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Behold, Beecher Police Station Will Be Built
By Jeff Vorva The earth will be moved, and a new police station will be built. The Beecher Village Board on March 25 approved several bid packages and, combined with a bid package that was approved at the March 11 meeting, the new digs are going to cost approximately $4.5 million. “Ground will start to…
Beecher Trustee Resigns; Board Still Trying to Pare Down Price
By Jeff Vorva Beecher Trustee Ben Juzeszyn is leaving the village board after the March 25 meeting. Juzeszyn, who is the head of the Economic Development and Community Relations Committee and Youth Commission read a letter of resignation at the March 11 meeting citing family matters leading up to his leaving. He called the decision…
Frustrated; Beecher Back to the Drawing Board
By Jeff Vorva Beecher officials are not giving up on building a new police station, but something has to give. The price tage is still too high, even after re-bidding. The village was set on spending close to $4 million after a $3.9 million referendum passed on the project, and original bids in 2023 came…
It Might Cost Beecher, but Mayor Meyer Would Rather Keep Their Water
By Jeff Vorva It’s a tough choice. The Village of Beecher owns and controls its own water and sewer system, and that isn’t cheap. Now, the village could take the easy way out and sell the system for a handsome price and rid itself of financial and other problems. Or, it could keep the system…
Beecher Village Board Discusses New App to Aid Residents
By Jeff Vorva Years ago, Nixle was going to be the hot new app that would allow for police departments to inform residents about emergencies and alerts instantly. There isn’t a lot of chatter about that platform these days, but the Village of Beecher would like to not only use it for police information, officials…
Fire Inspections Still a Hot Topic In Beecher
By Jeff Vorva It didn’t take Beecher Police Officer Dylan Lorek too long to get in the good graces of the village board. Lorek, who was sworn in on April 10, was lauded by Mayor Marcy Meyer at the January 8 village board meeting for an incident on December 7 in which he stopped a…
Barber Bids Farewell as Beecher Ups the Levy
By Jeff Vorva As he attended his 852nd Beecher village board meeting, retiring village manager Robert Barber got emotional. So, he tried a different tactic when he spoke to the board. “I’ll read statistics, because statistics don’t make people cry,” he said. Well, that didn’t work out too well. A few times during the reading…
Beecher Thinking About That Levy
By Jeff Vorva The Village of Beecher Board Members agreed to take a little more time before deciding what they will do about the 2024 tax levy. Finance and Administration Committee Chairman Todd Kraus said at the November 27 meeting they could make a decision that night or table it, but it needs to be…
Beecher Moves to Re-Bid
By Jeff Vorva Let’s try this again. The Village of Beecher revamped its plans for a new police station and the project will be re-bid in January. The village planned on a $4 million price tag for the new digs, but when the bids all came in, officials were looking at $6 million and that…
Sticker Shock on the New Police Station Bids
By Jeff Vorva The Village of Beecher received some sticker shock when opening bids for the new police station. The village was hoping to get the project done in the $4 million range but when the October 4 bids were opened, it appears it will take closer to $6 million to get it done. It’s…
Everyone Loves a Parade in Beecher
By Jeff Vorva On the same evening that a parade was planned, the Beecher Village Board made plans for future parades. The Beecher Junior High School softball team won the Illinois Elementary School Association state championship on Sept. 25 in Normal. While the team was beating Tolono University, 6-0, for the title, village officials were…
Beecher 200U Finances Not Out of the Woods Yet
By Jeff Vorva Beecher School District 220-U’s financial picture is looking a little better after a referendum passed in April but it is not out of the woods yet. During a finance meeting following the school board’s Sept. 11 regular meeting, Superintendent Jack Gaham presented a lay of the land for the board members. An…
Beecher Road Projects Taking Longer Than Expected
By Jeff Vorva Beecher Public Works Superintendent Matthew Connor didn’t bring good news to the September 11 village board meeting regarding two big road projects. He preached patience and said, when the projects are finished, all will be good. But for now, there will be a few more headaches and inconveniences. The Penfield Street and…
New Police Station Still in Planning Stages in Beecher
By Jeff Vorva The new Beecher police station is still in the planning stages, but it is ready for bids. James Maciejewski of South Holland-based JMA Architects said the drawings of the 11,400 square-foot building to be located at 250 W. Church Rd. are finished. At the Aug. 28 board meeting, he had a timeline…
Bob Hiem Receives Volunteer Certificate of Recognition
At the Monday, August 28, Beecher Village Board meeting, Bob Hiem was recognized by the village board and Police Chief Terry Lemming for his distinguished service as the EMA Director and as a volunteer in the community.
Christmas in August for Beecher Village Board
By Jeff Vorva In the heat of August, the Village of Beecher Board of Trustees made Christmas plans. At the August 14 board meeting, Mayor Marcy Meyer revealed several details of the annual lighting of the tree ceremony in Fireman’s Park. The event is scheduled to take place November 26, and there will be a…
Beecher Board Celebrates District Being Fully Staffed
By Jeff Vorva At most Beecher 200-U meetings, toward the end of the gatherings, the board acknowledges retirements and departing employees while voting in new employees. They are routine items of action, and usually the board makes its vote and moves on without comment. But at the August 14 meeting, the comings and goings were…
