Reaching out to students along nearby river banks, State Sen. Paul Schimpf (R-Waterloo) visited Shawnee High School recently to engage young constituents, visit local venues and announce a town hall meeting, all during the Illinois Legislature’s statewide in-district work period.
Schimpf and fellow Sen. Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg) toured the high school that lies in Union County and close to the confluence of the Big Muddy and Mississippi rivers. The area is facing ecological challenges, and the senators asked students for feedback on infrastructural needs. Students in the Shawnee School District have been involved in a levee education project for seven years.
On his website “Week in Review,” Schimpf reports that the area’s levee system, built in the 1950s, is decaying. Schimpf and Fowler expressed hope that the state could assist in funding structural improvements.
Schimpf also announced a public legislative forum to run from 9 to 11 a.m. on April 1 at the Carbondale Township Building at 216 E. Monroe. He will be joined by Fowler (R-Harrisburg), and coffee and donuts will be offered.
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