All posts by C. J. Summers

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

The courtesy of a deferral

Second-district councilperson Barbara Van Auken laid out her case for granting “the courtesy of a deferral” to OSF, Methodist, or any business that has shown a long-term commitment to the city/community.  She wanted to make it clear that by doing so, she’s not favoring one project over another.  I believe her.

But, I can’t help but think she may have been used by the hospital(s) to affect the outcome anyway, however unintentionally.  Take a look at this report from the Journal Star today:

More than likely, the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board will only approve one such acute-care facility for the Peoria area, as it recently did in Springfield with two competing proposals.

There, Select Medical was not chosen because it filed second.

Notice the timing issue — “Select Medical was not chosen because it filed second.”  Could it be that the one week deferral provided Methodist with the ability to get in their application for a “certificate of need” first?  And, if so, wouldn’t that give them quite an advantage in the competition for a state permit?

I could be all wet.  I hope I am.  But I’ll be interested to see the dates on the applications.

City Council, Renaissance Park, Southtown

Methodist to city: We don’t need your help

The Journal Star reports today that Methodist Medical Center, along with RehabCare of St. Louis, is going to try to bring a long-term, acute-care facility to Renaissance Park (f.k.a. The Med-Tech District).  This is the same kind of facility Select Medical would like to bring to Southtown.  However, the state will likely approve only one such facility for Peoria, so we have a competition on our hands.

The City is apparently in favor of Methodist, as evidenced by its deferral of approving the sale of the land in Southtown to Select Medical last week.  But Methodist is saying (publicly, at least), “Thanks, council, but we can compete in the marketplace without your help”:

“We have no concerns [about Select Medical’s bid]. Whoever is telling you that is a liar,” [Methodist CEO Michael] Bryant said. “If they beat us to the punch, they win. This isn’t a city issue. It comes down to a certificate of need issue. The best thing is for the city not to take any sides.”

I couldn’t agree more.  The council should reconsider the deferral tonight and vote to let the Southtown sale go through.

Peoria Disposal Company

Peoria families starting to rally against proposed PDC expansion

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Way back in November, the City Council heard a presentation from Peoria Disposal Company (PDC) about how they want to expand their landfill in Pottstown, just outside the city limits.  They didn’t have to do this presentation, since it’s a Peoria County decision, but they did it anyway as a courtesy to the city residents who will be affected (or unaffected, they argued) by this expansion.

At that time, they mentioned they were going to be filing an application to expand, and that a public hearing would take place 90-100 days later.  That would put it roughly in February 2006, which is almost upon us.

So I wasn’t surprised when I got this e-mail from a concerned citizen:

We are very concerned regarding PDC’s proposed expansion of it’s toxic waste dump just down the road in Pottstown. We’ve found that many Peorians don’t even know this site exists and the County Board is now tasked with deciding if it can expand even further.  Key facts:

-The toxic landfill is one of only 15 in the US; 14 states ship their toxic waste here.

-The dump sits atop an aquifer; the company claims their plastic liners will last “centuries” but that promise seems highly unrealistic and certainly unproven

-PDC is Peoria County’s second highest facility contributing to cancer risks (160,000 lbs annually); (source: Scorecard.com)

-PDC ranks 19 of all US companies with the highest toxic chemical releases in the nation (20 million pounds annual; 1st in Peoria County). (source: Scorecard.com)

-PDC is ranked #4 air polluter in Peoria County (source: Scorecard.com)

-According to its website the Peoria County Board only requires PDC to notify residents within 250 feet of the site and one notice in the Journal Star. The Board indicates this is a “very public”, “many step” process to “inform” and “educate” the public (see website link). We disagree.
http://www.co.peoria.il.us/display.php?section=county&page=pdc

-Lastly, the company has a good reputation and the owners are respected locals.  However, our common sense concern about the health and safety of our children is more compelling than the owner’s reputation. Furthermore, the company can always sell to a non-local corporation, putting Peoria and our neighborhoods in even greater jeopardy.

The list of concerns goes on and on but you get the idea.  We’ve just started a new group call “Peoria Families Against Toxic Waste”.  We have lots of information and want to ensure our neighborhood is informed.

I thought there would be a fight on this one.  The issue is one of risk — how risky is it to have all this toxic waste on our border?  In their presentation last November, PDC was adamant that their safety measures were impeccable, and I don’t doubt it.  But as concerned citizen John McClain said after the presentation that night, there are things out of the company’s control (natural disasters, accidents, terrorism) that could compromise the safety of the dump. In other words, there’s still a risk; the question is, how much risk are residents willing to accept? I suppose we’ll find out at the public hearing.

City Council, Southtown

Polly says it all

Polly Peoria has the right take on the Southtown deal:

Peoria very well might be better off if Methodist and/or OSF build their planned facilities and the would be buyer of the vacant lot be shut out. However, that is the role of the market place, not local government (no matter how noble their intent) to decide.

Didn’t somebody say they didn’t think government should be into choosing the winners and losers?  If this isn’t just that sort of situation, I don’t know what is.

City Council, Southtown

Nichting wants to reconsider the Select Medical deferment

Fifth-district councilman Patrick Nichting doesn’t want to wait three weeks to decide on Select Medical Corporation’s offer to buy a four-acre plot in Southtown. A motion to reconsider comes up Tuesday night:

Communication from Council Member Nichting Requesting RECONSIDERATION OF THE MOTION TO DEFER ITEM NO. 06-026 Regarding OPTION AGREEMENT with SELECT MEDICAL CORPORATION, LLC., for the PURCHASE of CITY-OWNED PROPERTY, (Bordered by Hightower, R.B. Garrett, and Richard Pryor Way), in the Amount of $714.384.00.

City Council

Council to decide whether to keep Hunts property in city

The City Council will decide Tuesday night whether to let the former Hunts property be disconnected from the city so it can be annexed to West Peoria. As you may recall, Crusens bought the neighboring Hunts property when Hunts closed for good last year. Hunts is in Peoria, whereas Crusens is in West Peoria.

I would expect the city to give the okay to disconnect it, but who knows? Maybe one of the other bars in town will ask the council to defer this a couple weeks so they can understand the deal better….

Kellar Branch

Breaking News: STB Stays Decision

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Somebody tell Bonnie Noble to put her sledgehammer away — the demolition of the Kellar Branch has been delayed.

The Surface Transportation Board today decided to stay the effective date of their decision to discontinue service on the Kellar Branch. The Board stated:

The Board’s decision granting CIRY’s petition for exemption was premised on the fact that the existing shippers on this segment of rail line would receive rail service in the future via a new western connection to the Union Pacific Railroad Company (UP) or by some other arrangement . . . . In its letters, Carver Lumber expresses concern about allowing CIRY’s discontinuance authority to go into effect because the western connection has not yet been completed. Carver Lumber also raises several issues regarding the western connection to UP that call into question the availability and practicability of that alternative when it is completed. Until these issues are resolved, it would be inappropriate to allow this discontinuance to become effective.

A stay of the effective date of the exemption is appropriate to allow time for the parties to provide additional information and for the Board to consider the issues presented in Carver Lumber’s filing. Accordingly, the exemption will be stayed pending further order of the Board. In the interim, CIRY and the City are directed to keep the Board informed of their progress in addressing and resolving the issues raised by Carver Lumber.

This Board’s decision was originally set to take effect January 22. That date has now been postponed indefinitely.

City Council, Southtown

Southtown

An anonymous commenter wondered why there has been no discussion from bloggers about the council’s deferral of a $9 million development in Southtown.  So, anon, this is for you.

A Pennsylvania company wants to build a long-term acute care hospital.  They’re not asking for any financial assistance from the city, and are willing to pay $714,384 for the four-acre parcel.  It would create 100 jobs. This sounds like a slam-dunk deal, doesn’t it?  Why in the world was it deferred?

Well, Second District Councilperson Barbara Van Auken wouldn’t say in the meeting (isn’t that intriguing?), but she later told the Journal Star that “a lawyer for OSF Saint Francis Medical Center contacted her Monday, asking for more time to understand the deal. Since St. Francis is planning a $250 million expansion and is one of the area’s largest employers, Van Auken said she didn’t see a problem with giving them the courtesy of a deferral.”

Let’s think about this for a second.  Who does this lawyer work for?  OSF.  And so who’s interests is he looking out for?  OSF’s, right?  Does he care about the city’s interests?  Only insofar as it furthers OSF’s interests.  And so, why does he need to “understand the deal” before the city can act on this offer?  Why is it in the city’s interests to defer the vote?

The statement from the Journal Star seems to imply that it’s because “St. Francis is planning a $250 million expansion and is one of the area’s largest employers.”  So?  What’s that got to do with the price of eggs in China?  As I read it, this deal is between the City of Peoria and Select Medical Property Ventures, LLC.  It doesn’t involve OSF at all.  In fact, OSF could potentially be a competitor if they have any plans to enter into the “long-term acute care” market.  It wouldn’t be any stretch of the imagination to consider that could be in their long-term plans, would it? So, again I ask, why is the city delaying the vote so that OSF’s lawyer can “understand the deal”? If you run a personal injury law firm, one of your top priorities in the business will always be getting new clients and signing more cases. Daniel Hegwer are a team of personal injury trial lawyers with proven expertise handling injury cases.

Delaying the vote so OSF can weigh in on the deal can only mean one thing:  OSF and a majority of the council believe that OSF should have a place at the table when deciding where, how, and perhaps if new medical establishments locate in Peoria. And that’s troubling.

Why should a land deal in Southtown have to get OSF’s go-ahead before the council can vote on it?

Kellar Branch

Peoria: Parks more important than business

I know some of you are tiring of the Kellar Branch deal, but if you’ve ever wondered why Peoria has a reputation for being anti-business (or at least anti-local-business), one need look no further than this debacle.Carver Lumber is located on the Kellar Branch line and relies on rail transportation for shipping (it’s considerably cheaper than trucking).  They agreed to the city’s plan to turn the Kellar Branch into a hiking/biking trail on the condition that equivalent service be provided via a “western spur” that the city promised to build.  What the city has done is:

  • Replace a reliable carrier (Pioneer Industrial Railway) with an unreliable and incompetent carrier (Central Illinois Railway)  which not only hasn’t made a single shipment to Carver yet, but endangered Peoria citizens with a runaway train and damaged the rail line with a careless derailment;
  • Tear up a section of the Kellar Branch so that, even if CIRY were competent enough to get a load of lumber up the bluff, it couldn’t deliver it to Carver because the line is obstructed;
  • Not completed the western spur as promised.

Now Carver is making a reasonable request of the Surface Transportation Board: stay the Board’s decision to discontinue rail service on the Kellar Branch until (a) the western spur is completed, and (b) service via the western spur has proven to be adequate for Carver’s needs.

The city’s response?  “That would not be appropriate.”

That’s what the city’s attorney Tom McFarland wrote to the Surface Transportation Board today.  He goes on to say, “It would not be appropriate to stay the Board’s decision for an indefinite time while the adequacy of service from the west is tested, and perhaps to overturn the Board’s decision if Carver Lumber deems that service to be inadequate.”

In other words, turning the Kellar Branch into a linear park is more important than maintaining a profitable business climate for a long-time, local Peoria business.

It’s actually worse than that.  The city has no agreement with Union Pacific to use their line to the west, despite the western spur they’ve connected to it.  So, by saying it’s “inappropriate” to stay the decision “until the adequacy of service from the west is tested,” what they’re really saying is they’re not willing to ensure Carver can receive any shipments at all via the western spur before they start ripping up the rails on the Kellar Branch!

And why is it they’re doing this?  For a hiking/biking trail.

Make no mistake, parks are more important than business in Peoria.