The Charleston City Council Tuesday passed a resolution allowing interim-City Manager Dean Barber to sign a loan application form from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, which would allocate funds for the new water treatment plant.

“It’s a real low interest rate,” Barber said of the possible loan.

However, chances of getting the loan appear slim. Charleston was ranked 149th on an IEPA loan application list, Barber said.

“(The IEPA) tend to skip past people who aren’t ready to go on their project,” which he said would benefit Charleston.

Currently, the city is holding off on acquiring bonds for the water treatment plant. However, the city cannot get the IEPA to comment on whether it has any funding to give or a date as to which the city would know if it might receive a loan.

“We’ll still have to issue some bonds, we’ll just have to issue that much less,” if a loan is granted, Barber said.

But, there will come a point where the city will no longer be able to wait for a possible loan, Barber commented.

“The IEPA is putting us between a rock and a hard place,” Mayor Dan Cougill said Tuesday.

Despite the delay, the council remains optimistic.

“We are doing everything we have to do to keep our options open,” Council Member Larry Rennels said.

In conjunction with the project, the council also passed a resolution to purchase flood insurance for any part of the water treatment plant, which if funded by an IEPA loan, would be in a potential flood zone. However, the new water treatment plant is currently not in a flood zone.

In other business, the council passed a resolution awarding a $37,440 bid to Lake Rip Rap, Inc. to install 750 feet of shoreline protection. The shoreline protection will place large rocks along the shore of Lake Charleston.

Also, the city approved spending $500 from the tourism funds for the Coles County Classic, hosted by the Charleston Stone Flyers Club, at the Coles County Airport on June 29 and 30.

Additionally, the council approved the division of a one-acre tract of land at 350 Decker Springs Road from an eight-acre tract of land for the purpose of building a house.

The council also passed resolutions restricting parking on Yearling Court and Deer Run Trail in the Deer Run Subdivision and changed two parking spaces on the Square to handicap spaces.

The council also will allow the closure of certain streets for the “Friendly City Five” on May 11. In addition, the council will adjust funds for the city’s share of the cost.