Coles County Board to vote on chairman, new member When disaster strikes, a weather safety toolkit could be the difference between life or death. For this reason, it’s incredibly important to have one prepared before the next storm. CHARLESTON — Brandon Bell will apparently continue to be a member of the Coles County Board and
Coles County Board to vote on chairman, new member
When disaster strikes, a weather safety toolkit could be the difference between life or death. For this reason, it’s incredibly important to have one prepared before the next storm.
CHARLESTON — Brandon Bell will apparently continue to be a member of the Coles County Board and could also remain the board’s chairman.
During its meeting Tuesday, the board is scheduled to vote to appoint Bell to a different board seat than the one he resigned from last month.
Bell would take over as the representative of board District 2, Charleston. Travis Coffey represented that district but also resigned in April.
A vote to appoint a member as board chairman is also on the Tuesday meeting’s agenda.
Bell’s resignation was expected, as he announced plans earlier to move out of board District 11, which he previously represented. However, as he now resides in Coffey’s former district, he’s eligible to fill that district’s vacancy.
He had served as the board’s chairman since his appointment to that position in December, which followed the 2020 election.
The board is also scheduled to vote to appoint a new member for District 11. The nominee is Bob Bennett, who indicated he plans to run for a full term on the board in 2022.
Bennett works at Porter Auto Body in Charleston and said he’s been a volunteer firefighter with the Lincoln Fire Protection District for 23 years and also has served with several civic organizations.
Coffey said his decision to resign from the board was based on work time demands. His family-owned manufacturing business recently went through an expansion, he said.
Other votes scheduled for the board’s meeting Tuesday include appropriating money from the state’s Rebuild Illinois program to a bridge replacement project in North Okaw Township.
County Engineer Rick Johnson said $40,000 from the state program would help cover the township’s contribution to the project. The county and township are sharing in funding the work, he said.
The bridge work has already started and the project site is on County Road 1700N about 2 miles north of Cooks Mills. The road is currently closed in that location and Johnson said the work is expected to be done within the next two months.
The board is also scheduled to vote on funding agreements with Morgan Township on two culvert replacements, with each contributing just more than $12,200.
One culvert that will be replaced is located about a mile north of Rardin and the other is about a mile south of that unincorporated town, Johnson said.
The board’s meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the county courthouse in Charleston. It will be open to the public but attendance will be limited to 30 people because of coronavirus pandemic restrictions.
The live video feed of the meeting will be available on the board’s Facebook page.
12 photos of Charleston locations from our archives
Wilb Walker Supermarket
1988: Dyalene Haworth shows the ease of using E-Z Shopper grocery cart at Wilb Walker Supermarket.
Square
1980: Charleston square.
North Park house before renovation
1986: Jean Carpenter of Charleston has received a grant to repair her home. A $350,000 grant from Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs will be used to renovate about 40 homes in the North Park neighborhood.
North Park house after renovation
1986: Jean Carpenter on porch of house after renovations.
Mother’s
1988: At Mother’s in Charleston grandmother winks at the patrons who come to wet their whistle. Mothers is a tavern which is known to just about every Eastern Illinois University student.
Hotel fire
1931: The Jefferies building was gutted by fire late Tuesday night. On left is the Winters’ clothing store store with the Charleston Hotel office next on the north, than a vacant room recently vacated by the Huckleberry jewelry store, wit the Rogers drug store on the corner.
Golf Course
1986: Pat Kaiser plans to open his nine-hole golf course by Memorial Day weekend if Mother nature would cooperate.
Eastern Illinois Artist’s Guild
1941: A permanent exhibit of Paul Turner Sargent’s work has been opened by the Eastern Illinois Artists’ Guild at 809 Jack St. built in 1831 by Dr. Aaron Ferguson it is said to be the oldest house in Charleston.
Downtown
1986: Downtown Charleston has been designated as part of that city’s tax increment financing district within so-called blighted areas of their cities.
Coles County National Bank
1992: Coles County National Bank declared insolvent and sold to the Eagle Bank and Trust Co. The Missouri based trust company owns banks in three other Illinois towns, Sparta, Nashville and Highland.
Charleston Plaza
1978: Osco Drug and Eisner food store soon to open at Charleston Plaza Shopping Center. The two stores will occupy 40,000 square feet in the center. A 2,000 square foot Radio Shack store is already open. Another 2,000 square foot store will be occupied by the Book Emporium to open later this year. A total of 9,000 square feet remains to be leased in the center.
Celotex Corp.
1971: Yearly production estimates for the new Celotex Corp. plant north of Charleston is about 130 million square feet of insulation boards.
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