The closing of four streets in Urbana for the expansion of Carle Foundation Hospital was unanimously approved at Monday’s Urbana City Council meeting. Urbana will be paid $1 million collectively for the four streets. Charlie Smyth, Ward 1, said most of the money paid to the city will purchase a new traffic signal on Church Street.

The council’s approval may allow the closing of portions of Park Street between Busey and Coler avenues, of Coler Avenue between Park and Church streets, and of Coler Avenue between University Avenue and Park Street.

One of the proposed closings, a portion of Busey Avenue between University Avenue and Park Street, was deleted from the agreement between the city and Carle because it will only be used for construction equipment. The other streets have been designated as future sites for the additions to the facility.

John Snyder, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Carle Hospital, said the streets will be closed within the next six to nine months, pending approval by the health facility planning board. The expansion is currently a $144 million project, he said.

“We look forward to providing the region’s health care here in Urbana,” Snyder said.

Smyth said he thinks there was a good amount of discussion on the vacating of the streets before the council made its final decision.

“The public would be upset with the council if we allowed them to close the streets without getting something in return,” Smyth said. “In this case they are getting a modern hospital wing.”

Urbana Mayor Laurel Prussing agreed with councilman Smyth and said the Carle Hospital expansion approval has been a process that took many months, but she believes the expansion is good for health care in the community and said it will create 250 new jobs.

About 10 to 15 years ago Carle Hospital did not have a good relationship with the neighborhood, Prussing said.

“This is the first time the city has invited residents to come and have discussions with city planners,” she said. Carle has been doing a much better job of holding meetings for the neighbors and has been willing to change its proposal to meet residents’ needs, Prussing added.

“In the future I would rather see Carle build up, rather than spread out over more and more of the world’s richest agricultural land,” she said.

A representative of In-Line Insomniacs, a Registered Student Organization at the University since 2001, addressed the council about recent problems the group has been having with the Urbana police. Stephanie Haddad, fifth-year senior in FAA, said the group goes skating in the streets at midnight once a week.

Recently the Urbana police have expressed concern over the group’s safety.

Several council members seemed very interested in the organization and willing to talk about the problem with the students.