Monthly Archives: January 2007

Elections, Peoria Public Schools

A match made in heaven?

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I see from Clare Jellick’s blog that Bruce Brown, among others, is running for the school board. The last time Mr. Brown ran for public office was in 2005 when he ran unsuccessfully for mayor.

One of the reasons he didn’t get past the primary is because of his bewildering mass mailing. Anyone remember this?

If you had a garden,
the Butterfly and the Bee
would be welcome additions.

It’s art.

The Butterfly?
Color and whimsy…
A flight of light.

The Bee?
Well, let’s just say
“purpose driven”.

On paper and flowcharts,
the Bee isn’t supposed
to be able to fly…

Perhaps it’s Ali…
“Float like a Butterfly,
sting like a Bee”?

Don’t you think he would be a perfect fit in a district that also boasts consultant Judy Harris Helm? “If it can happen to a bee, just imagine….”

City Council, City of Peoria

Grayeb’s leading referendum question

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Here is the question retiring city councilman Chuck Grayeb would like to have on the ballot in April:

Should the City of Peoria Join Other Smoke-Free Illinois Cities and Smoke-Free States (including California and New York), by Prohibiting Smoking in All Indoor Work Places and All Indoor Public Places?

Wouldn’t it be simpler just to say, “Should the City of Peoria prohibit smoking in all indoor work places and all indoor public places?” Does not the inclusion of “join other smoke-free Illinois cities and smoke-free states (including California and New York)” make this an argumentative and leading question?

I did some checking, and it looks like the Circuit Court of Cook County said in Leman v. County of Cook “that a municipality which initiates even an advisory referendum has the obligation to set forth the question in as neutral and non-argumentative a fashion as possible.”

Grayeb’s question does not do that; indeed, if you read Grayeb’s Request for Council Action, the adoption of smoke-free policies by other states and Illinois cities is a large part of his argument for making Peoria smoke-free. He can’t put his argument into the advisory referendum.

Of course, I think this is a waste of time anyway; but if they’re going to do it, they should at least do it right.

Peoria Public Schools

Surprise! School consultants and school board agree!

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Maybe it is and maybe it isn’t more expensive to restore than rebuild, but when a consultant tells a government body exactly what they wanted to hear — and there’s money tied to their findings, to boot — I get skeptical.

STS Consultants told the School Board yesterday “it would cost $8.36 million just to bring the [Glen Oak School] building up to code. Replacing the school with a building of the exact same size would cost $7.95 million,” reports Clare Jellick who adds later, “The studies are part of a process to secure money to build new schools.”

I’ve requested a copy of the study through the Freedom of Information Act. I’d be curious to know what exactly is included in the $7.95 million “building of the exact same size.” For instance, I wonder if it’s a brick building (like Glen Oak is now), or cheaper siding. I also wonder what they mean by “bring[ing] the building up to code.” Does that mean the city code or the State Board of Education’s code?

I’ve also written to STS Consultants asking for examples of historic renovation work they’ve done. From their website, I couldn’t find any evidence that they’ve ever done any historic renovation, but perhaps they just don’t advertise it. If they haven’t done any historic restoration, I would want to know if they consulted a specialist in that field when preparing their study for District 150. It makes a difference.

City of Peoria, Peoria Police

Psst, hey buddy, wanna buy a book?

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Forget that car stereo or your old copper pipes. What thieves are really after are your used books. That’s right, there’s a huge crime spree — people stealing books, then pawning them off at used book shops for a buck apiece.

At least, I assume that’s what’s happening since Peoria Police are cracking down on used book shops. They’ve mysteriously started enforcing this little-known ordinance:

Technically, used bookstores fall under the city’s ordinance dealing with secondhand dealers. It requires they keep a register including the following information: “a succinct and accurate description of all property taken, purchased or received,” as well as the full name and description of the person they received it from, including date of birth and home address and a signed statement from that person that they have the legal right to sell the property.

The ordinance also requires they wait a week before selling or trading anything.

Who knew there was such a big black market in stolen books? I’m glad the police are on it. Maybe this will help them find the killer in one of the 11 unsolved homicides of 2006.

Peoria Public Schools

Hinton up to his old tricks

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WMBD-AM reports that District 150 Superintendent Ken Hinton is going to school board members trying to drum up support for his plan to close Manual High School:

Sources say the Superintendent has been holding separate meetings with school board members to explain his proposal, and while a school board vote once taken may not be unanimous, Hinton appears to have the four votes necessary to approve the plan.

Why is it so hard for Mr. Hinton to conduct public business in public? Why are all his dealings seemingly under the table? Now it appears the fix is in to close Manual High School. Hinton has been skirting the Open Meetings Act by having separate meetings with board members, a clear violation of the intent, though probably not the letter, of the act.

But why should he care? The school board doesn’t have a pair of balls among them to stand up to him or he would have been fired by now, so I guess we’ll just have to get used to these kinds of shenanigans happening as standard D150 operating procedure. I guess we’ll just have to keep our ears to the media and their sources to find out what public business is being discussed in separate private meetings with the superintendent.

Billy’s idea of the city taking over the school district is sounding more and more like a good idea.

UPDATE: The Journal Star reports that Hinton’s office has released this statement about WMBD’s report: “At this point, the superintendent has made no formal recommendation regarding the closing of any high school, nor has he polled any board members regarding this topic.”

City of Peoria, Kellar Branch, Village of Peoria Heights

Peoria Heights Mayor may break with Peoria over Kellar Branch

2 Comments

Billy Dennis has posted an e-mail he received from Peoria Heights Mayor Mark Allen regarding the Heights’ role in the Kellar Branch saga. In it, Mr. Allen states:

I have spoken with representatives of Pioneer Line, and have made them aware that we would appreciate that Peoria Heights be considered as the SEPARATE entity that it is from Peoria. I do not plan on following lock-step with the City of Peoria, or the Peoria Park District. While we will always consider what is best for the area, we must also put first priority as to what is best for Peoria Heights.

I’m guessing this might have something to do with the fact that the Heights has just lost Cohen’s warehouse at the site of the former Pabst plant, and it may behoove his village to keep the Kellar Branch in order to lure a good rail-served business to that location.

However, if Mr. Allen wants to be considered “separate” from Peoria, I hope he’s aware that the Village of Peoria Heights is a co-petitioner with the City of Peoria in the Adverse Discontinuance proceeding against Pioneer Industrial Railway (PIRY) that the Surface Transportation Board (STB) just reopened. If the Heights now wants to retain PIRY as operator of the line, they need to inform the City of Peoria and the STB that they are withdrawing themselves as parties to the petition.

City of Peoria, Heart of Peoria Plan, HOPC

Diocese takes the name of HOP/C in vain

17 Comments

If you watched or attended the City Council meeting tonight, you may have heard a representative of the Catholic Diocese of Peoria give a presentation on their plans to build a new pastoral center downtown. In her presentation, she claimed that the plans were approved by the Heart of Peoria Commission.

That’s actually not true. The plans were shown to the Heart of Peoria Commission (HOP/C), and revised plans were shown to a few members of the HOP/C, but at no point did the commission take an official vote to approve or disapprove of the plans. I, as a recent appointee to the HOP/C, have never seen their plans at all, so I have no idea whether they conform with the Heart of Peoria Plan or with the proposed Land Development Code.

You may think I’m making a big deal out of nothing, and I won’t argue that, but it’s a pet peeve of mine to have the HOP/C’s name taken in vain — a pet peeve that started before I was even on the commission. This isn’t the first time it’s happened. The HOP/C’s “blessing” was invoked for Museum Square as well, even though the commission never approved that project either. The Heart of Peoria Plan has been used to justify all kinds of projects, from Museum Square to District 150’s park-siting plans, even though those projects are antithetical to the Plan.

The HOP/C has no regulatory authority, but since the City Council adopted the HOP Plan “in principle,” getting the HOP/C’s input on big projects downtown and making token changes is undertaken as an inconvenient, but politically-correct thing to do. Once they make minor tweaks based on HOP/C recommendations, they check the commission off their list and claim to have its full support.

The HOP/C is going to have to be taken more seriously if the City Council ever expects the Heart of Peoria Plan to be adopted in earnest, not just in principle.

Kellar Branch

Council to consider Kellar Branch options

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The City Council has decided to explore their options regarding the Kellar Branch.

You may remember that the Surface Transportation Board (STB) recently ruled, in effect, that the Kellar Branch is to remain an operational rail line and reopened the question of whether Pioneer Industrial Railway or Central Illinois Railroad (CIRY) should be the carrier. Councilman Sandberg recognizes that if the STB, a federal agency, decides who the carrier should be on the Kellar Branch, then the city’s hands will be tied. Thus, he would like to see the city be proactive and come up with a strategy on how to proceed. After making a motion to that effect, the council passed it unanimously.

The city does not have many options, as I see it. Here’s what they can do:

  1. Keep trying to discontinue service on the line. This is what the Sierra Club and the Recreational Trails Advocates would like, if Joyce Blumenshine’s remarks to the council are any guage of their thinking. It would require the city to hire another carrier (besides Pioneer or CIRY), get STB approval of that carrier, then have that carrier file for discontinuance on the line and go through the same fight with Carver Lumber again. Estimated time: 1-2 years at least. Probability of success: Nil.
  2. Make a deal with Pioneer. Pioneer has offered to buy the line or accept a long-term lease to provide service. In return, they have also offered to do a number of other positive things, including an offer to help build a trail concurrent with the rail right-of-way with up to $100,000 of in-kind service. Estimated time: immediate. Probability of success: Excellent.
  3. Wait for STB to act. This would mean just leaving everything status quo until the STB rules on who should be allowed to service the line, at which point the council will lose all bargaining power and will get neither the carrier of their choice nor a recreational trail. Estimated time: 3-6 months. Probability of success: Non-existent.

I can’t see any other possibilities, but there may be some other permutations of the ones I’ve listed.

It’s interesting to note the rhetoric put forth in discussion on this item. Fifth district councilman Patrick Nichting mentioned that council members recently took a ride on the Kellar Branch line (within the past few weeks) and derailed along the way. From the conversation, it sounded like CIRY was providing the ride. Nichting also noted the thick vegetation overgrowth and asked CIRY how long it had been this way; they answered, “long before we got here.” The clear implication was that Pioneer had not adequately cared for the line when they were operating it.

Yet Pioneer was able to successfully run trains up the Kellar Branch without incident the entire time they were servicing Carver Lumber and other shippers along the line. It was CIRY who had a runaway train that endangered the lives of Peorians and never provided service. It was CIRY who stopped maintaining the tracks. And it’s CIRY who withdrew their petition to discontinue service because they wanted to start operating the line themselves. If the track were really in such irreparable condition, why would they take such an action? If the western spur were sufficient, why did they withdraw their petition?

Nichting also brought up the tired old excuse that there are portions of the right-of-way that aren’t wide enough for the rail and trail to run concurrently “without adding bridges.” This is the Park District’s logic that Nichting is parroting. There are ways to hurdle these types of obstacles if anyone would be willing to compromise. One obvious idea is to simply work around those areas by running the trail out to the side of the street. It wouldn’t have to be an on-street bike route; the trail could run along the city’s easement parallel to the street, thus still allowing the park district to meet the requirements for their grant money. It would be no different than what East Peoria did with their trail to avoid the trailer park along route 150.

Councilman Morris brought up the council’s history of supporting a recreational trail through town. Yes, historically that has been true. But times have changed. The STB has ruled. They’re not going to allow the line to be turned into a recreational trail. It’s time to compromise.

City Manager Randy Oliver offered to bring back options to the council at the February 13 council meeting. It will be interesting to see what transpires between now and then.

Update: The Journal Star has filed its report. Elaine Hopkins was a little confused when she wrote this statement:

Pioneer’s successor, Central Illinois Railroad Company, has withdrawn its petition to discontinue service over the line, with the board granting the withdrawal. That withdrawal is another necessary step in trail development.

No, the petition was a necessary step in trail development. The withdrawal of that petition was a death knell for trail development.

There’s a lot of hopeful talk and disinformation coming from trail enthusiasts. On WMBD-AM 1470 this morning, they just wrote off Pioneer’s quote to repair the rail line, claiming that it would cost $10-20 million to fix it up and saying the city can’t afford it. The truth is, far from having to spend millions of dollars, the city could gain over a half-million dollars by selling the line to Pioneer; their offer to purchase the line and grant a 999-year lease to the Park District to share the right-of-way for a trail still stands. The city can have both and make money in the process if they stop listening to the uninformed, tunnel-vision trail enthusiasts.

Peoria Public Schools

Hinton: I listen to no one but myself

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Clare Jellick has a very telling quote on her blog from District 150 Superintendent Ken Hinton. The article is about Hinton changing his mind regarding Edison schools, and Clare asked him if he changed his mind because of “the outcry from parents last year.” His answer?

“That wasn’t a factor at all,” Hinton said. “I don’t want to offend anyone, but I come to a position based on my own observation excluding outside influence.”

Isn’t that obvious? Kind of makes you wonder why he spent all that time last year asking for public input on the school siting issue. As we suspected, it was evidently just for show.