Peoria Heights is a funny place.
First, the Village kicks Pioneer Industrial Railway off the line for a couple of years, saying that their contract has expired. Then when Pioneer regains operating authority, the Village complains that Pioneer hasn’t been keeping up their end of the contract. That’s like locking the busboy out of the restaurant and then criticizing him for not cleaning the tables.
Then the Village accuses Pioneer of not doing the things that the Village is responsible for in their contract. They want Pioneer to clean up brush that is more than ten feet from the railroad bed, which is explicitly stated in the contract to be the City’s/Village’s responsibility. They send a threatening, contemptuous letter to Pioneer threatening them with eviction if they don’t clean up the Village’s underperformance.
Then the Village scoffs when Pioneer decides not to help pay for a portion of the cost of the engineering study to look at the feasibility of building a trail next to the Kellar Branch rail line. Evidently, the Heights wants Pioneer to go away but expects them to be a partner at the same time. Genius.
[Mayor] Allen said [Pioneer CEO Mike] Carr’s comments blaming the village’s stance regarding the lease are nothing more than a “cop out.”
“That’s not a surprise and I feel . . . it gives them a convenient avenue out,” Allen said.
A cop out. An avenue out. Out of what? An offer of help? He makes it sound like Pioneer is trying to get out of some sort of obligation, when he’s the one who’s picking a fight. It’s like someone offering to help you move, you spitting in their eye, and then you acting all offended when they don’t want to help you anymore. “Aw, they’re just using that spit in their eye as a convenient avenue out.” Yeah, sure.
Even though Pioneer withdrew its offer to help pay for the rail/trail study, they are still trying to cooperate with Village officials. In a letter sent to the Village on April 14, Pioneer offered to help clean up the Village’s mess if the Village would meet them halfway:
Within the [next] few weeks Pioneer Industrial Railway Co. (“PIRY”) will be performing maintenance work on the tracks, with particular attention to the minor washouts pointed out in the Randolph & Associates report you forwarded.
While weed and brush control beyond the roadbed is entirely the responsibility of the Village under the Agreement, PIRY forces will be working on the line, and we are willing to assist the Village with the brush issues in the ditches and beyond the roadbed. Specifically, PIRY is willing to provide the labor to remove some of the brush and trees, if the Village will provide the equipment to dispose of the material. I believe this is a very generous offer, and is being made in a spirit of good faith cooperation. I urge the Village to accept it.
Finally, I once again must insist that the Village take immediate action to remove Central Illinois Railroad Co. from the Kellar Branch, and address the issue of compensation to PIRY. The Village is in breach of its obligations under the Agreement, and PIRY reserves the right to enforce the Agreement, by appropriate action, if the Village does not address this matter within ten (10) days.
The Village will reveal its true colors with its response to this request. If they’re really interested in abating the situation and cooperating, they will provide for what Pioneer asked. If this was all just a set up — if it’s nothing more than the Village contriving an “out” from their contractual obligations and/or attempting to bully Pioneer off the tracks — they’ll balk at the request.
Mayor Allen, a grant you say will drop like food from the gods falling from the sky into your lap. What utter nonsense! Who the heck do you think is paying for this grant – – The Chinese? Russia? Our Taxes – state or federal – will pay for this so-called grant. This is not a free lunch. In case you haven’t been paying close attention we are still fighting a war perhaps for a long time to come. This country is on to a certain degree a war footing and will remain so for some time. When the next attack comes, and it will, more resources (your tax dollars) will be required for the military. We now need to redouble our effort in Afghanistan as the Taliban is regaining control. We must control spending at the federal, state and locally in order to keep this country strong. With you prodding for all this money to flow so freely to the VOPH to build a hiker/biker trail one would think that you were a wild eyed liberal or greenie. Speaking of which, it seems that many of the big pushers for the trail are Green Party members. How did it come about that you and the developers are so closely aligned with them. You do make strange bed-fellows. We need to get back to a more conservative base in America and take care of safety issues first before spending more on pork-barrel projects like hiker/biker trails. Good Evening Mayor Allen.
Mr. Mayor,
David, are you saying that Detweiller Park, every other park in the area, NASA, and a host of other items that the government pours mucho bucks into all qualify as “necessities,” and the trail is the only one that would not?
Detweiller Park is already in existence. No controversy to discuss there. NASA had something to do with demonstrating the superiority of the Capitalist system (in regards to private industry engineering and building experimental air abnd space vehicles). I don’t believe the construction of Cape Canaveral kept Tropicana from shipping railcars of orange juice concentrate, but I’ll check.
Everyone has a different take on what is a “necessity.” Actually, if we only spent money on what is a “necessity” in life, not much would be spent.
>BR>Now you just figured out how to balance the federal budget.
I might say that universal health care is a “necessity” in the U.S., and I think that one might be an easy one to go along with it. Yet, we still don’t have it. When we have a “universal” definition of what “necessity” entails, and that’s all we ever spend money on, then I might go along with you there.
A lot of people don’t have it, don’t want it and/or don’t want to pay for it with increased taxes. But I digress.
I’ve pounded the dead horse all around the block regarding the benefits of the trail and the trail-head for the Cohen’s TIF. David, I believe that you would have to agree that it’s a better fit than what is there now. Then again, maybe you don’t.
Last sentence is correct.
Mr. Mayor, the Surface Transportation Board is not going to reopen your case based on claims the railroad is preventing economic development to your city. You might as well tell developers to accept the Kellar Branch as a rail freight corridor and learn to accommodate it, or take a hike, and get someone who will. The Kellar Branch prevents economic development in the Heights as much as Marietta or Glen Avenue do – zilch.
CJ, just how much money does the Pioneer pay you for your skewed and 1 sided views?
Elaine, I thought CJ banned you from this blog? You can’t hide behind “DS”.
Its too bad we can’t all just agree to disagree and quit the backbiting and snipping. Let the Heights do what it thinks it has too and the RTA and the PPD do their thing and the IPRRF and PIRY and CIRY and the COP do their thing and let it shake out in the trees. None of us can predict the future. Just do what we have to, wish everyone well get on with it. Stop accusing each other of things that are not being done and get back to being civil.
What grant is it that you are counting on? The Rails to Trails Act only provides grant monies if the Rail line has been deemed abandoned by the STB.And then the Rail bed has to be preserved in case of future Rail bussiness.If the Rail is deemed abandoned, then the easement becomes a big issue. The COP says they Own the easement.Every homeowner and bussiness within 50ft. of the Rail would have to move or fight the city in court.I’m not sure but that might put the trail on hold. Either way this has many more hurdles to jump.And if someone wants to pay me I’m ok with it.Cash in small bills thank you.But I will not change my views how ever skewed they might be.