33 thoughts on “A curious appointment”

1. Putting the fox in the henhouse, I would say.
   Great idea if you hate hens. And Peoria’s rulers have never liked historic preservation.

2. I, too, have lately questioned the Mayor’s judgment on appointments. On this one though, I think he is correct; Steve seems to be intelligent and sincere and could bring something significant to the Commission.

3. May I ask what significance he can bring to the Commission other than more animosity and contempt for the historic neighborhoods that he and I chose to live in?

   I’m at a loss to see any legitimate reason he should have ever been considered for this position after what he did. I realize he did a good job restoring his own house, but what happened at 528 High st. did nothing but show an obstinant disrespect for the commission that he now wants to serve on. This goes far beyond just having some ugly siding on a house. The man wasted the money he could have spent on the right products to follow the rules he knew about before moving there on a frivolous lawsuit. You can’t claim economic troubles if you’re willing to do such a thing.

   I have a friend who wont live in Peoria because he calls what we do in our old neighborhoods “Hysterical Preservation,” because Peoria’s such a joke. This is the sort of thing he’s talking about.

   Also, I’m keeping this anonymous because I fear backlash from the vindictive people who “serve” our not-so-fine city.

4. I guess I’ll throw in my two-cents worth: It may be beneficial to have someone on the commission who is willing to compromise with homeowners. I see it as a little bit big brotherish to have this city commission tell homeowners what they can or cannot do with their home. Yes, it may be old and/or historical but if it is cost prohibitive then does they city really have a right to tell the homeowner that they must do it a certain way? I think that the houses on High and Moss look beautiful but I wouldn’t want the city to declare my house “historical” and then suddenly the upkeep has gotten very, very expensive.

5. I have worked with Steve on a number of projects. He brings resources. One of the issues about the preservationists is they are excellent in telling others how to spend their own money and what to do with their own property and are demanding in a very “hysterical” manner. See above post. No compromise bullying and it has ruined the reputation and desire of much of the community to interact with them. The suggestions that the commission came up with to encourage preservation were once again based solely on tax dollars. Tax dollars only flow like milk and honey to elite in special areas to the detriment of the rest of the other neighborhods besides there aren’t any. They need someone to look at other non tax community resources and to open new options. My thoughts on preservation are to keep the history of the building intact, perhaps that value can still be maintained in a variety of ways other than a complete and expensive replication. At times, specific the architecture is what makes the building significant. For the all griping about the house on High street, little seems to be done about the houses that have been carved up into apartments. If you want preservation to be something that people are willing to participate the draconian measures of recent commissions need to be replaced with more user friendly options. One option which I have continually suggested is a pot of money to help those who are not wealthy or elite enough, but willing to make the attempts at keeping the building in reasonable shape. Tax dollars are not there, there must be buy in from private investors. The current reputation is not going to help raise the types of funding needed.

6. Leslie, home-owners who are unable to commit to the proper repairs in historic districts can file for economic hardship and are exempt. That is one of many things misunderstood about historic preservation.

   Pierz is far from that. He’s a higher up at Caterpillar and gets paid good money. What happened in his case was that he ripped into the house too ambitiously and went way over budget because he didn’t plan the job properly, so when came down to the homestretch, he went cheap instead of doing it properly the way he was supposed to, even though he could afford to do it correctly, because he was going to lose money on re-sale.

   I have no compassion for his situation because I live in a historic district and lose money on my house all the time. It’s one of the gambles one takes when you buy a house in a historic district. It doesnt always happen that way, but sometimes it does. He knew that beforehand. He just wanted to prove a point and power trip. Why else would he serve every one of the commissioners individually for doing their appointed job correctly? He just wants to be a bully.

7. “frivolous lawsuit” = thrown out of court, not “prevailed and the city settled”

8. I have recently moved here & been looking in a Historic District. HP doesnt play in Peoria like in Rock Island or elsewhere. Moss was the only neighborhood group with such type of District I could found active. I love their online newsletter. I went to Peoria’s planning department-Kim? was most helpful. Finally, I attended a HP meeting recently. AMAZING. It was like a panel of specialists actually helping people. The meeting was most professional & yet relaxed.

   P Wilkinson is out of touch with reality. So “litter czar” sues the people he wants to join. Sounds like the Mayor making the appointment should reconsider-sounds politically bias.

9. “I see it as a little bit big brotherish to have this city commission tell homeowners what they can or cannot do with their home.”

   You know that danged ol’ Zoning Commission is the same way. How dare THEM tell me what to do with my property! (and your next door neighbor what to do with his!).

   And that Liquor commission telling people where, when, and to whom they can sell hooch….

   And don’t get me started on that Traffic Commission telling people how and where they can drive! I mean, what are sidewalks for anyway?

   Jeesh, somedays I wish I was living in a country where they just let people do whatever the heck they want…
   Wouldn’t the quality of life be so much better?

10. Paul, obviously I have struck a nerve. Okay, I understand that if you purchase a landmarked home you know what you are getting yourself into. However, what I take exception to is having your property suddenly declared historical or whatever after you purchase it. Now you’ve got all these “rules” to abide by that CAN be cost prohibitive. How fair is that? Suddenly I’ve got to get the paint approved, the driveway repair approved, and God help us if the neighborhood association doesn’t like my landscaping! I’ve seen the worst of neighborhood associations and the best. The worst of them make me want to burn my house down and walk away. BTW – this commission is not elected by the people so why do they get to make the rules that they want to shove down our throat?

    So now I have a question for you: Is it better to have someone purchase a historically designation property and maintain to the best of their ability whether it meets the guidelines of the commission or not OR would you prefer that the property set empty and deteriorate for years because no one will buy it because of the nightmare of dealing with the commission and their rules?

11. I have to wonder Paul if you would be neighbor like some of my former neighbors in the North Valley? The ones who were so concerned with neighborhood unity and all that junk but couldn’t be bothered to knock on my door or call to find why my grass hadn’t been mowed in 10 days. Rather than try to find out if there was a problem they (and they know who they are and so do I!)choose to call my landlord. Had they contacted me I would have explained to them as I did my landlord that I work 3 jobs and had not had a day off in 10 days. Just so happened that the day she showed up I had a evening off and already planned to mow. She didn’t seem to appreciate my humor when I ask if “they” would prefer that I mow at 5 AM before work or 11 PM after work as some days that was the only free time I had. Move forward a few years when I was dealing with my mother’s illness and not home for days. My wonderful neighbors in the south end mowed my grass, fed the cats, and did the dishes. Because they took the time to find out what was going on. So many “concerned” neighbors would rather gripe and complain and turn someone in rather than maybe step up and lend a hand. So I guess you could say that I have an issue with too much control.

12. I am out of touch with reality. I live reality every day. You might want to do aa little research, I would bet that I am aware of more that happens in the city, state and federal govt than more than a handfull in this community. Were it not for M/B being given our police officers you would be in a similiar situation as the rest of the city. I would attune it to those bellying up the bar on the titanic, completely ignoring the ship sinking. There are significantly different opinions outside of the west bluff, specifically because of the past issues with the manner in which HP has been done. If the thought is to continue to insist that those opinions do not exist successful change will be unlikely. I am glad that you were able to avail yourself of their expertise. I would expect the commission to be very professional especially when there are minutes which should document the proceedings. Part of the damage has been what has happened outside of the meetings such as some of the comments on this very topic.

    “Pierz is far from that. He’s a higher up at Caterpillar and gets paid good money. What happened in his case was that he ripped into the house too ambitiously and went way over budget because he didn’t plan the job properly, so when came down to the homestretch, he went cheap instead of doing it properly the way he was supposed to, even though he could afford to do it correctly, because he was going to lose money on re-sale.”

    The spirit entitlement lives on. THis is no different than the welfare queen believing she has the rights to have mo’ kids, mo’ money, bigger section 8 grant’. You’ve made my point about spending other people’s money. And you know these to be the facts…how…… I was around when this situation happened. I clearly recall the same vicious and petty comments and worse coming from the “elite” on the bluff. Gathering in little circles and jumping at a bit of gossip like starving hyenas. Again this is the reputation of those involved with HP and it is being well propogated here. It is a poor representation to those who don’t.

    Mr. Day, there are certain rules that one must abide by to live together in society for public safety, etc. Your hyperbole to equate those with the color of paint or finding the approved doornob do not equate, and it further damages the cause of historic preservation. You would be surprised at the number of people, including myself, that are supportive of the concept, however, the methods utilized have been ridiculous. HP had the power to make such determinations, it was abused. You’ve had your hands slapped and put in time out, much like petulant adolescents. Instead of regrouping and looking for ways to redeem yourselves in the public eye and looking for helpful resources (sans tax $) for people and embracing some different ways of doing things, the foot stamping and tantrums continue. I clearly remember being at a couple of MB meetings when the new folks bought the Frank Llyod Wright house. These people were going to invest in the property, but also it was going to be their home. They went through state HP approvals, etc. The residents felt they were entitled to a personal explaination. Loud complaints were issued about the fence put in place around the contrustion site, etc. These people had to put on a power point and give handouts outlining the entire project. The same people cursing their names before the meeting were kissing their behinds to suck up by the end. It was a glorious bout of hypocrasy to observe. I only wish it had been video taped. My point is, instead of engaging in a dialogue, the threats, the intimidation, the tantrums to force people into giving an entire presentation was ridiculous. I do agree preserving the house is a good thing. I also realized that these people didn’t buy a museum, they purchased a house to live in and were spending their own funds (not tax money) to make some changes..already approved by the state as a registered historic site. It was the nonsense surrounding it from the neighbors which was really unacceptable and detrimental to at least my own personal opinion of how the process should work.

    Quite frankly I am puzzled why Steve would serve as well given the nastiness of the way things were done. However instead of speculating I think I’ll just give him a call. course that would simply kill the gossip train now wouldn’t it?

13. How do you preserve the historic nature of a home by replacing parts of it with inappropriate material? It is a pretty cut and dry issue. You cant claim to be a preservationist if you use material not suitable for the preservation of said property.

14. Wow….all this ranting and raving over the appointment of one man to a multi-person committee. And the tangent is interesting. Arguing over code enforcement issues, (exterior paint, mowed lawns, etc.) and not really saying anything more about the actual appointment of Mr. Pierz.

    Is he qualified to serve on the committee? Now that would seem to be the question to debate. But I do agree with at least one of you. Buying a house in a neighborhood where HP has stipulated the requirements for the upkeep and condition of the building would appear to be “full disclosure” as to the obligation/liability of the intended owner. You go in with eyes wide open, understanding there are certain expectations, and then you choose not to follow them. Hmmmm. Chase, that sure sounds like a Breach of Contract to me.

15. Paul W., I know these to be the facts because I examined his application for approval to the commission which states in length his work history and job positions at Caterpillar. I was also around when this was happening and I learned the facts first hand as they were happening or after the fact based on HPC minutes. I don’t gossip.

    I assure you I make a fraction of what he does at my job and I am willing to lose money on my house if that unfortunate occurrence presents itself. He should have expected to lose money as well when started doing the work he did. They ripped that place down to its studs (as stated in the real estate listing when they went to sell it) which is far more ambitious than most restoration jobs. He did not plan it out to be cost effective for himself and he got burned. That does not give him the right to break the rules. It’s analogous to someone who orders a $20 pizza with only $10 in his wallet. Mr. Pierz should have either ordered the $10 pizza or waited till he could have afforded the $20 one.

    One fact that cannot be disputed as gossip is that he served all the commissioners with a lawsuit. You’re a smart guy Paul, even if we disagree on this, and I find it difficult to believe you can’t agree that was a waste of time and served no purpose other than adding additional fuel to the fire. What purpose did that serve. They were doing their duty and following the established rules. Can a drunk driver sue a policeman for arresting him just because he doesn’t agree that he was drunk? It was completely vengeful on Pierz’ part.

16. Paul W., I encourage you to go to an HPC meeting. If you do, you’ll find that they’ve changed the process greatly and don’t dwell on many of the things you mentioned. Many compromises have been made recently. Despite what many may believe, preservationists can be reasonable human beings.

    Again, there are more misconceptions about historic preservation rules. There is nothing in the rules that prevent an owner from changing the inside of the house. It’s applied only to the exterior appearance, just like the neighborhood covenants in new subdivisions have. I have a friend who lives in a house with ugly blue vinyl siding and he cannot change it to ugly beige vinyl siding without approval from his neighborhood association. He also cant add a shed or a fence around his yard without their approval. The association can force him by law to remove it if they don’t like it because they forced him to sign the covenant when he moved there. I have not heard your opinion on this. It seems hypocritical to me to bash preservationists for being picky about their neighborhoods, but not bash places like Weaver Ridge & Addington Park and Rollingbrook for their silly rules. There are many more of those in Peoria than there are historic districts.

17. @ Preservationsit – I agree that neighborhood convenants are ridiculous. I wouldn’t live in a neighborhood that controlled most of what I could or could not do to my own property. Same for condos. I have a friend that cannot put out plants without approval and there can be no towels or other “impediments” hanging from the railing. I understand the need for some rules but I also think there is a lot of room for just letting people live their lives as long as it is isn’t a health/safety issue. There should always be room for compromise.

18. Moss Bradley got Paul Wilkison’s cops? Pray tell.

19. There is compromise you dont buy a house in a neighborhood where you know there are rules binding to how the home must be maintained. There are neighborhoods all over Peoria and the surrounding area where you can largely do whatever you want to your home. Buy a historic home in one of those neighborhoods. There are historic homes a block off Moss/High that are just as old or older and you can do just about anything you want to them, and many of the neighbors would love you for it. Are you restoring a 69 mustang if you are rigging parts into it out of an 89 pinto.

20. And the shootings and killings go on everyday now. So, if this keeps up, who is going to want to live in historic house or anything historic for that matter. It’s going to be like trying to regulate and fix up a ghost town if things don’t change soon.

    This appointment is status quo. It is the least of Peoria’s problems. What would anyone expect from the good ol boys politics here in Peoria? Fairness? Concern? Safety of citizens? Nope. LMAO

21. “The suggestions that the commission came up with to encourage preservation were once again based solely on tax dollars. Tax dollars only flow like milk and honey to elite in special areas to the detriment of the rest of the other neighborhods besides there aren’t any.”
    Wasn’t Paul’s boytoy with the abs behind this in DC?

22. [Comment removed by blog owner]

23. Please review the Terms of Use, especially #5: “Be kind and respectful of others. Your argument is more persuasive when you debate the issue instead of engaging in personal attacks. The goal here is civil discourse.”

24. This is an old political trick — appoint people who hate whatever it is you don’t like (women’s rights, pensions, labor, education for the poor, whatever) to a commission that supports it. Then watch the wreckage.

    That appears to be what is happening here. It’s time for Akeson and Sandberg, both of whom recently campaigned on supporting historic preservation, to find other allies on the council and block this appointment!

25. I’ve been told Chuck Weaver recommended his appointment. If that is true, it’s most disheartening since he has shown signs of interest in the historic preservation efforts since being elected. I hope this is just a rumor or a case of Mr. Weaver being unaware of the Pierz case.

26. One more note to Paul W. You said:

    “Mr. Day, there are certain rules that one must abide by to live together in society for public safety, etc. Your hyperbole to equate those with the color of paint or finding the approved doornob do not equate, and it further damages the cause of historic preservation. ”

    Go look at a zoning commission minutes sometime. There are cases about sign sizes, parking lot sizes, requests for zoning designation changes so landlords can turn single family to multi-family. The zoning board determines whether an owner can add onto his house or not. How are any of these related to public safety?

    Judging a sign size or an inappropriate addition to a house is related solely to the comfort of life for the neighbors and other citizens of the city have to live around it. That sounds very similar to what the HPC is doing. I moved to a historic neighborhood so I could live around historic houses. Those who do not want to be around them and follow the rules that come with living here, need to live somewhere else.

27. CJ: I have to wonder to whom the comment was directed at. Sometimes the truth hurts. If it was at what I posted, well, that’s what is happening in Peoria. People are frustrated to no end and the gang violence goes on without regard to innocent people who live near this violence. It makes it hard for families who want to live in historic districts (or anywhere) and invest in those homes when gunfire and crime are everywhere. I’m not talking about crime per se, as every community has crime but it seems the gun play in Peoria is out of hand for a city this size.

28. Emtronics — It wasn’t directed at you. It was in response to the deleted comment above.

29. CJ: Thank you and I was going to apologize as, believe it or not, I have made some flaming comments before. Thought maybe I did it again.

30. I hate to bring up this old one, but……..

    “It’s better here!!!”

    Depending on what section of Peoria you live in, I guess.

31. C. J. —- Civil Discourse? What I am reading is opinion and implication and rumors. I realize there are some comments of merit, but certainly not enough to consider this a Civil Discourse. More like a random drive by.

    I ask again at the risk of redundancy. Is Mr. Pierz qualified to serve on this committee? I certainly do not believe his suing of the committee members in the past speaks to his qualification. Does he have a demonstrated knowledge of the HPC and their mission? Can he speak to the historical relevance of the areas of Peoria? Does he actually want to serve on the committee to better the City of Peoria, or does he want to tear down what has been established? Anyone have the answers?

32. In response to Fredrick Smith’s comments above:

    According to the Council Communication, Mr. Pierz is being appointed as a replacement for Diana Joseph. Mr. Pierz is not qualified to replace Diana Joseph since she is the real estate broker on the Commission and must be replaced by a real estate broker according to the Ordinance.

    Mr. Pierz’ volunteer profile does not indicate he is a real estate broker. Furthermore, Mr. Pierz’ reason for wanting to serve on the HPC is to, “encourage people who live in the District to maintain their homes in a historic manner” details at Preservation appointments page 2: http://www.ci.peoria.il.us/officials/clerk/Agenda/PublishedMeetings.htm

    Mr. Pierz’ 2008 lawsuit was based on his request to install vinyl siding on a historic property. How is this consistent with the Ordinance and “the historic manner” referred to in his volunteer profile?

    Mr. Smith, given these facts, Mr. Pierz is not qualified to serve on the Historic Preservation Commission.

33. Ah, an intelligent, coherent, and lucid comment. Thank you, Mr. Ordaz. Perhaps the others contributors might want to take these facts in the form of a petition signed by their neighbors to the next City Council Meeting. If they are truly passionate about this gentleman’s appointment, it would seem the logical path. Of course, this is Peoria, where logic seldom enters into the equation.

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