On the City Council agenda this week is an agreement — one of a “series of agreements” — that will pave the way (get it?) for a portion of the Kellar Branch to be abandoned so it can be converted to a recreational trail.
This agreement is pretty mundane. It just sets out how Central Illinois Railroad (CIRY) and Pioneer Industrial Railway (PIRY) will share trackage rights on the portion of the branch that remains, as well as the western connection to the Union Pacific line.
However, there is a mysterious, new entity that has popped up in the agreement: something called the “Kellar Branch Corridor Corporation.” According to the Secretary of State, it’s a not-for-profit organization incorporated in October 2008 by Thomas Leiter. You know Tom Leiter — that’s Alexis Khazzam’s father-in-law. Khazzam is a big recreational trail supporter. It seems this corporation has signed some sort of “Leasehold Purchase Agreement” with both CIRY and PIRY in October and November of last year.
Basically what this means is that Tom Leiter has somehow bought out CIRY and PIRY’s interest in all or part of the line. I can only presume he’s done the same with Carver Lumber, although it’s not explicitly stated in this, the first in a “series of agreements.” I wrote to city attorney Randy Ray asking for more details, but all he would say is:
I will try to get answers to all of [your questions]. For now, I will answer that the plan is to build a trail between Candletree and Park, with Carver being served from the West. This result is contingent on other things happening and is not assured by the Agreement on the agenda.
Well, we know that it’s more expensive to get rail service from the west. If that were feasible, the Kellar Branch would have been abandoned years ago. So, what’s changed? Only the creation of the mysterious “Kellar Branch Corridor Corporation” and its “Leasehold Purchase Agreements.” Sounds to me like some money has changed hands, and everyone’s willing to let the Kellar Branch be abandoned now. What they couldn’t do through lawsuits and regulators, they appear to have succeeded in doing with a little filthy lucre.
So money talks. What’s new? Well, here’s what we need to keep an eye on: who’s money? If it’s Tom Leiter’s, well, that’s his affair. But if one of these future agreements involves the Peoria Park District or the City of Peoria giving a large chunk of taxpayer money to Tom Leiter in return, that’s a different story. Somehow I just have a feeling that the taxpayers are the ones who are going to end up financing this scheme.
Ya gotta love the secrecy of Peoria politics. This has clearly been going on for more than nine months, yet this is the first time we’re hearing about it (publicly, anyway), and only because it has to be approved at an open meeting. Even then, they’re going to trickle out the agreements over time, so we can only see the full picture after it’s too late for the public to make any objections. A brilliant, albeit underhanded, plan.
Congratulations to the trail enthusiasts. It seems likely they will finally get what they’ve coveted for so long. Between this and the pending museum, Utopia is clearly just around the corner.
Maybe Mr. Leiter got stimulus funds 🙂
Good job! Maybe now we can get the trail going. That rail line needs to go. No one is using it nor will they ever. A walking/biking trail will see so much more use.
Utopia is finally here. Sorry CJ, life sucks sometimes.
Actually now I will be able to hike from the Peoria Riverfront Museum all the way to the north side of town and back.
Yes, in fact, you can hike down the trail to the river and swim with the feces since the city can’t seem to find the money to resolve the sewer overflow problem. Yet they have plenty of money for hotels, trails, museums…. eh, what’s the use? As long as the bread and circuses keep coming, people like peoriafan will never be able to see past the end of their nose.
peoriafan,
Read this brilliant post by PeoriaIllinoisan from last March, then come back and see if you can still repeat the same nonsense as above.
http://peoriaillinoisan.blogpeoria.com/2009/03/04/i-agree-mr-nichting-stop-holding-us-hostage/
What a bunch of BS. I’m sorry, but this really pisses me off.
Curious–could Tom Leiter be Eugene (former may or Peoria) Leiter’s son or other relative?
I went through the PJStar on microfilm January 1957 – March 1962 this past year and recall coming across news about two Peoria mayors in that period – Robert Lenhausen (sp) and Eugene Leiter. I can’t remember which one was first (Leiter, IIRC), but considering that was some 50 years ago, I’d say Eugene is Tom’s father or maybe uncle.
Enjoy your hike through the North Valley. All those gun shots I hear should increase the amount of exercise you get. Hmmmm….maybe a bulletproof vest rental stand in the Heights…..
Yep, a trail will really help Peoria’s continuously falling economy, because, the unemployed need exercise too.
Think of all those people that the Peoria Park District will have to hire at minimum wage to maintain the trail. This will help Peoria attain utopia.
In other news… CityLink reports its highest ridership EVER in its 39 year history. Reasons? Economy, gas prices. People choosing to ride the bus over their cars is way up too.
So…. I guess keeping a corridor for a possible light rail option is out of the question now.
In other news… CityLink reports its highest ridership EVER in its 39 year history. Reasons? Economy, gas prices. People choosing to ride the bus over their cars is way up too.
So…. I guess keeping a corridor for a possible light rail option is out of the question now.
http://www.pjstar.com/homepage/x737365051/CityLink-has-record-year
No we don’t need no stinking light rail or park n ride, or anything that would save money, gas, wear and tear on the people or the environment. Heavens to Betsy that Peoria should ever consider such a thing as light rail. The fact that it could lessen traffic, and gas fumes and other things in downtown Peoria never crosses their minds. Its typically money and dirty politics as usual in Peoria.
Gene Leiter is Tom’s father; he was Mayor and one fine lawyer as well as being a respectable gentleman.
Remember the X Files episode where the “Group of 10” meet and make all the major world decisions?
That’s what the politics in this city remind me of.
Just keep tracking where the money comes from and what politician sponsored it until this deal is done. Did you all not note that President Tim Cassidy on May 13th, announced that the PPD had requested of $1.8 million for the Pimiteou Bike Trail (Kellar Branch) from the Stimulus Package deal???
Light rail into downtown Peoria? Pardon the pun but that would be a train wreck.
Light rail into downtown Peoria? Pardon the pun but that would be a train wreck.
If not done properly, I agree…and the cost would be prohibitive. The Tazewell & Peoria RR wouldn’t have allowed any “light rail” service on their existing line along the riverfront into downtown Peoria, so an entirely new line would have to be constructed, probably along existing streets. The only passenger-hauling for which the Kellar Branch is realistic would be for tourists. People come to ride the train, not to get anywhere on it. And there would be no need to go downtown.
That’s why I’ve argued in favor of the Kellar Branch as a freight corridor, first and foremost. But local movers and shakers can only see residential, retail and commercial establishments as “economic development,” and not in terms of logistics and light manufacturing. Someday, City officials will wish the Kellar Branch had been retained as a rail corridor.
“Light rail into downtown Peoria?”
Light rail used to be all over this city… well the Heart of the City. Those wide streets downtown were made for tracks in the middle. There’s a fair chance the tracks are still there too. The tracks still exist under the asphalt on Main Street.
So does this call for light rail service assume that bus ridership will remain constant, and light rail will hold its own based upon new riders, or does it assume that there will merely be a reallocation of ridership?
Is there any city the size of Peoria in the US that has light rail service. I am sure there are some places that because of other existing tourism attractions have some sort of light rail or trolleys. Memphis comes to mind but they are much larger and they are a real tourist destination.
Spikeless, Kenosha, WI., is one city with light rail. There are in fact at least 38 cities with working light rail. The light rail that I am speaking of would be using the Kellar Branch for park n ride coming into downtown Peoria to lessen traffic. And it can be self supporting. Also that same rail could be used for tourism and business. All three are possible using the Kellar Branch and still allowing it to be used for freight. So it is doable and profitable and useable for all concerned.
LA abandoned their commuter rail in the 40s or 50s due to bus competition (which certain auto and tire manufacturers had nothing to do with..ahem). Decades later, they had to re-purchase much of the same rights of way when light rail came back in vogue.
Will Peoria end up paying twice? And will the shady deals connected with this ever come to light?
Sorry SD, but I can’t imagine anyone on the north or central part of town wanting to hop in their vehicle and drive 5 minutes only to get out and hop into a train to get to their office downtown. The whole process would take longer than just driving all the way down their yourself. Not to mention, traffic in downtown Peoria even at its height is not that annoying to most people that they would be interested in giving up the freedom and mobility that driving to work offers them. I think you also need to take into consideration that there is a significant portion of the downtown population that doesn’t live in Peoria at all and would further diminish ridership on any light rail system.
Based on the size of the city, the amount of time it takes to travel from one side to the other, and the convenience of doing so, public transportation probably has all the riders its going to get for a while including light rail.
When gasoline is $4 or more per gallon again, people will want to bike downtown — free and good exercise.
The Kellar Trail will be the route, away from the dangerous city streets.
This will be a terrific amenity for Peoria, and more valuable than another hotel. Trails like this have spurred private development elsewhere. The Katy Trail in Dallas, Tex. is a good example of what will happen once a good hike and bike trail is developed.
This is great news!
I have to agree totally with Bravo on this one. If light rail won’t fly and it is not getting used for freight then whats wrong with turning it into a hiking/biking trail?
While I agree with Elaine that the trail will be used and is a cool amenity, I have to say that people will NOT be biking downtown for $4 gas. The logistics of biking to work don’t make sense for the vast majority of downtown workers.
Ride their bikes to work from Far North Peoria to downtown? Nope… not going to happen. When we lived in Germany, where there were bike paths everywhere, and you could readily ride your bike safely on a path to anywhere… you NEVER saw anyone riding that distance to work. They take the bus, ferry, or light rail. I am not saying that people didn’t ride their bicycles all over the place for work and school. They did. Just not that great of a distance. Then there was the matter of no AC and a definite lack of people using deodorant… and well…
“If light rail won’t fly”
There is a cost and time differential when it comes to Light Rail. Is it viable right now? Of course not.
Ask yourself how many years it would take for a usable light rail network to be implemented from the time a decision is made to when the first passengers are riding? One, two, five, ten?
At what price point in oil should we start planning for light rail? It took Phoenix AZ, nine years to go from approving a funding source to when passengers started riding. All that for 1 line going 20 miles. Phoenix covers over 500 square miles. That one line hardly meets Phoenix’s needs but its a start.
So… what do you think oil will be at in 10 years? Do you think China and India are just going to stall developmentally? Do you think the 3 billion people between them are going to be satisfied with a continued pre-industrial lifestyle? The only reason gas is as cheap as it is right now is because of the current DEEP economic downturn for the West. China is still expected to GROW 7-8% this year. So if gas pops to $5+ a gallon (or much higher), are we as a city acting responsibly in preparing for this? Are we going to act proactively or reactively? Can this city afford to be 10 years behind? Fleeing to the ‘burbs’ isn’t going to help with this. It won’t be much of an option. The light rail would be there to get people from the outlying communities to their jobs in Peoria. Companies are going to make decisions on where to locate based on whether there is a workforce capable of getting to work for the wages that would make the business viable. Will Peoria be in a position to be the most attractive destination?
Arguably the hardest part of deploying a light rail line is land acquisition. It would seem prudent to not hand over a possible route already in the possession of the city to a private entity or the park district.
Ride down hill to work. Ok. Ride uphill after work at 5 p.m. in 90 degree heat, or on rainy days, or when it is icy or snowy, I don’t think so. And who wants to risk getting their briefcase stolen from the local street criminals? You have no defense against this on a bike. Also there are no bike racks available and if they are put in the sidewalks will be clogged with them. Put them in businesses and there is no room either. Who wants to ride in their business suits and then what do you do when you have to take guests to lunch or elsewhere, hire a cab adding to your expenses? I can just see the secretaries in town with their high heels and dresses riding their bikes to work. I have nothing against trails and bike rides, except when it comes to touting them as alternatives to get to work in a business atmosphere.
mahkno, lets assume your doomsday scenario for gas prices. Even then light rail doesn’t work in Peoria or many other places. There just simply isn’t enough population density for it to work. Even then, aside from the downtown area there is no other dense location of employers to run a rail line to. Its not that I am not a fan of rail, I am, I wish we had service from Peoria to Chicago which I believe is long over due. But light rail in Peoria is not a reality for many more years to come if ever. People hardly use public transportation as it is even though there is a tremendous cost differential.
just because it is turned into a hiking trail now does not mean it would forever be that. If in 25-30 years light rail becomes viable then they always have the option of turning it back. Again, agreeing with Bravo on this one.
People are getting jacked at Newmann GC in broad daylight. Watch what happens on the trail.
They can bike downtown now. They don’t need a trail for this to happen. Why didn’t it happen the last time gas prices were $4/gal.?
Wouldn’t the money for this be better spent making our streets safer for pedestrians and bicyclists? The city can’t afford to develop and maintain completely separate pedestrian corridors throughout the city. It would be more cost effective to modify the current rights-of-way to meet the needs of all users, including motor vehicles, bicyclists, transit riders, and pedestrians. Why should we accept “dangerous city streets” as a given?
First of all, the railroad corridor there was actually abandoned, like the current Rock Island Trail here. Secondly, they’re planning to spend $23 million on a 3.5 mile trail; for $23 million, we could put the trail next to the rail line and not have to abandon it.
This whole thing is not about building a trail — it’s about taking out the rail line. It’s always been about taking out the rail line. It will be interesting to see who gains the most from the abandonment of the Kellar Branch. Will it be Khazzam? Or other developers? It certainly won’t be Peoria taxpayers, who will see the Park District’s portion of their property taxes go up again to cover acquisition and maintenance of this new trail.
“When gasoline is $4 or more per gallon again, people will want to bike downtown — free and good exercise. The Kellar Trail will be the route, away from the dangerous city streets.”
And how will people get to THE ROUTE? Someone that lives in Wardcliffe behind Sterling for instance – or Lynnhurst – will they be driving to this trail to save the $4 or more per gallon – or will they be one the dangerous city streets to get to the promosed land of the Keller Trail? There are a limited number of neighborhoods that would not require some time on the dangerous city streets.
Lets get rid of cars altogether… and pedal a new way of getting around town to the people… maybe progress means to wean ourselves off of cars and go back to trolleys and bikes…
“Lets get rid of cars altogether… and pedal a new way of getting around town to the people… maybe progress means to wean ourselves off of cars and go back to trolleys and bikes…”
Well then we need to wean ourselves off the suburbs.
Why? What is in the city that isn’t in the suburbs, or accessible from the suburbs by mass transportation systems? (Not that getting rid of suburbs is a bad idea…)
if it wasn’t for cars there would be no suburbs.
Elaine Hopkins wrote: When gasoline is $4 or more per gallon again, people will want to bike downtown — free and good exercise.
Alternatives to driving are car-pooling or taking the bus, not riding your bike. Other commenters above remind us why, so I don’t have to repeat it.
The Kellar Trail will be the route, away from the dangerous city streets.
Except for where it will cross Pioneer Parkway, Sheridan Road, Northmoor, Glen Ave and Prospect Ave.
This will be a terrific amenity for Peoria, and more valuable than another hotel.
That trailnut Kool-Aid sure gets old doesn’t it?
Trails like this have spurred private development elsewhere. The Katy Trail in Dallas, Tex. is a good example of what will happen once a good hike and bike trail is developed.
That’s nonsense. The growing population of Dallas, Texas (2009 est. 1.3 million) fuels natural private development. If there was no Katy Trail, such development would have come regardless. The problem with Peoria is that with virtually no population growth, new private development merely saturates the city and puts older establishments out of business (remember Cub Foods?). We don’t need more offices, condos, apartments, shopping centers or gas stations. Real jobs created by logistics and manufacturing firms require railroads and roadways, not bike trails.
I have spent a lot of time in Dallas (years). No one uses the trail to get to work. People either drive or they ride the commuter trains. Yes, TRAINS!
No one will ride a bike on the Kellar Branch to get to work downtown – it doesn’t go to downtown!
I now understand why Elaine lost her job as a reporter.
What you poeple need to do is give tax breaks or some aid to atract companies that would come in and provide jobs,that also require rail service,light rail is a good idea and shouldnt be ignored either.In the mean time if no rail service is needed,convert it to a trail.However know this, putting rail back in much more costly than repairing old track.Simply put; covert it as long as its not being used for what it SHOULD be used for,until the time its needed for it to provide its intended and best purpose.Yes the best thing for peoria or any other city is to STIMULATE RAILROADS not take the bius route.And somehow,I think most of these trail supporters dont care about the trail it self,they just want rid of the “eye sore”,the decreased property value,and the wait at the crossings.So what takes importance here,Cosmetics or Economic growth?