Deputies from the Clinton County Sheriff’s Department will be carrying Narcan, an opioid reversal medication, in their squad cars following action taken at the regular meeting of the Clinton County Board on Monday night.
The state of Illinois mandates that all first responders carry Narcan, also known as Naloxone Hydrochloride, which can be administered nasally to block the effect of opioids on the brain. Opioids, which include heroin and prescription pain pills like morphine, codeine, oxycodone, methadone and Vicodin, slow respiration and heart rate and can be fatal in an overdose.
Board member Rafael Him, chairman of the county board’s 708 Mental Health Board, said the special committee approved the expenditure of $5,000 to purchase Narcan for the sheriff’s department.
Prior to approving the expenditure, there was some discussion regarding whether the funding could be allocated by the 708 Board since its annual budget had already been approved. County board members approved the expenditure noting that the use of Narcan is mandated by the state, so if the funding cannot come from the 708 Board, it will come from the county’s General Fund.
Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Mike Dall said that once the deputies complete training for administering the antidote, each of their squad cars will be equipped with two doses of the drug.
The nasal spray takes from one to three minutes to kick in, but the effects last as long as 90 minutes, which gives plenty of time for paramedics to arrive on scene and take over care of the potential overdose victim.
In other business, the board approved the purchase of a new mowing tractor for the Highway Department. County Engineer Dan Behrens reported that Midwest Tractor Sales Inc. of Breese submitted the low bid of $46,750, which includes the trade-in of a 2005 Massey-Ferguson 5445 tractor.
Behrens offered an update on road construction projects:
• work on County Highway 8, South Commercial Street in Albers, is nearly complete. Striping of the roadway was scheduled for Tuesday with reseeding on Wednesday followed by any additional cleanup.
County Clerk Mary Rakers read a letter from Albers residents Dave and Bonnie Wellen, who live along South Commercial Street, thanking the county for its involvement with the project. The Wellens noted that the addition of sidewalks and curbing makes for “a much safer environment” for citizens and schoolchildren walking and bicycling along the route.
• the St. Rose Road resurfacing project was completed last week.
• Keeley & Sons began work on the replacement of the bridge on Old State Road over Shoal Creek on Monday. Behrens noted that the contractor hopes to have the project completed before winter weather sets in; however, there are enough working days in the contract to potentially carry the project into late spring.
Personnel Committee chairman Steve Heiligenstein said his committee is in the process of negotiating with the various collective bargaining units that represent county employees. The committee has reached a tentative agreement with the union representing the Highway Department. A meeting is set for Sept 24 to continue negotiations with the Fraternal Order of Police, which represents deputies in the Sheriff’s Department, and he said the committee is hoping to reach agreements with the other bargaining units as quickly as possible.
Several zoning/subdivision requests were approved as presented by zoning administrator Jami Staser, including:
• a final plat for Erin’s Place, a one-acre subdivision with a farmhouse which is being split from the rest of the farm in Breese Township.
• a final plat for Scott Schrage’s second subdivision in St. Rose Township.
• a final plat for Ronald Deien’s first subdivision, which is a family split located outside of Trenton in Sugar Creek Township.
• a request for a map amendment from Commercial “C” to Residential “R-1” for 4.85 acres owned by Travis and Danielle Murray on Koch Lane in Breese Township.
Tourism Committee chairman Matt Cain said his committee met last week and discussed the Bass Pro Shops Crappie Masters Tournament which is coming to Carlyle Lake on Oct. 14.
He noted that the committee approved a $1,000 sponsorship for local fisherman Al Crocker. With the sponsorship, Crocker’s weekly “Fishing with Al Crocker” report will appear on the county’s website and “Visit Clinton County” will be promoted on his radio talk show.
Veterans Committee chairman Rafael Him read a letter from Jim Beasley which updated the progress of the Jim Beasley Veterans Tribute at Kaskaskia College.
The Veterans Tribute is a unique, heartfelt monument that honors the men and women who have served, currently are serving, and those who will serve our country in the future. Historically, memorials are designated for those who have left us, whereas the tribute on KC’s main campus honors all veterans, those living and deceased.
When completed the tribute will have the space to proudly display the names and branches of service for 150,000 veterans who have connections to the KC College District.
The first phase of the project has already been completed. It includes the construction of a plaza with walls to accommodate more than 25,000 names, seals of the five branches of service, the installation of a bronze eagle with a 10 foot wingspan in the center of the plaza, American flags, cherry trees and paving bricks for honoring veterans.
Phase 2, which will be started next year, involves the construction of additional walls to accommodate more names. This phase will be subdivided into the construction of a wall at a time, depending on the available resources and the number of names that are submitted.
The Veterans Tribute Committee is currently seeking names for Phase 2. To submit a name, visit the project’s website at www.kaskaskia.edu/Veterans Tribute/ or contact Rafael Him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
In final business, the board approved the appointment of Dr. Rob Hyten to the Clinton County Board of Health. The board also approved the appointments of Lavern Zurliene, Joseph Voss and James Kampwerth as trustees on the Carlyle Southwest Water District.
John Hodapp, foreman of the Carlyle Electric Department, and Clinton County Emergency Management Agency director Tim Schleper were two of the many local officials to attend a meeting last week in Carlyle to review the county’s Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan. When a flood, tornado, severe winter weather or other natural disaster strikes, there are many things to consider: the hazard itself, the people affected, emergency personnel who are dispatched to help, volunteers who show up on their own to assist, as well as handling the debris and the damaged property after the disaster strikes.
All of these factors and more have been considered in a Clinton County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan (MHMP) that is currently being updated with help from the Southwestern Illinois Metropolitan and Regional Planning Commission and the Geology Department from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
Officials from across the county met last Wednesday at Case-Halstead Public Library in Carlyle for the final of four meetings held as part of the MHMP update process. Clinton County completed their first MHMP in 2010. Once the revised document is approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), it will serve as the 2017 Clinton County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan update.
According to the MHMP, hazard mitigation is “any sustained action to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to human life and property from hazards.”
Since FEMA makes reducing hazards one of its primary goals, hazard-mitigation planning and the subsequent implementation of mitigation projects, measures and policies is a primary mechanism in achieving those goals.
The MHMP is also a requirement of the Federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000. The development of a local government plan is required in order to maintain eligibility for certain federal disaster assistance and hazard mitigation funding programs. In order for the National Flood Insurance Program communities to be eligible for future mitigation funds, they must adopt an MHMP.
In recognition of the importance of planning for mitigation activities, FEMA created Hazus Multi-Hazard (Hazus-MH), a powerful geographic information system (GIS)-based disaster risk assessment tool. This tool enables communities of all sizes to estimate losses from floods, hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural hazards and to measure the impact of various mitigation practices that might help reduce those losses. The Illinois Emergency Management Agency has determined that Hazus-MH should play a critical role in the risk assessments performed in Illinois.
Since approving its first MHMP in 2010, the Clinton County Emergency Management Agency and Mitigation Planning Team have reconvened regularly to monitor, evaluate and update the plan.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Southwestern Illinois Planning Commission and Clinton County have joined efforts in updating the county’s first mitigation plan.
The update process addressed changes in the probability and impact of specific hazards to the county, as well as changes in land-use, population, and demographics. The plan incorporates detailed GIS and Hazus-MH Level 2 analyses to improve the risk assessment, and finally revised and updated mitigation strategies.
Linemen work in Georgia to repair power lines and restore electric following the extensive damage caused by Hurricane Irma. Two journeyman linemen from Clinton County Electric were among a group of 123 lineman from 21 rural electric cooperatives called to help restore electricity in Georgia and North Carolina after the areas were struck by Hurricane Irma.
In advance of the hurricane, the Georgia Electric Membership Cooperative reached out to the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives (AIEC) for storm recovery help. The AIEC activated its Emergency Work Plan dispatching linemen from across the state to help restore electricity in Georgia and North Carolina.
The hurricane produced tropical-force winds, torrential downpours and extensive damage to Georgia's electric infrastructure.
Approximately 5,000 cooperative workers from 25 states converged in the hurricane's impact zone to assist in restoration efforts. Peak outage estimates indicate there were more than 760,000 co-op outages in Florida, 535,000 in Georgia and 100,000 in South Carolina.
Before the hurricane made landfall, journeyman linemen Craig Benhoff and Jason Deering from Clinton County Electric Cooperative were sent to Satilla EMC in Alma, Georgia. They stayed to help restore power to all of those members. Most recent numbers indicate co-ops in Georgia, with help from outside crews, have been able to restore power to 230,000 meters.
Despite this incredible progress, large outages continue. As is often the case during restorations of this scale, the last several thousand meters are the most difficult to restore. The co-ops deal first with rebuilding their main supply lines, to restore power to the most members as quickly as possible, and then work on the single-phase lines. The linemen are working an average of 17 hours a day, under difficult circumstances, to rebuild the system.
"The Georgia cooperatives are overwhelmed with gratitude by the response of the Illinois cooperatives, and that from across the nation," said Jim Miles, AIEC manager of safety and loss control and coordinator of the Illinois emergency work plan. "Work, such as this, exhibits the cooperative principle of cooperation among cooperatives. We know that if we ever need it, the Georgia cooperatives will be happy to reciprocate."
Clinton County Electric Cooperative is a member of Touchstone Energy — an alliance of 750 local, consumer-owned electric utilities around the country. Clinton County Electric Cooperative is committed to providing superior service based on four core principles: integrity, accountability, innovation and commitment to community. The co-op serves more than 5,981 meters over 1,056 miles of line in parts of Clinton, Fayette, Madison, Marion, St. Clair and Washington counties.
For more information visit www.cceci.com. Clinton County Electric Cooperative is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
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