ROCHELLE — At its meeting Monday, the Rochelle City Council unanimously approved a $286,682 bid from DPI Construction, Inc. for the construction of a pocket park at 517 W. 4th Ave. The DPI Construction bid was the lower of two bids the city received and $16,682 higher than the engineer's estimate for the work.
In February 2024, the former Vinny's Barber Shop building located at 517 W. 4th Ave. was purchased by the city and demolished due to structural issues. In May 2024, Studio GWA shared site plans and cost estimates for a pocket park as a discussion item with the city council. The city chose the pocket park option to fill the space as part of its effort to "create an attractive, friendly, walkable downtown."
"This project will dress that area up a ton," Mayor John Bearrows said. "It will be a big improvement and eliminate a safety factor we faced when the building was there."
The concept plan includes a seat wall, native plantings and an asphalt area for a potential food truck or vendor space. A potential mural may be included in the plan. The space could be used for live music as well.
The pocket park project will be paid for through Downtown TIF bonds.
Golf course
The council unanimously approved a resolution authorizing an amendment to its Fairways Golf Course co-ownership agreement with the Flagg-Rochelle Community Park District. The amendment was requested by the park district and will prevent the city from constructing a sidewalk or shared-use path on golf course property during the length of the agreement (five years). The city previously considered constructing a path to improve walkability and safety for pedestrians near Illinois Route 251.
A path could still be constructed in public right of way near Illinois Route 251 owned by the Illinois Department of Transportation in the future.
City Manager Jeff Fiegenschuh said Monday that the park district’s opposition to the path is related to potential liability issues a path could cause. The city insures the golf course property and staff has confirmed with its insurance carrier that there are no additional liability concerns as long as the path is signed and maintained properly.
"I had lengthy conversations with the park district and they just weren't going to budge on this," Fiegenschuh said. "This is about thinking long-term and overall in support of the golf course. We don't have the path in our funding over the next five years and this continues to ensure we have that good relationship with the park district.”
Fiegenschuh said the city will continue to try to work with IDOT to construct a path along the public right-of-way on Illinois Route 251.
"If that were to happen, it would be fully or partially funded by IDOT and not by the city," Fiegenschuh said. "The path we were talking about doing would have been primarily funded by the city."
Energy plan
The council heard a presentation by Todd Rusk of the University of Illinois on energy action planning that will soon take place to benefit the city and Rochelle Municipal Utilities. The city received a $150,000 grant for the planning that will be done by U of I.
The 12-month energy action plan will look at the future of RMU power purchases, sustainability and reliability and will include building energy audits, stakeholder outreach, data collection & analysis, and finally a plan development.
"This is a great program," Fiegenschuh said. "Anything that we can with programs like this to show the state we're being proactive when it comes to reducing energy consumption and looking at renewables, it works to ensure that decisions continue to be made by our officials regarding our utility and not in Springfield or at the Illinois Commerce Commission."
Antenna
The council unanimously approved a special use permit for antenna equipment to be placed atop the Comfort Inn & Suites and condos at 1133 N. 7th St. by Verizon Wireless. Antennas, radios, base equipment and related equipment will be added to the rooftop to improve coverage in Rochelle and serve Verizon customers better. The city requires a special use permit for any antennas to be placed and the height of the antenna does not exceed city guidelines.
