GODFREY - Godfrey Village Trustee Virginia Woulfe-Beile hosted a town hall meeting Wednesday night at the community room of the Liberty Bank branch located off Godfrey Road.
The meetings were promised during her campaign in April to gain a seat on the board. She said 25 people attended the meeting, which surprised her due to the majority of promoting the meeting occurred on social media and through emails. She said several people attended the meeting to voice their concerns and even air their grievances regarding the village.
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"I wanted to give people a chance to talk about their concerns who may not be able to make a village board meeting," Woulfe-Beile said. "Sometimes people's schedules don't allow for it or maybe they're intimidated to go to a public meeting like that and raise them."
The main concern of those in attendance seemed to be flooding, but not the sort related to the river. Woulfe-Beile said citizens were concerned about flooding in their own homes and businesses due to the amount of rain falling on the village's storm water system.
"After it rains, it gets into people's basement, and causes damage to their property," she said. "Someone even lost a vehicle to it. That's a big deal."
In response to those concerns, Woulfe-Beile said the village board created a committee to address the issue. Godfrey Mayor Mike McCormick asked her to serve on it as well.
Another issue brought to Woulfe-Beile's attention was a bridge on Winter Lane with which citizens have been concerned for years. She said emergency response professionals are also concerned about that portion of Godfrey's infrastructure.
"I want to find out what the hold up is on that," she said.
Woulfe-Beile said she would continue to conduct these citizen meetings throughout her term. Other elected officials from the Village of Godfrey were not in attendance at this meeting.
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