Village Board Rescinds Vote to Adopt Gabriel Lane

After multiple complaints from residents along Gabriel Road, the Okawville Village Board voted Monday night to rescind last month’s resolution to accept it as a village street.

Multiple residents protested the board’s decision to adopt the approximately 200 feet of road to the west of St. Peter’s UCC.

According to Mayor Dave Jasper, a property owner along the road had approached the board prior to last month’s meeting to see about the village taking over the maintenance of the road, which had previously been funded by the residents of the road.

Following that vote last month, several residents appeared at the Streets and Sidewalks Committee meeting earlier this month to protest the board’s decision.

“I think we heard from seven people about the village taking over the maintenance of the road, and six of them were against it,” said Streets and Sidewalks Committee Chairman Nathan Dick.

Jasper said that the residents feared that the village would seek to widen the road, or possibly extend it to reach the park. He acknowledged that the board should have sought more input before moving forward with the proposal.

Read more details and the full report on the Village Board meeting in this week’s issue.