Monthly Archives: August 2005

Kellar Branch

We can look back and laugh now….

 

Without deemphasizing the major public safety problem with CIRY (see previous post), I have to tell you that the scene is actually a bit comical. 
Here’s a quote from an eye-witness (all grammatical/spelling/punctuation errors are the witness’s):
my parents live next to the keller branch on rock island. saturday i was there visiting sitting in the back yard and saw the trackmobile(with 2 crew members) heading to carver lumber with the centerbeam and one boxcar.it sounded like it was working hard just to reach park street.after about 15 to 20 minutes i heard a rummbeling noise so i went to the alley and saw the two cars heading back at a high rate of speed, when it went by at around 30 to 40 mph and only 1 crew member i knew something was wrong. when it was out of my site i was still able to hear it,within a minute i heard aloud bang.while standing in the alley discussing what just happend, i looked up the tracks and saw a man limping badly towards mh equipment.since i was parked in the alley i drove up and meet him at park st. to my surprise he wasnt hurt but handicaped so i picked him up and took him back to caroline st where it had slammed into the parked cars that were left behind.it appears the engineer bailed out near madison and abington.i never heard it blow its horn at any point during the runnaway, luckly it crossed adams and jefferson without hitting anyone or anybody getting hurt. when it hit all the equipment stayed upright but damaged and derailed, the tracks receiving the most damage.
[The witness provided this additional information later:]
when i saw the runnaway the 2 cars were dragging the trackmobile with them. I noticed a week ago the swither was sitting next to the old I.P. plant near industrial drive, barely visible through the bushes.
Ha ha ha!  This is like something you would see on an old comedy reel!  Train cars rolling backwards down a hill, dragging the “engine” with them!  All this scene needs is Snidely Whiplash tying Belle to the tracks somewhere near Park Street where the train finally lost traction and slid backwards.
The silly thing is that CIRY actually does have an engine — sitting up at the old International Paper plant near Industrial Drive.  Why didn’t they use it?  Why would they even attempt to pull loaded cars up the Kellar Branch with a trackmobile?  The lack of judgement here is astounding.

 

Kellar Branch

City’s new Kellar Branch shipper derails

The city’s new railroad company, Central Illinois Railway (CIRY), found out the hard way that you need more than a trackmobile to get a load of lumber up the Kellar Branch.

I heard from a source who will remain anonymous that CIRY tried pulling two cars up the Kellar Branch’s steep grade this past Saturday using only a trackmobile, but the vehicle lost traction and ended up sending the two cars backwards down the line at approximately 30 mph. Miraculously, they didn’t hit anyone when they sped across Abington, Madison, Jefferson, and Adams. None of the cars tipped over, nor did the lumber load come loose or fall off.

However, the runaway cars did hit the remaining cars that were parked close to the switch where the Kellar Branch connects to the Tazewell & Peoria line (TZPR), derailing them and mangling the track. So, it looks like poor Carver Lumber will have to wait a little longer to get their order delivered. At least until CIRY gets a real engine and can fix the tracks.

Sounds like the city hired a real winner. First, their owner gets indicted for soliciting murder, and now they don’t have the equipment to provide the service the city contracted them to perform.

Just imagine if the people who hired CIRY were in charge of hiring someone to run the water works here in Peoria . . . .

Uncategorized

Blogging will be lighter than usual

We’re moving.
 
We currently live in a two-bedroom home (great starter house), but have three kids.  My son’s bedroom has been the living room the past four months.  So, as they say on The Jeffersons, “we’re a-movin’ on up” to a bigger house. 
 
If all goes as planned, we’ll be closing on the sale of our current house and the purchase of our new house on Thursday.  The big move will be Saturday.  That means, not much blogging for the next week or so.  But I’m sure I’ll have lots of fun moving stories to share when I get back to blogging!

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Expect shorter obits, more ads

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The Journal Star came out with their new obituary policies today.  Starting September 1, the Journal Star will only report “details of the person’s death, time and place of services, burial and visitation” for free.  Anything more than that will cost you $15 per column inch.  Some things for which they will now be charging include:  picture of deceased, survivors, where the person worked — all the “cold, hard, verifiable facts” they’ve been printing for free all these years.
 
They put a positive spin on it, naturally.  “At last,” I paraphrase, “our readers can say whatever they want about their dearly departed.  We wouldn’t let you do it before, but now we will.”  I would hope so at $15 per column inch.  A truly generous gesture would have been to provide the same service they always have for free, but charge those families who wanted to include additional information.  Let’s call a spade a spade:  this is nothing more than a cost-cutting, revenue-increasing strategy that they’re trying to pass off as an improvement in service. 
 
It’s a win-win for the paper — if the bereaved don’t buy the space, other advertisers will.  And since the PJS is the only daily paper in town, keeping advertisers happy is their primary concern.

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Deep thoughts about blogging

I was reading an excerpt of Yuval Levin’s essay from the journal The Public Interest on how the speed of technology adversely affects American politics. He has a paragraph on blogging I’d like to share here for your discussion:

Another example of the quickening of politics in the Information Age — and its mixed consequences — can be found in the first real new political institution of the Internet: the “blog.” Many blogs — or “web logs,” online diaries and sites of instant commentary and opinion — are homes for genuine political reflection. And in their interactions with one another, bloggers sometimes resemble a genuine community of citizens. However, this burgeoning institution embodies many of the Internet’s deficiencies: It often has the feel of an echo-chamber; it is placeless; and it thrives on instant responses to the latest events. Above all, blogging is immediate. This is part of its charm, for both the writer and the reader. But it is also its greatest drawback as a forum for political discourse and action. Blogging is a new outlet for political opinion, but for the most part it is unreflective opinion. Insulated from refining influences and institutions and unconnected to the direct political life of any particular place, blogging is mere instantaneous reaction. But the institutions of political life exist, to a great extent, to mediate, and hopefully to elevate, public opinion. This is why their practical effect is often to slow things down, and why the rise of unmediated institutions like blogging is a mixed blessing at best.

[ . . . ]

The framers of the Constitution certainly perceived a need for dispatch and energy in government, and the system they designed reflects that concern in some respects, particularly in its relation to foreign nations. But at the same time, they understood the danger of too much speed in politics. In its internal operations, the American system seems designed to work at a snailÂ’s pace, to avoid, as Alexander Hamilton put it, “haste, inadvertence, and a want of due deliberation.” The politics of the Information Age will break down these barriers to haste.

What do you think? Is blogging “unreflective opinion” for the most part? Does public opinion need to be “mediated”? Is blogging too instantaneous — too knee-jerk — to be of value in politics? If you accept Levin’s critique, what do you think can be done to keep blogs “homes for genuine reflection” and avoid “the Internet’s deficiencies”?

Kellar Branch

City and Journal Star continue smear campaign against Pioneer

In the Journal Star’s editorial today, they continue to insinuate wrongdoing on the part of Pioneer Industrial Railcorp:

In its filing with the [Surface Transportation Board], Pioneer suggests that customers will be “irreparably harmed” if they can’t be served on the Kellar [Branch]. It neglects to mention that it quit running trains on the track last week, leaving box cars intended for its last remaining customer sitting in the rail yard.

And the Journal Star neglects to mention that the reason Pioneer left is because of this letter from the City of Peoria’s attorney Thomas McFarland:

Letter from City to Pioneer

Read it for yourself. It’s dated August 15 and says, “This is to advise correspondingly that Pioneer Industrial Railway Co. (PIRY) should cease rail operations and vacate the Kellar Branch at Peoria-Peoria Heights, IL, no later than 11:59 p.m., Sunday, August 21, 2005.” (emphasis mine)

On August 18, the Journal Star reported under the headline “Railroad pulls out early“:

After fighting for more than a year to keep providing rail service on the Kellar Branch, Pioneer Railcorp abandoned the line and one of its customers without aiding in the transition to a new provider, as promised.

Public Works Director Steve Van Winkle said Wednesday that Pioneer Railcorp chairman Guy Brenkman had told the city’s attorney in the STB case that his company would assist for as long as 30 days in the transition period to the new short-line operator.

Instead, Pioneer Railcorp immediately stopped providing any service, leaving Carver Lumber without access to the track and forcing Granville-based Central Illinois Railway to expedite its takeover.

“(Pioneer Railcorp) did no days transition,” Van Winkle said.

So, Van Winkle is upset that Pioneer didn’t provide 30 days service in transition, yet the city gave Pioneer only six days to vacate the tracks. So who really left Carver Lumber in the lurch? Answer: the city.

Other questions:

(1) Is communication between city departments so bad that the left hand doesn’t know what the right is doing? Or is the city deliberately trying to vilify Pioneer?

(2) Did the Journal Star not read the STB filing on which they reported? Did they not notice the letter from McFarland? Or are they deliberately ignoring it and continuing to publish false information about Pioneer in an effort to discredit them?

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City votes against water buyout

The city council, to my surprise and delight, decided not to pursue the water buyout tonight on a very close vote (6-5). Here’s how they voted (a “yea” vote was to pursue the buyout):

Yea: Grayeb, Gulley, Manning, Sandberg, Van Auken
Nay: Ardis, Jacob, Morris, Nichting, Spears, Turner

Jacob, who had hardly said anything thus far on the council, made perhaps the most succinct and compelling speech against the buyout. He was concerned about the debt load the city would be carrying and the fact that just adding revenue doesn’t address the city’s root problems with fiscal responsibility or the lack thereof. He and several others who voted against the buyout still are balking at the price. They feel it was appraised too high and isn’t really worth the amount of money we would have to pay for it at this time. There may be legislation and grants that we could use to our advantage if we wait. Another concern of several council members, including Ardis, was that this vote was too rushed; the vote to pursue due diligence needed to be made in May, not August. There simply isn’t enough time to make a responsible decision.

Grayeb made an eleventh-hour, end-run substitute motion to pursue due diligence with the private Peoria Area Advancement Group (PAAG) loaning $250,000 toward the cost of the process. However, it went down to defeat 7-5, with even Manning (to his credit) voting against it.

Thank you to all the council members for their conscientiousness on this issue. Obviously, I’m happy about the outcome, but I know that those in favor of the buyout also had the best interests of Peoria at heart. My thanks again to you all.

Uncategorized

Water Buyout: Just Say No (Again)

Dear City Council,

There seems to be some confusion over the city residents’ wishes regarding the proposed water buyout, so this letter is to give a little clarification. When we voted “no” in the most recent referendum, that meant that we didn’t want the city to purchase the water company. It’s as simple as that.

Since then, there have been all kinds of crazy ideas regarding the voters’ intent. Some say the voters were ignorant of the facts, that too many of us thought the city was going to actually manage the water company, or that what we were really voting against was the price and terms of purchasing the water company at that time.

Wrong. We voted “no” because, frankly, we don’t trust you. Not you personally, but the council that will exist in various configurations over the coming decades. You have a long track record of using our money unwisely (e.g., RiverPlex), neglecting the older parts of town, and favoring big box developers over neighbors and small businesses (e.g., Glen Hollow, MidTown Plaza).

Storm drainage in the Rolling Acres area has gone unaddressed for years. Raw sewage is being dumped into the river near Detweiller Marina. Lord knows what shape the water infrasturcture will be in if the city’s responsible for maintaining it. And why don’t we have the money to fix those things? Because the city has been busy building ballparks, establishing TIF districts for large retail, and giving away a $565,000 railroad right-of-way to the park district to build a money-losing trail, among other questionable decisions.

To plug a budget shortfall that would have shuttered a fire station, you recently tacked $6 per month onto our water bills under the pretense of a “garbage fee” — a political move that allowed you to boast that you didn’t raise property taxes. Why should we believe you won’t use our water rates the same way in the future?

You say that if future councils unduly raises rates that we can vote them out. But that’s little consolation. We voted out the previous council for the $6 garbage fee and for trying to buy the water company, and yet the garbage fee remains and you’re still considering buying the water company. Clearly, voting you out is no deterrent, and voting in a new council doesn’t repeal past increases or release us from past debt obligations. The damage is already done by the time an election rolls around.

It wouldn’t matter what the price or terms of the sale were, we would still say no to buying the water company. It will inevitably end up being another tax on city residents, and no guarantee of better service or maintenance. Let Illinois American Water Company continue providing us water service; we’re happy with them.

Use all this energy you’ve been exerting to do something that will really help Peoria, like attracting higher-paying manufacturing and industrial jobs, improving the infrastructure in the older parts of Peoria, fixing the storm drainage and sewer problems, and continuing to work with District 150 to improve the schools so people stop moving out to Dunlap and Germantown Hills. There are a lot more beneficial things you could be doing instead of pursuing this buyout to which residents have consistently said no.

The first step in regaining our trust is to listen to us. Think about that when you vote tonight.

Sincerely,
Your constituents

Kellar Branch

Kellar Branch: The Saga Continues

Some interesting developments in the Pioneer Industrial Railway v. City of Peoria department today. You may recall that, over the weekend, Pioneer (PIRY) filed a petition with the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to reopen the adverse discontinuance case. Today, the STB published the documentation that goes with that petition, and it’s very interesting!

It looks like Pioneer has secured another attorney and is taking further legal action. The last STB ruling found (among other things) that the City of Peoria is the landlord, so to speak, and Pioneer is the tenant, and that any disputes between owner and tenant are not for the STB to decide, but whatever court has jurisdiction over such matters. So, Pioneer is filing suit against DOT Rail and the City of Peoria in circuit court. Pioneer maintains that the agreement between the city and Pioneer (as successor to Peoria & Pekin Union Railway) did not specify an expiration date, and thus the original agreement is still in effect. If that’s true, then Pioneer can continue operating on the line as long as they’re providing adequate service to shippers. PIRY wants the STB to clarify that the city cannot remove any track on the Kellar Branch unless (a) this court case is decided in favor of the city and (b) CIRY receives authority from the STB to discontinue service on the line. In order for the STB to make such a clarification, it would technically need to “reopen” the case/decision. Thus the petition to reopen/reconsider.

Sound confusing? Legal maneuvers usually are. I think Pioneer makes a good case, though. Their position is that, if the court case is decided in Pioneer’s favor, but the city has already ripped up the rail line, they will have done irreparable damage to Pioneer’s ability to reestablish shipping. Thus, the line should stay in place until the court case is decided. They threw in the second condition because the city keeps talking as if they can rip out the track once the spur is completed without going back to the STB for discontinuance approval. Pioneer wants to remind the city that they can’t legally do that.

The upshot is that this dispute could take months or years to wind its way through the courts, and if the city has to keep the tracks in place until it’s finally resolved, the park district may lose its funding for converting the Kellar Branch into an extension of the Rock Island Trail. So, it will be interesting to see how the STB responds (if it responds at all).

Oh, one other interesting thing — you know how the Journal Star castigated Pioneer for supposedly pulling out early when they had promised to help with the transition? PIRY’s STB filing includes a letter from city attorney Thomas McFarland that ordered PIRY to vacate the tracks by 11:59 p.m. August 21. So Pioneer was just following orders. I wonder if the Journal Star will report that news. Not!

City of Peoria

Internet Every Day

I was checking out the Peoria Public School District 150 website, and I came across a link that said simply “Technology.”  I thought it looked intriguing, so I clicked on it and came across a plethora of internet links for students and teachers.  The most curious one was labeled “Internet Every Day.”  This links to another page on the school district website that includes this introduction:
As a classroom teacher with 5 computers and a new “attachment” to the wide area network and the World Wide Web, I want to see my students engaged in meaningful use of these resources.  I have researched numerous sites that I feel would be useful for my students to access on a daily basis and also resources for teachers to use for their daily tasks.  Try as many of these sites as you like and see what you think.
After this are several links to “sites for kids” and “sites for teachers.”  The sites for kids include “Time.com for Kids,” “Yahooligans! News, Jokes, and Sports,” “Brainteasers,” “EduPuppy,” and several others.
 
This is ridiculous.  First of all, when did using the internet become a basic skill right up there with readin’, ‘ritin’, and ‘rithmetic?  Using the internet is not that difficult, folks.  You don’t have to do it every day of your school year to figure it out.  I never even had the internet until I was past college age and I picked it up without any trouble.  My parents are in their late fifties/early sixties and they use it.  So don’t tell me this is a life skill that kids need to learn early or they’ll just never make it in the real world If I want to learn more about tv and internet packages then I can do so pretty quick. 
 
As far as using the content of the internet for educational purposes, I think it’s a waste of money.  There’s great cost in wiring schools for internet access and purchasing computers and paying network administrators to keep it all humming, and for what?  I’ve clicked on many of the links on the “Internet Every Day” page, and they’re nothing that needs to be done on a computer.  For example:
  • Brainteasers:  I used to do brainteasers in school — they used to call them “story problems,” and the teacher handed them out on a piece of paper.  This gave me the added benefit of being able to work out the math on the paper itself so the teacher could see how I came up with my answer, not just whether or not I got the right answer.
  • Word of the Day:  We used to call these “vocabulary tests.”  We’d have a list of words for which we needed to know each spelling and definition.  Another way we got a “word of the day” was by reading books.  When we came across a word we didn’t know, we’d look it up in the dictionary (that’s a book filled with “words of the day” and their definitions).
  • Yahooligans! News:  We read the newspaper — they still publish these today.
  • Ask Jeeves:  We used a set of books called an “encyclopedia.”  The World Book encyclopedia was especially kid-friendly, with well-written but easy-to-understand entries and lots of pictures and diagrams.  Some entries even had little science projects you could do!  For really complicated questions, you might have to go to the library and look up more information in books.
  • A Game A Day:  We used to play games with each other instead of with a computer.  Board games often required skills like counting, making change, or memorization.  Outdoor games required strategy and physical agility.  Playing outside instead of on the computer would go a long way toward keeping kids from getting fat, too.
Certainly none of these internet sites warrant visiting them every day.  Besides their questionable value, there’s also the issue of advertising on several of the sites and the effect that can have on children. 
 
U.S. students are not lagging behind other countries like Germany and Japan because they don’t know how to use Google.  We’ve got them beat on that front.  If you really want to teach the kids something, have them take the computer apart and put it back together.  Then at least they would be learning something about electricity and the properties of certain metals.  They may even get interested in engineering or chemistry as a result.