A deputy city manager for Bloomington said McLean County more than qualified to request federal aid after a microburst landed on the area in mid-August.
At Monday's city council meeting, Deputy City Manager Sue McLaughlin reported crews have hauled off 2,373 loads of brush, more than six times the total of debris collected after tornadoes swept through the community in April.
The city also provided an update on its storm cleanup efforts, one month after intense wind and heavy rain slammed the Twin City area on Aug. 13. There also have been 500 tons of bulk waste hauled away.
Gov. JB Pritzker issued a disaster declaration for McLean County and other areas of the state on Aug. 18. That released some state aid. McLaughlin said the Illinois Emergency Management Agency determined there was enough damage to apply for federal aid.
“McLean County alone [submitted damages] of $42.5 million,” she said. “We more than qualified.”
So far, the city estimates it has cost at least $1.6 million to clean up from the storm. The city had to submit detailed spreadsheets on the wages of first responders and cleanup crews, and the cost of supplies and equipment.
“That is going to climb,” said McLaughlin. “They recognize that that’s an estimate and that our cleanup is still continuing.”
As of Friday, the city had spent more than $482,000 on debris cleanup wages and overtime.
McLaughlin said the city spent around $75,000 on JULIE services for finding power lines underground and more than $100,000 to fix traffic signals.
State government must submit the damage report and request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA] by Sept. 15, but it isn't known when a decision will be made.
McLaughlin said the city requested assistance for the cities and county, as well as individual assistance for residents and small businesses.
“The president can pick and choose. He can give all three, he could say individuals, but not publics like cities, so we’ll see what happens,” she said.
Other business
Also Monday, the city council voted unanimously to spend $54,937 to hire Dewberry Architects for a three- to four-month study into the existing police department space.
The item was included as part of the consent agenda, meaning it was voted on with a slate of other votes and was not discussed.
According to ordinance resolution, the architects will evaluate the department and “identify potential options for future renovation, reallocation of space, and improvements to departmental operations.”
Dewberry will study how the department can best use the space it has and will also see which city properties could be repurposed for the police department. The ordinance resolution and contract highlight 109 E. Olive St. as one such property.
During the first half of the study, Dewberry will review current staffing levels and projections for staff growth, plus the building’s Americans with Disabilities Act [ADA] compliance and its fire safety plans. For the second half, the architects will draw up renovation concepts.
There is no timeline for any expansion or new construction for the police department’s current headquarters at 305 S. East St.
However, the agreement does call for Dewberry to develop a concept design for a “standalone evidence facility.” Architects also will see if 109 E. Olive St. could be a suitable location for an evidence facility.
The group will calculate an estimated cost of the renovations in its final report.
The expense will be paid from the drug enforcement special revenue fund, specifically its architectural and engineering services for capital account.
Also on the consent agenda, the council approved spending $336,710 to replace the garage door and upgrade the ventilation at the BPD parking garage. The current door has exceeded its 30-year service life. The contract was awarded to PJ Hoerr, of Normal.
According to city documents, someone was able to get past the slow-moving older gate and got into an altercation with officers.
The ventilation upgrades will keep the garage compliant with code.
Related to the cost, $213,000 was accounted for in this year’s budget. The remaining amount will be paid out of the Police HVAC Improvement fund.
