienced.

Tony Morstatter, Chief Executive Officer of Boys & Girls Club of Bloomington-Normal, said his group will share some of the space MarcFirst is moving into, adding, “If you talk about accessibility, access to resources, that’s the most important thing for our community.” Boys & Girls Club of Bloomington-Normal is currently on Bloomington’s west side, but he said, a number of the families his group serves “don’t have access to a safe supportive environment for their kids to be after school, and we are able to provide that access, and being in north Normal is going to be key to success for our community.”

Mark Jontry, Regional superintendent, Regional Office of Education for McLean, DeWitt, Logan and Livingston Counties, said he and Wipperman began having discussions about this around six months ago, and when it was discovered both agencies could benefit from the move, “it became a win-win” for both them and the populations they serve.

Council Vote To Annex, Rezone Property Passes: Council members voted unanimously on two ordinances concerning roughly 10.29 acres of land at the Southwest Corner of West College and I-55. In the first ordinance, Council’s unanimous vote annexed the property. A request was made of the Town by Travis Yordy who desired to use it for a mini-storage facility. He had been working with the land owner since last year to purchase the property. The second ordinance, which was passed unanimously, rezoned the property from Agriculture to B-1 General Business.

Council Approves Resolution Concerning Blackstone Trails: Council members unanimously approved a resolution conditionally approving the final plat for the third addition to Blackstone Trails, located at the northeast corner of Hershey Rd. and Shepard Rd. In a report submitted to City Manager Pam Reece, Town Planner Mercy Davison explained “the continued buildout of the Blackstone Trails Subdivision will help meet the current, increasing demand for housing in Normal.” Davison’s report explained the proposed Third Addition to Blackstone Trails includes approximately 3.36 acres on the east side of the subdivision, where it will connect to the Eagle’s Landing Subdivision at Three Eagles Street. Her report also explains, “the Third Addition includes 12 lots for detached single-family residences and one outlot, which will serve as a utility and drainage easement.”

Liquor Commission Approves One Liquor, One Gaming License: Prior to Council’s session beginning, Council members, serving in their capacity as Normal Local Liquor Commission, approved one liquor license application and one gaming license application, both unanimously. The liquor license was approved for Games On Main, LLC, doing business as Games On Main, 1101 N. Main St., Unit 1B, Normal. The gaming license for six machines was granted unanimously by Commissioners was approved for JSP, LLC, doing business as Joe’s Station House Pizza Pub, 305 S. Veterans Parkway, Suite 230, Normal.

Omnibus Agenda Items Approved: Omnibus agenda items approved by the Council included:

• Approval of minutes of the regular Council meeting of May 16, 2022.

• Approval of minutes of the special Council meeting of May 31, 2022.

• Report to Receive and file Town of Normal expenditures for payment as of June 1, 2022.

• A resolution to accept bids and award a contract to Bloomington-based Rowe Construction, a division of United Contractors Midwest, Inc. for the 2022 general street resurfacing project in the amount of $1,110,349.69.

• A resolution to accept bids and award a contract to Bloomington-based Rowe Construction, a division of United Contractors Midwest, Inc. for the 2022 MFT street resurfacing project, MFT Section 22-00000-00-GM, in the amount of $1,174,266.83.

• A resolution waiving the formal bidding process and authorizing the purchase of a sewer camera truck and equipment from Manteno, Ill.-based EJ Equipment, Inc. in the amount of $284,660.

• A resolution to accept bids and award a contract to Bloomington-based J. G. Stewart Contractors, Inc. for the Uptown ADA improvements project in the amount of $51,290.

• A resolution authorizing the renewal of a joint agreement with the City of Bloomington and the Ecology Action Center for an energy efficiency program. This passed by a 6-1 vote with Council Member Stan Nord casting the lone opposing vote.

• A resolution to award the bid and approve contracts for Well #22 Division A to Layne Well And Pump and Division B to Stark Excavating and approve an associated budget adjustment.