At their March 6 meeting, the Soldiers Grove Village Board recognized Steve George with a plaque for his 32 years on the board. The meeting was his last as he has decided to retire from the Village Board. George joined the board in October of 1993, and served as both a trustee and president during that time.
Fire Chief Jeannette McCormick reported that the Dairy Days (the event name has been changed back) will include:
Friday, June 13: Southwest Truck and Tractor Pull, starting at 6 p.m.
Saturday, June 14: there will be volleyball tournaments, bean bag tournaments, a night-time parade, a kids pedal pull, and the Crawford County Line band in the evening.
“We are still waiting to hear back for softball tournaments, and there may be a horse show on Saturday, and possibly horseshoe tournaments,” McCormick told the board. “Food will be done all weekend by the American Legion Post 220, with a Chicken-Q on Saturday, and beverages will be provided by the Soldiers Grove Lions Club.”
McCormick said the Fire Department will also hold a gun raffle for the weekend. She said there will be a Carnival Friday through Sunday.
In other news, the fire department is helping with a meat raffle at Country Gardens on March 16, from 1-4 p.m., and all proceeds will go to the fire department. The Fire Department will also be making baskets to raffle off at the BMW Club Rally May 16-18.
Garbage collection
Village Clerk Kaitlynn Ott told the board the village had received two bids for garbage collection from Town & Country Sanitation and from Southwest Sanitation.
According to Ott, Town & Country offered a seven-year contract, which for the first two years will cost $15 per tote. In the remaining five years of the contract, the per-tote cost will increase by 4% per year. Southwest Sanitation offered a quote calling for a $20 per-tote cost.
The board voted to approve the contract with Town & Country Sanitation.
Ott explained that the village currently charges $13 per month for garbage collection, and said that rate would need to increase to $15 per month with the new contract approved.
The board voted to approve increasing the per-month rate for garbage collection to $15.
In other business
In other business, the board:
• approved paying for a landscaping project under the electric sign. The project will involve taking all the mulch out from under the sign, putting down a weed barrier, and then laying rock instead of mulch, and adding some small, low bushes for color
• approved a bid from Stussy's Tree Service for $1,650 for pruning trees in the campground area, by the sandbox, and three trees by the Lions Shelter.
• learned that Spring Clean up will be April 12, in the park by the tennis courts.
• learned that Public Works had fixed the blower motors at the sewer plant, and discovered it was the belts on each motor that were causing issues
• learned that Public Works is still having issues with lift station three, and that B&M has been called and will be coming back out to fix the float.
