New Peru police station on target for late spring completion

Peru Mayor Scott Harl said Monday the new police station complex currently under construction will hopefully be complete in late spring.

The facility will fill the needs of the department’s administrative team, patrol and detective divisions, sufficient storage for evidence and records, and will provide basic laboratory services, he said.

The building will feature a community room, similar to that located within City Hall, which will allow the public to use the space for anything from knitting clubs to the Chamber of Commerce.

Harl provided the update, among others, Monday in his 2021 State of the City address, during the last meeting before the April 6 election.

The mayor said the ongoing pandemic has affected everyone but he believes it also forced leaders to think outside the box in order to continue to grow.

“While some may say the pandemic overshadowed everything about this past year, let us be positive,” Harl said. “I believe it has highlighted some of the best aspects of our city. It has shown Peru is a city that can pivot in the face of an adverse situation and come up with creative ways to keep moving forward.”

Harl said he has never been more proud of the city.

He praised the police department for its high level of performance. In the annual report, Police Chief Doug Bernabei said how proud he is of his officers for keeping themselves and the public safe while providing professional services to the community.

In 2020, the police department reached maximum force with the additions of Officers Michelle Leary and Hunter Wright.

The department handled 35,455 calls for service and officer initiated activities making them one of the busiest agencies in North Central Illinois.

The Peru Fire Department responded to 458 calls in 2020, making it the busiest year on record. These calls were fires, medical assists, vehicles accidents, hazardous material incidents, mutual aid requests, activated alarms and weather spotting.

Under the direction of Fire Chief Jeff King, the department operates with four full-time and 18 paid on-call firefighters.

Departments within the city offices also have been busy hiring the city’s first IT director and two new public works employees.

The city clerk’s office also implemented no-fee utility bill processing that allows residents to pay their bills online, by phone, bank draft, drive through or by drop box.

The city’s electric department had a busy 2020 including making major repairs after the derecho, upgrading street lights to LED, rebuilding the high-line on Plank Road and North Peoria Street and installing electrical services for many buildings.

The department started planning for electric car charging stations to be located in all city parking areas.

Public works in 2020 repaired 108 water breaks and collected countless truck loads of yard debris before and after the derecho.

Public works is responsible for the yearly tasks of servicing and maintaining more than 70 miles of road with pothole repairs, leaf pick up, street sweeping and snow plowing.

Harl thanked the engineering and zoning department for a strong 2020 in which they issued 299 building permits; an increase of 30% from 2019, that represents more than $34 million in construction dollars.

The department helped the city get ahead of the planned sewer separation project and has enabled many businesses to create new locations or open for the first time.

The department of Parks, Recreation and Special Events in 2020 oversaw the opening of the Splash Pad Field, new pickleball and basketball courts, annual summer camps and programs, the Concert in the Park series, among other activities.

Also new in the past year was the addition of the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp that will make their home at Veterans Memorial Park and kick off its season on May 28.

The city’s finance department helped Peru keep its funds in line while continuing to support all other ventures and services, Harl said.

The department distributed more than $300,000 in economic support to local businesses to help with COVID-related losses and helped the city decrease its outstanding debt by nearly 40% in the past 10 years.

Harl thanked all departments, staff and the council for everything they have done throughout the year.