Contaminated Ottawa riverfront ground cleanup near

A key step in the development of Ottawa’s downtown riverfront was announced at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

Mayor Dan Aussem said earlier Tuesday the city received an “access and remediation” agreement from ComEd and Nicor Gas to remove coal tar deposits buried 20 feet below the site of the track for the demolished old Central School.

“We’ve been waiting for this for a long, long time, Aussem said.

The deposits are left from a long-gone coal gasification plant. Their presence blocks the site’s development. ComEd and Nicor Gas are to cover the cost of the cleaning operation, Aussem said.

Work should begin in August or September and take a year, he said. During the cleanup period, the entire site will be blocked off.

The council voted to make the proposed agreement available for public inspection. Approval will take place at a future meeting.

In other business

- The council approved an intergovernmental agreement with La Salle County allowing the use of North Central Area Transit System vehicles for the emergency evacuation transportation from the county nursing home. “Sometimes vehicles are needed, especially ones with lifts,” said Commissioner Wayne Eichelkraut.

- The council approved seeking an 80-20 grant for the remodeling of the NCAT facility at 1784 Chessie Lane to convert garage space into a repair shop with two lifts and to hire a mechanic. Currently, vehicles have to go as far as South Holland and Springfield for some repairs, Eichelkraut said. The city’s $72,000 share of the project will come from funds restricted for NCAT projects, he said.

- The purchase of a 2018 Ford Police Inceptor SUV for $26,352 from the state purchase system was approved. Local dealers could not match the price, Commissioner James Less said.

- The council approved extending the city’s downtown tax increment financing district, which was set to expire in three years, by another 12 years. The other affected taxing bodies agreed to the extension, Aussem said.

- The council authorized spending $12,670 for a system of electronic fobs to replace lock keys to city buildings. If a fob is lost or in the hands of someone not authorized to use it, the fob can be electronically deactivated.

- A request to place a cell tower at 1594 N. 30th Road on property owned by Douglas Conroy was referred to the city planning commission for review.

- A $255,000 contract was approved with Ruiz Construction, of Ottawa, to perform curb replacements.

- A $13,530 contract was approved with The Tree Guy, of Ottawa, to trim 76 trees and remove six others on city property.