During action at a special meeting on Thursday, July 30, 2020, the Franklin County Board moved closer to the reality of a new courthouse when six very competitive construction bids were submitted.

The primary item on the afternoon agenda was to open the sealed bids that were picked up beginning July 1, 2020. The six bids were read aloud to the large crowd on hand for the historic event.

ICF Construction, of St. Louis, was the low bidder with a bid of $12,432,000. ICF estimated in the bid specs that it would take 500 calendar days to complete the construction with a starting date of Sept. 1, 2020.
Other bidding on the construction of the 46,000-square-foot, three-story structure included:

Fager-McGhee Construction, of Murphysboro, IL, was the next low bidder with a price of $12,515,000 and an estimated completion time of 510 days.

KNS Associates, of St. Louis, was next with a bid of $13,195,000 and a completion time of 700 days.

River City Construction Co., of Benton, IL, was fourth with a bid of $13,303,000 and a completion time of 510 days.

Poettker Construction Co., of Breese, IL, was next with a bid $13,504,000 and a completion time of 520 days.

And rounding out the bidders was Grunloh Construction Co., of Effingham, IL, with a bid of $14,529,000 and a completion time of 520 days. An important note is that five of the six bids came in below the $13.8 million dollars that has been budgeted by the county board for construction of the new courthouse.

The county board will now cut the number down to the top two or three bidders and begin an interview process on August 5, 2020 before making a final decision on the successful low, responsible bidder at the August 18 board meeting. Construction is set to begin on September 1, 2020.

In other pertinent information for county residents to know concerning the demolition of the 145-year-old courthouse, concrete barriers will be set on the inside perimeter of the Public Square on Friday, July 31, 2020. The placement of the barriers will eliminate all parking on the inside of the Public Square until the project is completed in approximately 18 months.
Demolition is set to begin on the courthouse on Wednesday, August 5, 2020. The demolition and cleanup is expected to take less than two weeks.

County officials, including judges, elected officials, county employees and board members are continuing to meet with project managers, architects and engineers via teleconference twice monthly going over construction plans and other intricate details in preparation for construction of the three-story courthouse that is expected to be completed in late December 2021.

Statement from Franklin County EMA Director Ryan Buckingham:

(BENTON-ILLINOIS) In just a short amount of time the number of laboratory confirmed positive COVID-19 cases have risen significantly in Franklin County. I want to encourage everyone to continue to protect yourself and your family by following the recommendations of the CDC and local public health officials. Personal protection is an individual responsibility, however everyone plays a key role in protecting our communities and reducing the risk of community spread. It is up to you to protect yourself and those around you. Please utilize the common recommended practices that will help us reduce the risk to those that are most vulnerable; our elders and persons with existing health conditions.

In partnership with the Franklin Williamson Bi-County Health Department, Williamson County Emergency Management Agency and State of Illinois Emergency Operations Center in Springfield, officials from my office have distributed thousands of items of personal protective equipment and supplies to first responders, healthcare providers and other critical services. We will continue to support the response to this pandemic until the threat of this disease has significantly diminished. Additionally, in conjunction with local public health officials, we will continue to distribute accurate and timely public information as needed.

I again highly encourage all citizens to continue to follow the CDC and public health guidelines to reduce your risk and slow the community spread of COVID-19. If you would like more information on Franklin County’s response to COVID-19 including updated recommendations for protection please visit www.franklincountyil.gov/EOC

(The Center Square) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker is talking up Illinois’ COVID-19 response by criticizing neighboring states amid an uptick in infection rates in Illinois.

Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.

(The Center Square) – The pressure on longtime Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan to step down is mounting.

Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.

INA, Ill. — The Academic Building at Rend Lake College will be getting a new roof, and the Board of Trustees have approved a contractor to do the job. At Tuesday night’s meeting, trustees approved a bid for the project submitted by D7 Roofing of New Baden at a cost of $120,450. Five contractors submitted bids for the project, which is being paid through Public Health & Safety funds.

Stipend changes
The Rend Lake College Board of Trustees updated its list of stipends to accommodate the creation of a new Early Childhood Education Facilitator stipend and a recent hire in the Men’s Head Basketball Coach position. The creation of the new facilitator position allows RLC to remain in compliance with Gateways to Opportunity Illinois Professional Development System for Early Childhood Programs.

Handbook updates
The board approved handbooks for the 2020-21 school year for RLC’s Certified Nursing Assistant, Emergency Medical Technician-Basic, Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic, Medical Assistant, Pharmacy Technician, Phlebotomy, Radiologic Technology, Culinary Arts and Medical Coding programs.

Leadership teams defined
The board created policy concerning the President’s Executive Leadership Team and approved revisions to policy concerning President’s Cabinet and Presidents Council (first readings). The changes better reflect RLC’s organization and needs. Per policy, the President’s Executive Leadership Team serves as the senior administrative decision-making body at RLC. Members are selected by the college President, who leads the team and may delegate decision-making authority as deemed appropriate.

Agreement with EIU
Rend Lake College Visual Communication Design students have an easier path to continue their education thanks to a new articulation agreement between RLC and Eastern Illinois University. This agreement allows students to complete an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Visual Communication Design at RLC and transfer into EIU’s bachelor’s degree program in Graphic Design or Organizational Development. The agreements are effective in the 2020-21 academic year and are subject to renewal quadrennially.

(The Center Square) – An independent analysis of the state’s COVID-19 data found a significant difference in the numbers of COVID-19-related deaths in the Chicago area compared with the rest of the state.

Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.

(The Center Square) – Some communities around the state have made it known they plan to open for business soon, despite a stay-at-home order and the governor’s reopening plan.

Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.

(The Center Square) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he hopes to see schools in Illinois welcome students back in the fall.

Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.

(The Center Square) – Some local elected officials want local businesses to open safely far sooner than Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s reopening plan would allow.

Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.