Madison Allen takes the oath as the first female firefighter in Kewanee history during Monday’s City Council meeting. City Manager Gary Bradley administers the oath as Fire Chief Stephen Welgat watches. [Photos by Michael Berry]

Kewanee’s trees will be the target of a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant, and on Tuesday the CIty Council hired a Batavia, Ill. firm to help plan the grant project.

The council voted to hire Great Lakes Urban Forestry for $35,791 to assess the existing tree inventory in the city and develop a 10-year tree management plan.

The grant of nearly a quarter of a million dollars came from the USDA”s Urban and Community Forestry program.

Another $75,401 from the grant is allocated for site prep, tree removal and developing a tree inventory management plan.

Also Monday, the council took two actions to clear the way for developing a cannabis grow facility in the Kentville Road Industrial Park.

The council first approved the subdivision of the parcel of land at the southeast corner of Cole Street and Kentville Road for the grow facility. 

They then approved a resolution directing city officials to “prepare and execute all documents that are necessary and proper” to sell the parcel to ABB Properties LLC.

ABC Properties is a holding company for HVN Capital, the company that has received a license to establish a cannabis dispensary in the former Broken Chimney building on Tenney Street.

Three new city public works employees – from left, Breck Cheesman, Omar Carrera and Matthew Brody – were sworn in Tuesday by City Manager Gary Bradley.

Also Tuesday, Police Chief Stephen Kijanowski reported on his research into city ordinances governing electric bicycles.

Kijanowski checked with other Illinois communities and found that their bicycle ordinances made no specific mention of the electric bikes. He said he felt the regulations on the electric bikes in state law are sufficient for Kewanee.

In addition, three new city public works employees, Breck Cheesman, Omar Carrera and Matthew Brody were sworn in by City Manager Gary Bradley, as was Kewanee’s first female firefighter, Madison Allen.