An array of legislation, construction projects and other developments are expected for the coming year both locally and statewide along with a major national news item set to come at the end of the year.

Sure to dominate much of the news cycle in the coming months is the U.S. presidential election which could see a second term for incumbent Democrat Joe Biden or a change to a Republican candidate.

In other election news, Monroe County will see a new county commissioner elected in November.

This year, the seat currently held by former chairman Dennis Knobloch is up for grabs as he previously expressed he would not be pursuing another term as commissioner.

Concerning news at the state level, the second major component of the Protect Illinois Communities Act has already gone into effect, requiring that every resident who owns any firearms classified by the state as an “assault weapon” register them through their FOID card.

It’s unclear how many of such gun owners in the state registered their weapons by the Jan. 1 deadline.

As previously reported, numerous sheriffs throughout the state have expressed disagreement with the law, including Monroe County Sheriff Neal Rohlfing, who said his department would not be enforcing the law unless a situation arose where a covered weapon was used in a crime.

There are a myriad of development projects in the works throughout Monroe County that are expected to finish up or at least see some measure of progress in the coming year.

In Waterloo, one long-awaited project set to see completion is the splash pad located at William Zimmer Memorial Park off Rogers Street.

After many months of discussion surrounding the project – with much of that discussion centered on funding as the cost ballooned to $1.8 million thanks largely to supply shortages cause by the COVID-19 pandemic – the Waterloo Park District finally broke ground this past September.

As has been talked about at recent park board meetings, progress on the splash pad has been steady thanks to fair weather over the last few weeks, and it’s possible the project could see a relatively early completion and opening as the park district strives to meet a June deadline for the Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development grant.

Certainly the most costly project in Waterloo seeing continued progress in the next few months is a $30 million water plant which also saw its start in September.

The plant, located in Valmeyer, will allow Waterloo to leave current provider Illinois American Water at the end of an existing contract expiring in October 2024.

Upon completion, the new plant will be able to accommodate 3.5 million gallons of water per day. Waterloo currently uses about one million gallons per day.

Along with this project, the city is building a new water tower on the Waterloo VFW property. Waterloo’s existing tower next to City Hall has a capacity of 250,000 gallons while the capacity of the new tower – estimated to cost $2.5 million – is 500,000 gallons.

While not exactly a development project, another big concern for Waterloo is the former Greenbrier Trailer Court on West Mill Street, which was condemned after a months-long process last year.

On top of asbestos concerns, the site was condemned as the owner stopped paying its monthly water bill in early 2023.

Demolition for trailers and other buildings on the site is set to take place Jan. 2 to Feb. 2, dependent on the weather. 

Plans will move forward on a planned extension and re-configuration of Rogers Street and its intersection with Country Club Lane in Waterloo. Recently, Monroe County Engineer Aaron Metzger said he was “hopeful” work could begin on the project in 2024, but added there is still preliminary work to be done. 

Also in Waterloo, Human Support Services started a series of major renovations at the end of 2023. The first of seven phases in this $3.2 million project is set to finish up in the spring, leaving the agency with a new and improved counseling wing.

A new parking lot for staff and visitors to the Monroe County Jail in Waterloo was constructed at the end of last year to make room for expansion of the facility to the west and south, much of which will be built on the area of the current parking lot.

Work on the jail expansion is beginning this week, weather permitting, and will add 8,500 square feet to the building which will be used for administrative offices, an updated evidence storage and processing area and a training facility which is expected to be used by a number of local police and sheriff’s departments.

In Columbia, among the largest projects expected to progress through the year is an expansion of Columbia High School. 

Discussed at numerous school board meetings over the last year, plans for the CHS expansion are still in the works, though the November board meeting did feature a tentative blueprint of the facility. At least one part of the project will see completion this year as the expansion of the high school’s parking lot into nearby Bolm-Schuhkraft Park is expected to finish near the end of the spring semester.

A big project for the Columbia City Council on the horizon is a new roundabout at Palmer Road, Quarry Road and Ghent Road near Route 3 and I-255. While a specific construction timeline isn’t known, progress on the roundabout is possible as the city has been working toward it after receiving a $1.2 million grant in the fall of 2022.

Ahead of the economic boon expected to accompany completion of Dupo’s planned I-255 interchange, Columbia is already making plans to increase its commercial presence in the northern part of the city. 

During the last meetings of the Columbia City Council in 2023, aldermen discussed forming a Route 3/I-255 Business District. Business districts are designed to allow a municipality to impose additional taxes within the district with the additional revenue being earmarked to be used solely for improvements such as infrastructure expansion within the district.

There will be a public hearing about this proposed district prior to the Feb. 5 meeting of the Columbia City Council.

Traveling further north, it’s also possible that progress could be made this year toward the long-anticipated Dupo interchange.

Local developer Joe Koppeis of Admiral Parkway Inc. said the project’s development was most recently delayed due to an archaeology issue – though he expressed hope the I-255 project south of Dupo’s existing exit would get underway once this issue is cleared.

A suite of new businesses are also expected to find new homes or otherwise see development throughout 2024.

Though a timeline for the move is hazy, Sydenstricker Nobbe Partners announced last year it would be moving just up the road closer to Waterloo along Route 3. The move is planned to provide the John Deere partner with a large facility to house and work on equipment while also bringing its office space – currently in downtown Waterloo – to the same location.

For other Waterloo businesses, the Waterloo City Council recently approved a commercial site plan for a new Taco Bell location to be built at Waterloo Commons just south of CleanCar Express Car Wash near Schnucks off Route 3. This restaurant would be a stand-alone Taco Bell location, with the existing KFC-Taco Bell at 918 N. Market Street in Waterloo continuing as just KFC.

The city council also, this past October, approved three beautification grant applications, one of which went to Salt + Honey Bistro which could soon be opening on South Market Street in Waterloo. 

Even more business action could be taking place in Columbia.

Ongoing work is taking place in the construction of a new Jimmy John’s location at 150 Veterans Parkway across from Taco Bell. 

For some time, three new businesses have been planned at the site of the former Immaculate Conception School and church in the 300 block of South Main Street in Columbia. Known as the Franklin Yard Complex – which also includes the existing Main Street Abbey event space in the former church – will use the grounds for The Principal Hotel, Home Court Sports Bar and Graphite Restaurant.

Another hotel set to come to Columbia soon is a Holiday Inn Express located at 11 South. Koppeis spoke positively about progress toward this hotel as well as the Rock’s Restaurant also set open soon at 11 South after several years of waiting.

A big business addition to Columbia is expected to come as to youth sports complex from the St. Louis Steamers Soccer Club continues to take shape near the intersection of Bluff and DD roads.

One of three lighted, turf soccer fields is already largely completed, with further development ongoing.

In Valmeyer, still another project Koppeis is involved with involves the Rock City development, which he said could see a $14 million freezer expansion sometime this year.

He also mentioned that a data center – long entertained given Rock City’s naturally cool cave environment – could be on the horizon thanks to a new Ameren substation in front of the development.

Several big names in Monroe County are also set to depart or have already done so, leaving important positions to be filled.

One of these individuals is Waterloo High School Principal Lori Costello, who is stepping away as she takes over as regional superintendent of schools for St. Clair County. An interim principal stepping in for her as she leaves this semester will be WHS Assistant Principal Tim McDermott.

Waterloo Police Chief Jeff Prosise is also stepping away from his position come Jan. 12, an announcement that came at the start of December. A replacement for police chief has yet to be named.

In other Waterloo city news, a new zoning administrator is sought as Nathan Krebel plans to ultimately assist Waterloo Director of Public Works Tim Birk as he nears retirement sometime in 2024. The plan of restructuring Birk’s current scope of employment into two separate city positions is still being hashed out.

A new director for the Monroe County Economic Development Corporation is also set to step forward fairly soon as Edie Koch announced she would be departing late last year.

Monroe County was in the path of a total solar eclipse in 2017, and it will be on the edge of “totality” again in 2024. Many from neighboring states will likely descend on Carbondale, which is the center of the eclipse path on April 8. 

Red Bud will be the closest city local residents will be able to fully experience the event.  In Red Bud, the eclipse will begin just before 12:45 p.m. and last approximately one minute and 20 seconds. While it may seem the phenomenon is not that rare – with two total eclipses within seven years – the next total eclipse near Southern Illinois will not occur until 2045, and the closest view of the totality will be in Arkansas.