Kampsville Board hears presentations, honors teen artist

By Editor | May 3, 2022 |

Sophia Gibson (left), Kampsville teen artist, was presented with a Certificate of Appreciation for recent work she did painting the shower house doors in the Village. Presenting her with the certificate, as well as art supplies, is Village Board Trustee Rob Parmenter (right). 9 Carissa Sitki/Calhoun News-Herald)

FCD Specialist Allison Kiel from IVEDC presents the Kampsville Village Board with information about water bill assistance during Monday evening’s meeting. (Carissa Sitki/ Calhoun News-Herald)

By Carissa Sitki
The Kampsville Village Board of Trustees met for their monthly meeting on Monday at 6:30 p.m. at the St. Anselm Church Hall where they heard a presentation from FCD Specialist Allison Kiel on behalf of Illinois Valley Economic Development Corp. (IVEDC).
She presented the Board with information regarding water bill payment assistance and how the organization aids individuals with their financial needs.
“Our program will help individuals who have a balance of $250 or more,” said Kiel. “If someone has a lower balance we can only help if they have received a disconnect notice.”
Kiel encouraged Kampsville residents who could use the assistance to apply, noting that the maximum income for eligibility has gone up to around $50 thousand for a family of four.
“If we don’t use the funds, we may not have as much in the future, so we really encourage people to apply,” she said.
Kiel went on to quash any apprehensions that people may have in terms of other people finding out that they are receiving assistance. “The program is totally confidential,” she said. “Nobody would know unless you, yourself tell them.”
Additionally, IVEDC assists residents of Calhoun County with other financial needs, such as rent and electric bills.
Later on in the meeting, the Board heard a presentation from Midwest Meter Inc. Representative Justin Conaway about updating water meters in the village. The council asked questions and discussed the proposals. No decision was made, but the Board set a date of May 23 at 6:30 p.m. to meet and discuss the village’s options. The project would involve the replacing or updating of all of the water meters in Kampsville.
In other business, Dwight Moore was in attendance and approached the Board to see if Kampsville would be interested in an Emergency Interconnect system with Rural Water. He said they have also joined forces with Pike County. Kampsville Mayor Wade Gibson told Moore that “I would definitely like more information.”
Later, the Board made the decision to change the name of Kampsville’s Veteran Memorial Park to Schumann Veterans Memorial Park in memory of Ted “Redeye” Schumann who passed away earlier this year.
Finally, the Board presented local teen artist, Sophia Gibson, with a Certificate of Appreciation for the work she put in painting colorful characters on the Kampsville shower house doors. She was also presented with numerous art supplies from the Village to thank her for her efforts. Board Trustee Rob Parmenter presented Gibson with her certificate and gifts.
Additionally, the Board:
■ Approved last month’s meeting minutes
■ Approved the Village bills
■ Heard the Treasurer’s report
■ Heard the Water and Sewer Report
■ Approved to waive any conflict of interest for Village attorney Allen Yow to review the fiber optics contract
Under public comment, James Palmer addressed the Board, sharing a bit about an organization called Feed My Peeps that provides food for members of the community. “They would hand out boxes of food to people in Kampsville,” said Palmer. “They bless communities all over the area; elderly, needy, anybody, it’s free food.”
If approved, the date for the distribution of the food will be sometime in June.
The Kampsville Village Board meets on the first Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at St. Anselm’s Hall in the Village.