Page 8 - Wayne Carl News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

WGIL reported last week on the City of Galesburg applying for an Open Space Land Acquisition and Development grant to help cover the costs of renovating Lancaster Park. But there's a larger city park that's already been approved for last year's OSLAD grant and bids are expected to go out in the spring. Interim City Manager Wayne Carl announced at Monday's Council meeting that the city is in the process of selecting a design firm. The scope of H.T.'s renovations include a new walking path that runs the nearly half-mile perimeter of the park. The area closest to East Fif...

A project to modernize traffic signal equipment is coming to Galesburg. The public will not notice any significant changes as a result of the new traffic signals, however the project will provide added efficiency and reliability for the city. The project includes a total of 12 signalized intersections along Henderson Street, and at Main and Farnham streets. City Engineer Aaron Gavin tells WGIL the signal heads themselves will not be modified and there will be no additional signals. The improvements will largely be equipment hardware upgrades or additions inside the traffic signal cabinets tha...

Galesburg City Council approved an addendum to the Collective Bargaining Agreement with the city's police union on Monday night that will shift police employees to a new schedule. Officers would work 12-hour shifts instead of 8 hours, have more days off, including an opportunity for younger officers to have weekends off. The change isn't immediate. Jan. 1 of 2023 is when it goes into effect. The City has described this as an effort to both recruit officers and support current officers. Police Chief Russ Idle says right now GPD is 8 officers short of what's budgeted for, and 2 of...

Galesburg City Council will review four possible locations for a new community center during an upcoming Sept. 26 work session.

Galesburg Police officers could be putting in longer days next year. A recent agreement between the City of Galesburg and the Public Safety Employees Organization calls for police personnel to work 12-hour shifts, opposed to the current 8-hour shifts. If approved by the Galesburg City Council at its Monday meeting, the new work schedule would start Jan. 1. The change to 12-hour shifts is a recruitment and retention strategy that will also reduce overtime costs. According to the city council agenda item, application numbers for both entry-level and certified police officers have dropped drastic...