August 6, 2024 -The Decatur City Council has approved to demolish the old YWCA building, and continued infrastructure improvements to the sewer system and at the Lake Decatur dam.
On Monday night the Decatur City Council reluctantly approved a contract to demolish the former YWCA buildings at 436 N Main Street. Bricks have been falling off the façade for some time and the vacant building is in complete disrepair. Although the buildings are owned by local individuals the City is aware of, they have taken no initiative to maintain their building or proceed with demolition despite repeated attempts by the City to work with them. For public safety reasons, the Council ultimately approved demolition for a cost of $345,000. Asbestos abatement was approved by Council in April 2024.
The City will continue to pursue all legal remedies to hold the owners responsible for the cost of asbestos abatement and demolition of this dangerous structure. It was necessary to proceed with demolition prior to initiating legal procedures to ensure the timely removal of this public hazard.
Council also continued investment in improving the City’s sewer infrastructure and acted to complete necessary repairs to the Lake Decatur dam. The City will retain Crawford, Murphy, and Tilly (CMT) to help prepare for the Lost Bridge North and Florian Basin sanitary sewer project. There are inflow and infiltration issues in this area, leading to basement backups and manhole overflowing. CMT will help prepare documents to submit for funding from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s State Revolving Loan Fund.
The Lake Decatur dam will receive necessary repairs to one of the sluice gates. These gates are raised and lowered to help regulate the water level. A particularly cold January 2024 caused damage to one of the sluice gates. Council approved a repair contract and it will be funded by the Water Capital Fund.
In other business, Council was presented a brief overview of the new City website. The City worked with CivicPlus to completely redesign the decaturil.gov website to be more user-friendly and easier to navigate. We hope the community finds this website helpful, transparent, and a reflection of a government committed to improving communication and engagement with its citizens. The new site has been live since July 24, 2024.
