JD Skaggs of the Silliman Trust Advisory Board appeared before members of the Chenoa City Council Tuesday evening about the planned Chenoa dog park.
Skaggs and others on the board agreed to request funding of $20,000 toward the project.
“The trust is in place to help with projects like this,” Skaggs explained.
A cover letter from the advisory board and an application from Carmen Hernandez, representing the dog park group, was presented to City Council members.
“We are just a board that advises,” noted Skaggs.
Mayor David Shane said this could not be voted on yet but the council has time to review it and ask questions of Hernandez and those involved. Shane considers this a worthwhile project that could help with tourism, especially since it is planned near Route 66.
“We also need to look at it as a draw into the town too,” Shane stated.
Pending approval from the Silliman fund, Hernandez requested funds from the tourism fund for this. They already have $6,000 from the park district and will have $20,000, if approved, from Silliman.
“Asking for tourism money doesn’t seem like a far stretch at this point,” said Hernandez.
Bond bids were also discussed by city leaders at Tuesday’s meeting. A bid was received from Chase and the difference between a couple of options is about $10,000.
“I think we grab what we can and go for option A,” said the mayor.
An ordinance regarding shipping containers was approved. The Zoning Board fixed a paragraph on what zones are allowed to do what. This adds Title 10, Chapter 3 for containers.
Randy Irvin, a representative from State Rep. Jason Bunting’s office, said Bunting will be coming to Chenoa for a town hall meeting soon. Irvin retired from the state after 29 years in corrections.
“If you have any issues or anything, give us a call,” Irvin said.
Treasurer Bryan Rowold gave a financial update as of Dec. 31 for the city. The general fund had a deficit of $197,000 while there were surpluses in motor fuel, the swimming pool and TIF. The water and sewer fund had a deficit of $1.1 million. This is money coming in and coming out.
Rowold will put together a budget worksheet and a special meeting will be held.
“You’ll see some history and we can put new budgets in for each line item,” Rowold explained.
“I’d like to have a bunch of input from anybody,” added Mayor Shane.
Commissioner J.E. Myers gave an update on an economic development grant and has now received 78 pages from the grant writer. They are looking for specific and accurate information about projects and the community.
“There are several things that have to be done,” Myers told fellow council members.
Beneficiaries must be identified along with plans from Farnsworth. At least one additional funding source is needed for the project.
Mayor Shane reported the city’s insurance company did a safety inspection with a report expected in a couple of weeks. He talked to a developer last week and is trying to get more interest in Chenoa. A comprehensive plan needs to be done to help with this.
Commissioner Zack Lopeman noted his crews have been taking care of snow and ice removal and are looking to get another load of salt. The mayor said workers have done a great job of dealing with the winter weather.
Previous meeting minutes from Jan. 9 were approved along with executive session minutes.
The council entered an executive session at 7:25 p.m. although no action was expected.
