Category Archives: Village of Peoria Heights

City of Peoria, CityLink, Village of Peoria Heights

City and Village still failing to communicate

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Not long ago, the City of Peoria was presuming to speak for itself and the Village of Peoria Heights regarding the Kellar Branch rail-to-trail conversion. They apparently haven’t learned anything since then.

In June, the City approved a (supposedly) three-way agreement with Peoria Heights and Junction Ventures that would allow the City and Village to own an old CityLink trolley and Junction Ventures to operate it. Guess what happened? The City found out subsequently that the Village wasn’t interested. Here’s the pertinent portion of the minutes from the Peoria Heights Village Board:

Representatives from CityLink explained the request to enter into an agreement to lease a trolley, which would be used for Shuttle Service from Junction City to Peoria Heights, and possibly downtown Peoria and the riverfront. The City of Peoria would like to lease the trolley and would like the Village to participate as well, although this is not a requirement of CityLink. CityLink is donating the trolley at no cost for the actual vehicle. Mayor Allen stated that both the City and Village would own the trolley. One business owner in attendance questioned if this is in the best interests of the businesses, and Mayor Allen stated that this creates greater exposure and additional opportunities. Trustee Carter said she was at a Chamber of Commerce meeting when the other party approached the Chamber for participation, and the Village wasn’t invited to participate as a formal party at that point, yet now it appears that the Village is supposed to own the trolley but have no further responsibility. [emphasis added] Trustee Carter asked to have another meeting with all parties involved. Mayor Allen stated that after the Chamber meeting the City offered the trolley via CityLink. Trustee Pendleton would like to discuss further at a different meeting as there are lots of questions regarding insurance, liability exposure, etc. Trustee Carter moved to table the issue and Trustee Pendleton seconded the motion. The motion to table was approved by a vote of 5-1, with Trustee Goett voting no.

So now, if approved at next Tuesday’s council meeting, the City is going to own the trolley (just what the City needs, eh?) and it won’t travel through the Heights. That’s a shame, actually, as Junction City has a lot in common with the shops in Peoria Heights, and it would have been a good partnership. I can’t help but wonder if the deal would have gone through had there been better communication among the parties.

City Council, City of Peoria, Kellar Branch, Peoria Park District, Village of Peoria Heights

Taxpayers to be soaked $1,250,969 for non-essential trail — and that’s just the beginning

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I’ve been saying it ever since the sphynxlike Kellar Branch Corridor Corporation first appeared that its clandestine efforts were going to cost the taxpayers lots of money. Now we know just how much: $1,250,969.

That’s the amount of money in taxpayer dollars the Peoria Park District is going to pony up to buy out the leasehold interests of two rail companies on the Kellar Branch rail line: Pioneer Railcorp and Central Illinois Railroad. Doing so will free up the middle portion of the line to be converted into a recreational trail.

But that’s the beginning. After they buy out the leasehold interests, they still have to actually build the trail, which will cost untold millions itself. In 2006, the estimated cost of conversion was just under $6.5 million.

But there are other costs. The City of Peoria actually owns the Kellar Branch. So in order for this plan to go through, the City has to give the Kellar Branch (technically, the easement) to the Park District. The appraised value of the Kellar Branch is $2,872,500. So how much is the City planning to ask for this valuable asset? $1. That’s right, $1. And the City doesn’t even get the salvage rights for the rails.

Perfect timing. Right on the heels of a City Council retreat where we learned the City is facing a $10-11 million budget deficit and is in dire need of a new revenue source, our illustrious City Council will likely approve a request next Tuesday to squander a nearly $3 million asset. Pioneer Railcorp at one time offered the city $750,000 for the line, but the City turned them down. No, they were holding out for the Park District’s winning bid of $1.

Anyone who thought that the Kellar Branch Corridor Corporation was buying out the rail carriers’ leasehold interests out of charity was naive. Included in that $1.25 million is $140,800 for the Corporation’s “expenses.” No list of expenses is given. I suspect it includes a little reward from the Park District for finally acquiring what they’ve coveted for so long.

For those of you keeping score, let’s see what our new grand total is for tax dollars wasted on non-essentials/poor investments:

“Wonderful Development” (Downtown Hotel) $37,000,000
Peoria Riverfront Museum $34,700,000
Firefly Energy Loan Guarantee $6,000,000
Civic Center Expansion $55,000,000
Kellar Branch acquisition $1,250,969
Kellar Branch conversion $6,441,738
Total $140,392,707

It’s like they say, pretty soon you’re talking real money. But we can’t afford to fix sidewalks or resurface streets, or fully staff our police and fire departments. Yes, I know I’m conflating expenses from several municipal organizations (City, County, Park District), but the fact is that all that tax money comes from the same source: our pockets. The Park District raising its property tax levy puts pressure on the City not to raise its levy. It’s all related.

Perhaps we could take those toll booths we’re removing from Riverfront Village and install them at the entrances to the Kellar Branch trail. Given the number of users predicted by the Journal Star, we should be able to solve our entire budget deficit by charging a modest toll.

City of Peoria, Peoria Disposal Company, Village of Peoria Heights, Waste Management

PDC’s proposed recycling component improves, but still falls short

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On the council’s agenda for next Tuesday, October 13, is a recommendation from the Public Works Department to accept Peoria Disposal Company’s (PDC) bid of $5 million annually to collect solid waste, lawn waste, and recycling for the next five years. I did some analysis of the plan last month, but now I’d like to revisit the recycling portion.

First, there has been a new development. According to the most recent council communication, alley collection of recycling will be restored and protected:

If a customer currently places their refuse and landscape waste in their alley for collection then recyclables will be collected from the alley. If a customer currently places their refuse and landscape waste at the curb for collection then recyclables will be collected from the curb. Any changes in set out location will need to be approved in writing by the City during this agreement.

That’s great news! It will reverse a unilateral change in “set out location” (as they call it) by Waste Management, and is a big victory for older neighborhoods.

However, I think it might be helpful at this point to ask what the goal is in offering recycling collection. I’m not sure what it is, but I can tell you what it is not: it’s not to incentivize recycling. There are a couple of big disincentives to participating:

  1. Deposit of $50 for a 96-gallon Toter — Why is Toter rental necessary? It’s not. Consider the fact that you needn’t rent a Toter for refuse, nor do you need to rent a Toter for lawn waste. This means (a) they are capable of accommodating different kinds of waste containers, and (b) they are capable of distinguishing between one kind of waste and another. For the sake of argument, let’s presume that there is some justifiable need for a Toter — why does it need to be supplied by PDC? Why couldn’t a resident use a Toter he or she purchased at the store? Does PDC have Toter manufacture a special, proprietary design for PDC? There doesn’t appear to be any believable reason why a Toter must be rented to participate in recycling. It looks like an arbitrary requirement intended to disincentivize participation.
  2. Infrequency of collection (only once a month) — Given that your capacity is limited to one 96-gallon Toter for a month, how much recycling will you be able to do? Some, to be sure. But, if you have a large family (I have a family of five, for instance), and you’re serious about recycling (like my wife is), you’ll find that most of the waste coming out of your home is recyclable. In fact, we only have one garbage can of regular refuse each week, but fill up a 64-gallon Toter plus one or two smaller bins every other week. If collection goes to once a month, we’ll easily have more recycling than a 96-gallon Toter can hold. What are we supposed to do? Rent a second Toter, so now we’re up to a $100 fee to participate? Or just throw half our recyclables in the garbage, which has no restrictions? Either way, it’s fair to say there’s a pretty good incentive not to recycle.

Local environmental activist David Pittman recently sent me this information:

Peoria Heights has achieved a 50% participation rate with their curbside bi weekly residential recycling program within 6 months. People usually want to recycle if it is easy and convenient and free. Normal is around 40%. Elgin is nearly 60%. Springfield about 40%.

I doubt we’re going to see participation rates that high under the proposed contract. But his comment got me thinking: Why not bid out the recycling separately? That’s how Peoria Heights does it. G & O Disposal takes care of their refuse while Eagle Enterprises takes care of their recycling.

If we bid it out separately, we might get more bids on the recycling portion than just PDC and Waste Management (WM). Perhaps a company that wouldn’t be able to handle all of Peoria’s waste hauling needs could handle just one portion, if you are now considering to start recycling check cheap skip bin hire Melbourne.

Here’s one thing I don’t want to hear when this is discussed Tuesday night: “We can’t afford any more than this.” It’s inevitable that someone (possibly everyone) will argue that the current proposal should be accepted because (a) it’s the cheapest and (b) it fulfills all the criteria they wanted. While that’s true as far as it goes, it’s worth noting that if PDC had suggested once-a-month pickup of lawn waste, the council likely wouldn’t have approved it due to the inconvenience factor. So it will be interesting to hear how much of a priority the council gives to recycling.

Some might protest that it is a priority, but that we simply can’t afford a robust recycling program right now, given the dire economic crisis we’re facing. I would point out that the dire economic crisis is not stopping the council from raising taxes and handing the proceeds over to a private developer so he can build a downtown hotel. I know I’m starting to sound like a one-string fiddle here, but facts are facts. As long as they continue to pursue and defend this non-essential and risky hotel scheme, I’m not buying any argument that says we “can’t afford” this or that. We can afford it, if it’s a high enough priority.

2009 Campaign, Village of Peoria Heights

Welcome Mayor Allen to the blogosphere

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Village of Peoria Heights Mayor Mark Allen has started his own blog, The Peoria Heights Response. It’s appears to be primarily a campaign website, as he is running for reelection this year. But he’s also sharing other interesting information about the Heights.

One issue that may be of interest to Peoria residents is the recycling program the Heights has recently implemented. Peoria’s current garbage disposal contract with Waste Management expires this year. This is the time to negotiate a new contract, possibly with a different company, that will make recycling as easy here as it is in the Heights.

Village of Peoria Heights

Peoria Heights street looks like “war zone”

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A block of Paris Ave. — one block south of War Memorial Drive, between Wisconsin and Illinois avenues — looks like a “war zone” according to Tom Horstmann, Peoria Heights village administrator. Take a look for yourself:

[flashvideo filename=https://peoriachronicle.com/wp-content/uploads/Video/Paris-Ave.flv /]

Yep, pretty much. Here’s why:

The work on demolishing these houses to make way for a new strip mall has ground to a halt. The reason is a survey for asbestos required by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

In the meantime, the place looks like Yucca Flats after the blast. And we all know how persnickety Peoria Heights is about how their village looks. This must be driving them crazy. [/sarcasm]

Incidentally, click on the link to the Times-Observer article. The really interesting part of the story is not the “war zone” comment. It’s the fact that the Village hasn’t seen any plans for the strip mall, doesn’t know who the tenants will be, and neither does the developer know who the tenants will be. I guess when they say they don’t make developers “jump through a lot of hoops,” they must mean they have no standards at all for development.

But the village is reportedly “excited” about the development anyway, even though they have no idea what kind of business will move in or any inkling of what it will look like. Wouldn’t it be a hoot if the tenants turned out to be a car wash and a payday loan establishment?

Kellar Branch, Village of Peoria Heights

Heights demands Pioneer clean up Kellar Branch

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Village Hall, Peoria HeightsThe Village of Peoria Heights wants Pioneer to clean up the Kellar Branch, and they’re threatening to kick Pioneer off the line if things don’t improve in 60 days. They’ve retained the services of the firm of Vonachen, Lawless, Trager & Slevin, and sent this missive to Pioneer on March 31, 2008:

Dear Mr. Carr:

This law firm represents the Village of Peoria heights. Pioneer Railroad Corp. claims rights under an agreement signed on July 10, 1984. The Village of Peoria Heights is hereby placing Pioneer Railroad Corp. on 60-day notice of its default regarding the agreement presently in place between Pioneer Railcorp and the Village.

The Village shows no record of any yearly payments being made for use of the railroad tracks. The rental fee is $1.00 a year. To date, there is no record of this payment ever being made to the Village.

Pioneer Railcorp has also never supplied to the Village records on a monthly basis showing the information regarding the rail cars which have been moved through the Village. This would include “…the car number and initials, the shipper or receiver thereof; and the date of shippage, receipt of all revenue cars shipped or received by industries located on or adjacent to said tracks, including team tracks.”

Most importantly, Pioneer Railcorp is contractually bound to maintain drainage and correct drainage issues and problems along the tracks within the corporate limits of the Village of Peoria Heights. There is no evidence that these issues have ever been addressed by Pioneer Railcorp, leading to a decrepit and dangerous situation along the rail tracks in the Village. We are enclosing a report illustrating these drainage issues. This report was completed by Randolph & Associates, Inc. These issues are many, and have an extremely negative impact on the private properties surrounding the tracks.

These issues need to be addressed and corrected within 60 days of the receipt of this notice.

Per the default clause of the agreement signed on July 10, 1984, “The rights herein granted to the P&PU (Pioneer Railcorp) are expressly conditioned upon the performance by the P&PU (Pioneer Railcorp) of all and singular the covenants and agreements herein set forth to be performed by the P&PU (Pioneer Railcorp). In the event the P&PU (Pioneer Railcorp) shall default in the performance of any of its obligations hereunder, and such default shall continue for a period of sixty (60) days after the receipt of written notice thereof by certified mail, return receipt requested, from the CITY (Village of Peoria Heights), the CITY (Village of Peoria Heights) shall have the right at any time thereafter to terminate this agreement forthwith.”

In short, all of these drainage issues need to be corrected within this 6O day time frame, inspected and attested to by Randolph & Associates that ALL work has been completed, or the Village of Peoria Heights will send notice that the agreement is terminated, and that Pioneer Railcorp will be hereafter removed from using the Kellar Branch Rail Line for any reason, whatsoever. This also applies to the $1/year rental fee, and the reports showing the rail usage over the past 24 years by Pioneer Railcorp.

All of these listed areas need to be rectified within the 60 day time frame. Pioneer Railcorp has taken virtually no steps through the years to correct the drainage issues that have detrimental effects on the surrounding landowners. Pioneer is now on 60-day notice to have every real and potential drainage issue corrected, and verified by Randolph & Associates, along with submitting all information and monies which should have been on a timely basis through the years.

Sincerely,
VONACHEN, LAWLESS, TRAGER & SLEVIN
by M. Michael Waters

Now, before we consider the individual claims in this letter, let’s just remember that Peoria and Peoria Heights have maintained up until now that the 1984 contract expired under its own terms in 2004. Now the Heights is suddenly acting as if this contract is still in force. That potentially opens a big can of worms for them, since they are basically admitting they were in breach of contract during the years they kicked Pioneer off the line without cause and contracted with another rail carrier.

Also, it’s good to remember that the Surface Transportation Board has not taken a position on whether this contract is still in force. They’ve made it quite clear in their rulings that they don’t care if it’s in force or not. They’ve ordered that Pioneer be allowed to provide service on the Kellar Branch because that’s what they have deemed best for interstate rail transportation, and their ruling supersedes the City’s and the Village’s power to remove Pioneer from the tracks, contract or no contract. So the threat of removing Pioneer from the branch after 60 days is empty.

That said, however, the claims made in the letter are largely in error. They have three complaints:

  1. Non-payment of lease fees. It’s easy to prove that the lease fees were paid. Here’s the receipt. They paid $6 in 1998, which would have paid them up through 2004. If the Heights didn’t get their fair share of that money, perhaps they should send a collection letter to the City of Peoria. Pioneer sent another lease payment check to the City in 2004, but it was returned to them with a strongly-worded response from City attorney Randy Ray who said, in part, “Please refrain from further attempts at payment to the City.”

  2. Non-receipt of reports. The monthly rail car movement reports have also been made to the City of Peoria, at least through 2004, when the City said the contract expired and stopped taking Pioneer’s lease money — maybe longer (the City’s legal department is checking). [Update: City Attorney Randy Ray states that the last report was received March 16, 2004.] It seems to me that Peoria Heights needs to communicate with the City a little better (and vice-versa).

  3. Non-completion of required drainage maintenance. Any maintenance issues not on the tracks or roadbed are the contractual responsibility of the City/Village, as a plain reading of the 1984 contract shows. That agreement was made originally with Peoria & Pekin Union (P&PU), then taken over by Pioneer in 1998. The pertinent clauses are 4(e) and (f). Emphasis in the following is mine:

    (e) The CITY shall be responsible, at its discretion, for performance of weed and brush control not on the roadbed which does not affect rail operations or safety. Unexpected and abnormal maintenance after January 1, 1986 which is over and beyond expected problems which would be rectified by normal preventive maintenance, and which is caused by unforeseen casualty other than railroad accidents, shall be repaired by the P&PU at the cost of the City not to exceed $10,000 in any calendar year. Prior to repairing any such damage, the P&PU shall consult with the CITY as to its plan to remedy the situation and the cost thereof.

    (f) The P&PU shall assume the responsibility for all maintenance of tracks, crossing protection, and roadbed including weed, brush, snow and ice control thereon, and normal yearly drainage control maintenance.

    As you can see, anything not on the roadbed is the City’s responsibility (or Village’s for the portion of the line within their municipal limits); the rail carrier only has responsibility for the roadbed and tracks to ensure safety.

    Now the Village has some legitimate complaints here about erosion under some of the ties and railroad ties lying in the ditches. Pioneer should take care of those issues. However, a majority of the Village’s complaints have to do with weed and brush control that is clearly the Village’s contractual responsibility to abate.

I wonder if the Village ever thought to simply ask Pioneer to help clean up some of these areas before sending them a threatening letter. Does all this bitterness and hostility achieve anything? As they say, you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

City of Peoria, Kellar Branch, Peoria Park District, Village of Peoria Heights

Kellar Branch Update

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Kellar Branch RailroadThere have apparently been a lot of behind-the-scenes dealings lately in the City’s effort to convert the Kellar Branch to a hiking trail. I recently acquired a copy of the minutes of the last Recreational Trail Advocates (RTA) meeting. Under “New Business” was this interesting info (interspersed with my comments):

Bruce Brown reported that Randy Oliver, city manager, and Randy Ray, city attorney, have sent a counter offer to Central Illinois Railroad (CIRY) stating what would be required for them to continue to use the Keller Branch. The railroad bed must be brought up to a standard so that a train could operate at 5 miles an hour. This would probably cost $100,000 and the railroad company would have to pay 12.2 % of assessed valuation using the appraisal figures this annual rent would be between $160,000 to $190,000. The amount using the appraisal of Klopfenstein would be $204,960. The City offered to allow CIRY to use the western connection for $1.00. The railroad company dismissed this counter offer and said it would make a reply that has not yet been received. Dick Carver and Steve Van Winkle have volunteered to work with CIRY to get an agreement. The city has done everything that J.P. O’Brien and Dave Maloof have asked of them except the modified Public Convenience and Necessity (PCN) Agreement from CIRY.

So the City is putting pressure on Central Illinois Railroad Company (CIRY) to abandon the Kellar Branch by charging upwards of $200,000 annually for use of the right-of-way, plus requiring the line to be upgraded. Meanwhile, the City would subsidize use of the western connection by offering use of it for only $1 per year.

Also, Dick Carver has offered to work with CIRY — I wonder if the Park District is going to fly him into town at taxpayer expense again for that service.

I find this line rather disturbing: “The city has done everything that J.P. O’Brien and Dave Maloof have asked of them….” O’Brien owns O’Brien Steel and is still benefiting from the advantages of rail service via the Kellar Branch because he’s on the southern end of it which will not be converted to a trail. Maloof is a commercial realtor who has land interest in the Pioneer Park area. The City is taking marching orders from these two people whose businesses and livelihoods are completely unaffected by the fate of the Kellar Branch to the detriment of Carver Lumber Company and its fifty employees who are the only ones directly affected. So much for the City trying to shed its anti-business reputation.

Ray LaHood formally asked for a meeting with the Surface Transportation Board (STB), which would also include the mayors of Peoria and Peoria Heights and several city council members. STB turned Ray down stating that they didn’t want individuals appearing before them. We are still working with Dick Durbin for a favorable ruling from the STB. Bruce would like to arrange an opportunity for Randy Ray, Randy Oliver, Dick Carver and other government officials to see the 6 miles of the proposed trail.

There’s a clear, public process for making your case before the Surface Transportation Board. Having your congressman arrange back-room meetings with the board members is not part of that process. The board could ask for oral arguments if they were so inclined, but then they’d want both sides to be represented.

I think now the only political angle the RTA hasn’t tried is writing to President Bush asking for an executive order to discontinue train service on the Kellar Branch. I’m sure that will be next.

The Peoria Park District (PPD) has been asked to cut the weeds along the trail within the Peoria Heights section this fall. We will wait to hear from the PPD. The RTA might be responsible for doing one section of this area that is the flattest.

Why isn’t the Village cutting the weeds themselves? They own the property and it’s not a trail yet. Why should Park District resources be expended to cut the weeds? Does the Village not own weed cutting equipment?

Ray LaHood’s chief of staff, Tim Butler, is looking to the RTA for direction on how to proceed to further the cause of the trail. Mike Pula feels that someone needs to again talk to Carver Lumber about their opposition to using the western branch. It was suggested that perhaps Patrick Nichting and Randy Oliver could talk to them. Keith Bonds offered to contact Carver Lumber Company about its current position and what it would take to allow the Kellar Branch service to be discontinued.

Yes, by all means, keep trying to convince Carver Lumber to use the most expensive and least reliable transportation option available. As for “what it would take to allow the Kellar Branch service to be discontinued,” we’ve been over this a hundred times. Comparable rates, reliable service via the western connection. That’s what it would take, and what the City, Park District, RTA, Dick Carver, Ray LaHood, CIRY, Union Pacific, et. al., have been completely unable to deliver.

Mike Pula brought up the development off Knoxville (Trail Creek), which is touting their closeness to the trail as a selling point. We need to contact the developers on the north side and see if they would like to become more involved with supporting the extension of the Kellar Branch. Is there a volunteer to make contact with these developers?

Mike Rucker sent Rails to Trails magazine subscriptions to various government officials including Peoria City Council, Peoria Heights Trustees, Peoria Park District members and other park districts officials in the area and to Peoria and Peoria Heights libraries.

Tim O’Hanlon volunteered to get information from Rock Island and Champaign’s trail coordinators as they have been successful in the past few years implementing trails.

More lobbying. Just think what these people might accomplish if they were to put this much time and effort into something productive, like coming up with a way to keep the rail line and build the trail. I mean, they’ve been at this for, what, something like 13 years?

It seems to me that if the primary objective were to get the trail, they would have abandoned conversion of this rail corridor long ago and found an alternative route for the trail. Had they done that, they could have had the trail built years ago and been enjoying it all this time!

Keith volunteered to call Mike Friberg to try to get published a picture and information about the bridge over Knoxville Avenue.

The bridge over Knoxville — this is a pedestrian bridge that would be installed where the Kellar Branch crosses Knoxville at Junction City, near Prospect, if the trail ever gets the green light from the STB. It’s estimated to cost $2.6 million. It’s interesting that this is the only intersection that is planned to receive a bridge. At other major intersections, the Park District is planning to run the trail alongside the road to the nearest traffic signal before crossing. Why they aren’t planning to do that at Knoxville, I’m not sure, but it could have to do with the fact that Knoxville is a state route.

Meanwhile, we’re still waiting for a decision from the STB on whether CIRY or Pioneer should be allowed to operate the Kellar Branch. There is still no request pending to discontinue service on the Kellar Branch (CIRY withdrew their request). So, it looks like we’re in for several more years of haggling over this. I guess all the parties in favor of the project feel this fight is worth the expense, effort, and ever-increasing time it takes to resolve. I can think of better ways to spend taxpayer money.

Kellar Branch, Village of Peoria Heights

Heights bows to public pressure

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Kellar Branch Railroad“Results of two public hearings showed overwhelming support for a recreational trail, Mayor Mark Allen said Tuesday,” according to a report in today’s Journal Star. Thus, the Heights will be sending a letter expressing their renewed support for the Park District’s push to eliminate rail service to Carver Lumber and future rail-served businesses in Pioneer Park.

While disappointing, this comes as no surprise. It would be very hard for a small municipal body like the Heights to go against the Park District/RTA (Recreational Trail Advocates) machine. The Kellar Branch topic has become so politically charged and the court of public opinion so tainted by disinformation from the Park District, RTA, and Journal Star that it’s practically impossible to get a fair hearing on it anymore.

That’s why there exists a federal agency called the Surface Transportation Board (STB).

It’s the policy of the U. S. Government, among other things, “to ensure the development and continuation of a sound rail transportation system with effective competition among rail carriers and with other modes, to meet the needs of the public….” So, they want to see shippers continue to be rail served, and they want them to get competitive shipping rates. Rail conserves energy, reduces the number of trucks on the streets (which saves money in highway maintenance), and is better for the environment. The government wants to encourage that.

In this case, Peoria and Peoria Heights are the owners of the railroad, and they want to replace their current carrier (Pioneer), which up until August 2005 had been providing good service at reasonable rates by all accounts, with a new carrier (Central Illinois Railroad), which has proven to provide inadequate service — if any — at exorbitant rates. The service and rates are so bad that it’s actually more economical for Carver to transload their material and truck it to their facility in Pioneer Park.

Why would the Cities want such an inferior rail carrier? Because they’re not interested in providing rail service. They want to rip out the railroad and put in a recreational trail. That flies in the face of the nation’s transportation policy.

It is true that the federal government also supports the creation of recreational trails on abandoned railroad beds. But that’s only if the rail line is not being used, and its primary purpose in many cases is to preserve the rail corridor for possible future use. In other words, it’s the government’s second choice. Its first choice is that rail service continue.

In city council and village board meetings, the fate of railroad service may be decided on the basis of a popularity contest. But it doesn’t work that way on the Surface Transportation Board. They conduct a more objective balancing test to protect shippers from arbitrary and capricious cuts in service by railroad owners.

Kellar Branch, Peoria Journal Star, Village of Peoria Heights

Heights hears about trolley; also, I meet a JS editor

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Trolley in MemphisThere was a special meeting of Peoria Heights’ Board of Trustees tonight. The topic? The Kellar Branch. They wanted to hear from Pioneer Railcorp and the Illinois Prairie Railroad Foundation (IPRRF) about the possibility of running a trolley on the embattled line.

Mike Carr, CEO of Pioneer, gave the main presentation to the board and Sharon Deckard, President of IPRRF, gave some additional info at the end. Then they both answered questions from the board and the audience. You can see a PDF copy (2MB file) of their PowerPoint presentation* by clicking here.

Heights Mayor Mark Allen explained that this was an informational meeting meant to help the Village Board make an informed decision about the future of the Kellar Branch. In two weeks, on March 28, there will be another special meeting where the Park District and trail advocates will be allowed to present their plan for a trail only going through the corridor and why they think that will be best for the Heights.

Carr and Deckard explained how trolleys had been successful in large and small cities and had in all cases led to economic development along the trolley rail’s corridor. In addition to the benefits of a tourist trolley, it was also emphasized that increased congestion, city expansion, and rising gas prices would lead to the demand for more public transportation options in the future, and having a rail corridor through town is an asset to preserve for future commuter use.

Judging from the reaction of the audience, which was heavily stacked with trail supporters, not many people believed the presentation. But hey, they all laughed at Christopher Columbus when he said the world was round, as Gershwin would say. Mayor Allen explained that a feasibility study would have to be done before a final decision was made. But now’s the time to do it — before the tracks are torn up — because once they’re gone, they’re gone forever.

Well, technically, the land lease with the Park District allows the proposed trail to be reconverted back to rail use at any point in the future, but the costs of relaying the tracks and reimbursing the Park District for construction of the trail would be so astronomical as to make that option completely unfeasible.

After the meeting, I went to Peoria Pizza Works with Sharon Deckard, Gary Sandberg, David Jordan, a couple other railfans, and — are you ready for this? — Christine Smith of the Journal Star Editorial Board and her date. It was actually quite fun to get to talk to her, since I regularly lambaste the editorial page of Peoria’s newspaper of record.

You know what? I like her. Even though we don’t agree, and probably never will, about the Kellar Branch, she was very personable and likes to play devil’s advocate, which is one of my favorite pasttimes. I found out that she and Bailey (the senior editor of the PJS) both read my blog, which was flattering, although one could make the argument that they just do that as part of their job. Fair enough. It’s still nice to be read. 🙂

Since Shelley Epstein retired, there have been only two editors — Smith and Bailey. I joked that if one more editor left, we’d all know who was writing the unsigned editorials. I found out that Bailey edits Smith’s editorials, so that’s why they all sound like Bailey’s voice to some degree. I also found out that Smith wrote the “Bradley is not the bogeyman” editorial. We talked a little about that… but I digress.

Smith thinks the trolley idea is completely crazy. She doesn’t think it will get any ridership — that no one is going to be interested in riding a trolley… at least, not enough people to make it profitable. But she did admit that it’s worth doing a feasibility study on it; she just thinks it will vindicate her belief that it’s totally nuts. I say, bring it on.

*Full disclosure: I created the slides for the PowerPoint presentation. And yes, Pioneer will be paying me for my work in creating those slides. This is the first time I’ve done any work for them or received any payment of monetary or non-monetary value.

Kellar Branch, Village of Peoria Heights

What’s best for the Heights?

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This will be my 94th post in the “Kellar Branch” category, and in all those previous posts I don’t believe I’ve ever once looked at the situation from the viewpoint of Peoria Heights. I suppose that makes me a typical Peorian. Back in the ’60s, right after Peoria’s successful vote to annex Richwoods township, the city tried to annex Peoria Heights, too. That failed. They’re a resilient and independent community, and they have their own unique needs. It would be good for Peorians (including me) to remember that once in a while.

Peoria Heights AdWhen I talked to Peoria Heights Mayor Mark Allen on Thursday, he explained to me how he sees the Kellar Branch issue. Unlike Peoria, he said, the Heights is completely landlocked. They can’t just annex land to the north or west of their community to grow. They can’t build a regional mall along the fringes of town like Peoria can. All they have for economic development is what’s available to them right now within their village.

And the Kellar Branch corridor is one of their assets. They own the portion of the Kellar Branch that lies within their village. So they have to ask themselves, what’s the best use of that corridor for the Heights? A rail line or a recreational trail? In Mayor Allen’s opinion, the answer is definitely a rail line. And he believes a majority of the Village Board feels the same way.

With a rail line, there’s always the potential to carry freight, of course, and that can be used to lure a rail-served business to the Heights. But it also can provide another tourist attraction to complement the Heights Tower and shopping district: a tourist trolley. As Thursday’s Journal Star pointed out:

…according to a report from Gomaco Trolley Co., more than 40 U.S. cities are looking at running street cars. Tampa, Fla., spent about $55 million on its system and has reaped about $1 billion in development; Little Rock, Ark., spent $20 million on its line, which has returned about $200 million; and Kenosha, Wis., built a system for $5.2 million that has brought in about $150 million.

Those numbers are compelling. It would be crazy for the Heights to not consider the potential of a trolley for the development of their village. If the Park District gets their way and tears out the tracks, they’re gone forever. The Village is wise to give this idea due consideration before any permanent action is taken.

In contrast, a recreational trail can’t begin to measure up to those numbers. Trails are not conducive to shopping. Consider the average trail user: they’re exercising, they’re hot and sweaty, and they’ve packed light. They’re not going to buy clothes or jewelry or anything that they’re going to have to carry on foot or by bicycle 4-6 miles back to their car. They’re most likely to buy something to drink, and maybe something to eat, depending on how far they’ve come.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that — but the Village has an obligation to its citizens to make the best decision for the future of the Heights. Right now they’re gathering information, but it looks like they could be in a position to start making some decisions as early as April of this year.

Allen expressed his desire to work with Peoria on this project — he has no interest in being adversarial about it. He thinks this could be a mutually-beneficial partnership for the two municipalities. I’m inclined to agree.

We have a lot of unique, local attractions that are all tied together by that rail line: Downtown (including the Riverfront, Civic Center, future Museum, etc.), Peoria Heights (including Tower Park and their unique shops), Junction City (including Vonachen’s Old Place where you can eat on a vintage train car, plus more unique shops), and yes, even the Rock Island Trail at the other end of the line. Why not band together to provide a true tourist package to Peoria Area visitors?

Wouldn’t it be a great story if the Village that fought annexation forty years ago ended up being the impetus that drew our communities closer together?