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It’s Groundhog Day . . . again

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today, so there will be six more weeks of winter.  Of course, we all know there are always six more weeks of winter whether or not Phil sees his shadow (March 21 is six weeks away), but it’s, um, fun (?) to go through this ritual every year.

As an interesting aside, while it’s still going to be winter here in the states, Canada is expecting an early spring, based on their forecasting rodents.  Not to be outdone by the U.S., they get a consensus of two woodchucks with whimsical, alliterative and difficult-to-spell names: Wiarton Willie (Ontario) and Shubenacadie Sam (Nova Scotia).

So, I’m not sure what a city like, say, Detroit should expect.  Three more weeks of winter, perhaps?

Peoria Police, Traffic

Peorians are passionate about their jaywalking

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Why the uproar over the crackdown on jaywalking? There can be no doubt that it’s rampant in Peoria. 

I see two little girls cross Forrest Hill about 20 feet west of Sheridan Road so they can get to their school bus stop at the corner of Forrest Hill and Sheridan.  Wouldn’t it be safer for them to cross at the light?  I don’t remember much from geometry class, but I think it’s pretty clear that they would be walking the same distance, and since they only cross when traffic is stopped for the red light anyway, they’re not saving any time either.

Then there’s Knoxville where little kids up to grown adults cross the street wherever they feel like it, often causing traffic to brake to avoid a collision.  Right around Cub Foods it’s especially bad, although the whole strip between McClure and interstate sees its fair share of jaywalkers.  Not long ago, a young boy on his bike lost his life at the corner of Knoxville and Forrest Hill for crossing against the light.

So what’s the big deal about the police enforcing jaywalking laws?  I mean, isn’t that why we have police — to enforce the law?  Isn’t that why we have a jaywalking ordinance — to keep people from jaywalking?

Greg and Dan on WMBD radio’s morning show scoffed — and I mean scoffed — at the idea of police enforcing these laws.  They’re defense? 

“Everybody does it.” 

“There are more important things the police should be focusing on.” 

“We’re adults and know how to cross the street; we needn’t be treated like children.”

“Pedestrians who get hit are punished enough; they don’t need a ticket.” 

Chief Settingsgaard came on the show just before 8:00 and even he agreed that jaywalking was a cultural thing in Peoria.  Residents here apparently don’t mind because they don’t complain about it, and the recent crackdown was only in response to a complaint.

Great! Can we please use this same logic on seat belt use?  I bet the police don’t get any complaints from citizens that other people aren’t wearing seat belts, and I bet most people wouldn’t care if that law were never enforced.  There are more important things the police could be focusing on, and adults should be able to decide for themselves whether or not to buckle up.  And certainly the schmo who gets in an accident without his seat belt on will suffer enough without getting a ticket.  If there were ever the perfect example of a nanny-state law, that’s it.

Yet in contrast, the police actually set up roadblocks to check motorists for seat belt use.  Last summer, there were numerous “safety checks.”  Where was the outcry then?  It’s surprising to me that Peorians hold jaywalking as a fundamental right, but are willing to tolerate invasion of their privacy on seat belt matters.

My suggestion:  if jaywalking is not important, repeal all ordinances making it a crime.  Problem solved.  Otherwise, I say let the police do their job and enforce it, and stop whining about it.  That’s what they tell me whenever I complain about seat belt laws. 

Peoria Regional Airport

Direct flights to St. Louis come to quiet end

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The last direct flight to St. Louis departed January 31, 2006, from the Peoria airport. Trans States Airlines, d/b/a American Connection, had operated two daily roundtrip flights to St. Louis.

I never would have known we were losing flights were it not for David Jordan’s blog. In addition to the loss of St. Louis service, I learned that service to Dallas/Fort Worth was cut in half as recently as December 14 (from two to one daily roundtrip flight), and Peoria-Atlanta service on Delta Connection dropped from four flights to three last summer.

I wonder, along with David, why these stories weren’t reported in the Peoria press.  They seem newsworthy to me.  The good news is that, despite cuts in the number of flights, the number of passengers is the highest it’s been in 27 years.  The Journal Star recently reported that ridership in 2005 was up 15 percent over 2004.

Peoria Regional Airport does still have service to Atlanta (Delta), Chicago (American, United), Dallas/Fort Worth (American), Las Vegas (Allegiant), and Minneapolis (Northwest).

State Legislation

Tempest in a teapot: HB 4130

Peoria’s Neighborhood Development Manager Leslie McKnight has sent an e-mail to all the neighborhood associations urging them to tell their Illinois legislators to vote “no” on House Bill 4130.  Here’s what City Manager Randy Oliver had to say about it:

HB 4130 Bill would require cities to pay for consolidated primary elections. Counties currently are required to pay. City tax payers pay the same taxes as County taxpayers. Consequently this bill is blatantly unfair and just another way to get into the City’s pocket. Please contact members of the House and encourage to just say “NO” to this unfair legislation. The language from the bill and background is as follows:
[…]
HB 4130 amends the Election Code requiring home rule municipalities within counties with a population less than 120,000 to reimburse the county for all of the costs and expenses of a consolidated primary election (now, counties required to pay). It also provides that if the county contains more than one home rule municipality, then those municipalities shall share the reimbursement proportionately based on population of the municipalities. In all, thirty-seven home rule municipalities are affected but all communities should be concerned with this type of legislation mandating that municipalities pay for what historically has been a county expense. IML [Illinois Municipal League] OPPOSES.

So, where did this “blatantly unfair” legislation come from?  Answer:  Macon County, home of the cities of Decatur and Forsyth.  According to the Decatur Herald & Review, Decatur held a primary election last February to “reduce the number of city council candidate[s] for the April election from seven to six.”  The cost to hold that primary was estimated to be between $80,000 and $100,000.  Who paid for it?  Macon County taxpayers. 

Rep. Bill Mitchell thought it was rather unfair for residents of the entire county, including his home town of Forsyth, to pony up the money for a primary election that only benefitted Decatur, so he introduced HB 4130, which would require a city like Decatur to reimburse the county for consolidated election expenses.

The bill was carefully crafted to try to exclude as many cities as possible, while still applying to Decatur.  For instance, it only applies to “home rule” municipalities (there are 167 of those, including Peoria).  But it doesn’t apply to counties that have a population over 120,000 — that means the law applies to Macon county (pop. 110,980 in 2004), but not Peoria county (pop. 182,418 in 2004).

Since it wouldn’t apply to Peoria, I wonder why neighborhood organizations here are being urged to take a stand on it.  Maybe they’re afraid once a bill like this gets through, all they need to do is fiddle with the numers a little and Peoria will be in the mix, too.

I have to agree that it sounds like a bad bill to me all the way around.  County residents don’t seem to mind taking tax money from city residents, but when it comes time to spend that money on a city election, they balk.  You can’t have it both ways, in my opinion.

It doesn’t look like it will matter to anyone now, since Rep. Bill Mitchell tabled his own bill in committee today.  It didn’t have much chance of passing with the Illinois Municipal League against it anyway.

Blogosphere, Peoria Mayor, Radio

Open Forum: What did you think of the State of the City address?

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WCBU (89.9 FM) is replaying Mayor Ardis’s State of the City address tonight at 7:00, followed by an interview with Bill Dennis and me on our reaction to Ardis’s address.

One of the things I love about blogging is the dialogue that takes place in the comments section.  I learn a lot from those who reply to my posts, so I want to open up this post for your reaction to the State of the City address.  What did you like about it?  Was there anything that disappointed you?  Do you think the city is on the right track?  Feel free to also comment on Bill’s and my interview on WCBU tonight.  I look forward to reading your insights.

Blogosphere

New Peoria Blogger

No one knows more about trains–specifically Peoria trains–than my friend David P. Jordan. I’ve been part of the PeoriaRails Yahoo Group for quite some time now and have enjoyed his insight into this little-reported part of Peoria’s transportation system.  Now David has established his own blog to report “news, information and analysis of local rail transportation issues.”  As a bonus, he will also be covering commercial aviation issues.

This is a very welcome addition to my blogroll.

Kellar Branch

Why hasn’t Peoria fired Central Illinois Railroad Company?

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Let’s recap Central Illinois Railroad’s less-than-stellar operation in Peoria.

The Contract.  On April 27, 2004, the City of Peoria signed a contract with Central Illinois Railroad Company (owned by DOT Rail Service of LaSalle, Ill.) to replace Pioneer Industrial Railway as the common carrier provider on the Kellar Branch.  There was quite a bit of delay as Pioneer contested this with the Surface Transportation Board, but the City won their case, partially on the premise that “[t]here is no evidence that [Central Illinois Railroad Company’s] rail service on the Branch would be inadequate in any respect,” and Pioneer left the line in mid-August 2005.

Solicitation for Murder.  On May 12, 2005, the owner of DOT Rail Service, Donny Lee Gibson, was arrested and charged with a Class X felony solicitation of murder for hire. Gibson, 65, wanted to have his 28-year-old girlfriend killed before his wife found out about her.  He copped a plea this past Tuesday, pleading guilty to a Class 1 felony solicitation of residential burglary charge instead.  That’s punishable by four to fifteen years in prison.

Runaway Train and Derailment.  On August 27, 2005, the Central Illinois Railroad Company, on their maiden voyage up the Kellar Branch to make a delivery to Carver Lumber, lost traction and sent the load backwards down the line at 30 mph — dragging the “engine” with it (they didn’t actually use a real engine, but rather a Trackmobile which has insufficient power for the Kellar’s steep grade).  The speed limit for trains within the city is 10 mph.  The runaway train went through several grade crossings — including such busy streets as Abington, Madison, Jefferson, and Adams – endangering Peoria motorists. Miraculously, no one was hurt.  The runaway train derailed when it hit other cars parked near the switch that connects the Kellar Branch to the Tazewell & Peoria line (TZPR).

Breach of Contract.  Since the derailment, no shipments have been made to Carver Lumber by Central Illinois Railroad Company.  That puts them in breach of contract, as their agreement with the city specifically states:

Article 11. Level of Service. DOT shall pick up and deliver cars within twenty-four (24) hours after being notified by the P&PU that the cars have been placed on the Kellar Branch.

Carver, in its filing with the Surface Transportation Board this month, said they’ve been forced to have their lumber delivered via truck — at an additional expense of $25,000 — because no deliveries are being made by Central Illinois Railroad Company. 

City Response.  In a letter from Peoria Public Works Director Steve Van Winkle dated November 10, 2004, he assured Carver Lumber there would be no interruption in their rail service, and that if there was, “[t]he City stands ready and willing to enforce all aspects of its contract with DOT….”  He went on to say, “The City has the ability, under its agreement with DOT, for all legal remedies up to and including termination which would allow the city to replace their service with another company.”

According to the contract, if Central Illinois Railroad Company does not perform its duties under the contract, and if that default continues for sixty days (two months) after receiving written notice from the city, the city can terminate the contract.  The derailment — the first instance of Central Illinois Railroad Company’s default — occurred in August 2005, a full five months ago. 

That means they’ve been in breach of contract for five months, costing Carver Lumber — a local business since 1946 — over $25,000 in extra shipping costs.  Why isn’t the city enforcing its contract with Central Illinois Railroad Company and fulfilling its promise to Carver that rail service would not be interrupted?

Why hasn’t the City of Peoria fired Central Illinois Railroad Company?

Peoria Mayor, Peoria Public Schools

A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I Wanna Be Like Kalamazoo

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Another plan I will pursue this year is one we may call the “Peoria Promise.” It is based on a similar successful program in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The premise is this: Any student graduating from Peoria’s Public Schools will be eligible for a scholarship to any Public University or College in Illinois. Maybe it will give those graduating in the top 10% of their class a chance to attend Bradley. How does it work? The scholarships would be available to anyone who has been in the Public Schools at least four years at the time of graduation. The amounts are dispensed on a sliding scale, with those who have been enrolled since kindergarten eligible for one hundred percent of their tuition costs. How will it be funded? Through anonymous donors…like in Kalamazoo. What will be the impact? I believe that you will see colleges and universities competing for our students. And, I also believe that you will see the program result in more businesses, jobs and homebuyers being attracted to our area, creating the need for more schools and good teachers. Is this pie-in-the-sky? Am I being unrealistic? Can Peoria do this? Can we duplicate Kalamazoo’s success, where the benefactors underwriting the scholarships have promised funding for at least the next 13 graduating classes? Can we make this happen — right here in Peoria? You tell me. I believe we can and I invite anybody in this room with an interest to contact me.

–Jim Ardis, State of the City Address, 25 January 2006

With that, Mayor Ardis laid down the gauntlet to bring “The Kalamazoo Promise” to Peoria. I decided to familiarize myself with Kalamazoo’s program a little bit so I could better understand how it might play in Peoria.

The Kalamazoo Promise was first announced just two months ago, on November 10, 2005. It caused quite a stir in Michigan and, later, nationwide. Grand Rapids’ WOOD-TV channel 8 has a good archive of stories on this topic, and provide this concise explanation of the program:

Eligibility for this program is based on how long the student attends Kalamazoo public schools.

To receive any assistance, a student must live in the Kalamazoo Public School District and would have had to attend since at least ninth grade. Sixty-five percent of that student’s tuition would be paid.

The scale goes up from there, with eighth graders receiving 70 percent of their tuition paid, 75 percent for seventh graders, 80 percent for sixth, 85 percent for fifth, 90 percent for fourth, and 95 for first through third graders. Students attending schools in the district from kindergarten through high school graduation will have 100 percent of their tuition and fees paid.

It’s easy to see the advantages of such a program. Like Ardis said, it rewards starting and staying in the school district — the longer you stay, the more you benefit. That gives a strong incentive for parents to put their children in public schools, and a larger student population also means more state and federal funding. It’s conceivably strong enough to motivate parents to move into the school district, which would help housing sales and population density, and that means higher property tax revenues, which means more money for the school district.

In fact, that’s just what has been happening in Kalamazoo in just the last two months. “Kalamazoo Public School Superintendent Dr. Janice Brown says more than 200 students have enrolled since The Kalamazoo Promise was announced in November,” according to a report on WOOD-TV today. WZZM-TV 13 (Grand Rapids) reports that real estate agents are using the Kalamazoo Promise as a marketing tool to sell homes, and that a local developer “recently spent $7 million dollars on land in the Kalamazoo School District, to build new homes.” It’s too early to see any impact on home sales, but Kalamazoo is poised to grow.

Of course, all this only works if there is funding. In Kalamazoo, the funding is coming from a group of anonymous donors. The Journal Star erroneously reported the Promise is “funded through a private foundation. There, nearly $15 million in scholarships has been awarded to 3,800 area students over the years.” They were referring to the Kalamazoo Community Foundation which has awarded scholarships to Kalamazoo students, but has not claimed to be the Promise donor. How much will it cost? Nobody knows for sure, but it’s been estimated to cost “$12 million a year by the time four graduating classes are in college.”

A “Peoria Plan” would cost considerably more, since Peoria’s public school district has about 4,200 (40%) more students than Kalamazoo’s (14,700 vs. 10,500). And the cost could be even higher than that, considering an extra wrinkle in Ardis’ plan that differs from Kalamazoo’s. Students cashing in on The Kalamazoo Promise can only choose to go to a state university or community college. Ardis proposes “giv[ing] those graduating in the top 10% of their class a chance to attend Bradley [University].” That’s a difference of roughly $10,000 in tuition for each student.

So, from where is the funding going to come for the proposed “Peoria Plan”? Ardis wants it to come from private donors, just like in Kalamazoo. Well, it would be wonderful if a group of anonymous donors would come forward unsolicited like they did in Kalamazoo. I think it will be harder to get someone (or some ones) to take up the challenge here. But maybe I’ll be proven wrong. I hope so. It actually sounds like a great idea if the private funding comes through.

City Council, Peoria Civic Center

How about if Peoria buys the naming rights?

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I got to thinking about my last post, and I have an idea.

Do you remember how the federal government regulated speed limits in the ’70s?  They told states they could have any speed limit they wanted, but if they wanted federal money to maintain the roads, the speed limits had to be no faster than 55 mph.

Suppose the City Council were to pass an amendment that says the Civic Center Authority can name the venue and arena whatever it wants, but if it wants HRA tax revenues, it will have to be named the “Peoria Civic Center” and “Carver Arena”?  Doesn’t that sound fair?  That way, if they can wean themselves off HRA taxes, they can sell the naming rights.  But as long as they’re operating on taxpayer dollars, the taxpayers get to decide the name.

I think we’ve earned that right, don’t you?  According to the Journal Star’s editorial today, HRA taxes amount to $55 million.  Here’s an issue where I agree with the Journal Star — the Civic Center should scale back their plans instead of selling the naming rights.

Peoria Civic Center

Naming the Civic Center

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The Journal Star reports that any renaming of Carver Arena may need City Council approval. Whether or not that’s true, what do you think of selling the naming rights for the Civic Center and Carver Arena?

I personally think it stinks.  The reason they need to sell naming rights is because they don’t have enough money, which begs the question, “why are they expanding if they don’t have enough money?”  I thought the Civic Center was supposed to become self-sustaining, eliminating the need for the HRA tax.  Now, not only do we get to continue paying these taxes, we won’t even be able to call the place the “Peoria Civic Center” much longer.  If they’re that short on funds, they should scale back their expansion plans rather than strip the venue of its names.

O’Brien Automotive pays $150,000 a year for naming rights on the ballpark.  Haven’t Peoria area residents paid enough in HRA taxes to earn having the name of our city on the Civic Center?