Monticello approves $7.5M Oberheim Park contract
MONTICELLO, Ill. (WCIA) — A major multi-million dollar project is officially on track to start in Piatt County.
The Monticello City Council passed a contract agreement with an Illinois-based construction company at Monday night's meeting.
PREVIOUSLY: Plans moving forward for estimated $8 million Oberheim Park in Monticello
It'll start building Phase One of the Oberheim Park complex as soon as next month. It would go in an open field by Route 47 and Green Apple Lane.
The price tag came out to $7.5 million, and it officially gets the project to the start line.It's coming from the city's general fund and reserves.
'Getting a shovel in the dirt has been a long time coming,' said City Administrator Terry Summers.
Now that ground-breaking has a start date, the 35-acres on the west side of Monticello will soon be home to Oberheim Park.
'[It'll include] two baseball/softball fields, four youth soccer fields and a multipurpose field,' Summers added.
Monday night's city council meeting approved a $7.5 million dollar agreement to break ground by July 1st of this year. The original agreement was for $7.1 million, but the board amended it on Monday to also pay for replacing the plan's asphalt with concrete.
SEE ALSO: Monticello moves forward with Oberheim Park plans
The board says it came down to getting more bang for their buck in the long term.
'Whereas concrete is going to be a little more upfront in cost, a little longer to install, harder to repair, but it's going to be more pivotal down the road,' said Alderman Ryan Woodham.
And it could just be the start for the park. Summers said the city has the flexibility to add further phases and amenities into the future.
'I think the residents want to see some movement out there,' Summers said. 'And I think once you start to see the improvements and start utilizing those improvements and those quality of life amenities, I think there'll be more interest in the park and more interest in possible future phases.'
The approval Monday night is expected to fast-track this project, with construction beginning next month and aiming to be mostly complete by next summer.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
36 minutes ago
- Forbes
Illinois Vehicle Mileage Tax—Fix The Roads And Fund The Future
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 18: Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks at the office of The Center for ... More American Progress (CAP) Action Fund on March 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. Pritzker spoke about his views of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration so far. (Photo by) Getty Images Illinois lawmakers appear to be considering a revival of the vehicle miles traveled (VMT) tax—an idea that was first floated in 2019 but proved dead on arrival . Instead of recoiling from it as 'just another tax,' perhaps we should ask a more interesting question: what if the VMT tax is exactly what is needed to internalize the actual cost of road usage—not only in Illinois, but nationwide? Illinois already levies the second highest gas tax in the nation, behind only California . Since 2019, that tax has been set to climb automatically each year. This has generated about $2.8 billion annually in revenue. However, gas taxes, like a new car driven off the lot, begin losing value the moment they're implemented. As vehicles become more fuel efficient and as electric vehicles (EVs) gain a larger market share, the traditional gas tax withers on the vine. This necessitates a hiking of the tax rate to make up for a decrease in the total amount of gasoline used. In other words, less gas burned means less tax collected—but unlike fossil fuel emissions, road damage doesn't diminish with battery power. A Tesla weighs more than a Toyota Corolla. If anything, heavier EVs do more damage to roads per mile driven, not less. While they owners bypass the pump, they're still tearing up the roads. This is where a VMT tax starts to look attractive. Instead of taxing gallons, it taxes miles. In other words, it ties the road funding to the very thing actually causing the damage: driving. It transforms an attenuated tax on fuel into something of a user fee—not unlike a toll, but one that applies to all roads. This is a great start, but if Illinois is going to pilot this, they should try to get it right. A tiered structure based on vehicle weight would better align taxation with actual pavement impact. After all, a 7,000-pound curb weigh Rivian R1T chews up infrastructure a lot faster than a Chevrolet Bolt. The proposed legislation, SB1938 , allows for variable pricing by time of day and by road type. This opens the door to potential congestion pricing and smarter infrastructure load balancing. While the bill doesn't mandate it, there is nothing stopping the state from also tiering the fee by vehicle weight which, along with time of day and road type, would bring us even closer to matching tax policy with actual impact. Critics contend that the VMT tax opens the door to all manner of Orwellian surveillance schemes. The proposal's pilot program does entertain transponders and odometer photography, neither of which is ideal. However, it requires minimal data collection, explicitly prohibits personal information gathering, and offers non-GPS alternatives. It seems less like an Apple Watch for your Grand Wagoneer and more like a simple step tracker for your Corolla. Most importantly, the pilot program is temporary and subject to legislative review. It must run for at least a year, with a full report due to the General Assembly within 18 months. The report must analyze not just revenue and logistics, but equity impacts, enforcement concerns, data security, and the potential for fraud. Illinois is leading the way in infrastructure funding in part out of necessity. The state has already maxed out the gas tax regime. It has doubled the rate; it has tied it to inflation—and it is still projecting significant shortfalls in infrastructure revenue in the coming years. That isn't a sign of a sustainable system, it's the sound of a fiscal catastrophe approaching. A VMT offers something different: a user fee that grows or shrinks with road usage, not oil prices or efficiency improvements. It is potentially more equitable, resilient, and future-proof. Instead of reflexively fighting it, hopefully some Illinoisans might consider trying to make a VMT work—seeing it not as an addition to the gas tax, but an escape hatch from an ever-increasing tax regime. If Illinois can get this right, it could prove a template for the nation. The Prairie State isn't the only one staring down the barrel of fuel efficiency—every state is watching its gas tax base erode while infrastructure crumbles. A well-designed VMT system—tested small, tailored regionally, and scalable nationally—could be the first serious attempt to future-proof road funding in a generation.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Angel Reese Makes Unfortunate History After Filing 'Mebounds' Trademark
Angel Reese Makes Unfortunate History After Filing 'Mebounds' Trademark originally appeared on The Spun. WNBA star Angel Reese made unfortunate career history after filing her "mebounds" trademark. The Chicago Sky star forward has been up and down to start the 2025 season. Reese, a first round pick out of LSU in 2024, had a strong rookie season, averaging 13 points and 13 rebounds per game. However, she struggled out of the gates in 2025, averaging 9 points and 11 rebounds through the first month-plus of the season, while shooting 30 percent from the field. Reese has turned it on lately, though. She's averaging 11 points and 11 rebounds per game while shooting closer to 40 percent from the field. Reese recorded her first triple double earlier this month, too. The Baltimore, Maryland native then filed for a "Mebounds" trademark, playing on how many boards she gets. But while Reese filed for the "Mebounds" trademark earlier this month, she made unfortunate WNBA history during Saturday's loss to the Phoenix Mercury. The Sky fell to the Mercury, 107-86, in a Saturday afternoon loss. During the game, Reese tied her career low for rebounds in a game. She also played a career low in minutes with just 21. It's been a disappointing start to the 2025 season for the Chicago Sky, who dropped to 3-9 on the year with Saturday's blowout loss to the Phoenix Mercury. The standout WNBA forward will look to improve on her consistency moving forward. Angel Reese Makes Unfortunate History After Filing 'Mebounds' Trademark first appeared on The Spun on Jun 22, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jun 22, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hamilton Spectator
2 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Dutchie's Fresh Market and company director fined for not paying employees
A former Dutchie's Fresh Market butcher told court Friday that getting shortchanged on his wages made him feel 'betrayed and exploited.' Dutchie's pleaded guilty to nine charges, under the Employment Standards Act, of failing to comply with orders to pay employees. Michael Renkema, the sole director of the Waterloo-based company, pleaded guilty to four charges. In provincial offences court in Kitchener on Friday, the company was fined $25,000; Renkema was fined $7,500. Complaints about unpaid wages surfaced in October 2021. Several employees were shortchanged. The charges involve a total of $35,956 in unpaid wages. Employees have now been paid what they were owed. The man who worked as a butcher at Dutchie's got a job there shortly after moving to Canada. 'We came to Canada with the goal of providing a better life for our family,' he wrote in a victim impact statement read aloud in court. 'When the payment delays began, I felt betrayed and exploited. I could not afford groceries for my family and had to rely on the Kitchener food bank for food.' 'It was hard to accept that this happened, especially since I had worked so hard and never imagined facing such a challenging situation within just five months of living in Canada,' he added. The first Dutchie's opened more than 40 years ago. At one point, the company had three grocery stores in Kitchener-Waterloo. Only one remains. Rachel Goldenberg, counsel for Dutchie's, explained what happened. 'Some very severe issues with the company's refrigeration vendor came to light in 2021,' she told court. 'As a result, the company faced significant financial losses in the millions of dollars and incurred significant debt.' 'The defendants deeply regret that when faced with this sudden loss of financial resources and mounting debt, employees were not paid their wages,' she said. They chose not to declare bankruptcy, Goldenberg said, because 'they did not want to deprive the employees and other creditors of amounts owed.' Renkema has not taken a salary or dividends from the company since the financial challenges began, she said, and 'he does not plan to do so until the company's debts are satisfied.' In handing out the fines, justice of the peace Michael Cuthbertson said Dutchie's employees were 'deprived of their livelihood.' 'I must ensure that Mr. Renkema and the corporation never again put themselves in the position of depriving employees of their wages, including any overtime work,' he said. 'Equally important, this message must be driven to employers … who have employees who are dependent on their wages: Those wages must be paid.' It's good news that all employees have been paid, Cuthbertson said. 'On the aggravating side, it took a long time to get here, and the employees had to suffer without those wages for quite a long time.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
