Awaits final IEPA approval
By MOLLY COPHER
For The Weekly Post
BRIMFIELD – The Village of Brimfield has done its part to secure a $1,150,000 loan from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Now comes the waiting.
The Village Board on Monday approved an ordinance allowing Village President Dan Fishel to sign documents with the IEPA for a loan that would fund the purchase of a new 70,000-gallon water tank. Final word on loan approval and terms is expected from the IEPA after March 1, Fishel said.
“We’re on the path to approval but nothing has been finalized,” Fishel said. “It seems likely. We’ve never gone this far in the process and not got the money.”
Brimfield secured an IEPA loan for $109,000 in 2022 to replace water mains and to loop water lines to prevent dead ends in the system.
Brimfield’s current water tank is about 30 years old, Fishel said, but had a 50-year life expectancy when it was installed. The blue tank has been repaired but Fishel said “it could go at any time.” He said the tank originally had a glass lining that is no longer present.
If the latest loan is approved, Brimfield hopes to acquire the new tank and start construction on the project this summer.
The new tank has an estimated 40-year life and comes with a step-down warranty, holding at a flat rate until a certain milestone and then decreasing by percentages with time.
The village will also be updating its computer software with Locus Technologies to the next version in the system. Staying with its current version would incur higher fees from the provider, and the newer version has everything the village currently has plus cloud access. The board approved $8,000 to cover the technology and training involved, though the actual cost should be lower.
The 2025 Brimfield Comprehensive Plan written in conjunction with the Tri-County Planning Commission was discussed but was tabled. In question was language on page 78 titled “Plan Implementation.” Current wording of the first paragraph states, “Brimfield will advance the Objectives and Key Results identified in the comprehensive plan, share annual progress reports, and actively seek funding that supports plan implementation.”
“I don’t want to be bound to that legal statement if someone were to bring us to court,” Fishel said. “I’m thinking we need to say, ‘The Village of Brimfield board will, as time and finances allow, move towards completing these objectives’ or something like that.”
Fishel suggested that Village Attorney Rick Johnson could reword the section in question and then board approval could come as early as the March meeting.
“It’s a plan, not a commitment,” Fishel said. “We will make every effort, but finances and unforeseen circumstances could prevent implementation of everything. I would be more comfortable with a cover sheet eliminating legal liability to this 20-year plan.”
