Anna Council covers wide range of topics

City administrator plans to retire

Anna’s long-time city administrator is planning to retire in 2018.

The administrator’s plans were discussed at last week’s regular meeting of the Anna City Council.

The meeting was held Tuesday evening, Oct. 17, at Anna City Hall.

City administrator Steve Guined shared with the council about his plans to look at retiring in April 2018. Guined has been with the city for 28 years.

Mayor Steve Hartline voiced his appreciation and gratitude for the work Guined has done.

“Thank you for your dedication to the city,” Hartline said. “You’re going to be a hard person to replace.”

“We’re going to miss you,” Anna City Council member Martha Ann Webb said.

No formal action on the process for naming a new city administrator was taken at last week’s council meeting.

The mayor did say that personnel matters likely will be addressed at the council’s next meeting.

The city administrator’s post was just one of the topics addressed during discussions which covered a wide range of topics at the Oct. 17 meeting.

The city administrator reported that plans are moving ahead on the fourth phase of improvements along Main Street in the downtown Anna area.

The next round of ongoing improvements is planned along North Main and Vienna streets and old U.S. Route 51.

Plans for other major street improvement projects also were discussed at the meeting.

Major projects which involve the Illinois Department of Transportation are planned in 2018.

The work includes major improvements at the intersection of Vienna and Main streets in the heart of downtown Anna, known locally as the “four-way stop,” as well as paving along South Main Street to the square in Jonesboro.

Culvert and sidewalk work also is being planned in 2018 along West Vienna Street near the Anna Nazarene Church. The work will involve relocation of a city natural gas line. 

Work also is moving forward on implementation of a home improvement program in the Grove/Grand streets area. 

The city has received $400,000 from the Illinois Housing Development Authority for the project. The City of Jonesboro has received similar funding.

The program will fund improvements at owner-occupied homes and is designed to help those with low to moderate incomes.

The city administrator reported that the final details of a major improvement project at the Anna City Park were being wrapped up. The project included construction of a new concessions/restroom building at the park.

City officials and the Anna Police Department continue to move forward with plans to install security cameras at the city park.

The council heard good news regarding natural gas rates in the city. The city administrator reported that gas rates for October usage and November billing were down 16 percent, when compared for the same period in 2016.

The city council discussed concerns about parking, loading and unloading in front of Bethany Village, which is located in the 400 block of East Davie Street. Action is anticipated regarding enforcement of no parking guidelines at the location.

The Gazette-Democrat

112 Lafayette St.
Anna, Illinois 62906
Office Number: (618) 833-2158
Email: news@annanews.com

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