What About the Vermilion County Sanitary Sewer Plant?

It was announced that the Vermilion County Board is NOT giving away the sewer plant. It appears we are keeping it along with the animal shelter building. Gary Weinard said that the sewer plant is still being used to treat the sewage from the animal shelter, 2 houses, and also the VOTEC building. The VOTEC administrators contacted my firm several months ago to help them with the design and permit needed to make their own connection to the Village of Tilton sewer system. I suggested to the VOTEC representative that he contact another local engineering firm, C2Engineers. That is my last interaction with that project.
Weinard focused on the “liability” of the shed on the property. I think it appears to be a very well constructed CMU building. It is pretty large and appeared to be very straight and structurally sound. In my opinion, it does not appear to be in a stage of imminent failure…..not hazardous.
As a surveyor involved with many land transactions, I think this property is worth a minimum of $40,000. There is no way we should be giving this property away. The citizens of Vermilion County own this land, and every person has a right to have a chance at purchasing this land. At the meeting, there were cash offers of $5,000 and also $20,000. I am appalled that this county board continues to make horrible decisions which have been such a terrible financial waste.
Mr. Smoot, the neighboring farmer who is purchasing the farm ground, deserves full credit for coming forward with the full minimum bid asking price for the tillable acreage, and if he is interested in the small adjacent acreage, there is a process to follow to purchase the additional land. Last night, the county board ignored the legal processes put in place to protect the interests of taxpayers. We have seen a lot of this. There are hundreds of hard working people just like Mr. Smoot who have earned the right to have equal opportunities. Thousands of heros have died trying to protect our freedom and sacrificed themselves for equal rights.
As for the possible presence of cemetery graves which were discussed at the meeting, I am confident these certain graves are located in a heavily wooded area north of the sanitary sewer plant. That certain property was transferred to the Village of Tilton several years ago and was added to the existing Songer Cemetery property maintained by the village. I am the surveyor who completed the fieldwork and prepared the plat and legal description for that particular piece of property, and my survey is recorded in the Office of the Vermilion County Recorder.
In summary, I would challenge the assumption that the Vermilion County Board has the power and authority to sell/give/transfer this land without making it available to the general public. The attempt to “release” this land in a big hurry without following due process is a disservice to our citizens. A.J. Wright and Dennis Miller put forth a good effort to stop this illegal action, but their common sense has not prevailed just yet. Keep trying, gentlemen…….don’t give up.