The Waterloo City Council heard from a city official from Columbia who expressed thanks Monday night for help provided in the wake of a devastating June 30 storm that crippled Waterloo’s neighbor to the north.

Columbia Director of Public Works Mike Sander read a letter from Columbia Mayor Bob Hill at the start of the meeting. 

Hill’s letter, read aloud before the entire Waterloo City Council on behalf of the Columbia City Council and Columbia residents, expressed “sincere gratitude to the City of Waterloo for its invaluable assistance” in helping Columbia recover from the June 30 storm, which caused widespread damage – including downed power lines and trees – due to extreme straightline winds. 

Sander thanked Waterloo’s public works personnel for working with Columbia, Illinois Department of Transportation and Monroe County Highway Department crews in the massive cleanup effort.

“We are particularly grateful for the usage of Waterloo’s heavy equipment, including a front-end loader with grapple bucket, the tub grinder, the two backhoes, and multiple dump trucks,” Sander said. “These items, along with their skilled operators, significantly enhanced the collection and processing of debris.”

In all, Sander said more than 7,800 cubic yards – or over 10 million pounds – of tree limbs and debris were collected.

“It was difficult to fathom on how long the cleanup effort would have taken if not for Waterloo’s help,” Sander said, adding that “we saw our communities grow together to work for the common good.”

Hill’s letter concluded by offering help to Waterloo should something of that nature arise in that city. 

“While we all hope our communities do not face similar circumstances in the future,  please rest assured the City of Columbia stands ready to assist the City of Waterloo whenever needed,” Sander said.

Sander then went around the council table and shook the hands of every city official present. 

In other news from the meeting, Waterloo Public Works Director Tim Birk said crews moved equipment Friday to the future site of the city’s new water treatment plant off East Hunters Ridge east of the Valmeyer High School baseball field and dirt was moved Monday at the site.

“They’ve got about 2,400 feet of pipe fused together along the route,” Birk said. “So, it is moving along.”

 The council approved a price quote of Trimlight St. Louis for the purchase and installation of new globe lights to replace the existing downtown string lighting on Main and Mill streets at a cost of $60,992.22 to be paid from the city’s share of video gambling proceeds.

Waterloo Mayor Stan Darter explained that the existing lights from eight years ago are starting to wear out.

Alderman Kyle Buettner pointed out these new LED lights change color remotely, meaning they can stay up and do not have to be changed out for special holidays like Christmas.

The re-appointments of Nathan Rau and Lauren Voelker to the Waterloo Planning Commission for new three-year terms were also approved.

Lastly, the council approved a one-year commitment by the City of Waterloo in the amount of $10,000 to the Monroe County Economic Development Corporation.