Night shift for Galena work
Road construction to begin in June, take up to 4 months
Comments (...)DIXON – Residents along North Galena Avenue may have a noisy summer.
The City Council approved agreements with the state to have work done along the state road from the Galena Avenue Bridge to the city limits, just north of Lowell Park Road.
The work likely will take place at night, said Mayor Jim Burke, who worries that it could be a trial for residents who live along the road.
The stretch is primarily commercial, but there are homes and apartment buildings between Lincolnway and McKenney Street.
“The main reason for [night work] is the traffic during the day,” Public Works Director and City Engineer Shawn Ortgiesen said, adding that the state is worried about traffic backing up.
Between 20,000 and 27,000 cars use the road each day, the mayor said.
Businesses are worried about that, too, Commissioner Dennis Considine said.
“It won’t interfere with people who are on Galena Avenue to do business during the day,” he said.
Starting in June, crews will grind the road down, remove the material and then repave, Ortgiesen said.
“The loudest aspect of it probably is the grinding,” Ortgiesen said. “... They continuously operate it, so I would think that they wouldn’t be there a whole 8 hours or anything like that.
“There’s also some manhole adjustments and water valve adjustments where they could be jack-hammering and those things, which would be fairly loud.”
The state likely will seek bids in April, with construction starting in June and lasting a maximum of 4 months, he said.
The $2 million in improvements – a number that’s pushed up by doing the work at night – will be paid primarily by the state.
The city will be responsible for about $11,275, which would cover manhole and water valve adjustments.
Budget meeting Monday
The Dixon City Council will start its budget discussions at 6 p.m. Monday in council chambers at City Hall, 121 W. Second St.
Its next regular meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. March 5.
Agreement inked: Police to patrol city parks
DIXON – Under an agreement put before the City Council on Tuesday, the Police Department would be responsible for patrolling more of Dixon’s parks.
Although police have been patrolling the parks within the city limits, including The Meadows, the formal agreement will legitimize their presence and allow officers to enforce park ordinances.
“We really were overstepping our grounds legally when we were patrolling those areas,” Public Safety Commissioner Dennis Considine said.
The eastern half of The Meadows, Lowell Park and the Plum Creek Arboretum and Botanical Center have been the territory of the Lee County Sheriff’s Department, because they are outside city limits.
Under the agreement, Dixon police will take over patrolling The Meadows, and in exchange, the Park District will pay the department $8,000 a year.
The council also took a look at an agreement with the company that made the community video tour book on the city’s website.
CGI Communications, which made the promotional video about 3 years ago, has suggested updating it to include new additions like the Riverfront, Mayor Jim Burke said.
There is no cost to the city. It is a program done through the National League of Cities.
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