The legendary and iconic Peoria Heights woodpecker is getting a facelift.
At its May 16 meeting, the Peoria Heights Village Board approved a contract with Mid-Illinois Companies for $7,650 to give the big bird a couple coats of fresh paint.
The six-foot-tall, 300-pound woodpecker is attached to the Heights’ observation/water tower in Tower Park at a height of 108 feet, so going up and getting it down is no small feat, said Trustee Jeff Goett.
“I’m glad I’m not getting up there,” he said.
The woodpecker actually has an interesting backstory, as the architect who designed it, Richard Doyle, and the philanthropist who made it all happen, Bill Rutherford, did not see eye to eye on its inclusion in the project. Rutherford ultimately prevailed, and 55 years later – the tower was built in 1968 – it still exists as an enduring symbol of the community.
With the Village quasquicentennial — its 125th anniversary -- coming up, “that’s kind of an importance piece,” said Goett. It “needs to be painted.”
In other recent action:
The Village Board renewed its contract with Cardinal Infrastructure lobbying services in Washington, D.C. for six months at a cost of $15,000.
With Cardinal’s efforts helping the Village to secure $2 million in federal funds to be put toward the reconstruction and reinvention of Prospect Road, grants for lead service line replacement, and other dollars in the pipeline for various infrastructure projects, the relationship has been “a good return on investment,” said Trustee Sarah DeVore.
“They’re very well respected in D.C.,” said Community Development Director Wayne Aldrich.
“Cardinal has been very instrumental in getting the door open” to government funding for the projects on the Village’s wish list, added Mayor Mike Phelan.
In response to complaints about brown water, the Village has contracted with American Pipeline Solutions to clear the debris from many water pipes in the Village in a process known as “ice pigging,” in which an ice slush is pushed through those cylinders that picks up the rust and dirt and carries it out.
“Honestly, it’s one of the only immediate … responses I know of to address brown water,” said Trustee Mark Gauf. “It’s not an easy fix.”
“We are doing something in response to complaints,” said Trustee Matt Wigginton. “I think we’ve been wrongly accused of not addressing this.”
The Village Board added two additional gaming licenses, bringing the total to 15. Two establishments are interested in offering gaming and have submitted applications.
The Village purchased two new police squad cars, both Dodge Durangos, for nearly $72,000.
Wigginton called it “a good deal in this day and age,” with half of the cost coming from a grant, the rest from the general fund. Given the Village’s crackdown on speeding, modern, fully outfitted vehicles are needed now to replace those that were approaching 10 years of age, he added.
The Board approved the purchase of a debris blower at a cost of nearly $11,900. “It should be a really useful piece of equipment,” especially in areas such as Tower Park and Forest Park Drive, said Public Works Superintendent Chris Chandler.