Mary Hansen
The State Journal-Register
While the permit process for a supplemental water source for Springfield continues, the city has plans to purchase another property for Hunter Lake. Tuesday night, the Springfield City Council put the purchase of land on Brunk Cemetery Road for up to $125,000 on its consent agenda for next week’s meeting. Items on the consent agenda typically pass without opposition.
“We are committed, (Hunter Lake) is our preferred alternative,” Mayor Jim Langfelder said after the meeting. “But still we’ll do our homework and make sure that’s the appropriate supplemental water source. That will be determined at the end of this (permitting) process.” There are fewer than 20 properties the city would still need for the project, he added.
An environmental permit is being sought through the Army Corps of Engineers, which has asked Springfield to widen the scope of the permit from building a second lake to exploring all supplemental water options. The process will determine the preferred option and likely wrap up sometime next year.
There was not much discussion on the purchase at Tuesday’s committee meeting. Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin asked if the city could sell the land back if Hunter Lake turns out not to be the preferred option. Corporation Counsel Jim Zerkle confirmed that the city could.
Ward 5 Ald. Andrew Proctor said after the meeting that the option to sell the property back was reassuring as he’s still not convinced about the need for a second lake. “I’m still on the fence on Hunter Lake,” Proctor said. “As long as we have the option to sell the land if we don’t move forward, acquiring the property is fine.”
Cemetery money
Oak Ridge Cemetery will likely get the money it needs from the city to continue operating until the end of the fiscal year, but some aldermen are interested in finding new revenue sources for the struggling cemetery.
“I would like (Oak Ridge Director Mike Lelys) to think of some ways to capitalize on the people coming to visit the cemetery because it is a national destination,” said Ward 2 Ald. Herman Senor. The aldermen approved the $230,000 request for its consent agenda for next meeting.
Joe McMenamin for Ward 7 