BREESE JOURNAL PHOTO | JEREMY CHAWGO
Fighting it off the hands — Aviston Express’ Jared Niemeyer fights off an inside delivery off the hands in Post 1239’s 6-0 win over Rantoul on Saturday in the Trenton Gator Classic. The Express are now 10-1 on the season. The Aviston Express Senior Legion baseball team continues to pile up the victories as they won all three of their games last week which was a part of the Trenton Gator Classic.
The Express rolled through their pool by winning games over Smithton, Rantoul and Highland. However, the Final Four was rained out on Sunday and will not be made up.
Aviston is now 10-1 on the season and they will travel to Trenton on Wednesday night and Belleville on Thursday. The game against Belleville will be played at Whitey Herzog Field.
Aviston 10, Highland 2: The Express never trailed in their second victory of the day on Saturday in Trenton.
Nolan Robben was the man for the Express as he allowed two earned runs while scattering six hits, three walks and two strikeouts.
Meanwhile, the offense went to work right away with single tallies in the first and third innings.
Carter Truong led the first inning off with a single while Kolby Schulte reached on a 1-out walk.
Bryce Beckmann chased home Truong with an RBI single as the Express took a 1-0 lead after one inning.
Schulte singled in the third inning and he was chased home on an RBI double from Jack Strieker.
Highland got their lone two runs in their half of the third inning on two hit batters and a double as the game was tied 2-2.
Aviston got a walk to Lukas Whitten to start the fourth inning before back-to-back doubles from Brent Timmons and Trent Nunn got the Express back to a 4-2 cushion.
Jayce Timmermann added an RBI double in the fourth to give the Express a 5-2 lead which they never gave back.
They added five runs in the sixth inning when they sent eight hitters to the plate.
Beckmann had a 2-run single in the frame while Bryce Harre added a 2-run triple.
Schulte was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, a stolen base and a walk while Beckmann was 2-for-4 with a run scored and three batted in.
Strieker was 2-for-3 with a run scored and a walk. Timmons was 2-for-2 with a pair of doubles.
Aviston 6, Rantoul 0: The Express made six hits work well enough combined with strong pitching to earn their first of two wins on Saturday in Trenton.
Austin Winter was the man on the hill for the Express as he went the distance for the complete-game shutout where he allowed seven hits and a walk while striking out eight batters.
The offense took care of the rest as they scored once in the first inning on a double from Jayce Timmermann and a single from Kolby Schulte.
They added three more runs in the fourth inning with the big hit coming from Nolan Robben on an RBI single. Rantoul had two errors and a passed ball in the frame.
Timmermann reached third base on a bunt single and a 2-base passed ball. He scored on a safety squeeze from Schulte.
Bryce Beckmann tripled and scored on an RBI single from Harre.
Timmermann was 2-for-4 with a single, a double and two runs scored.
Aviston 6, Smithton 4 (9 innings): The Express needed to work overtime in their Gator Classic opener last Thursday in Trenton.
The Express controlled much of the game after scoring two times in the third inning when Jensen Lake was hit by a pitch and scored on an RBI triple from Carter Truong. He scored on an RBI single from Kolby Schulte as they led 2-0.
Aviston added another tally in the fifth inning when Trent Nunn drew a leadoff walk and eventually scored on an RBI single from Bryce Beckmann.
Smithton finally solved Aviston starter Lukas Whitten as they scored two runs in the sixth inning to get within 3-2.
Aviston added an insurance tally in the seventh inning when Truong smacked his second triple of the contest and scored on a RBI groundout from Schulte to extend the lead to 4-2.
With Jayce Timmermann on the hill, Smithton hit the reliever for a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to extend the contest. They scored both runs with getting just one hit, a hit batter and a fielding error.
Aviston got back in the scoring column in the top of the ninth inning when Nunn drew a leadoff walk and was sacrificed to second base by Lake.
Truong drew a walk before Schulte chased home Nunn with the eventual game-winning run. Aviston added an unearned run later in the frame to extend the lead to 6-4.
Timmermann closed the door in the bottom of the inning with two groundouts and a flyout.
He was the winning pitcher as he went three innings and allowed two earned runs on one hit and two walks.
Whitten pitched well as a starter as he went the first six innings and allowed two earned runs on five hits, two walks and one strikeout.
Truong was 2-for-3 with two triples, two walks, an RBI and three runs scored. Schulte was 2-for-4 with two runs batted in.
Beckmann and Jack Strieker also had two hits in the victory for the Express
Three parcels of land in Clinton County which have been abandoned and obtained by the county through judicial deeds will be sold in the future on public auction.
The Clinton County Board authorized the necessary steps for the sale of the properties at its regular meeting Monday night at Case-Halstead Public Library in Carlyle.
State’s Attorney John Hudspeth explained that the first property (parcel #14-13-07-453-003), which includes a tract of land with an abandoned house and other outbuildings, is located on Crocker Road in Posey.
The other two parcels (#15-14-11-451-003 and #14-14-11-451-020) are located west of Centralia on Route 161, in an area formerly operated as the Woodlawn Mobile Home Park.
That property was obtained by the county in January 2014 and was cleaned up through an intergovernmental agreement between the county and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA).
The resolutions authorize the county to have the properties appraised, obtain title insurance and hire a licensed auctioneer to sell the properties.
In other business Monday night, the board opened its meeting with a moment of silence in memory of board member Chuck Simpson of rural Centralia who passed away on May 24.
Circuit Clerk Rod Kloeckner gave an update on the implementation of electronic filing and record keeping in his office.
In January 2016, the Illinois Supreme Court mandated that all civil cases in the state must be electronically filed by Jan. 1, 2018. Clinton County was one of the first counties in the state to jump on board, according to Kloeckner.
“When the Supreme Court made the mandate for e-filing, I applied right away,” Kloeckner said.
The process took about six weeks, but Clinton County implemented the system in April 2016 and was one of the first 15 counties in the state to do so. Since then, Kloeckner said, his office has had over 1,400 court cases filed electronically.
A computer and scanner are available in his office for anyone who does not have access to a computer system. This is especially helpful for pro se litigants, who are filing small claims cases, divorces or other civil cases on their own behalf, without the assistance of an attorney.
Kloeckner said a lot of other counties are scrambling to meet the Jan. 1, 2018 deadline for e-filing. He noted that his office has had the system up and running for 14 months without the need for any additional equipment or manpower.
Electronic record keeping is another initiative to eventually eliminate paper records entirely from the court system.
Originally, there had to be a physical copy of the court case on file; however, the Supreme Court radically changed the meaning of an official record in April by allowing electronic records.
Clinton County Resident Circuit Judge Stan Brandmeyer signed an order on April 12 eliminating the use of file folders for all civil, criminal and traffic cases, and permitting the destruction of scanned paper documents after 30 days.
Clinton County was slightly ahead of the game as the Circuit Clerk’s Office started scanning all court documents into its computer system in 2011.
Kloeckner said anyone —from the public to attorneys to judges — wanting to look at a case in Clinton County can now only do so electronically on a computer. Out of 102 counties in Illinois, Clinton County was the first to adopt this policy.
Kloeckner said the change to an electronic record will improve efficiency within the office, free up storage space and result in a substantial savings to taxpayers. Since 2013, the clerk’s office has spent $26,768 on file folders and traffic jackets.
Board chairman Bob Fix complimented Kloeckner and his staff for their progress.
“We are a lot further ahead on this than a lot of other counties,” Fix said.
The board approved the expenditure of $17,158 for the purchase of a 2007 Chevrolet 250 4x4 truck for the county’s Emergency Management Service. It was noted that the truck can be used by the Sheriff’s Office and any other departments as needed.
After some discussion, the board approved several clarifications and revisions to the Revised Code of Ordinances for Clinton County, specifically to chapters dealing with administration, health regulations, nuisances and offenses.
Hudspeth explained that the revisions were requested by the county’s Health Department and involve an increased scale of penalties for repeat offenders for problems such as tall grass and weeds, sewage codes and dilapidated buildings.
Board member Bob Netemeyer said he has some issues with some of the wording in the code book. For instance, one section in chapter 25, regarding noise nuisances, prohibits a farmer from running his tractor after 10 p.m.
“I was born and raised on a farm that’s been in my family for 100 years, and there are things in this code that hinder how farmers would do their business,” Netemeyer said. “There are certain items that I don’t think are practical in Clinton County.”
Hudspeth said that changes to existing codes can certainly be reviewed and modified in the future; however, the changes that were approved Monday night strictly deal with the penalties for the code violations and the administration of those penalties.
In Highway Department business, the board approved two resolutions to allocate funding for the resurfacing of St. Rose Road and Main Street in the village of St. Rose with $300,000 coming from the county’s Motor Fuel Tax Fund and $300,000 from the county’s Matching Fund.
County Engineer Dan Behrens explained that resurfacing will be completed from the south end of the curb and gutter on St. Rose Road to Grapperhaus curve, north of town. He is hoping that the project will be bid by late July.
Behrens reported that the state recently opened bids for the replacement of the bridge on Old State Road over Shoal Creek, north of Breese. The project was estimated at over $1.5 million with Keeley & Sons of St. Louis submitting a low bid of $1,395,183, which was $17,000 less than the next lowest bid.
The majority of the project cost — $1.144 million — will come from the Illinois Department of Transportation’s (IDOT’s) Major Bridge Program. The county applied for a grant through the IDOT bridge program over four years ago, and money for the local share of the project, which is split between the county and Breese Township, has already been budgeted.
The board approved a resolution to revise the funding for the local share of the project cost with $81,160 coming from the county’s Bridge Fund. Half of that amount will be paid back to the county by Breese Township.
Personnel/Labor Committee chairman Steve Heiligenstein said the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), the collective bargaining agent representing sheriff’s deputies and correctional officers, has filed a grievance with the county regarding recent changes made to the health insurance plan for county employees.
In March, the board approved new health insurance rates for 2017-18. While the county opted to stay with its self-insurance program, the co-payment for a doctor’s visit increased from $10 to $20 and the out-of-pocket maximum cost increased from $1,000 to $2,000. Heiligenstein noted that the new plan included no increase in the monthly rate charged to employees and the deductible remains $200.
Heiligenstein said the union contracts allow for changes to be made to the benefit packages as long as those changes are not substantial.
As a self-insurance plan, once the out-of-pocket limit is reached, the county pays the first $50,000 of each claim and a reinsurer picks up any costs after $50,000. He said the out-of-pocket increase from $1,000 to $2,000 helps to keep the costs down for the county while remaining comparable with health insurance packages offered elsewhere.
“The FOP’s position is that the changes are substantial,” Heiligenstein said.
The matter has been turned over to the county’s labor attorney to arrange a meeting with the FOP to discuss their complaints.
The board approved the ordinance to establish the prevailing wage rate in the county.
Tourism Committee chairman Matt Cain said his committee met recently and discussed the Bass Pro Shop Crappie Masters slated for Oct. 14 at Carlyle Lake. He noted that the lake’s recent 50th anniversary celebration was a success due to the hard work and coordination of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the city of Carlyle, local law enforcement and several local organizations.
Cain also reminded residents to check out the new website www.visitclintoncounty.com for information on all the upcoming special events.
Facilities Committee chairman Duane Nordike said the renovation of the second floor of the county jail is nearly completed. Carpets have been installed and furniture has been delivered. Throughout the construction, the sheriff’s offices were relocated to the County Board meeting room on the first floor of the jail building.
Nordike said the County Board, which has been meeting at the Carlyle library since the renovation began, should be able to resume its meetings at the jail complex in August.
The next meeting of the Clinton County Board will be at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 18 at the Carlyle library. The date was changed from Monday, July 17 due to the Clinton County Fair Parade that evening.
Aviston Community Improvement Club (ACIC) president Chris Dall (right) hands over the key to Vintage Hall to Aviston mayor Dale Haukup (left) while members of ACIC surround the ACIC board table in the second story of Vintage Hall. Vintage Hall is now available for rent to use. To rent it out, call Aviston Village Hall at (618) 228-7262. It once served as a jail, a firehouse, a classroom, a village hall office and a meeting hall.
Now, after having been closed for a number of years, the Aviston Community Improvement Club (ACIC) has renovated the upstairs of the 110-year-old building, called Vintage Hall, and opened it to the public.
Vintage Hall is located next to Kopff Field, on the corner of Spring Street and First Street.
Chris Dall, ACIC president, said that it really did “take a village” to get the building up and running just in time for the Aviston Street Fair held earlier this month.
The building just celebrated its 110th birthday on June 20 and what a piece of history it is for the village of Aviston.
“The building is going to be a community building,” he said. “We can hold any event here, from showers to small weddings and birthday parties.”
The upstairs project began late last year.
“We wanted to make something relevant to the community,” said Dall.
He said that he and members of ACIC would often meet for pizza and drinks at Lantern Inn and would discuss future projects and goals for ACIC.
“In November/December 2016 we got together and talked about what we wanted to do with this building,” he said.
The building sat empty for approximately 12 years and Dall said that the building didn’t really have a purpose, besides just sitting there.
“We wanted to do something with this building so it didn’t just sit empty,” he said, adding that the “mantra” of the project has been to pick two of the three — cheap, fast or good.
“With the past couple of months, things have been happening at a faster pace,” he said.
The previous version of the room (circa 1982) featured paneled walls, drop ceiling and carpeted floors.
The work began with tearing up the carpet and replacing it with wood flooring.
They replaced the ceiling upstairs with an exact replica of the original ceiling, which took approximately three weeks to install.
In addition, the trim detail, doors and light fixtures were all chosen to match the original versions as close as possible.
There are all kinds of items offering a little piece of history.
The chairs surrounding the conference table are the original chairs used at the Clinton County Courthouse well over 75 years ago.
In addition, there are old photographs placed all over the room, signifying the history of the town. The building now stores dozens of historical artifacts important to Aviston and also serves as the headquarters for the Aviston Community Improvement Club.
On display is an engraved piece of wood which was found inside a wall of what was once the oldest home in Aviston.
According to Dall, the house was built in Old Aviston around the early 1800s. Old Aviston was north of the present Aviston. The people who built the house thought the railroad would be built around Old Aviston. In 1908, when the railroad was not built near Old Aviston, the owners decided to move the house to present Aviston. When the house was torn down in 1982, the sign was found inside the wall near the front door.
Another prized possession is the large wooden conference table.
“The large wooden conference table is made up of two solid wood doors weighing over 200 pounds each,” he said.
In fact, the table top and drywall sheets were lifted through the second story windows via Aviston Lumber’s forklift and boom truck.
As for the downstairs of the building, that’s to be determined. Organizers plan to make the downstairs into a concession stand/bar and storage area.
“It will be like Aviston’s version of Ballpark Village,” Dall said.
The downstairs is usable now; in fact, Santa Claus visited with children last December and will be there again this coming December.
Funds for the project come from the Aviston 150 Committee, donations and fundraisers that the ACIC holds.
The ACIC and the Aviston 150 Committee all put in their money and their efforts together for the building and Dall really credits the volunteers.
“This was 100 percent volunteer,” he said, adding that it was really neat to see his generation help with the process.
Dall couldn’t be more happy with the building, not to mention the volunteers who have gotten it up and running.
“It hasn’t been just the same five people; it’s been so many,” he said. “It really does takes a village.”
Aviston Mayor Dale Haukup echoed Dall’s thoughts, adding that it was neat to see the community get together for a purpose.
“I think the ACIC and the Aviston 150 Committee did a great job coordinating together,” he said. “It’s very important to get the young people involved.”
Haukup recalled being in the upstairs room for Jaycee meetings in the 1980s and was excited about the building being used.
“It’s very neat to see old pictures and to keep the nostalgia in town,” Haukup said.
The upstairs room at Vintage Hall is available for use. To rent it out, call Aviston Village Hall at (618) 228-7262.
The ACIC is always seeking volunteers and donations for upcoming projects. For more information about ACIC, check them out on Facebook.
| Fri., June 16 |
447.20 |
| Sun., June 18 |
447.38 |
| Tues., June 20 |
447.36 |
| June 14 | .00 |
| June 15 |
1.21 |
| June 16 |
.00 |
| June 17 | .00 |
| June 18 |
.89 |
| June 19 | .01 |
| June 20 |
.00 |
