Some Vermilion County buildings getting overdue upgrades

VERMILION COUNTY, Ill. (WCIA) — Vermilion County is moving forward with a $7.5 million plan. The animal shelter, the Cannon Building and the courthouse are just a few of the buildings that are set to get improvements.

“I think it’s something that we can all agree is in the interest of the public and needs to be done for our county’s long-term welfare,” said Steve Miller, Chairman of the Vermilion County Board’s Finance Committee.

The county is putting $4 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money toward the plan. The rest will come from their budget for a total of about $7.5 million.

County Maintenance Supervisor Kyle Richard said the upgrades are long overdue for a couple of buildings, like the courthouse and the Cannon Building.

“Both buildings were renovated back in the 90s, or early-late 80s, early 90s,” said Kyle Richard, Vermilion County Maintenance Supervisor. “So, everything is pretty much at the end of the life for it.”

Miller is leading the project.

“The buildings will last a lot longer if they’re properly maintained and they have the proper amount of utility service afforded to them,” he said.

Miller said there’s a lot of work to be done, but most of it will consist of redoing the lighting, improving the plumbing and water systems, and upgrading the exteriors of some of the buildings.

“We should realize savings of utility costs in excess of $100,000 per year,” he said.

And Miller said it won’t just save the county money. It’ll improve environmental sustainability, too.

“This will help us to make sure that these buildings that we value very much, the courthouse and the Cannon Building, are around for a long time.”

Officials said the project will start in September and is expected to be done by July 2025.

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