A project aimed at protecting the safety of Jacksonville’s main water line from the Illinois river is taking a step closer to breaking ground. The Jacksonville City Council approved advertising for bids for the water system surge suppression system last night.
Jamie Headen with Benton & Associates updated the council on the status of the project and says it’s time to move to the next phase in the process. He says funding for the major project is aided by grant funding from the State of Illinois.
“The city received a Rebuild Illinois fast track grant a little over a year ago now for about $820,000 toward that project. So the project is ready to bid and that’s what we were doing tonight, getting ready to advertise for bids so we can get bids in hand and get going on construction. It will probably start late summer and the contract will last about a year so really over the wintertime is when most of the work will be going on.”
The system will be installed at the pump house facility near Naples, that pumps water from the Illinois River to the Jacksonville Water Treatment Plant on Hardin Street. Headen says the surge suppression system is a vital part in ensuring Jacksonville’s water supply remains constant.
“The surge suppression system minimizes the pressure surges on the thirty-inch concrete transmission main between the wells and the water treatment plant. This will accept some of those higher pressures when the pumps lose power and shut off. There’s a large amount of pressure surges that can go the twenty-three miles and really cause some harmful effects on the transmission main. So this provides a cushion to protect that pipe and make it last as long as possible.”
In other business last night, the City Council approved rezoning requests for a pair of proposed coffee shops along Morton Avenue. Both proposals were changed to B-4 zoning with special use to include drive-through lanes.
The first will be located at 404 and 408 West Morton Avenue and the second will be located in the Midland / County Market plaza and will be a combination drive-through coffee and oil change center.
Ward 2 Alderman Lori Oldenettel noted during the discussion that both projects are incorporating the required amount of green space to comply with city ordinance aimed at ensuring Morton Avenue has more than just concrete along its borders.