Town hall planned for proposed Breese Nature Amphitheatre Aug. 25

Town hall Meeting    Breese City Councilman Jason Davinroy announced during the Aug. 4 council meeting that there will be a town hall meeting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 25, at the Breese American Legion.
    The purpose of the town hall meeting will be to discuss the new Breese Nature Amphitheater that will be placed at Northside Park. The amphitheater will replace the former stage at Northside Park that had to be torn down due to safety issues.
    The city is applying for an Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grant through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. They had to come up with a name for the new area, and thought the Breese Nature Amphitheater would be appropriate.
    "This is a project for the community and it helps out the parks system," Breese Mayor Kevin Timmermann said. "It is just another venue that Breese wants to give back to the community."
    There will be nature improvements and additions to the area.
    During the July 21 meeting, a contract with Nickas Architecture, LLC, out of Columbia for stage and pavilion design services at Northside Park in the amount of $6,950 was approved.
    Timmermann said one of the main reasons the old stage was torn down was because it became a safety issue. The city's risk insurance looked at the former stage and said there was a big question mark on safety.
    Clinton County Showcase, Breese Optimist Club Fall Fest and Community Link Buddy Walk all used the stage.
    In other Northside Park improvements, crews have been taking down some of the diseased trees. These trees will be replaced with new trees in the near future.
    In the finance portion of the meeting, the council approved the Breese Lawn and Garden redevelopment agreement in the amount of $218,250.
    The purchase of a 2027 Dodge Durango from K&J Automotive in the amount of $43,583 was approved during the public safety portion of the meeting.
    The purchase of a Stryker PowerPro2 in the amount of $38,845.30 was approved. The Stryker PowerPro2 is a gurney that will go in the back of the Breese ambulance.
    Participants in the Breese EMS golf scramble on Saturday, Aug. 1, at Bent Oak Golf Course were thanked. Some of the proceeds from the scramble went to help pay for the new gurney. Don and Phyllis Gallagher made a $5,000 donation toward the gurney.
    In the public buildings portion of the meeting, it was announced that Breese Public Library had two commemorative benches installed in honor of longtime library board members Jim Sprengel and Yvonne Ratermann.
    In zoning, the council approved the findings and facts and conclusions for a variance filed by J.T. Build for Jered and Catherine Huegen at 924 North Fifth Street, and approved an ordinance granting a variance filed by J.T. Build for that residence.
    Jered Huegen was at the council meeting and said he would be adding a sunroom to the residence.
    During the mayor's report, Timmermann thanked everyone for a successful Breese EMS golf tournament. There were teams from outside of Breese including Germantown, Aviston and Beckemeyer.
    "There was participation from a lot of different communities, and it's greatly appreciated," Timmermann said. 
    The next Breese City Council meeting is set for Aug. 18 at Breese City Hall.