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Quotes of the Day (or “The more things change, the more they stay the same”)

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[Our aldermen] seem to look upon taxation as the great business of life, and the ability to squeeze the greatest amount of taxes out of a given amount of property as the highest evidence of political ability.

The besetting sin of American society is a mania for office. Men will abandon a business worth two thousand dollars a year for an office worth one thousand, and they are ready to ruin the public interests, for the honor of ruling the public. They array the poor against the rich, and assume the honor of leading the former, because they are most numerous. This class of men are constantly endeavoring to get into some small office, as a steppingstone to a higher one; and they educate those who have nothing to believe that the way to get the property of the rich is to break them down by taxation; and, to get the votes of such, they promise to assess a new tax, or increase the old ones.

–Charles Ballance, The History of Peoria, Illinois, 1870
Kellar Branch

More correspondence between the Heights and Pioneer

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Here’s an e-mail that Heights Mayor Allen sent to Mike Carr (CEO of Pioneer Industrial Railway), regarding Pioneer’s contention that Peoria Heights should remove Central Illinois Railroad as a carrier on the Kellar Branch:

Dear Mike:

Regarding your demands that we take immediate steps to “kick” CIRY off of the line:

1. We are addressing the issues of which firm is running a car through the Village of Peoria Heights. That is all we can address. At this time, CIRY is not running a car or engine through Peoria Heights. Therefore, we do not feel that they are using the Kellar Branch line through the Village, thus we will not address the STB decision of allowing them to use the line.

2. If, for any reason, CIRY uses the line as it goes through Peoria Heights, we will address the issue then.

3. The City of Peoria has a different interpretation of what the lease entails with Pioneer. In the end, any interpretation of the lease will have to end up in Illinois courts for a final ruling. However, at this time, we feel the lease is valid, and that Pioneer has not owned up to its end of the lease.

4. Your reference to “minor wash outs” being the only problems Pioneer has ignored on the Kellar Branch is far too small in scope. The rail ties, cut weeds and brush, everything that is blocking, or has destroyed the drainage tiles will have to be removed, as well. Every broken drainage tile will have to be replaced. In other words, everything that has been caused by the rail through the last several years, that has impeded or destroyed the proper drainage will have to be fixed. Your “minor wash outs” repairs will not suffice. We will walk the area again after June 3, and if every drainage problem has not been corrected, we will proceed with having a resolution drawn up to remove Pioneer from the rail line.

If you have any questions, please call me at [redacted].

Thanks- Mark Allen

In response, Mike Carr had this to say:

Do what you want Mark, but understand we WILL use the line until the STB tells us not to. We have a lot car storage business inquiries so we will make certain the track in the Heights can handle the potential influx of storage cars.

Regards,
Mike Carr

And the saga continues….

City Council, City of Peoria

Council preview 4/22/08

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Here are some agenda items of interest:

  • The City is going to try to get a state grant to help pay the lion’s share of road improvement work for Phase I of the Sheridan Triangle project. “The funding request for this $975,000 project would be $748,800 ITEP [Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program] funding, with the city’s local match being $226,200.”
  • Also being funded through ITEP: removal and replanting of trees in the downtown business district. I don’t quite understand this one. The background states, “In honor of Earth Day 2007, Governor Blagojevich announced the new Replanting the Prairie State Initiative to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the state.” But I fail to see how replacing presumably mature trees with new twig trees is going to accomplish that goal — in fact, it seems like it would do just the opposite. Why would you replace trees? Why not plant additional trees where they don’t already exist? Unless, of course, we’re talking about palm trees that need to be replanted every year.
  • Bill Joseph is going to build an 8,066-square-foot “retail and restaurant building” in Bed Bath & Beyond’s parking lot (south side of W. Glen Ave., just east of N. University St.). That’s good, because we all know what a dearth of available retail and restaurant sites there are in Peoria.
  • JJ Ryans is moving out of the Metro Centre and into the old Silver Bullet (7719 N. University), so a liquor license has been requested. This isn’t particularly notable except for this statement in the council communication: “One of the three Commissioners who voted to approve [Arndt, Jackson, McCabe] should have abstained due to interest in nearby property.” That’s rather provocative. Was any action taken to educate or reprimand this unnamed Commissioner? Or is conflict-of-interest voting not a big deal?
  • Of course, the more volatile liquor license request is the one for Elliott’s (7807 N. University). The Liquor Commission voted 4-0 with one abstention (Jackson) to deny the request. You may recall that Elliott’s is a strip joint. The city has been trying to throw one roadblock after another in front of this place since it was first proposed in 2003. First it said it couldn’t issue an adult use license because it was five feet too close to a residential area. So the owners split the building in two and got their adult-use license. Then the city passed an ordinance prohibiting strip clubs from getting a liquor license (except for Big Al’s, which was grandfathered in). That didn’t stop Elliott’s from opening, though. Evidently nudity is enough to make a profit even without liquor. Then this past November, down around the St. Louis area, an ordinance just like Peoria’s was struck down by a federal court, prompting the council to repeal its ordinance. So now Elliott’s is back asking for a liquor license again. If the council denies it, they’ll have a lawsuit on their hands — one they’ll likely lose, in which case Elliott’s will get a bunch of taxpayer money in damages. The council should save the taxpayers’ money and give up on this one, then focus instead on a way of stopping — or at least containing within a certain geographic area — future nudie bars so this doesn’t happen again.
  • T. Y. Lin has been chosen as the engineering firm to look at the economic and physical feasibility of building a trail next to the Kellar Branch rail line. Now the council needs to give the green light to let a contract be negotiated, the cost of which will presumably be shared by the City of Peoria, Village of Peoria Heights, and possibly the Peoria Park District. Pioneer Industrial Railway has said they will not help pay for the study, opting to use their funds instead to pay for an inevitable legal battle with Peoria Heights, which is trying to kick Pioneer off the line.
  • Getting back to North University, the council will be making a decision on whether to allow a teen dance hall to open up in the same area. The proposed dance club at 7620 N. University, to be called Adrenaline, has to be more than 500 feet from a residential area according to Peoria’s current ordinance. The request is to change that ordinance — to lower the buffer to 200 feet. This request was first brought up two weeks ago and looked like it would surely go down to defeat. Councilman Montelongo asked for a deferral, and it comes back Tuesday with just one change — it would allow the Council “to impose additional conditions,” including “limiting the hours of operation” among other measures. The city staff and police chief are still against it, so I predict it will be defeated after all.
General News

Whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on

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Anyone feel the earthquake this morning around 4:30?

The U.S. Geological Survey says this morning’s 5.2-magnitude earthquake was likely generated by the Wabash fault zone in southeastern Illinois and southwestern Indiana.

I didn’t. Slept right through it, as did my kids. But my wife woke up to the windows rattling; she said it went on for about 40-45 seconds. WCBU says there may be aftershocks, so if you feel the earth move under your feet, now you’ll know why.

While I missed this earthquake, I do remember feeling a small quake back in the late 1980s. I was at church (not Grace Pres — I went to a different church then), and it was a really strange feeling when the slab floor in the sanctuary started moving!

Fortunately, no damage has been reported.

UPDATE: Anyone feel an aftershock around 10:15?

2008 Campaign, New Urbanism

Callahan offers up zero-sum price “relief”

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Congressional candidate Colleen Callahan is proposing a cut in the gas tax to be replaced with heavier taxes on oil companies. The oil companies will pass those increased costs onto consumers, resulting in little to no net difference in the price at the pump.

The solution is not cutting gas taxes or taxing oil companies more — the solution is to reduce demand. One way is to come up with alternative fuel sources. But there’s another, more basic problem, and Callahan inadvertently expressed it when she said:

“In central Illinois, we need our cars and trucks to get to our jobs, take our children to school or our families to the doctor. The automobile is not a luxury for us, it’s a necessity.”

This is sadly the case. Because of the way the city has sprawled and the lack of accommodation for other forms of transportation (pedestrian, bicyclist, public transit), traveling by car is indeed a necessity in Peoria. If you want to save gas money by walking or biking to work, or taking the bus, it’s largely impractical if not impossible, especially the further north you go. In many places, it’s downright dangerous.

Until we do something about that, all the token gas-tax reduction and oil company tax threats in the world aren’t going to improve our situation.

Kellar Branch

Heights wants it both ways… again

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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.

Peoria Pundit

Peoria Pundit is down

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I got this e-mail from Billy Dennis:

The idiots that I STLL use for dmain name registration let my registration lapse without sending me a bill.

And their billing department closed down immediately after they shut it off.

So PP is down till tomorrow.

I left the misspellings so everyone would know it was really from Billy. 😛 Hope to see the Peoria Pundit site up and running again soon!

UPDATE: Billy’s site is back up now.

2008 Campaign

Former Attorney General Ashcroft to campaign for Darin LaHood

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From a press release:

Darin LaHoodJOHN D. ASHCROFT, FORMER UNITED STATES ATTORNEY GENERAL, TO CAMPAIGN FOR DARIN LAHOOD

John D. Ashcroft, former Attorney General for the United States, will be in Peoria on Tuesday, April 22 to campaign for Peoria County State’s Attorney Candidate Darin LaHood.

Attorney General Ashcroft will be the featured speaker at a fundraising luncheon for LaHood. Ashcroft is expected to discuss his tenure as Attorney General, including the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and what has happened since 9/11 to fight terrorism.

LaHood is a former federal prosecutor who served under Attorney General Ashcroft. During his time with the Department of Justice, LaHood was appointed and served as the Lead Terrorism Prosecutor for the District of Nevada.

‘Darin was the Chief Terrorism Prosecutor for the District of Nevada and he played a significant role in helping to protect our country,’ Ashcroft said. ‘Darin understands what it takes to fight crime and protect our citizens. Darin’s prosecutorial skills of tenacity, creativity, and hard work are exactly the skills he will use for the citizens of Peoria County. Darin LaHood is the kind of public servant America needs at the local level and it gives me great pleasure to come to Peoria to support his candidacy for State’s Attorney.”

“I am grateful for Attorney General Ashcroft’s support of my campaign and his willingness to travel to Peoria for this event,” said LaHood.

The fundraising luncheon for LaHood’s campaign will be on Tuesday, April 22, 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Hotel Pere Marquette. Tickets to the event are $125 per person and $900 for a table of eight. To reserve a ticket for the event, please call Susan at 309-253-5153.

Darin LaHood was born and raised in Peoria. LaHood was an Assistant State’s Attorney in both Tazewell and Cook counties before spending four years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Nevada. LaHood and his wife Kristen returned home to Peoria to raise their three children: McKay, Luke, and Teddy. LaHood currently practices law with the firm of Miller, Hall, & Triggs.

West Bluff

Campaign for a Walkable West Bluff plans “walkable audit”

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From a press release:

Campaign for a Walkable West Bluff logoThe Campaign for a Walkable West Bluff is excited to invite you to our Walkable Audit, examining and evaluating the safety and desirability of walking routes along Main Street , scheduled for Saturday, April 19, 2008, 9am – 11am, Bradley Continuing Education Building, 1501 W. Bradley Ave., corner of Main/University. A Walkable Audit uses scales/rating devices, maps, cameras, measuring tapes, and Q & A to discuss issues of redevelopment. Small groups will stop frequently to discuss current conditions, talk to other pedestrians, visit a local business owner, or allow time for independent sketching and thought. All materials, auditing tools, maps, and group signage will be provided by CWWB. Our goal is to sign-up 50 volunteers to conduct a comprehensive audit. There is some interest in forming a bicycle team as well. Safety is of highest consideration given the busy Main Street location.

We hope you might be able to join us for some or all of the morning. There will be a short pre-meeting starting at 9:00 am with groups going out to begin audits by 9:30 am. The Walking Audit will be the Kick-off Event for the Campaign. We will be inviting community leaders, press, neighborhood residents and business owners. We see the Audit as the first step in visioning for a vibrant Main Street . We need an accurate and clear picture of where we are before beginning the process of envisioning where we want to be. As we audit, we will also be discussing implications of improvements. There are already redevelopment effort s in place for Main Street and we feel it is important to inject a stronger community voice. The community needs to be present, vocal, and organized.

Following the audit, the Campaign will issue a summary report of our findings to present to appropriate city officials and other interested parties to determine if there are issues that may be addressed immediately.

The Campaign will also be sponsoring a team for the Great American Clean-up on the same day.

Campaign for a Walkable West Bluff
Jennifer Brady, Anne Bartolo, Lisa Ferolo

Bradley University

The wrecking begins

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Robertson Memorial Fieldhouse is coming down. The name has been removed from the front, and demolition crews have started descending on the old hangars. It’s had a good run.

I have a certain amount of nostalgia for the old place. But at the same time, I’m not all broken up by its departure. It’s not an architecturally significant building. It’s not really even that old. I have a lot of memories of concerts and events that I’ve attended there, and the place certainly had character. I’ll miss it.

But the new venue will be very nice and tailored to Bradley’s needs. And we’ll just have to start making new memories.