MCLEANSBORO — Congressman John Shimkus made a stop Thursday at McLeansboro City Hall where he was joined by Shawnee Professional Services, USDA representatives, city leaders and the public for the presentation of a $2.4 million USDA Rural Development loan for the construction of the new McLeansboro water tower.

Shawnee Professional Services will oversee the water tower project. The new 600,000-gallon water tower will quadruple the city’s water storage capacity and will replace the city’s aging, undersized facilities. It will also allow for future growth, address deficiencies identified by the IEPA and enhance fire protection for the protection of the life and property of city residents. That’s according to Mitch Garrett, owner of Shawnee Professional Services.

Besides the water tower project, the city is receiving a generous planning grant from USDA Rural Development to plan for future improvements to the city’s sanitary sewer collection and transportation systems, adding to its capacity and reliability.

Work will begin on the new water tower in the Spring of next year. The total cost of the project is around $3 million. The current water tower was built in 1988.