City of East Peoria, City of Pekin, State of Illinois, Traffic

Eastern Bypass public meeting planned for July 29

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In the city’s “Issues Update” this week, there was information regarding the upcoming Eastern Bypass study. This is the plan to connect Route 6 and I-474 on the east side of the river, making a ring road — a complete bypass for the greater Peoria area. Here’s the letter IDOT Deputy Director of Highways Joe Crowe wrote to Pekin Mayor Dave Tebben (emphasis mine):

The Illinois Department of Transportation has scheduled a Public Kickoff Meeting for the Eastern Bypass Study. This project would connect Illinois Route 6, near Mossville, to Interstate 74, near Morton, a distance of approximately 20 to 25 miles. The meeting is being held to introduce the project to the public, to describe the study elements, and to answer questions and receive comments.

This meeting is scheduled for Tuesday July 29, 2008, from 3:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at the Countryside Banquet Facility in Washington, Illinois. Enclosed is a copy of the newsletter we have prepared for this meeting, which gives more information concerning the project and public participation. Advertisements announcing the meeting will be published in local newspapers beginning this week.

If you have any questions regarding the project or the scheduled kickoff meeting, please do not hesitate to contact Mr. Mike Lewis at (309) 671·3474.

The letter from Crowe and the newsletter to which he refers are available here (PDF file). I hear that many people in affected areas have already received invitations to the meeting.

City of Peoria, Heart of Peoria Plan, Traffic

Sheridan Triangle progress encouraging

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This past Wednesday, July 16, I attended the public meeting/open house on the Sheridan Triangle Roadway Enhancement project. All the project team members were in attendance:

  • Scott Reeise, City of Peoria representative
  • Eric Bachman, Farnsworth Group project manager
  • Keith Covington, Third Coast Design urban designer
  • Lee Jones, Third Coast Design urban designer
  • George Ghareeb, Terra Engineering public coordinator
  • Phil Allyn, Farnsworth Group traffic engineer
  • Bruce Brown, Farnsworth Group landscape/streetscape architect

Second district councilmember Barbara Van Auken was also there to kick things off and introduce everyone. Unfortunately, not a lot of residents or business owners were in attendance — maybe ten at the most. I’m not sure when the immediate neighbors were notified of the meeting, but I heard about it on Wednesday in the early afternoon. If others were notified that late, it’s no wonder it wasn’t better attended.

Nevertheless, the material presented was very encouraging. The plan that’s coming together is almost exactly what the neighbors and business owners who attended the Farrell/Madden charrette in 2006 said they wanted. Here are the materials that were distributed:

Sheridan Triangle Flyer
Sheridan Triangle PowerPoint Slides
Sheridan Triangle Alternatives B and C

In past, non-public meetings, there were other options put forth, including one for a roundabout at the intersection of Loucks, Gift, and Sheridan. Now, everything has been narrowed down to two alternatives, which were presented in detail at the meeting. After the meeting, participants filled out questionnaires asking which alternative they preferred, as well as other questions about what they liked and didn’t like about each alternative.

I tried out the video function of my new digital camera that night and was able to capture five minutes of the presentation. (I decided to do this just on a whim, so I didn’t have a tripod with me. Thus, if you’re prone to seasickness, you may not want to watch this video — not the steadiest shot. I could only get five minutes because I only have a 1GB memory card, and I had other pictures on it already. Also, I added a plugin to my site so that I can play videos directly from the Chronicle without having to go through YouTube!) The speaker is Keith Covington. He’s just finished explaining that the only difference between alternatives B and C is the treatment of the Sheridan/Loucks/Gift intersection:

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

I prefer alternative C. It will do the best job of calming traffic, and is the least disruptive to existing businesses. It provides a beautiful terminus for Loucks when traveling from either direction. And it’s more pedestrian friendly, since two streets will be at right angles at the intersection, providing shorter crosswalks. From talking to other attendees after the event, it sounds like that’s what they preferred as well.

In all cases, the plans took into account a balanced use of the corridor. Sidewalks are wider. Street trees, pedestrian-scale lighting, and on-street parking provide a buffer between motor vehicle and pedestrian/bicycle traffic. Bus pull-offs and shelters are provided. It’s consistent with the Heart of Peoria Plan and the Form Based Code.

Kudos to the project team and all who have been working to improve this area. Hopefully this project will be fully funded when the budget is set for the next fiscal year.

City of Peoria, Traffic

West Main traffic study update

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I went to the Marty Theater at Bradley University’s Student Center Thursday night, July 10, to hear the latest on the Main Street traffic study the city is doing. The purpose of the meetings was simply to present the findings of the traffic volume study and solicit input from neighbors on how to proceed.

Here are the traffic counts (ADT):

Main at Washington 8,750
Main at Glen Oak 12,300
Main at Garfield 17,700
Main at Glenwood 26,400
Western at Callender 19,300
Western at MLK 20,200

Public Works Director Dave Barber was asked what the traffic counts were before Main was widened. Barber didn’t know the answer to that off the top of his head, but he later told me that city traffic engineer Nick Stoffer looked at the figures from the ’70s and they were roughly the same.

The next step is to consider alternatives for reducing traffic volume, calming/slowing traffic, and making the area more walkable/pedestrian-friendly. Here are some of the ideas presented that night:

  • Change Martin Luther King Dr. from one-way to two-way, allowing more traffic to travel below the bluff between downtown and the south side.
  • Narrow Main from University to downtown to one travel lane in each direction.
  • Install left turn restrictions on Main from University to Farmington road and eliminate the center lane.

They also welcome suggestions from the public. Once the alternatives are determined, they will be reviewed using a computerized traffic simulation. Then they will report the results to the community (estimated to be late August or early September) and finalize their recommendations.

State Legislation, State of Illinois

Park advocates to rally against budget cuts

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From a press release:

Park Advocates To Gather at Jubilee College State Park
To Send A Message to Springfield:

Save Our Parks – Stop the IDNR Cuts!

Cuts Take Effect Thursday Unless Springfield Acts

What: A press conference to protest cuts made by Governor Blagojevich to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources that threaten to close state parks, eliminate outdoor recreation opportunities, and hurt the state?s ability to protect wildlife and the environment.
Who: Illinois Sierra, Heart of IL Group Sierra, Nature Conservancy and other groups
When: 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008
Where: Jubilee College State Park, Quail Meadow Picnic Area
(go 3.8 miles west of Kickapoo on Rt. 150 to the main park entrance; stay on main park road past the Park Office, and turn right at the next corner)

BACKGROUND
On July 9th, Governor Blagojevich cut $14 million from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources? (IDNR) budget, decreasing by another 20% the general fund budget for an agency that has lost a quarter of its staff from budget cuts since 2001. This will undoubtedly force the department to close some facilities for lack of staffing, comes at a time when our parks continue to experience increases in attendance by outdoor enthusiasts.

The cuts will take effect Thursday, July 24th unless both the Illinois House and Senate act to override the Governor’s cuts.

Peoria Journal Star, Peoria Times-Observer

GateHouse closes +0.03, but it’s not enough

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GateHouse Media, Inc., the company that owns the Peoria Journal Star and the Peoria Times-Observer, finally saw their stock rise slightly, closing right at $1 today. Unfortunately, they also saw the NYSE halt floor trading of their stock — the first step toward being de-listed altogether.

NYSE Regulation spokesman Scott Peterson said trading of GateHouse (NYSE: GHS) was put under an “operational trading halt” on Tuesday morning. To return to floor trading, a stock must trade above $1.10 a share for an entire trading day.

GateHouse also announced today that they’re shuttering two Massachusetts weekly newspapers: The Taunton Call and The Avon Messenger. In both cases, GateHouse also owns a daily paper in the same market. And in both cases, GateHouse uses the same boilerplate to explain its decision to mothball the weekly:

…we have continued to analyze the best possible way to provide you with the most comprehensive local news in [Taunton/Avon]. We believe that mission will be accomplished by focusing our energies on our daily publication and through the most dynamic local Web sites possible.

If that’s any indication of their improvement strategy, look out Peoria Times-Observer.

Hat tip: Billy Dennis.

City Council, City of Peoria

250 more acres to be added to Enterprise Zone

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Also on the council agenda for Tuesday, a request for more property to be added to the Enterprise Zone:

ACTION REQUESTED: DIRECT STAFF TO COMMENCE PROCESS TO EXPAND THE CITY OF PEORIA ENTERPRISE ZONE FOR SPECIFIED PROPERTIES ZONED COMMERCIAL AND OFFICE WITHIN THE 4 TH DISTRICT ALONG STERLING AVENUE FROM FORREST HILL TO GLEN AND INCLUDING A PARCEL IN GLEN HOLLOW SHOPPING CENTER, ALSO INCLUDING THE CORNER OF FORREST HILL AND GALE; AND IN THE 2ND DISTRICT SPECIFIED PROPERTIES ALONG UNIVERSITY AND DRIES LANE FROM FORREST HILL TO WAR MEMORIAL DRIVE.

I can’t think of a single store in the Glen Hollow shopping center that is vacant or otherwise needs an EZ incentive. So including that parcel is a complete mystery. And the corner of Forrest Hill and Gale was a thriving shopping area until road projects disrupted traffic for months on end, and ultimately destroyed easy access to the shopping area on the northeast corner where Velvet Freeze used to be.

But perhaps the most ridiculous use of the Enterprise Zone is the area along University St. and Dries Lane between Forrest Hill and War Memorial Dr. You know, where Wal-Mart is. And where Dynasty Buffet just did a major renovation. And where Comcast Cable is located. And Landmark.

None of these areas need these incentives. They’re only getting them because EZ status has been so egregiously abused. The first line of the council request’s justification states: “Businesses have been moving to the northern boundaries of the city and what was once an area with thriving businesses now holds some vacant buildings that are in decline.” Yes, businesses have been moving to the northern boundaries of the city because the city has been incentivizing it. Just recently, the Enterprise Zone was used as a tool to promote annexation along Willow Knolls road.

The Enterprise Zone was created to help blighted areas — to give businesses an incentive to locate in those areas that are truly disadvantaged. The council could have used it to help, for instance, South Peoria, a place that is truly blighted and sorely underserved. But the council didn’t use it for that. The irresponsible use of Enterprise Zone status means they’ve squandered an opportunity to help a part of Peoria that desperately needs help and, to make matters worse, given the benefits instead to areas of the city that don’t need any incentives.

Furthermore, Enterprise Zone status gives businesses a sales tax break on construction materials — and sales taxes are the biggest source of income for the city. For a city that’s cash strapped and looking at huge projects like the CSO project in the near future, it’s irresponsible to cut our income by injudicious use of the Enterprise Zone.

City Council, City of Peoria, Peoria Police

Police looking to get Segways

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On the city council agenda for next Tuesday is a request by the Police Department to purchase two Segway Personal Transport vehicles to be used by parking enforcement officers and police patrolling congested public events. Here’s the justification as it appears in the council request:

The Peoria Police Department has been attempting to find better ways to provide service in the downtown area and in areas where there are large crowds of citizens gathered, such as public events. Parking Enforcement Officers and Police Officers often must commute through the congested geographical areas while making frequent stops. The Parking Enforcement Officers in the Downtown area must park their vehicles and repeatedly enter and exit their vehicles to conduct business. During public events, currently the only mode of transportation inside the event area is by foot. Officers often are called to respond to calls for service which are a sizable distance to travel by foot in a short period of time. Officers utilizing a Personal Transport would be able to respond much more quickly and would not need to physically exert themselves before arriving at the call by sprinting through the area. Multiple police departments throughout the State of Illinois are currently utilizing the Segway Personal Transport with positive results and are reporting the Segway has been positive for public relations. It is also anticipated that there will be a significant savings in fuel consumption for the downtown Parking Enforcement officers. The Personal Transports get the equivalent of anywhere between 250 and 500 m.p.g. depending upon how they are equipped. It is fair to say that the Segway’s energy consumption will cost at least 1/10th of the current cost in the Ford Focus utilized by the Parking Enforcement Officers.

The accessories that will be included in the purchase of the (2) x2 Police package Segways are: 2 parking stands, 2 police lights and sirens, and 1 commercial cargo carrier.

Cost for two Segways: $13,775.03. I’ll admit my first reaction was to be skeptical; there is something comical about a police officer racing after someone at 12 mph with sirens blaring on a Segway. But a quick search of the Internet shows that Segways are indeed being used by police departments in cities big and small, and the devices are proving to be helpful and effective. Nevertheless, I got a kick out of this post comparing other alternatives. The Chicagoist has a more positive spin.

Blogosphere

New blog advertising champ

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In the past, I’ve poked fun at Billy Dennis for the amount of advertising he has on his site. I once compared his ads-to-content ratio to WMBD Radio. But his site doesn’t hold a candle to Jen Christensen’s blog NewsAnchorMom. Holy mackerel, she has a ton of ads on that site!

After marveling at how many ads were squeezed into the header and sidebars, I thought I’d seen everything. But then, after reading a recent post, I spotted the pièce de résistance:

Methodist Medical Center’s new online healthcare program, MyMethodist eHealth, is a proud sponsor of this blog post….

That’s right. Each individual post is sponsored! I went to her blog to read something about television and kids, but I got so distracted by all the ads, I couldn’t concentrate on her story.

Peoria Journal Star, Peoria Times-Observer

GateHouse shares close at 97¢ (Updated)

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GateHouse Media shares have officially closed at less than $1. It’s looking more and more like this analyst’s predictions from early June will be coming true:

The next newspaper company to get into real trouble is likely to be Gatehouse Media (GHS). The firm is in bad enough shape that it could be the next Journal Register. JRC, as it was known, hit hard times due to large debt and falling operating income. It was delisted from the NYSE. […]

Watch for GHS to be broken up before the end of the year or to enter Chapter 11.

Still no coverage from the Journal Star or any other GateHouse papers. I guess they don’t feel it’s newsworthy. I’ve even contacted business editor Paul Gordon and publisher Ken Mauser, but they haven’t returned requests for comment.

UPDATE: I thought this was a well-deserved slam against companies like GateHouse Media:

The newspaper industry’s strategy of shrinking newsroom and newshole seems not to be helping their shrunken stock prices.

You can say that again.