Fulton County Board Committee Minutes
Fulton County Board Office, 257 West Lincoln Street, Lewistown, IL 61542
Phone 309-547-0901 / Fax 309-547-3326 / email csimpson@fultonco.org
Committee: Special Property, Courts, Public Safety & Campground
Meeting Place: Dollar General Parking lot, 201 East Lincoln Ave, Lewistown, IL
Time: 10:00 am
Date: February 21, 2023
1. Call to Order
Time: 10:00AM
2. Roll Call
MEMBERS:
Jim Barclay (xxxxxx/absent)
Stan Berry (present/xxxxxx)
Dan Kumer (present/xxxxxx)
Joe Murphy (present/xxxxxx)
Ryan Sloan (present/xxxxxx)
David Widger (present/xxxxxx)
Karl Williams (present/xxxxxx)
Other Board Members: Lisa Thompson, Barry Beck
Elected & Appointed Officials: Jon Webb – Fulton County Sheriff
Staff: Cindy Simpson – Fulton County Board Administrative Assistant
Guests: Mike Dowell
3. Roll Call
Roll call was taken, quorum present
4. Call for Additions/Deletions To and Approval of the Agenda
Member Williams amended the new business #7 to move item c first and a last.
Member Murphy moved to approve the amended agenda with a second from Member Sloan. Motion carried by roll call vote (6-0).
5. Announcements, Communications and Correspondence – None
6. Public Remarks – None
7. New Business
a. Discussion: Walk to former Dollar General (Fred Palin Property), 201 East Lincoln Ave, Lewistown, IL, Tour building space and building interior.
Member Williams stated the square footage at the old Dollar General Building is approximately 4500 square feet.
Mike Dowell, who is in charge of the maintenance at the old Dollar General, stated regular maintenance is done 4 timers a year on the heating and cooling system of the building. The coils on the roof are washed and cleaned 4 times a year during the summer as part of the maintenance schedule.
Member Williams inquired how old the heating and cooling units are in the building. Mike stated he did not know how old the heating unit is. Mike has worked for Mr. Palin for 4 years and the heating was installed before he started working for Mr. Palin. Mike stated the 7-ton air conditioner is approximately 5 years old and the small air conditioner is approximately 7 or 8 years old and both cooling units are two stage.
Member Williams inquired who does the heating and cooling. Mike stated Ruyle Heating and Cooling from Peoria, IL.
The Property community walked and viewed the old Dollar General Property inside the building and the storage rental and the outside of the store property.
Member Williams discussed using chain link fence with locks for separation in the building and this would save money and perment walls would not be needed.
The storage units have one unit that is climate controlled, and currently all the units are rented.
b. Discussion: Walk to Fulton County Jail, 268 W. Washington Ave, Lewistown, IL, Tour storage, jail space and building interior
Member Widger inquired what the list of items are needed for the jail. Bill Smick stated at the end of the tour the items that are needed will be discussed.
The administrative offices and the telecommunication office were all toured.
The interior of the jail was toured, and the new jail door operation was demonstrated. Bill stated former Fulton County Board Member Mary Deushane was instrumental in getting the grant process started with Dave Koehler for the new jail doors. Former Sheriff Standard applied for the grant and obtained the moneys for new jail doors.
The committee toured all areas of the jail for possible improvements
The area the prisoners are brought in and processed to be secured. A Sally Port is needed for
safety and the security for all officers and prisons.
The basement of the jail is used for storage needs and is full. The need for additional storage is significant. The boilers at the Jail are not new and are currently in working order. The fire panel is out of date and parts are obsolete. This will be an issue when the Jail has its inspection in midyear 2023.
Bill stated a storage fund needed to be established to tear down the green house on the lot next to the jail. A holding cell is needed at the processing area in the jail. The squad cars for the deputies was discussed, current vehicle is the Dodge Charger and the Charger is going to be discontinued. The police interceptors are state police rated and approved, but are very expensive.
c. Discussion: Walk to Fulton County Courthouse, 100 N. Main St, Lewistown, IL, Tour storage, office space and building interior.
Bill Smick pointed out the old tunnel that runs from the jail to the courthouse, which is being used for fiber lines.
Bill discussed the courthouse roof inspection was done last year and was done by a drone. The roof inspection is done every 2 years for the courthouse. The air conditioners were discussed, as well as the upcoming replacement air conditioner.
Member Berry inquired why all the air conditioners were not done with 2 big units to avoid all the maintenance issues. Members agreed this would have been more cost effective to purchase 2 big units and 2 chillers.
Bill discussed the tree work at the courthouse that was done last fall. This included the removal of the 4 trees in the front and the big pine tree on the northwest corner. The removal of the pine tree will help with the maintenance of the air conditioners.
Member Thompson inquired about the stone work on the bell tower that needs to be repaired. Bill stated the veneering is what is deteriorating on the bell tower.
Bill discussed the front main doors of the courthouse and main window need to be replaced. The wood is deteriorating and he suggested doing the same work as on the third floor front facing office where the judges’ administrative assistant sits.
Due to the non-use of the front doors and the amount of citizens that come to the door, it was suggested that signage is needed stating the entrance is not open. A gate was suggested to be installed to avoid people going to the wrong door.
Bill stated the courthouse front doors have been closed since 1997/1998 due to security being needed at both doors.
The outside lighting around the courthouse was discussed and the lighting needs to be updated.
Bill discussed the courthouse doors and the wheel chair access going into the doors. There needs to be something done with the entrance to make the entrance truly wheelchair accessible. The entrance makes it is very difficult to get a wheelchair in and out of the building.
The elevators in the courthouse are hydraulic elevators and there are two elevators in the courthouse. When the elevators need replaced, it will be a very expensive project for the county. Bill stated the elevators are inspected by the State of Illinois yearly and the state is now requiring the fire panels be tied into the operation of the elevators unless the elevators are under a grandfather clause. Currently the elevators are grandfathered in and do not need to be tied into the fire panel.
Bill stated Jesse Hampton has done a great job with the courthouse security cameras.
Bill discussed the floors in the County Clerk’s office the floor raises or bubbles up in places and causes tripping hazards.
The IT or server room in the courthouse was reviewed and a generator was brought up with the unknown of how long the power could be out in the event of an outage.
The men’s and women’s restrooms were viewed on the first floor and are fully functional. Bill discussed the stair treads were just replaced from the first floor to the second floor in the courthouse. More smoke detectors are needed throughout the courthouse.
Bill pointed out the stair railing from the third floor to the second floor needs to be fixed as the railing is considerably lower from one floor to the next flight of steps and is causing falls.
The tile in the Circuit Clerk’s floor was discussed and how the flooring needs to be replaced.
Member Thompson inquired about to repair of the bell tower and if there is not newer technology to give the bell tower a longer longevity without replacing the cement veneering every 15 years.
The third floor storage room was walked through and the committee discussed what can be done to relieve the stress load from the floor, as well as future uses for the room.
8. Misc. – None
9. Adjournment
Time: 12:40pm
Member Sloan moved to adjourn the meeting at 12:40pm with a second from Member Kumer. Motion carried by roll call vote (6-0).
