By Michael S. Hoey
Correspondent
Delavan Town Board Chairman Ryan Simons announced Sept. 16 that Police Chief Phil Smith will retire effective Oct. 12 before the next board meeting.
Simons acknowledged Smith’s contributions to the town.
“I thank you for the service you have provided,” Simons said to Smith. “Chief Smith has done a fine job in serving the Town of Delavan. We appreciate his service and he will be missed.”
“I have never lived in the town, but it is still my hometown,” Smith said. “I will miss everybody.”
Later Smith said he will most miss working with the people he had contact with including the officers of the department and the citizens of the township.
“Being the police chief has been the greatest honor of my career,” he said.
Smith started as a part-time officer with the township in 1985 and became a full-time officer in January 1989. He was promoted to sergeant in 1991, took over as acting chief in 2007 and was sworn in as chief in 2008. Smith has served the Town of Delavan for 29 years.
Smith said he will relax, travel and volunteer during his retirement. Sgt. Scot Stefanczyk will become the acting chief until the Police and Fire Commission selects a permanent replacement.
Commission member Connie Strepek said the commission is considering four internal candidates for the position. She did not identify the four candidates.
“The PFC will now thoroughly review the candidates’ qualifications to determine which candidate, if any, is qualified to be the next chief of police for the Town of Delavan,” she said.
Strepek said if the commission decides not to select one of the four internal candidates, it will then consider external candidates. She said the commission hopes to find the right candidate in the upcoming weeks.
Christmas lights
The board approved spending up to $5,300 to purchase new holiday lights and decorations from Temple Display of Oswego, Ill. The money will come from unallocated funds in the tourism fund.
Supervisor Chris Marsicano said purchasing new lights and decorations is a good idea but did not want to exceed the amount available in the tourism fund.
“It will be inviting to people coming through the town,” he said.
Marsicano volunteered to help Administrator John Olson select the new decorations. Olson said the town has 12 poles along Highway 50, at Community Park and at Town Hall for decorations.
Trick-or-treat hours set
Trick-or-treat hours will be on Halloween this year in the township. Traditionally the town sets aside the Sunday afternoon before Halloween. Marsicano said the Park Committee decided that because Halloween is on a Friday this year, to go ahead and have the hours be on the day itself.
Marsicano first suggested setting the hours at 4 to 7 p.m. Simons suggested 5 to 8 p.m. so people have time to get home from work. The 5- to 8-p.m. time slot was approved.
Marsicano said the town Halloween party will be from 3 to 5 p.m. Oct. 26.
Park building door
The board approved spending up to $2,500 to purchase and install a new handicap-accessible door in the Community Park building as soon as possible. Simons said the Government Accountability Board told the town on a recent visit that a handicap-accessible door is required at a voting station.
Malsch said the ramp at the building also needs to be looked at. Simons agreed, but said the focus needs to be on the door right now.
Variance approved
The board approved a variance that Steven Weihmuller of Glen Ellyn, Ill., applied for to replace an existing home at 1617 Polk Ave. with a new single-family home. A variance is necessary because the new home will exceed required street and property-line setbacks.
In the petition for the variance, it was noted the lot is unusually small and has two street frontages that require 25-foot setbacks each and five-foot setbacks from adjoining properties. The petition noted the current substandard structure exceeds those setbacks. Replacing it with a new structure that would meet the setbacks would require building on 952 square feet of buildable space and the new home would be 20 feet wide, which is less than the 22 feet required by the ordinance.
The Plan Commission recommended approval 5-1 with Frank Jones opposed. The board approved the variance unanimously. No residents opposed the variance in writing or at the Plan Commission meeting, according to Olson.
