Monthly Archives: August 2010

Radio

WCBU has new website

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Actually, WCBU has had a new website for a little while now, but I’m just getting around to blogging about it. WCBU is, of course, the public radio station in Peoria (89.9 FM) with studios at Bradley University. If you haven’t checked it out their new site, take a look: http://www.wcbufm.org/.

The local news is posted in a blog-like form. Shorter stories are text-only. Longer stories are posted as an audio clip. Each story has a permatag, so if I want to refer to a specific WCBU story, I can link directly to the post on it. For instance, if I want to talk about the big District 150 meeting yesterday, here’s what WCBU had to say about it. There’s also a section devoted to their Outside the Horseshoe program, which airs just before the Peoria City Council meetings.

The old site was largely static and hard to navigate. The new site is much improved, with lots of dynamic content and an improved menu system.

Museum Block, Peoria County

Last chance to vote on museum changes

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A petition drive was launched today by Citizens for Responsible Spending, County Board members Brad Harding and Merle Widmer, and At-Large City Councilman Gary Sandberg. It’s an effort to allow Peoria County residents the opportunity to vote on whether or not to issue $41 million in general obligation bonds to construct the proposed Peoria Riverfront Museum.

Why? Because things have changed since April 2009 when the revenue to pay for the bonds was approved by the voters. Back then, we were promised they would issue revenue bonds, so as to limit the exposure of Peoria County taxpayers and protect our general sales tax receipts. Now they’re trying to issue general obligation bonds. Back then, they made it very clear there was going to be an IMAX Theater — the contract was just sitting on their desk waiting to be signed as soon as the referendum passed! Now they say IMAX isn’t compatible with their mission. Back then, the County assured us that they would insist that all the private financing be raised and in hand before construction would begin. Now they’re planning to start construction before the private money is raised, before vital grant money is awarded, before they own the land, before the bonds are issued, before the bond hearing is held, and even before Caterpillar has voted on the redevelopment agreement.

In short, the County has betrayed the trust of the Peoria County taxpayers. They’ve reneged on their promises. They’ve broken their word. Peoria County residents deserve better.

The last available option to residents is to gather signatures to put the museum funding on the ballot so we can vote on their real plan, not the bill of goods we were sold in the Spring of 2009.

For more information, or to get involved, please go to BlocktheBonds.com.

2010 Election

Homemade anti-McDade ad appears on YouTube

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You don’t generally see (or pay attention to) election ads about retaining judges during campaign season. Races with two or more opponents tend to get all the attention; the question of whether to retain a judge just isn’t very exciting. But it looks like this season things may be a little different, especially for Appellate Court Judge Mary McDade. A Chronicle reader sent me a link to this homemade ad on YouTube:

City Council, City of Peoria

Liveblogging the City Council 8-24-2010

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Hello everyone, and welcome to the Peoria City Council meeting. I haven’t been able to attend the last couple of meetings, but I’m back tonight, liveblogging the event for your entertainment. You can join the fun at City Hall, fourth floor, Council Chambers. You can also watch live on Comcast cable channel 22, or listen live on 89.9 FM, WCBU.

The hyperlinked agenda is here, if you want to see supporting documentation. Otherwise, I’ll list the agenda items below and give a play-by-play on each of them as the council discusses them. This post will be updated frequently throughout the evening, so be sure to refresh your browser. It’s now 6:15 p.m. and time to get started. Without any further ado, here’s tonight’s agenda (it’s a long one!):

Continue reading Liveblogging the City Council 8-24-2010 →

City Council, City of Peoria, Heart of Peoria Plan, Museum Block

City staff omits key fact about HOPC’s ‘review’ of museum design

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Before the City Council can give away the museum block for $1, they first have to approve the “design concepts” for the museum. On the council communication, under “neighborhood concerns,” it states, “Heart of Peoria Commission reviewed the drawings prior to Council approval on April 4, 2006.” This is misleading. First of all, the design plans have changed dramatically since 2006. The council communication does acknowledge that there have been “some revisions,” but that’s rather understated, considering the size of the building decreased by 26%, retail development has been pushed off to a future phase, etc. Secondly, the Heart of Peoria Commission recommended denial of the changes that reduced the building size in 2007.

Why is City staff not providing council members with all the facts? What other facts have they omitted?

City Council, City of Peoria, TIF

City to study feasibility of “East Village” TIF

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The City Council wants to see if all or part of the East Bluff recently dubbed “East Village” qualifies as a redevelopment area and tax increment financing (TIF) district. The council will vote tonight on whether to pursue a feasibility and housing impact study of the area that stretches from Arcadia to Adams, spanning three council districts. It surrounds, but does not include, the existing MidTown Plaza TIF. Since OSF St. Francis Medical Center is paying for the consultant, this item will pass easily.

City Council, City of Peoria, Traffic

Traffic Commission to get new appointee

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It’s been a long time coming, but Pat Sullivan is finally being replaced on the Traffic Commission. He resigned in October 2009, ten months ago. Taking his place will be Patrick McNamara, a retiree of Caterpillar and past president of the Uplands Residential Association. He’s since moved out of the West Bluff.

I know Mr. McNamara; he lived down the street from me when he lived in the Uplands, and I got to interact with him at Uplands Residential Association meetings. He was always well-prepared, well-spoken, and reasonable — a really nice guy. I think he’s a great choice for the Traffic Commission.

However, I have to wonder if he’ll ever get a chance to serve, considering the frequency of Traffic Commission meeting cancellations and the rather low view our Public Works Director has of the commission’s role. If the commission is not going to be utilized or supported, or if it is not seen as valuable, perhaps the better solution would be to disband it (ala the Heart of Peoria Commission) instead of wasting these fine citizens’ time.

City Council, City of Peoria

Walgreens liquor license goes before council tonight

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Walgreens wants to sell liquor in all its Peoria stores, but only three of them come before the City Council tonight. The Walgreens locations at 4814 N. Sheridan Rd., 1919 W. Pioneer Parkway, and 2324 W. War Memorial Dr. are requesting approval to sell package liquor. Earlier this month, the City’s Liquor Commission voted 3-1 to recommend approval.

Two Walgreen’s stores at 2515 N. Knoxville Ave. and 3524 N. University St. are not included yet because, according to the Liquor Commission minutes, “the District 2 Councilperson wanted to hold neighborhood association meetings in that District before those site applications were submitted.” In March 2008, the City Council denied (on an 8-2 vote) a package liquor license for Wal-Mart, just down the street from Walgreens on University. The reasons given were neighborhood opposition, concern over potential crime, and concern over expansion of liquor sales.

Walgreens wants to sell liquor “because of customer demand for their convenience, so they can make one stop on their way home as opposed to having to stop at another store,” the Liquor Commission minutes stated.

City Council, City of Peoria, Museum Block, Peoria Journal Star

Journal Star says it’s too late to turn back now… I believe they’ve fallen in love

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As I read Sunday’s Journal Star editorial, “Our View: Too late to turn back now on museum project,” I couldn’t help but think of that old Cornelius Bros and Sister Rose song — perhaps that was the intention of the headline writer:

The Journal Star has fallen in love with the museum project. And you know what they say about love: it’s blind. Those in love overlook all the flaws (even major ones) in the object of their desire. Such is the case with the Journal Star overlooking the major problems with the museum project, apologizing for them, justifying them, or just plain refusing to believe them in some cases. One can almost see them gazing at a framed picture of the museum rendering with a dreamy, far-away look in their eyes, wrapping their Caterpillar class ring with angora.

The starry-eyed Journal Star editors are wrong. In fact, it’s not too late to stop the madness. Not a spade of dirt has been turned yet. The museum plans only exist on paper. Yes, a lot of money has been expended, but that’s no justification for spending millions more on a flawed, doomed-to-fail plan that has gone from bad to worse since the referendum. As C. S. Lewis famously said, “We all want progress, but if you’re on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.”

The City Council should send the museum folks back to the drawing board Tuesday night by voting against the design concepts and the redevelopment agreement.

City Council, City of Peoria, Museum Block

Council agenda includes museum redevelopment agreement

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The City Council agenda for August 24 includes three items regarding the proposed museum. They include approval of the design concepts, the redevelopment agreement (which includes conveying the land to the County for $1), and vacating certain portions of Liberty and Main streets between Water and Washington streets.

Dave Ransburg, chairman of the Peoria Riverfront Museum, has been meeting privately with City Council members two or three at a time (to avoid an Open Meetings Act violation) to talk about the museum’s plans and to line up at least six votes in favor of the redevelopment agreement and land conveyance.