Fifth District Councilman Dan Irving is in Peoria County jail, charged with domestic battery against his wife Amy. The most comprehensive coverage at the moment comes from WEEK-TV:
The Journal Star has a stub posted; they’ll likely have a longer report up later this morning.
After I posted the press release from Rev. Raymond E. Watson, Jr., I was received some e-mail messages disputing the accusations made. So I made some inquiries. School Board member Laura Petelle stated, “Contrary to what this press release claims, I have not been contacted by this group or any individual claiming to be connected to it, though I realized people sometimes misspell my last name when attempting to e-mail me. However, I attempted to contact them after receiving this press release and they have not returned my attempts at contact.”
In addition, I requested an official response from District 150 through Stacey Shangraw, who referred me to the new FOIA officer. My e-mail to the new FOIA officer wasn’t acknowledged, but Petelle forwarded me this e-mail from Superintendent Lathan (with Lathan’s permission). She also forwarded the e-mail to Billy Dennis (Peoria Pundit) and Emerge Peoria.
Board Members,
In response to Reverend Watson’s “press release” here are the actual facts about PHS. To my knowledge, only one blogger has inquired about the press release.
1) All principals and Central Office administrators in the District, who were not already on multi-year contracts, have been offered one-year contracts. There were no exceptions. Any ongoing multi-year contracts prior to my arrival must be honored. New principals were offered multi-year contracts.
2) Textbooks are an ongoing issue throughout our District. Several years ago, we evaluated our textbook process as a Six-Sigma project. We improved the process, but our high student mobility rate is an issue. To correct his letter, the first Peoria High textbook request sent to the warehouse was dated August 19, not August 1. The warehouse has filled all of the received textbook requisitions that are able to be filled.
3) There are only two plumbing work orders outstanding for PHS. A Sept. 30 work order for a leaking drinking fountain and an Oct. 5 work order for two toilets – one fills slowly and the other has a broken flush handle. A nearby plumbing service would need to be contacted.
4) I am developing a schedule to meet with all parent groups to introduce myself and allow time for Q&A.
5) We have been working collaboratively with the City to address the after school safety issues :
a) The posting of new signs on North Street indicating “No Stopping or Standing” and indicating no left turn onto North Street between the hours of 2:00 & 4:00 PM Monday through Friday.
b) Requesting support from the Parking Enforcement Division to assist in the enforcement of parking violations.
c) The installation of gates that will prevent vehicles from exiting designated entrance / exits.
d) The moving of the public bus stop form Richmond/North to Nebraska/North
e) The purchase of video cameras to tape student dismissal and after school activities.
f) Conduct school assemblies at all high schools regarding sidewalk safety.
Grenita F. Lathan, Ph.D.
Superintendent
Peoria Public Schools
3202 N. Wisconsin Avenue
Peoria, IL 61603
The Illinois Policy Institute, a non-profit think tank, has issued a new report calling for reform of the Tax Increment Financing process. It’s called Tax Increment Financing: Hidden in Plain Sight. The article uses examples from Chicago almost exclusively, but the information is applicable throughout Illinois. The Institute says more transparency is needed in establishing TIF districts, and the State needs to adopt a stricter definition of what constitutes “blight.”
That last part is certainly true, not only because of the impact it would have on TIFs, but also Enterprise Zone status. In Peoria, the most abused economic development tool is the Enterprise Zone; it’s supposed to be applied to “blighted” areas, but take a look at the Enterprise Zone map (available from the City’s website here) and notice how much of the zone is applied to far north Peoria, even north of Route 6. The Enterprise Zone was even used as an incentive for annexation at one point. I would suggest that it’s not just a stricter definition of “blight” that’s needed, but stricter enforcement.
The report quotes liberally from a 2006 study by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy which found that “non-TIF areas of municipalities that use TIF grow no more rapidly, and perhaps more slowly, than similar municipalities that do not use TIF.” This is significant because it means, in addition to other taxing bodies losing out on new tax money received within TIFs, they also suffer slower growth in the areas outside of TIFs.
There is currently a new TIF being developed in the East Bluff.
WEEK/WHOI reports that Lakeview Museum lost $1.1 million last fiscal year (Jul. 2008 – Jun. 2009). Lakeview Director Jim Richerson says that’s because (a) they were “spending [money] for architects and engineers to advance the [Peoria Riverfront Museum] project,” and (b) donations “were down in 2008 because many were waiting to see what would come of the new museum project.”
Well, he’s certainly right about donations being down. Lakeview reported receiving $1,424,740 in donations, down 59% from $3,467,217 the prior year. As far as expenditures for the PRM, they say they spent $1,772,196 on the project. It doesn’t say how much of that went to “architects and engineers,” but it does say $704,847 was spent on “Public Awareness/Refere[ndum].” That means 40% of the money Lakeview spent on the PRM went toward an advertising campaign that promised (among other things) an IMAX theater and the use of 100% local union labor to build the museum — promises the museum group has signaled they may not be willing or able to fulfill now. They also reported $83,973 in “lobbying expenditures to influence a legislative body (direct lobbying).”
In other semi-related museum news, the slowly-disappearing Journal Star reports that Peoria Regional Museum Chairman (and former Peoria Mayor) Dave Ransburg is accused of committing fraud against Rubbermaid Inc. when he sold his company, L. R. Nelson Corp., to Robert Bosch Tool Corp. in 2008. Allegedly, Rubbermaid didn’t get paid the money L. R. Nelson owed them, but Ransburg and a couple other board members were compensated. So… Ransburg’s pledge toward the new museum may be in jeopardy.
I received an e-mail yesterday that said: “The attached is a press release from concerned parents of PHS students. This is a response to negative and comments that have been publicly made. We send this in hopes that it will posted on your information websites.” It was signed by “Concerned Parents of PHS Students,” but only one member of that group was named — Rev. Raymond E. Watson, Jr., who is listed as the “contact person.” Here’s the letter:
Once again the parents of Peoria High School students feel the need to stand up and speak out against false accusations by the District 150 Administration, School Board and certain individuals/groups in the public that have made it their personal agenda to attack Peoria High School and thus, our children.
We have repeatedly asked for Board Members to come meet with us to discuss our issues and no response. We have contacted Dr. Lathan as far back as May, and had no response. If The Chamber of Commerce or any other organization deemed important by the B.O.E. or Superintendent requested their presence, they would attend. We, as parents, are tired of groups/members of the public that have no children at PHS spreading false rumors and accusations against our children and school staff. We felt the closure of a high school was a mistake but we have to make the best out of the situation. Those in the public that are spreading rumors, we ask you to stop because it does nothing but harm all the students of PHS. There is much truth to the adage if you can’t say something positive, say nothing at all. You are there to represent all the students of District #150 and set an example. How do you think our students feel after hearing these unwarranted accusations? Remember, the Board voted to close Woodruff and now it is a Peoria High problem? It might behoove you in the future to have solutions before decisions are made.
We have asked for a reason behind the PHS staff being the only high school that has its administration on a year-to-year contract. There have been numerous administrators that have received multi-year contracts before they proved themselves capable. Some have not even lived in the District and yet they are given multi-year contracts. This is a double standard and we feel there are ulterior motives behind the lack of continuity from the Board and Administration on Wisconsin Ave. We have been told that the Superintendent wanted to evaluate things before making a decision. So, what is the reason for individual administrators unfamiliar with our District and yet having been relocated to District #150; how do they justify receiving contracts without proven results?
If you want results, here are some results.The facts are as follows:
PHS ACHIEVED SAFE HARBOR
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE IS 93%
ACT SCORES ARE UP AND NOT JUST FOR ONE YEAR
2008 2009 2010 Average 16.28 17.08 17.7 The fact that discipline in school is being handled by our undermanned staff (add 500 students and only 2 additional campus police officers for a total of four) is a testament to the PHS Administrators who have made the best out of a difficult situation thrust upon them by a School Board and community leadership that failed to plan. Where are all the civic leaders that endorsed closing a school? Where are the business leaders that profess wanting the best for all the children of District 150? Talk is cheap!!!
The students are in a safe environment and learning in spite of the district’s failure to provide children with schoolbooks. It was not until e-mails were sent out that books were finally delivered 2 weeks into the school year and PHS staff requested the books August 1st.
Another issue is the transportation system that is the fault of District Administrators who were unprepared due to a failure to plan. This is unacceptable and continues as buses fail to show for extra-curricular activities, or do not have heat or are mechanically unsound putting our children in danger.
In addition, why has it taken 5 months to get work orders regarding plumbing issues addressed? Why is it that basic maintenance issues that should have been addressed years prior as part of routine upkeep of the building were presented to the public as ‘major updates’?
It is not the responsibility of school staff to follow students home. The responsibility to ensure your child gets to school and home safely is the responsibility of the parent, student, District #150 Board and District #150Administrators. It is unrealistic to think that school staff can follow every child home. There are numerous after-school activities and teachers are available for students that need extra help with their studies. The responsibility lies mostly with the District #150 Board and Administrators, not PHS staff. We realize that buses are provided for students who live a certain distance from their respective school and for students who have to cross hazard-deemed streets. However, again, this all comes back to a failure to plan, to obtain correct information; and it certainly points to the fact that the knowledge was not present when the Board or District Administration decided to close a high school. The due diligence was not done to plan for such possible events since the District has encountered similar issues with the other high schools. The onus is on the Board and Administration who failed to work cooperatively with the proper entities with whom they should have a good-working relationship to see how potential issues could or would be addressed. It is always best to plan for unforeseen happenings
We also are offended by the fact that nothing was done by the Administrative staff to prevent these stories from exacerbating on Channel 25 and in the Peoria Journal Star. Stories like this could likely be ran about every school in America, but the Board and Administration reacted to the stories by recommending staggering dismissal times, etc., in essence, blaming PHS. Again, more assumptions about our Peoria High students. We understand that there will happenings, but it is not exclusive to Peoria High. These incidents occur across every school, across every city, across the nation.
In summary, we feel we are receiving disparate treatment as issues are ongoing at the other schools, yet they do not receive the unwarranted attention that has been thrust upon the Peoria High School community. The Board of Education and the Superintendent have failed to address and plan regarding the issues mentioned above. We do not appreciate the inaccurate perception that is being portrayed to the general public about our school and we are extremely disappointed and frustrated with the lack of information and support that we have received. Randy Simmons and his staff are the best of the best and we expect to be treated as such, which provides for a domino effect to the education and fulfillment for the PHS students. Our children deserve no less.
We have asked for School Board involvement and been ignored. We have asked for District150 Administration involvement and been ignored. We will no longer be silent about the injustice being perpetrated against PHS and our children. Let all who read this know if you want your child to be taught by the best and cared for by the best then PHS is the right place for your child!
I read this Journal Star article with a combination of horror and incredulity:
About a week after a District 150 bus driver [Gary H. Stewart, 46] was arrested for allegedly driving while under the influence when he crashed into two parked cars and sent more than a dozen children to two Peoria hospitals, the School Board fired him. Driving while under the influence in Syracuse is a serious offense. It can lead to you losing your driving privileges, possibly getting jail time, and it may even trickle down to other aspects of your life, such as your chances of employment.
Stewart, hired by the school district last year, had been arrested numerous times on various charges ranging from armed robbery to attempted murder, as well as a drug conviction, according to Peoria County circuit clerk records.
But sources at District 150 say they knew only of a misdemeanor conviction for criminal damage to property and a felony conviction for retail theft – which both date back to the 1980s – and did not know of the 1993 drug conviction, nor other arrests. They said it was not on the criminal history check conducted by the Illinois State Police.
Transcripts from the Illinois State Police Criminal History Record Check Information database include records of arrests, state’s attorney filing decisions, court dispositions, sentence information and custodial data, but law permits only conviction information to be disseminated to the public.
Officials with the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office also said they did not know about the drug conviction, which under law would have prevented Stewart from receiving a bus driving permit.
Tammi Kestel, assistant bureau chief of the Illinois State Police’s Bureau of Identification based in Joliet, said some arrests and conviction information may fall through the cracks because they are not reported to them.
Some arrests and conviction information may fall through the cracks? That’s comforting. I mean, it’s just our children’s lives that are at stake. Let’s not get too concerned about it, right? Hey, convictions sometimes just don’t get reported, so convicts may be driving your kids’ school bus. And your children might be in danger. But, not to worry. We’ve determined that the following agencies are not to blame: District 150, Illinois Secretary of State, Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification. Don’t you feel better now?
Good evening, Chronicle readers. I’m back at the City Council meeting this week, and there’s a relatively short agenda this evening. The meeting is starting a little early — the Town of the City of Peoria is having a meeting from 6 to 6:15 p.m., and then the regular City Council meeting will begin. The Town meeting is pretty interesting, actually. The Town Supervisor Joe Whalen wants to lease a new office on Glen Avenue for a couple thousand dollars a month, whereas they’re currently located in City Hall for free. Upon questioning as to why City Hall can’t accommodate his needs, he couldn’t give any good reason (people have to walk up and down stairs, and other horrors). When asked if he looked at city-owned property, he says he was offered space at the bus depot, but he was concerned about security. There were other locations downtown that were not considered because Whalen felt there wasn’t adequate parking.
I can’t believe (a) Town Supervisor is an elected position, (b) this guy got elected, and (c) that he makes over $80,000 a year. Van Auken asks why it’s okay to have child care at the bus station, but security is an issue for his office? Whalen says he doesn’t run the child care center, but he does run the Town Supervisor office and he doesn’t feel safe having “his girls” down there (an apparent reference to female employees). Despite all this discussion, Irving moves to approve leasing the building on Glen, seconded by Turner. It passes unanimously.
The space they’re leasing is 1,896 square feet at 624 W. Glen Ave. (near Sheridan), for $11 per square foot. That comes out to about $1738 per month, or $20,856 per year. They’re going to pay this despite the fact that they have ample space available in the Twin Towers (Whalen doesn’t want people to have to go upstairs and is concerned about kids running around) and the bus depot (as previously stated, Whalen is concerned about safety). What a waste of money!
There are several proclamations tonight which I don’t usually cover; once the meeting starts, I’ll update this post throughout the evening. Here’s tonight’s City Council agenda:
One of the items on the City Council’s agenda for Tuesday is adopting the Peoria Civic Center’s FY2011 budget. This document also shows the Civic Center’s FY2010 performance.
You can see some performance graphs of FY2001 through 2009 in this previous post. The FY2010 numbers continue the downward trend. The Civic Center had 518 event days, a drop of 10% from 2009 and the lowest number since FY2006. Their operating loss before depreciation is $97,015; their total net loss is $4,768,927.
Things are looking bleaker in 2011. The Civic Center Authority expects only 491 event days in the next fiscal year, and are taking several cost-cutting measures to mitigate their anticipated losses. Of particular note, they state, “Convention center business is projected to decrease in FY11 with a further reduction in FY12.” The exhibit halls/convention space was the portion of the Civic Center that was increased the most in the recent $55 million expansion. The consultant who recommended expansion predicted large increases in convention business. Nine full-time positions have been shed through layoffs and attrition over the past two years, and the three top executives are getting no raises or bonuses again this year.
HRA tax revenue is down significantly. In FY2009, the Civic Center’s tax subsidy was $1,446,276; in FY2010 that had dropped to $990,946, a 31.5% decrease. In FY2011, they’re budgeting to receive $950,000 in HRA taxes.
The Civic Center is often cited as an example of success in municipal investment. Civic leaders will refer to current large projects as the “Civic Center project of our day,” sometimes adding, “Can you imagine downtown without the Civic Center?” The implication is that the Civic Center has been wonderfully successful in some way, but I have yet to figure out how. In its 30-year history, it has never been able to make a profit without HRA tax subsidy. It also has not spurred any peripheral development that has been able to sustain itself. The Grille on Fulton, despite its perfect location for capturing Civic Center traffic, could not stay in business, nor could any other restaurant that tried to locate there. Other properties surrounding the Civic Center are vacant; several nearby buildings were razed a few years back to expand parking.
Nevertheless, the City has poured $55 million more into the Civic Center, and is now spending more millions to get an attached hotel built across the street. They keep pursuing the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that’s promised by our little leprechaun consultants, but only consultants and developers are actually getting the gold. Meanwhile, the City is looking at laying off even more police officers and firefighters, and wondering why they can’t attract more people to move here.
Cub Foods at the Glen Hollow shopping center will officially become a Shop ‘n Save this weekend. The store will close Saturday night for the last time as Cub Foods, then reopen Sunday morning as Shop ‘n Save.
Cub Foods opened in January 1994 as one of the original tenants of Glen Hollow. The grocery store replaced Randall’s in Westlake Shopping Center as both stores were owned by Randall Stores of Mitchell, South Dakota, at the time. Randall’s Cub Foods stores were acquired by Minnesota-based SuperValu, Inc., in 1998. SuperValu also owns Shop ‘n Save, Save-a-Lot, Jewel-Osco, and several other chains. Cub Foods in Midtown Plaza closed in March 2009, and the space is still vacant. Save-a-Lot in Campustown closed in January of this year, and the space is currently being used by Bradley University. Glen Hollow, Midtown, and Campustown were all developed by David Joseph.
The Glen Hollow store is changing brands in order to be more competitive on prices with discount grocers such as Wal-Mart. Shop ‘n Save will offer lower prices, while still offering a mix of brand-name and private-label products.
What did the museum group promise the local labor force before the April 2009 referendum?
Mike Everett, West Central Illinois Building & Construction Trades Council: “The Build the Block project offers our local construction workforce a tremendous opportunity. Over a 25-month construction schedule, this project will create over 250 jobs and put $1.8 million back into our community. Plus, through an unprecedented agreement, this project’s going to be built with 100% local union labor. Building the Block is more than just building a museum. It’s a chance to strengthen our economy and help our local families.”
From today’s Journal Star:
Though there is no guarantee a local firm will be awarded the construction bid for the Peoria Riverfront Museum, county officials say they will do what they can to promote the use of local resources….
County Board member and museum committee member Mike Phelan said though the total museum project likely won’t be built exclusively by local union laborers, they will build a majority of the project….
Turner Construction – the same Chicago firm that worked on the Peoria Civic Center and also is managing construction of the new terminal at Gen. Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport – will serve as the county’s project manager through March 2013. Turner will be paid about $1 million to oversee the estimated $36 to $40 million project.
Another broken promise to add to the list. I’m sure Mike Everett won’t mind. He told the City Council he just doesn’t want to see a big hole when he drives into Peoria from his home in Tazewell County. Well, it looks like he won’t see 100% local union labor filling that hole, either.
What I find amusing is the attempt to make it sound like this hasn’t been a problem from the beginning. The news article states without attribution:
The game changed earlier this year when Peoria County decided to oversee construction of the museum to ensure what is done with public money on a public building on public property is the public’s business.
That responsibility previously fell under the direction of the Peoria Riverfront Museum board of directors, a not-for-profit organization not subject to the Open Meetings Act. As a public entity, Peoria County is bound to accept the lowest responsible bid and that firm may or may not be local, officials acknowledge.
Au contraire: Citizens for Responsible Spending asked about the promise of local union labor before the referendum vote. Here’s the County’s official response back then:
[Q:] If all labor for construction is going to be sourced locally, does this mean no bids?
[A:] If the referendum passes and public dollars are used, the museum portion of the project would have to be bid and construction workers paid at least prevailing wages.
So there never really was a guarantee that it would be 100% local union labor unless all the bids just happened to be won by local contractors.