All posts by C. J. Summers

I am a fourth-generation Peorian, married with three children.
City Council, City of Peoria

Hy-Vee back on the agenda

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On Tuesday, the City Council will once again consider plans to put a new Hy-Vee grocery store in Sheridan Village. According to the Journal Star, Hy-Vee developers have made a few changes, but have still not met all of the city staff’s and zoning commission’s conditions.

Under the revised plans, Hy-Vee will include a sign on its west side, incorporate brick on portions of the building’s exterior and make the architecture of the back of the building similar to the front. Also, landscaping will block the view of a loading dock, which is also on the building’s west end. […]

Despite the improvements, seven outstanding issues exist. Some of these include questions about who pays for the installation of a sidewalk along Lake Street, restrictions on signage, limitation on community events within the parking lot and seasonal sales.

Senior Urban Planner Gene Lear says the new plans are an improvement, but from reading this article, it sounds like they’ve really only met maybe one or two of the conditions — they’ve included sidewalks around the whole store and “a proposed drive-thru pharmacy will not disrupt a sidewalk around the building.” The other changes they’ve made may be an “improvement,” but have not fulfilled the conditions.

For example, there still is no entrance or windows on the west side (back) of the building, although some of the building materials have been changed to make its appearance a little more like the front of the store. That’s a step in the right direction. But the condition isn’t just a concern about aesthetics; it’s an issue of functionality. Shoppers need access from both sides of the building because a good portion of the parking is to the back of the building. That parking loses its appeal and function if there is no access to Hy-Vee. It will basically become a dedicated parking lot for Bergners’ rear entrance and (presumably) Hy-Vee employees. That’s not a very efficient use of parking space, and one wonders how those parking spaces could even be used to meet the development’s parking requirements.

Hopefully the city council will insist that there be some sort of public access from the west side of the building. It’s in the best interests of the shopping center, the neighborhood, and the city. Perhaps another deferral would be in order if the supermarket and city planners cannot resolve the outstanding issues by next Tuesday night.

Museum Block

Build the Block . . . on fear and misinformation

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According to the new “Build the Block” website, “The Block will embrace the concepts of new urbanism to encourage a scenic, walkable community where people live, work and enjoy leisure activities.”

Where people live? Where exactly are people going to live on this block? Because I don’t see any apartments, condos, or hotel rooms in their plans. Heck, I don’t even see a habitable second story on any of the buildings. Or are they referring to the homeless who will camp out in the ample green space at night when the block is dead?

You can’t fool people into thinking that this block “embrace[s] the concepts of new urbanism” when it manifestly does not. Just saying it’s new urban doesn’t make it so.

Also, from the Journal Star article today:

“Caterpillar has already put $56 million on the table that would all go away if the museum isn’t built,” Brad McMillan, the spokesman for the museum collaboration group, said. “We need to ask: Is it in central Illinois’ best interest that Caterpillar drive deep stakes in this community?”

First of all, it’s interesting that the group has a new spokesman. Is he their first official spokesman, or does he replace someone else? I don’t recall. Secondly — and I’ve mentioned this before but it’s worth repeating — notice that the museum group is now using fear and intimidation to get you to support the museum.

Follow the logic here — if we build it, it means Cat “drive[s] deep stakes in this community.” The implication is, if we don’t build it, then Cat will not have “deep stakes” here, meaning they could go away and take all their jobs and prestige with them. Ergo, we should hand over our money to this museum because otherwise our city will face economic ruin as our biggest employer moves out of town.

I find that line of reasoning offensive, and to hear leaders like Mayor Ardis and Sen. Koehler parrot the rhetoric is very disappointing. What kind of leadership is that? Either the museum on its own merits is good for the region and worth the investment or it’s not. What Cat will or will not do is immaterial. If Cat told us they would leave unless we all stood on our heads or jumped off the Murray Baker Bridge or built a big $100 million golden statue of a tractor in the middle of the Illinois River, would our leaders be encouraging us to do so? It sounds like it.

Not only that, but as astute commenter Dirk pointed out in a previous post, “If the only thing keeping Caterpillar in Peoria is this museum complex, and nothing else, then I would venture that Caterpillar isn’t very committed to staying in Peoria anyway. Why would a museum [solely] keep Caterpillar anchored here in Peoria? Business is business and economics and not about some amalgam of buildings for tourists or visitors.”

It should be noted, again, that Caterpillar is not making any threats themselves. All they’ve said is that they’ll only build their visitors center if the museum is built next to it. They haven’t said anything about this project deepening their ties with Peoria. Thus, there’s no promise of longevity from them if we build it and no threat of moving if we don’t. The only ones inserting fear and insinuation into this matter are the museum cheerleaders.

Finally, there’s this:

“This is the (Peoria) Civic Center moment of our generation,” said Michael Bryant, the president and CEO of Methodist Medical Center….

The only thing that’s analogous to the Civic Center is that it would require a permanent sales tax to support it. Fortunately, this time the voters will get to decide if that tax is levied.

2008 Campaign

Darin LaHood picks up another endorsement despite recent controversy

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From a press release:

Rural Police Departments Back Darin LaHood for State’s Attorney’s
Elmwood, Glasford, Norwood Police Issue Endorsements, Join Other County Organizations

Peoria, IL – Law enforcement in Peoria County firmly stands behind Darin LaHood for State’s Attorney; with the announcement of Elmwood, Glasford and Norwood Police Departments’ endorsements of LaHood’s candidacy, the challenger has secured the public support of all police organizations in Peoria County.

“The smaller police departments, which are at the mercy of their sometimes tight municipal budgets, are no less committed to public safety than any other police force,” said LaHood. “When an officer in one of these communities makes an arrest, that officer has provided necessary protection to residents. When the State’s Attorney’s office fails to charge that suspect and lets that suspect out as a result of a plea agreement, it weakens our County’s criminal justice system. It is my goal to strengthen that system and make Peoria County a safer place for all.”

Police Chiefs from each of the community departments described why they support LaHood:

“We need support from our State’s Attorney and Darin LaHood has indicated that he will stand firm for police officers throughout Peoria County,” says Glasford Police Chief Mark Harper. “With myself and nine part time officers, we cannot do it all ourselves. It will be good knowing that Glasford law enforcement has solid back-up in the Courthouse.”

Elmwood Chief Aaron Bean said, “We work closely with the Sheriff’s deputies, but seldom do we have the necessary and consistent communications with the State’s Attorney’s office. In law enforcement, we all have to work together, be on the same page and ultimately we can make Peoria County a safer place.”

Echoing his counterparts, Norwood Police Chief Christopher Carrier said, “While our small department does a great job for our community, it is imperative that we have cooperation with the prosecutor. Clearly we don’t face the crime problems of the inner-city, but we do have our problems that end up at the County Courthouse. We believe Darin LaHood is candidate who will support all police departments and communities in Peoria County.”

The three rural police departments, Glasford, Elmwood and Norwood round out the full slate of police organizations in Peoria County that have publicly endorsed LaHood’s candidacy for State’s Attorney. Among those, the Peoria Police Department, the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office, the Chillicothe Police Department, the Bartonville Police Department and the Peoria County Correctional Officers.

Darin LaHood, 40, was born and raised in Peoria. He is a former Chief Terrorism and Federal Prosecutor who served four years with the U.S. Department of Justice in Las Vegas, Nevada. LaHood was also an Assistant State’s Attorney in both Tazewell and Cook counties. LaHood and his wife, Kristen, returned home to Peoria in 2005 to raise their three children: McKay, Luke, and Teddy. LaHood currently practices with the Peoria law firm of Miller, Hall, & Triggs. Darin and Kristen are active in numerous Peoria charitable and civic organizations and are members of St. Vincent de Paul Church. Visit www.DarinLaHood.com to learn more about Darin, volunteer opportunities, or to contribute to the campaign.

Museum Block

New capital campaign for museum unveiled

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I wasn’t able to attend the press conference today, but here’s the official press release of what was announced:

Peoria, IL – The area’s most prominent business leaders today announced they are backing a new capital campaign dubbed “Build the Block!” Its goal: to raise $8 million and the public awareness needed to help create a building block of our future.

Through a group known as the CEO Roundtable, a Heartland Partnership Organization, these leaders strive to drive economic and cultural development in the region. The multi-faceted project they are supporting encompasses both Caterpillar’s planned visitor center, and the Peoria Riverfront Museum, a collaboration of the Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences, Peoria Regional Museum Society, Peoria Historical Society, African American Hall of Fame and Illinois High School Association (IHSA). The development will also include art and history exhibits for all ages, an IHSA Peak Performance Center, and state-of-the-art planetarium and IMAX theatre facilities, all in a park-like campus designed to transform seven vacant acres overlooking the Illinois River in downtown Peoria.

It’s estimated the development will attract more than 360,000 visitors and up to $14 million in Peoria County revenues annually. The funding strategy for The Block calls for 58 percent of the total funding or $78 million to be raised through private contributions; to date $66 million has been committed.

To reach its $8 million private funding goal by early 2009, all community members are encouraged to donate through BuildTheBlock.org. In addition, the Riverfront Museum collaborators are continuing a capital campaign to raise private funds from patrons.

Remaining funding will come from a combination of government sources in 2009. The Block has garnered significant bipartisan political support from U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood, State Sens. Dave Koehler and Dale Risinger, State Reps. David Leitch and Aaron Schrock, and Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis.

To kick off the Build the Block! campaign, the fence surrounding the currently vacant site of The Block, bordered by Washington, Main, Water and Liberty streets, has seen some colorful improvements. Panels now pop with oversize graphics and informative panels sharing the excitement of what’s to come inside the fence—from “Hang with the Stars” touting cutting-edge planetarium shows and “Feel the Noise” introducing the benefits of the planned stories-tall IMAX theatre, to “Master Full,” previewing the prestige of top Smithsonian exhibits the new museum will accommodate.

For more information about the project, including the latest news and funding developments, check out our website www.BuildTheBlock.org or you can contact Renee Charles at The Heartland Partnership at 495-5905, 229-7791 or e-mail rcharles@h-p.org.

They have consistently, over the years, talked about how they expected to get a certain percentage of the funding from private donors and the rest from public sources. The announcement today was about their efforts to close the gap in private funding. But even if they’re able to do that, they still won’t have enough public funding to make this museum plan a reality.

The public sources were supposed to be the federal government (earmarks from Ray LaHood) and the state (which, if you haven’t noticed, is not doing very well financially these days). The justification was that this is a “regional museum” and would draw people from all over the state and, it’s sometimes claimed, the nation. But, since neither of those public funding sources have panned out as planned, that’s why the museum group is attempting to get those funds at the county level through a county-wide sales tax (or less probably, a property tax hike).

The trouble is, we can’t afford it. We’ve got big expenses coming up in Peoria. The school district is starting on their new school buildings, bonds for the new library upgrades will be on our next property tax bill, construction has started on a new publicly-funded airport terminal, and the $100+ million CSO project is looming, just to name a few things. State and federal funding sources would impact us here in Central Illinois very little because those funds are being drawn from a larger pool of taxpayers. A county-wide sales tax, however, would be a huge burden on a population already reeling from increased taxes on top of inflated fuel and food prices.

Furthermore, polls have already shown that the chances of voters approving a tax increase at referendum is slim. How long are we going to keep beating this dead horse? It’s time to come up with a new plan.

Peoria Journal Star

Journal Star rates going up

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From my mailbox today:

August 27, 2008

Dear Subscriber,

As a subscriber who has chosen to pay for your subscription through our Easy Pay Plus plan, you are among our most valued subscribers and wisest readers. That is why we are writing you today to let you know about an upcoming change in our rates.

Effective September 29, 2008, your new rate will be $19.50 per month. That is an increase of less than four cents per day. While our Easy Pay Plus rate has not changed in over two and a half years, fuel costs have increased dramatically as you well know, as well as newsprint costs. We feel that it is appropriate to help our carriers offset these increased fuel costs and enable us to retain carriers who will provide good service to valued customers like you.

We know that you recognize the value and convenience of paying for your subscription with the most economical rate that we offer. We are equally sure that you recognize the value of the news and information, entertainment and many saving values found in the Journal Star everyday.

Thank you for continuing to be a loyal and valued Journal Star reader.

Sincerely,
Bruce Nielsen
Circulation Manager

Considering they put all their content on the web for free, I would like Mr. Nielsen to explain to me what benefits I’m getting by paying almost $20 a month for the “dead tree version,” as Billy Dennis calls it. Billy gets the same news I get, only he gets it for nothing, and I pay over $200 a year for it. As one of the Journal Star’s “wisest readers,” why shouldn’t I cancel my subscription?

2008 Campaign

McCain picks Palin

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When I heard that McCain was considering Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, I started reading up on her, and I must say, I’m impressed. The more I’ve thought about it, the more I think she would be a brilliant choice both on the merits and as a political maneuver. Palin is known for her high integrity and staunchly conservative credentials. She’s 44 years old, female (obviously), and as a governor she has experience that none of the other candidates have.

Read her bio on Wikipedia and I think you’ll agree, even if you’re not Republican, that it’s an inspired choice for the party’s VP nominee. It’s official.

Restaurants

Vonachens to close Monday

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My in-laws had planned to take my wife out to Vonachen’s next Wednesday for my wife’s birthday. Fortunately, they made reservations. Unfortunately, Vonachens called today and said they’re closing Monday. So, if you want to enjoy Vonachens one last time, you have the weekend.

I’ve mentioned before how disappointed I am that they’re closing. My dad worked at Vonachen’s Junction (as it was then called) in the early ’60s. I remember going there with my parents many times growing up. I have many memories of dinner dates there when I was in my late teens and early twenties (including my most embarrassing date ever — when I forgot my wallet). My wife took me there for a surprise birthday dinner when I turned 30. My wife and kids and I will be dining there tonight for the last time.

I hope Junction Ventures can find a suitable, local replacement for the old place.

2008 Campaign, Aaron Schock

Poll: Schock leading Callahan by more than 2-to-1 margin

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From a press release:

(PEORIA) With just over two months to go in the race, a new poll conducted by Public Opinion Strategies of Alexandria, Virginia on August 18-20th shows Aaron Schock leading Colleen Callahan by a more than two-to-one margin with Green Party nominee Sheldon Schafer getting 2% of the vote.

The 400 sample size poll conducted throughout the 18th Congressional District shows Schock with a commanding lead throughout the district. The head to head match up showed Schock with 56% of the vote to Callahan’s 27% and Schafer’s 2%, with 13% undecided.

The question was simply worded, “If the election to U.S. Congress were being held today, for whom would you vote.. .Colleen Callahan, Democrat; Sheldon Schafer, Green Party or Aaron Schock, Republican? The three names were rotated in order as the question was asked of voters.

The Schock campaign released two polls it had commissioned by Public Opinion Strategies in the primary race and both showed Schock with substantial leads. His final vote totals were even higher however, earning 72% of the vote.

“Public Opinion Strategies is one of the most respected and accurate polling firms in the nation,” said Schock campaign manager Steven Shearer. “Some people questioned the validity of the polls we released in the primary campaign and even scoffed that Aaron’s numbers couldn’t possibly be that high, but Aaron’s margin of the vote confirmed those poll findings.”

“Without question the only poll that counts is on Election Day,” Shearer continued. “That is why Aaron Schock is working exceptionally hard to earn new support each and every day, just as he has done in each campaign.”

A memo of the results of the poll has been prepared by Public Opinion Strategies and follows this page, and is being publicly released to the media.

Click on this link to see the full press release with the results memo.

Museum Block

New fundraising plans for museum block to be unveiled Sept. 2

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There’s a press event planned for next Tuesday regarding fundraising efforts for the proposed downtown museum. The event is sponsored by the CEO Roundtable and sports a new catchphrase and logo to replace the old “Circle the Square” campaign: “Build the Block.” Here are the details directly from the press release:

Tuesday, September 2, 2008, 10:30 a.m.
On the patio at Martinis, 212 SW Water Street

The CEO Roundtable, a Heartland Partnership Organization representing Peoria’s business leaders, will announce a new effort to raise needed funds to help build the Peoria Riverfront Museum Block. The new museum block will be a component of the overall development of one of the most important properties in Peoria’s downtown. The Caterpillar Experience, retail/commercial offerings and park-like green space are also planned for the site.

Speakers include:
Michael Bryant, Methodist Medical Center
Mike Everett, Illinois Building Trades Councils
State Senator Dave Koehler
State Representative Dave Leitch
Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis
Jim Owens, Caterpillar Inc.
Brad McMillan, Museum Collaboration Group

It’s encouraging that they’re not putting all their eggs in the new-county-tax basket. I can’t wait to hear what their new plan is. It’s also encouraging that they’re still calling it the “Peoria Riverfront Museum,” evidently backing off plans to remove “Peoria” from the name.