All posts by C. J. Summers

I am a fourth-generation Peorian, married with three children.
Peoria Pundit

Pundit problems

17 Comments

If you’re having trouble accessing the Peoria Pundit site, so is Billy Dennis. I received this e-mail from him moments ago:

Here’s what I know. My server on which blogpeoria.com sites are hosted was experiencing heavy loads all day yesterday. I submitted five trouble tickets on the issue, one each time the server was down.

I was beginning to discuss moving my siles and data bases to another server, when moments ago, I noticed the entire site was suspended. This can happen for a builling issue, when required by law because of illegal content, or because one particular account was slowing the entire system.

I suspect it is the latter. Moving Peoria Pundit to blogpeoria.com may have stressed this server.

I’ll do what it takes to get blogpeoria.com back up. It might required moving the site to a dedicated server or a virtual private server.

Hope everything gets worked out soon, Billy.

Peoria Public Library

Library appeals to public again

12 Comments

Library ad on 5-27-08 newspaperWhen I picked up my Journal Star today, I found this advertisement on the front of it:

Tonight the future of
Peoria Public Library
will be decided.
City Council
6:15 p.m.
PLEASE MAKE
YOUR VOICE
HEARD!
Paid for by supporters of Peoria Public Library

Of course, the public already made its voice heard when it voted to approve a $35 million bond issuance by 72% on last year’s ballot. But they will have to make their voice heard again because that vote was non-binding, and the city council has the final decision on whether to approve issuing the bonds. And some council members aren’t too keen on the idea. Here’s what’s on the agenda for tonight’s council meeting:

Communication from the Interim City Manager and Finance Director/Comptroller Requesting Adoption of an ORDINANCE Providing for the ISSUANCE of GENERAL OBLIGATION LIBRARY BONDS, SERIES 2008A, Authorizing the Execution of a Bond Order in Connection Therewith and Providing for the Levy and Collection of a Direct Annual Tax for Payment of the Principal and Interest on Said Bonds.

I expect this to be deferred, but I hope it isn’t. I’m told that this is a good time to buy the bonds because we can get a good rate that will mean less of a hit on property taxes. Delaying this is only going to end up costing the taxpayers more in the long run, so if it’s going to be approved, approve it now. Given the referendum, there’s no political downside to council members voting for this.

On the other hand, if the council is not going to approve it, then they need to do that now as well, so that no more time or money is wasted on the project. It would be most unfortunate if this were voted down, in my opinion. The library system is a basic service and an upgrade should be supported. As the Journal Star recently pointed out, the library folks have done everything that’s been asked of them — they’ve dotted every “i” and crossed every “t.” If the council votes against it, they will be hard pressed to explain how their denial is not arbitrary and capricious.

Let’s not drag this thing out. Vote for it tonight and be done with it. And preferably, vote “yes.”

Peoria Public Schools

Wolfmeyer: “It’s not my role…to meet with individuals”

97 Comments

Diane Vespa, parent of two Kellar Primary School students, would like to meet with representatives of the Peoria Public Schools Board of Education to discuss her concerns about the board’s decision to shorten the school day. Here’s the shocking response she received from Board Member Debbie Wolfmeyer:

Mrs. Vespa – I must respectfully decline your invitation to meet with you. It is not my role as a Board member to meet with individuals or groups. None of us as an individual Board member has any authority. Our authority comes as we work as a body. Also, I am not an educator. Therefore, it is important that any ideas, solutions, etc that are presented go through the administration so that they can assess them and report to us. Now I will say that I ask a lot of questions about anything that is presented to us; more questions probably than the administration would like to answer. And I don’t stop asking questions until I am satisfied that I have all the information I need to make a decision. That is what I have done on the current issue. I have asked every question that has been presented to me. That information helped form my decision. If you have any new information you would like presented to the administration, I would be happy to forward it. I respect everyone’s right to their opinion and their right to voice that opinion. Thank you for the obvious time and passion you have for our District.

Debbie Wolfmeyer
District #150 School Board

Attention District 3 2 voters: Wolfmeyer has just announced that she will not meet or talk with you, her constituents, about your concerns. She believes that your concerns should be submitted to the Superintendent, and then she will make her decisions based on what the Superintendent says — i.e., whether he thinks your concerns are valid or not. Let me repeat: Wolfmeyer has just announced that she makes her decisions without any consideration of her constituents’ views; only the administration’s views are considered. She will, however, out of the goodness of her heart, forward your concerns to the administration. But don’t bother asking to meet her face to face.

Remember that in 2011 when she suddenly decides it might be a good idea to meet with individuals and groups in order to get reelected. Remind her that it’s not her role to meet with her constituents. Then vote for someone who believes it is his or her role to meet with constituents and listen to their concerns, and then represent them on the board.

Uncategorized

Quote of the Day

5 Comments

In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem. From time to time we’ve been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people. Well, if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else? All of us together, in and out of government, must bear the burden. The solutions we seek must be equitable, with no one group singled out to pay a higher price.

–President Ronald Reagan, First Inaugural Address,
January 20, 1981
Blogosphere, Radio

Ahl leaving WCBU, Peoria

2 Comments

Intrepid news director at WCBU 89.9 FM, Jonathan Ahl, has announced he will be leaving WCBU and the Peoria area to pursue another job opportunity. He hasn’t revealed where he’s going yet, but will keep us all updated on his blog.

It’s an exciting time for the Ahl family, but a huge loss to Peoria. Jonathan’s experience and professionalism have earned him a lot of well-deserved respect, and his absence from the local news media will leave an awfully big hole. I also consider Jonathan a friend, and so I’m sad on a personal level that he won’t be in the area anymore, and yet excited for him as he takes this new opportunity. Of course, he waited until after I made my annual pledge to the station to tell me he was leaving.

All my best to Jonathan, Anita, Tommy, and Lily.

Museum Block

Museum officials erase “Peoria”

35 Comments

In 2006, over 5,000 people participated in a poll to name the museum proposed for the old Sears block. Over 2,500 — over fifty percent — of those participants voted for “Peoria Riverfront Museum.” That would not be a big deal if there were only two names on the ballot, but there were five. In a five-way race, “Peoria Riverfront Museum” captured over half the total votes. It wasn’t a plurality; it was a majority.

There was no small amount of controversy over the naming of the museum. You may recall that the museum officials at first trotted out a series of ridiculous names (like “ExploraSphere” and “AMAZEum”), that were met with scorn by the public. None of their original batch of names had “Peoria” in the title because it supposedly “didn’t test well.” Yet, when public pressure was put on the museum folks to reconsider, the name that got the most votes was “Peoria Riverfront Museum.”

Now WCBU’s Jonathan Ahl reports that museum officials have decided that the public’s choice for a name is “too long,” so they will be shortening it to “Riverfront Museum.”

Too long? Based on what? It’s shorter than “Discovery Depot Children’s Museum” and even “Galesburg Railroad Museum.” What about the “WonderLab Museum of Health, Science & Technology” in Bloomington? Or the “Metropolitan Museum of Art” in New York? Or the “Museum of Science and Industry” in Chicago? Do they seriously expect us to believe that “Peoria Riverfront Museum” is too long?

And even if it were too long, why take “Peoria” out of the name? Why not shorten it to “Peoria Museum”? My guess is the real reason they want to strip “Peoria” out of the name to make it easier for them to pitch it as a “regional” musuem, and thus (they hope) get surrounding cities and corporations to donate.

The problem is not the name. The problem is the design and the cost. Rather than changing the plans to a more urban design — which would be easier and less expensive to build, and which Peorians wanted in the first place — they’re going to change the name. That name was the only thing on which the public got what it wanted. And now it’s gone, too.

Of course, they still want your tax money regardless.

Peoria Public Schools

Parents present alternatives to shortening school day

28 Comments

Four parents representing the District 150 Watch group met today with Peoria Public Schools Superintendent Ken Hinton to present their alternatives to shortening the school day. You can read their recommendations here (6-page PDF file).

The document was put together as the result of a lot of collaboration, but was ultimately written by Chris Setti, a Whittier Primary School parent and Six Sigma Black Belt for the City of Peoria. It’s respectful, well-documented, positive and constructive. It presents several ways that the Board of Education could provide additional common prep time for teachers as well as cut expenses, all without shortening the school day.

Of course, no decisions were made yet as a result of this meeting. Hinton is meeting with PTO presidents and primary school principals right now, presumably to hear their concerns. If you haven’t already, please write to your school board representatives and ask them to reverse their decision to cut the school day; encourage them to take seriously the alternatives presented to Mr. Hinton today.

Here is the contact information for all District 150 Board of Education members:

David Gorenz
President (Dist. 3)
(309) 688-2824
david.gorenz@psd150.org

Martha M. Ross
Vice-President (Dist. 1)
(309) 674-2574
martha.ross@psd150.org

Linda Butler
(Dist. 2)
(309) 688-7912
linda.butler@psd150.org

Rachael A. Parker
(Dist. 2)
(309) 688-5990
rachael.parker@psd150.org

Mary Spangler
(Dist. 3)
(309) 691-1752
mary.spangler@psd150.org

Jim Stowell
(Dist. 3)
(309) 692-4128
jim.stowell@psd150.org

Debbie Wolfmeyer
(Dist. 3)
(309) 681-9567
debbie.wolfmeyer@psd150.org

To e-mail all board members at once, click here.

City of Peoria

New Peoria logo forum to be held

23 Comments

From a press release:

The City of Peoria will hold a community forum on June 2, 2008, at 6:00 p.m., to give the community the opportunity to have input about a new logo for our City. The forum will be held at the Peoria Civic Center in Room 220.

Our objective is to develop an overall identity theme linked to the City itself, and to provide consistency and clarity in the way the City communicates with the public through its graphics, signage, advertising, and marketing. The common theme and graphic image would better define and communicate the City’s assets and benefits of its programs and services.

The Mayor and City Council Members believe that an important aspect of designing a new logo is having input from the entire community. The City wants to know what you think. We want to know what you believe are the important qualities about our City and the things we should consider when the logo is designed.

We have also designed a web survey that we encourage you to take prior to the June 2nd forum. It will only take a few minutes to complete and will provide us with important information to use in the designing of the new logo. The web link is http://logopeoria.com/.

The forum is open to the community and everyone is encouraged to attend.

The City Council approved funding for the design of a new City logo in March, 2008.

City of Peoria, Streets

Signs or Designs?

18 Comments

Speeding carsThe city’s Traffic Commission is considering lowering the speed limit from 30 to 25 miles per hour in residential neighborhoods and subdivisions. The cost would be about $200,000 to purchase new signs.

It’s hard to argue against a 25-mph speed limit in residential areas. I don’t have any objection to lowering the speed limit, provided the cost can be spread out by phasing in the changes over a few years. It certainly would be safer, assuming people actually drive slower. The arguments against this effort is that people will ignore the signs (like they do now, it’s argued), thus it won’t be the most effective use of $200,000. They may have a point.

I believe the speeding problem is systemic, and that’s why signs are believed to have little or no effect. To really get people to slow down, some fundamental changes in road design are needed.

When you build a road that has wide, multiple traffic lanes capable of accommodating speeds of 40 or 50 miles per hour, guess what you’re going to get? That’s right: people driving 40 or 50 miles per hour. It doesn’t matter what the sign says; people are going to drive up to the limit that’s comfortable given the road’s design.

Take Knoxville between War Memorial Drive and downtown, for instance: Five lanes (most of the way), 35-mph speed limit. And do you ever see anyone driving 35 miles per hour? Sure you do — you can’t miss them. They’re the ones getting passed by the rest of the motorists who are doing at least 45, if not 50.

This is true in residential areas as well. If you have wide collector streets that can easily handle 40- to 45-mph traffic, that’s what you’re going to see, despite the speed limit signs saying 30 or 25. The roads are wide in the mistaken belief that wide streets equal safer streets. But the inverse is actually true: narrower streets produce naturally lower speeds and end up being safer.

This is the theory behind “road diets.” You can read about it in this PDF report by Dan Burden and Peter Lagerwey. They write:

Nationwide, engineers are putting roads on “diets,” helping them lose lanes and width. In the process formerly “fat” streets often become leaner, safer, and more efficient. They become multi-modal and more productive. In many cases these former “warrior” roadways are tamed and turned into “angels.”

Often these changed roads set the stage for millions or megamillions of dollars in new commercial and residential development. The change can increase value of existing properties. In some cases costs of reconstructing roadways are repaid in as little as one year through increased sales tax or property tax
revenue.

The “Road Diets” report focuses on reducing arterial roadways. However, narrower streets (in concert with other calming measures, such as on-street parking) have been shown to reduce speeds and make roadways safer in general, as this report from the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) shows.

To effect change in this area, the city’s subdivision ordinance would need to be amended, since that is where the design standards for street widths and on-street parking are codified (Municipal Code, Appendix A, Article V, Part I). Until changes are made to the way we build our roads, speeding is going to continue to be a problem, no matter how many signs we put up.

City of Peoria, Peoria Public Library

Library plans taking shape

10 Comments

Lincoln Branch of Peoria Public LibraryThe Library Board is ready to ask the City Council next Tuesday to approve the sale of $35 million in bonds to pay for upgrades to Peoria’s library system, including building a new branch in far north Peoria.

You may have heard the library’s director Ed Szynaka on the radio recently giving an update on where the library is in the process. It’s been a long year. The library has completed the programming phase of the process, and now they’re working on negotiating a site for the north branch. Negotiations will be more meaningful if they are able to talk real money, which is why they want the council to okay the bond issuance.

I got a chance to talk to Gary Sandberg, City Council liaison to the Library Board for this project. Everyone knows the library board had a couple of missteps early in the process, but Gary got them to agree to go through a deliberate and open process.

He showed me how they developed criteria for what features a new library site would need, and then went out and found sites that met the criteria to varying degrees. They put all that data in a matrix and ranked the sites by how well they met the criteria. The most favored site before this process (old K’s Merchandise building) came in third or fourth. The top two sites identified, as mentioned in the paper today, were the old Festival Foods store on Knoxville in Northpoint shopping center, and a greenfield site just north of Route 6 on the west side of Allen Road, behind the new Sud car dealership. I was pleased to see the sites were selected on a rational and objective basis.

But that’s not the end of the story. Next comes cost. Just because a site meets the criteria doesn’t mean that a fair price will be able to be negotiated for it. The asking price for the Festival Foods site is approximately $4 million. The Sud site is $5.50 per square foot developed (i.e., with roads, utilities, etc. built out to the property line). The Library Board will be trying to negotiate a lower price. The more they have to spend for land, the less they have to spend on construction.

The Festival Foods site is terribly overpriced. In fact, the owner of Festival Foods reportedly had been asking a little less than $2 million for the site before the library showed interest. It has certainly sat vacant long enough while other big box stores have been passing it by, searching for greener pastures (literally) farther north. Fortunately, they’re not the only site the library is considering.

This may come as a surprise to some of my readers, but I would prefer a standalone building for this project, which in this case would most likely mean a greenfield development on the Sud property. The reason is that this is a civic building, and the architecture of civic buildings is symbolic. It symbolizes the civilization of a city. When you put a library in a strip mall, it says something about your community’s values, or at least about how much your community values (a) libraries, and (b) civic architecture.

Look at the other libraries in the system. Consider the Lincoln Branch. Here, you have a Carnegie library building proudly placed in the middle of a civic square. It’s inspiring and set apart from the surrounding architecture. You know immediately that this is someplace special. It’s not a title loan place or a pizza joint. It’s a civic building. It is important. The architecture and setting reinforce that importance.

Now I realize that not every library is going to look like a Carnegie library building. That’s not my point. My point is that it’s distinguishable. The McClure branch, which is more modest architecturally, is nevertheless a distinguishable and inspiring civic building. That’s what we should be shooting for in the north end, too.

The paper says the cost of the bonds to homeowners would be “about $50 per $100,000 of assessed property value a year.” That may be, or it may be lower. Because of the way the economy is, the city may be able to get an even lower rate for the bonds; instead of $0.15 per $100 assessed value, it may only be $0.13, in which case the cost to taxpayers would only be about $43 per $100,000 of assessed property a year.

Also, it should be noted that the $35 million in bonds isn’t just for a new north branch. Only about $11 million is going toward that. The $35 million is also going to triple the size of the Lincoln branch (they’re going to build a large addition), completely remodel the Main branch (also close to $11 million), and expand the Lakeview branch as well.

*Lincoln branch picture courtesy of PeoriaIllinoisan, via his Name This Peoria Landmark blog.