Decatur City Council to consider buying sand and gravel pits, roadwork updates

DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA) — The Decatur City Council is scheduled to discuss several topics at their meeting Monday evening.

The city council is scheduled to approve their annual roadwork updates. Officials proposed restoring 9.4 lane miles along Mound Road, Taylor Avenue, Macon Street, Wood Street and Monroe Street. The contract for the work would be with Dunn Company and the project is funded through motor fuel taxes.

Also on the agenda, the city could authorize buying former sand and gravel pit sites. The pits are the 473-acre former Vulcan Pit near Harristown and a 11.7-acre site in Decatur near the city’s lime residual lagoons. Officials said if the city acquires the sites, the pits could provide drought resiliency, increase the city’s available water supply by 30%, and provide higher-quality water that can be treated more efficiently.

Additionally, the council will view plans to the shoreline at the Hot Water Ditch in the Staley Basin of Lake Decatur, along with parking, with financial help from the Staley Family Foundation. The ditch is a popular fishing spot, officials said.

Finally, the council will discuss the next steps for amending the city’s video gaming regulations.

The meeting is scheduled to take place at 5:30 p.m. in the city council chambers. The full agenda can be found on the city of Decatur’s website.

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