Memorial courts progressing

Finishing touches are being put on the new D2 memorial basketball courts in Fairbury.

Progress is being made on the memorial basketball courts at Fairbury’s Marsh Park to honor the memories of two young men.

Members of the Fairbury Council received an update from Street Superintendent Lonnie Rhoads Wednesday night on the “D2” courts. Paint work is nearing completion but the logo still needs to be finished along with a clear coating for protection.

“Then there is going to be some parking added by the city along Jackson,” explained Mayor David Slagel.

The parking will likely be similar to what is on the north and south sides of the park currently. A sign to explain the reason for the courts will be installed at some point and a ribbon cutting could happen close to fall.

Alderman Jim Tipton asked if signs could be installed to keep bicycles and skate boards off the courts.

“It probably wouldn’t be a bad idea,” said Rhoads.

The two-court concept honors the memories of Prairie Central students Dylan Bazzell and Drew Fehr who passed away in 2023.

The water tower was another topic of discussion for the Fairbury City Council. Mayor Slagel stated the water tower cleaning is expected to start in the next day. Alderman Gary Norris said residents had called him about getting the tower cleaned prior to Prairie Dirt Classic weekend.

A stop sign ordinance for the corner of Sixth and Ash streets was approved. The stop signs will be for east-west traffic on Ash.

“The people and police said that was the better road to slow down,” Street Superintendent Rhoads explained.

Someone attended a previous council meeting urging the city to take a look at the intersection after safety concerns were voiced.

“You just never know if somebody is going to stop or yield,” added Alderman Norris.

Alderman Tipton cast the lone “no” vote on the stop sign ordinance, as he feels there are too many stop signs in town already.

“If the problem is coming from one particular area, I think there is a different way to correct it than to have a stop sign,” he said following the meeting.

The city authorized a request from Hope Center to host a 5K on city property June 6. The 5K run, two-mile walk and kids run is slated for the morning hours. The kids event starts at 8 with the other event at 8:30 a.m.

A fire department radio purchase was also approved. Fairbury was awarded a grant from the State Fire Marshal’s office for this. The city will have to pay for it initially but will be reimbursed.

“Anything that’s out there we try to apply for,” said Fire Chief Josh Hoselton.

The Fairbury water tower is shown Wednesday evening from the west. It is scheduled to be cleaned this week.