Breakfast With Santa

When: Sunday December 12th, from 7:00 am to 11:00 am

Where: TNT Sports Bar & Grill 4319 N. Prospect Rd. Peoria Heights 688-6000

Why: Fundraiser for the Peoria Heights Fire Department and Police Department

Get your picture taken with Santa for a donation.

Breakfast will be ordered from a special menu for the event.

Please attend if you can!

What's Playing Tonight In The Heights?

Looks like it's "Forever, Darling"... probably in its first run at the Crest Theatre; starring Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball. My guess is that Lucy's name is on the other side of the marquee, but that's only a guess. The film also starred James Mason. The movie was released in 1956; judging by the foliage on the trees, looks like spring/summertime. I've always been intrigued about the concept of a movie theatre in Peoria Heights. It was obviously on the small side, but looks to have been a rather nicely constructed building, with a good deal of character.

It was located right where Heights Flowers is now. I don't see the SavALot building in the background, so apparently it wasn't built yet... or, the photo is just a bad angle. Long-time Heights residents (IF they ever check into this blog) might be able to illuminate that fact. I've spoken to a number of folks who remember the Crest, and they all remember it quite fondly. This is the only photo I've located of the Crest... if there are any more out there, I know we'd all love to see them. Any shots of the interior would be a HUGE bonus.

Even though Poison Pen swears that I have no interest in Peoria Heights history, I've always had an interest in the same; also in Peoria and the surrounding areas. So many great, grand buildings are long gone; often with nothing even close to appearance in their places.

Christmas Tree Lighting on Sunday Dec. 5

The annual Christmas tree lighting at Tower Park will be this coming Sunday, December 5, at about 5:15 pm. I say "about" because if it's snowing and the wind chill is around 10 degrees, then the tree lighting likely will be BEFORE 5:15 ! The Heights merchants will be having all sorts of specials and stuff during the Christmas Walk, so try to make a day out of it in the Village. Carriage rides will be available, and Little Miss Duryea will be making an appearance. Gonna be a grand time, I'm sure, we just need YOU to be there, too!

Forget the Facts, Full Speed Ahead!

Lynn Brown, aka Poison Pen, has truly taken on the Peoples Party mantra, which is, "Forget the Facts, Full Speed Ahead!"

She has accused me of posting under odd names, either on her blog site, or on the PJStar site. She quoted the following on her blog:

"Most people don’t realize that the PCs we have in our homes (or offices) have their own ‘addresses’; making the computer they are using traceable. When they sign on using their ‘moniker’, even if they use someone else’s account, the computer they are using is designated as the point of origin for the ‘submission’, effectively ‘red-flagging’ their computer as ‘responsible’ for that submission."

Now, Lynn, when you post something like that, people who read your blog will think that you have some actual facts, using your "computer sniffing out skills," and now have me in the skillet. But, you don't, do you? You know why? Because I am not John Doe; I'm not Trunk Monkey, and I'm not Heights Tower. If you actually put your computer sniffing skills to work, you would find that those IP addresses of the posting parties won't match mine. Why? Because I did not post as them. But, why should that stop you from launching into accusations, right? Like I said, you are the Peoples Party Bag Lady, no matter how much you want to run from it. If I want to post something, I will post as myself.

I know the real life identities of a couple of those posting parties, but I'm not going to dignify your accusations with any "exposure" of the same. Frankly, Lynn, I'm disappointed in you. But, just like the Peoples Party hierarchy, you try to catch me in a lie, and you end up catching yourself in the same. I know it's hard for you to fathom, but there are folks out there who back me, and find you less than appealing. And, sometimes, they post on blogs.

What little credibility your blog had, Lynn, is gone, poooooof. You didn't do any computer sleuthing, did you? You didn't track down the IP addresses for those posting parties, did you? John Doe has posted on your very own blog, and you STILL did not take the time to track down the IP address and compare it to mine, did you? But, did that stop you from throwing out the accusations? Of course not. You know why? Because you're Peoples Party yellow, through and through. That's right...

"Forget the Facts! Full Speed Ahead!"

Poison Pen At It Again

Lynn Brown, aka Poison Pen, has jumped into the fray, once again, on the Peoria Journal Star website. Her insightful comments, speaking on behalf of her Uncle Earl, always are well-thought out and considered, of course. I'll touch base on a couple of them, just because it's Thanksgiving, and I have some free time right now.

She goes into a tirade about my not knowing about Peoria Heights history, and being pouty and angry over the Board going with the presentation from Jim Barnett, concerning the possible history area at the former Al Fresco Park site.

For more information regarding Galena Road and its issues in Peoria Heights, along with a short background on Al Fresco Park, please copy and paste the following:

http://villageofpeoriaheights.org/new/images/stories/Galena_Road_Packet.pdf

I still don't believe that creating a history park at the Al Fresco Park site, AT THIS TIME, is the right thing to do. If it even causes one person to get injured (and it almost certainly will), due to the craziness of the traffic along Galena Road at certain times of the day, then I feel we'll have some culpability about that accident. And, I don't mean that we're going to get sued by the injured party (but don't ever rule anything out when it comes to this stuff), I just mean that in that harsh reality, I feel we will be at fault for allowing this development to take place. When one person gets injured going into this park, or coming out of it, then that is one person that did not have to be injured. It's all well and good to say, "Well, heck, look at all of the other driveways, and entrances, and exits, and all and all, coming off of Galena Road already and..."

Yep, that's true. And look at the accidents that occur because of them. But, the Village does not have any direct attachment to the CREATION of ANY of them since this Galena Road has become a thoroughfare. I live on Terrace View Lane. Right off of Galena Road. It's been here since God knows when, back when Galena Road was a sleepy, two lane country trek. You'll find most, if not all, of the driveways, roads, etc. off of Galena Road, have been in existence from likely before the mid-50s. Most even earlier than that. IDOT has not allowed any NEW cut-ins along Galena Road probably for decades upon decades. We are aware of the problems involved with Galena Road as it is TODAY; and yet we're going to give the thumbs up to the creation of a park that's going to cause more turn-ins and more coming outs, into THIS traffic? I'm at a loss to understand why.

We already have letters from F/S and Casey's, both saying that the reason(s) they won't look at Galena Road for development is due to the SPEED of the vehicles, and the LACK of traffic lights; they both say that we have MORE than enough traffic along Galena Road already. This park will do nothing to spur on the lowering of the speed or having traffic lights put up. One posting party put on the PJStar website that the more congestion we create, the more likely we are to slow traffic down. Wha-? Things are congested plenty along Galena Road between 6-9 am, and 3-6 pm. It doesn't slow the speeders down AT ALL... you'd best just be ready to move out of the way if you're not going 55 MPH or higher.

I'm apparently alone in my assessment. To some, that makes me anti-development. Hardly. We've been pushing to have development like CRAZY, particularly through these troubling economic times. Creating the TIF at the Cohen's property; coming up with ways for the properties along War Memorial to be built up; we're doing all that we can right now, and I believe that we will see the fruits of those labors in relatively short order. I've pushed like a mad man (just ask Poison Pen) to have changes made along Galena Road by IDOT that will BRING really good commercial development to Galena Road. People can roll their eyes all they want to about that; just check out the letters from F/S and Casey's, and see for yourselves. But, a park directly off of Galena Road? With the way that Galena Road is now, I just don't think that's good development. Slow the traffic down to a 35 MPH speed limit; install two to three traffic signal lights along the road, and then I believe the Al Fresco site will be RIPE for our development, and can be made into a grand, and much SAFER, thing.

That's my opinion, and I certainly have a right to it; just as the Trustees have a right to theirs. The difference here is that the Trustees vote on every issue, and I only vote to break a tie. So my opinion is just that - my opinion. I'm not mad, I'm not pouty, I'm not even going to try and change any of the Trustees' minds about the potential development. We move on.

By the way, I included a page about recognizing the historical impact of Al Fresco Park, and also the Ronald Reagan Trail, at the land in question, in the "booklet" I put together about the problems along Galena Road. I'm well aware of many facets of the history of Peoria Heights, and how it's been ignored through the years. That still doesn't make the concept any safer.

Lynn then goes on to rip into the Ambulance Service again, quoting the figures about the costs of paying the paramedics, etc. As usual, she neglects to mention the revenues brought in by the Ambulance Service - which are substantial. It's the same old, same old. Ripping into the purchase of a new ambulance, even though it has just 60,000 miles on it. Those are hard miles, mind you. On top of that, the ambulance is a 1993 model. Time causes issues to mechanical things, just through weather and simple age. And, we're not talking about a truck that delivers gravel. We're talking about an AMBULANCE. The purchase of the ambulance was approved by the Board of Trustees 6-0... where does that leave Lynn?

She then goes on to tear into our decisions to have curbs and sidewalks installed without asking for contributions from the homeowners affected. My response would be - why should we? Just because that's the way it was done before? The property taxes of those who live on streets without curbs and storm sewers are not lower because they live on a street without curbs. They pay the same sales tax when they shop in the Village as those who already have curbs on their streets. In those areas where we have installed curbs... that is what should be the NORM in the Village. Taxpayers should not be penalized by the Village because they live on a street where storm sewers and curbs aren't in place. If we keep working at having storm sewers and curbs installed, at some point, ALL of the Village will have them. It is backwards and just WRONG to ask taxpayers to pay additional TAX money to have curbs installed on their streets when their neighbors a few blocks over might have had curbs for the past 50 years, and yet BOTH have been paying the SAME tax rate to the Village over the years. Explain to me, Lynn, how it is fair to DOUBLE tax those residents - just so your Uncle Earl could have more money available for Streetscape?

What I will give Lynn credit for is that she is consistent in her hatred for virtually everything that has happened over the past 5 and a half years; and she is consistent in her love and admiration for everything her Uncle Earl did during his 8 years in office. It will be interesting to see if the three Peoples Party trustee candidates will actually step up and say how much they agree with her. In case you haven't heard, the three Peoples Party trustee candidates are Charlie Gauf; Bryan Lammers; and Dave Parkinson. I have no idea who Lammers is, or what he stands for.

I know that Parkinson has expressed his disdain for everything that has happened over the past 5 and half years, and has taken time to write letters to the Journal Star, expressing those opinions. Parkinson has been adamant about having Streetscape on Prospect done; but has tempered that lately with wanting diagonal parking on his side of the street (Slim Clippins). Of course, diagonal parking along Prospect would be extremely dangerous, with the number of vehicles passing by every day. For those who don't believe me, go to the downtown Peoria post office during the noon hour of most days, park in a diagonal spot in the parking lot, and then try backing out. Put a mini van on one side of your vehicle, and a Ford F-350 on the other. Then, multiply the vehicles passing behind you by 10. You'll get a feel for the problems that would be caused. But, of course, Dave certainly knows better than Ray Picl Sr., Earl Carter, and me, and all of the people who have served on the Board of Trustees since diagonal parking was done away with on Prospect. Not even Streetscape had diagonal parking involved. We'd have to add about 3 more police officers to the employment roll, just to handle the additional accidents caused by that move.

Charlie Gauf has mentioned to me on a number of occasions about his problems with the WEEK-TV webcam installed on the Observation Tower. What he doesn't seem to grasp is that we're not paying $1,500.00 a month for the privelege of being able to see Prospect Road on WEEK's website - we're paying that amount for the ADVERTISING it brings. There are thousands of hits each day on the WEEK website, and we are given two advertising spaces on the website, for that cost per month. We also are given preferential treatment when it comes to reporting things going on in the Village, as well as receiving a number of mentions about the Heights and what's going on, by the on-air personalities. Why do advertising, at all? Because it WORKS. The first year that we gave money to the Chamber of Commerce to advertise the Village, our sales tax revenues rose by OVER 10%! In these uncertain economic times, it is imperative that we maintain our presence for shopping and going out to eat for today's customers.

Inagural Walk on the Kellar Branch Trail

Date: Sunday, November 21
Time: 2:00 pm

We will meet at the corner(s) of Columbus and Marietta/Moneta, at the sight of where our trailhead building will be located; then proceed onto the trail, going north, to Junction City, and back again. We will then go on to TNTs in the Heights for a nice ending to what appears will be a decent day, weather-wise.

Although the trail south of Glen Avenue is not paved yet, it is entirely passable on the gravel, etc. left behind by the removal of the rails and ties. Over time, the trail should truly be a boon for the Village. Obviously, it will be a work-in-progress for many months to come, but it will be exciting to see the transformation from the start.

The Rails Are No More

Definite progress is obviously being made on the conversion of the Kellar Branch Rail Line to the hiking/biking trail to come. The area of the trail, going north from Glen Avenue, is due to be "laid" in the next few weeks. At least, that's my understanding. The remainder of the trail going through the Heights will not be completed for another year, possibly two, due to lack of Park District funds. Grants have been applied for, and with a little luck, the trail will be laid down next spring or summer. Regardless, it certainly IS going to happen.

When completed, the trail will be an obvious boon to the quality of life in the Village. It also will have a certain impact on our financial viability. Hikers, bikers, runners, everyone who uses the trail will be within a rock's throw of our central business district. The spillover from that is a given. How much impact will it have? Very hard to tell; but, I believe that a conservative guess would be up to a 10% sales increase for a numbers of the businesses in the Heights, during the summer months particularly.

Every positive step that we're able to take, and the Kellar Branch Trail is virtually a leap, all by itself, gets us closer to the community we want to have. Vibrant, safe, affordable, and progressive.

Neighborhood Clean-Up Day - October 9 8:00 - 10:00 a.m.

Our second annual Neighborhood Clean-Up Day is Saturday October 9 at 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. We will meet at Village Hall, get our assignments and materials there, and then proceed out into (hopefully) a crisp clear autumn day.

Thanks again to Village Clerk Shauna Musselman for spear-heading this very worthwhile event. Litter is not nearly that problem it was when I was a kid, but there's always some out there...

Peoria Heights "Voice" & The Cost of Tower Park

Open posting to the Peoria Heights "Voice" person:

Your latest posting does not allow for responses, so I have to respond this way. Any time you want to come by Village Hall, and obtain a printout of the costs of the renovations and changes at Tower Park, please do so. I'll make sure the bookkeeper gives you a copy.

The overall costs of the changes to Tower Park totaled $1,062,897.00.

The donations, you stated, were $350,000.00. You're wrong.

The donations were actually $282,472.66. You must be including the "donation" from the two cell towers that former Mayor Carter somehow retrieved from very large, inanimate objects. That $75,000.00 "donation" from the cell towers was actually written on the tally board for keeping track of the donation money; but could not be listed on the actual donation print-out (legally), because you cannot earmark Village funds for specific projects. For a further clarification of this extraordinary "donation" from two cell towers, I refer to this part of a previous posting:

" American Tower Corporation

This is a good one. In his flier, Mr. Carter states that "the Village has already received $75,000.00" for the leases. And, guess what? Mr. Carter listed that $75,000.00 as a DONATION to the Tower Park changes. You know, the ones that cost us $780,000.00. Additionally, in order to do so, Mr. Carter agreed to accept $50,000.00 up front for the tower on Toledo for the first 10 years of the lease; and to accept $25,000.00 up front for the tower off of Gardner Lane, for the first 5 years of the lease.

The actual lease costs are $8,400.00 per year for the tower on Toledo. The lease payment is $7,500.00 per year for the tower off Gardner Lane. Again, using my Radio Shack calculator, that tells me that the lease payments over 10 years for the Toledo tower should have been $84,000.00, instead of the $50,000.00 that was accepted. The lease payments for the Gardner Lane tower should have been $38,500.00 for the first five years of that lease, instead of the $25,000.00 that was accepted.

Why did Mr. Carter insist on having the $75,000.00 up front, instead of taking the $122,500.00 that would have been paid out on the leases as originally conceived? Again, that $75,000.00 was listed as a donation for the Tower Park changes."

The cell towers weren't really able to make a "donation" to the changes at Tower Park, although I'm SURE they really wanted to, Voice. So, in actuality AND reality, the donations were $282,472.66, and that's that. It's a nice figure, but be aware that the vast, vast, VAST majority of those donations came from just a few sources: Caterpillar ($25,000.00); the Bielfeldt Foundation ($75,000.00); an "anonymous" donor ($75,000.00); and Pearl Insurance ($75,000.00). That's still a tidy sum, of course. Do I think Uncle Earl worked his magic for those monies? Not exactly... I have two words that better describe the ability to get those donations, and those words are "Wayne Baum."

And, again, I'll ask that you do the math.

The COSTS to the Village taxpayers were exactly $780,424.40. Period. End of story. As much as you don't want to believe that, and as much as Uncle Earl tells you otherwise, it is a fact. And, this much I'm pretty certain of, even though I've been "caught" at a mis-speak as of late, I have never said that there weren't donations made to the park. More than a few times over the course of this blog, I have stated the TOTAL cost of the park, and the money paid out from Village coffers. But, once again, I'm guessing you'll read into it whatever you want to read into it. End result is this... $780,420.40 was paid out from the Village GENERAL FUND for the work done in Tower Park. That's the money fund available for the Village to do all of the other work it wants done, other than water work and MFT funds. Still don't believe me? Like I said... c'mon by and you can hold the payout list in your hands, and even take it home.

Poplar Lane Park cost over $430,000.00 to put in. We received a $200,000.00 grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Again, you do the math.

Does that mean I'm against parks? Of course not. We're pursuing grants for a trailhead building at the piece of land at the corner of Marietta and Columbus, which even if we receive them, we will have to dip into the Village coffers to complete the work. But, you see, I'll be honest about what amount we have to put out.

My issues with Poplar Lane Park were that it was in a bad location (flooding, not many houses in the area for real access) and that Bielfeldt Park is just across Galena Road from it, and that park already offered everything that Poplar Lane Park did, except for basketball hoops, a river view, and flooding.

Do you really think I would have been bellyaching about the cost of Tower Park all of these years without the numbers to back me up? When have you ever come by Village Hall to check those numbers, instead of taking the "expert witness" stuff from the Peoples Party regarding the costs? Come on by and get the facts, please. The printout will have all of the checks that were paid out back in 2002-2003... verified and certified.

You Read It Here Second...

The Peoria Heights Voice blog posted the following:

"None of us would ever know when the ‘Silly Season’ was upon us if Mayor Allen didn’t make the announcement as a ruse to attack the People’s Party and the former mayor. And now that he has ‘officially’ opened this ‘Silly Season’, the Mayor is gearing up for the February election, implying, insinuating, and, of course, dragging the opposition into his ‘campaign’.

Would someone please remind Mayor Allen, he isn’t running against anyone in this election. And, let me be the first to announce; no one running in this election will be running against the former mayor because, he isn’t a candidate either.

Allen is savvy about one thing. Crediting nothing more than, ‘word on the street’, and insinuating there’s about to be a political ‘bru-ha-ha’ (initiated by The People’s Party, of course), provides the perfect opportunity for him to insist he has no choice but to bring out the ‘big guns’ (‘facts’ from the archives) to ‘set the record straight’ for our consideration..."

Of course, it doesn't appear that The Voice received his/her copy of the 2007 Peoria Heights Examiner, in which the esteemed staff of that fine periodical pretty much dedicated its entire contents to ripping into me. Oh yeah... I wasn't up for election that year. He/she also obviously is not aware of that fine paper being sent out the Saturday before the Tuesday election. In other words, leaving me no opportunity to respond.

So, in 2009, I decided I wasn't going to let that happen again, I got this blog started. And, surprise surprise surprise, the Peoples Party put out a whole battery of things against me, and I was at least able to respond through this blog. Don't know if it made much difference, but it made me feel better. At least, I was a candidate in 2009... but if ANYONE believes that I won't be the negative focus of their literature coming up next Spring... well, you don't know Earl. I think it's fairly clear from the content of the Voice what their strategy will be... try to keep those non-Peoples Party trustee candidates from winning by ripping into Allen.

This is the one thing I've really noticed about Earl and the Peoples Party... and now The Peoria Heights Voice. They accuse me of doing virtually everything that Earl did. The former mayor had his private road blacktopped while he was mayor... I don't care too much about that, because the people living along that road are taxpayers, too... but he also had a brand-spanking new asphalt turnaround installed in front of his house, courtesy of the Village taxpayers. So, when asphalt was laid on my street, from about four doors up from me, to the area in front of my mother-in-law's house (three doors down on the opposite side of the road), why I've done something very bad! Never mind that the road was disintegrating in this area... never mind that it's all on a public road... never mind that it is just an extended asphalt patch over the damaged road... BY GOD! that doggoned Allen is doing something ILLEGAL!

When I had Krumholtz (sp) Brothers landscaping do a project in our backyard a few years back, photos of the Krumholtz Truck on my driveway magically appeared on the desk of a reporter for the Observer. Krumholtz Brothers have done a number of projects in the Heights; they even did Poplar Lane Park landscaping; and honestly they were the only ones I called that responded to my request to have an estimate done on the plan my wife had for the backyard. Some weeks later, I had the Laborers Union dude tell our Village Administrator at the time that "Mayor Allen better watch what he's doing... getting free landscaping done by Krumholtz..." So, I had to call that union dude and explain to him that I got NOTHING for free... we paid $3,400.00 for the project... and then I had to hand out copies of the canceled check to the entire Board of Trustees during a meeting, and threaten legal action against whoever was passing this garbage around.

When we have curbing and sidewalk put in on one block of Boulevard a few years back, it's thrown back at us by the loyal opposition, that "Boulevard is a Peoria street!" Never mind that it only helped out Peoria Heights businesses and a resident. The curbing and sidewalk was only on the Peoria Heights side of the street. Never mind that Peoria paid for half of that entire upgrade, and never mind that there is NO resolution or ordinance that even showed that the Village Board, way back in the early 60s, agreed to turn over maintenance of the Boulevard STREET to Peoria. And, never mind that former Mayor Carter signed off on an agreement when Glen Ave. was widened some years back, that effectively turned over Glen Ave. from the Village boundaries west to Knoxville to Peoria Heights for ALL of its maintenance. That is several blocks of a PEORIA street, on BOTH sides, that Carter signed off on us maintaining FOREVER. The Peoria Heights Voice says that action was just fine, because Carter bartered this, that, and something else by being willing to take on Glen Avenue maintenance even where it is only in Peoria.

But, that's different, right?

There is nothing I would appreciate more than a completely issues-driven campaign next spring. If the Peoples Party is against a paid ambulance staff, then come out and say it. Put it in your campaign literature, and promise to do away with it, and bring in AMT to handle our emergency calls. If the Peoples Party is against Tower Park Music Fest, come out and say it, and promise to do away with it if you get the majority on the Board. If the Peoples Party is against the Police Department being moved to a different building, come out and say it, and promise to bring the police back to Village Hall, and sell off the police building, should they get the majority on the Board. Let the people know where you stand. If the Peoples Party doesn't like the outdoor dining along Prospect, say so, and promise to do away with it if they get the majority on the Board. In other words, let the voters decide based upon the ISSUES.

You know, instead of putting photos of my garbage cans in the newspaper; and I'm sure there will be photos of that "illegal" asphalt strip in front of my house in the next issue; and the cartoon of the tower with money blowing out; instead of that petty, stupid stuff, make it ISSUE driven. I'd love it. I'd be more than happy not to say a word about Earl... I get tired of throwing his name around, I honestly do. I might have to make sure that the people know how Trustee Pendleton voted on several issues in the past years, BUT that's issue-driven, as far as I'm concerned.

Let's see what happens. I'd appreciate being more on the sideline... but I just have a feeling that won't be allowed to happen by certain people.

Additional Discussion Regarding the Ambulance Service

My apologies for borrowing from the new "Peoria Heights Voice" blog. The following was left by Trustee Scott Owen on that blog. He points out a number of issues, mostly about the ambulance service again. It reads as follows:

"phowen says:

September 25, 2010 at 2:15 pm

Wow! Looks like your blog took off in grand style! I see that Mayor Allen stated the Ambulance Dept. costs the Village about $100,000.00 per year to operate. The Mayor told me some time ago that the cost was about $175,000.00 per year. My best guess with all the costs entered in is about $250,000.00 per year. We are talking some major variations between these posted amounts. I would like to see just what this Dept. costs the Village. When I read that if AMT were to be the Ambulance service, emergency response could take up to an hour. I was the guy who called AMT and spoke with Andrew Rand about the what if AMT was our Ambulance provider, what kind of service we could expect. AMT stated they have 3 Ambulances near Peoria Heights. One on Knoxville Ave. close to Glen Ave., one on N. Galena Road, and one at the Walgreens at War Dr. and Prospect. These 3 locations circle the Heights. AMT also stated that if they were the Ambulance provider for the Heights, they would put another full time unit in our Fire Station driveway at Village Hall! All this at no cost to the Village. This would provide service as fast or faster than our in house Ambulance service. Also AMT is now using advanced trained RN’s in their units. That is a step above ALS Techs! I am not picking on our Heights Ambulance service, I am just stating what is available in the local market. As a Trustee in this crazy down economy, I am just looking at any and all options we have. Revenue is down for the Village and the State painfully slow in getting our money to us. At some point in the future I feel the expense for this Ambulance Dept. may become too much to afford. The good Mayor and I could not disagree more on this subject and I stand alone with any other option than the existing program. And one more thing……….I offered to provide 3 gallons of paint to the Village to touch up the damage to the water tower done by vandals on the observation decks. I went to the tower with a Village official and brought my color chip books and found an exact match. I then mixed 3 gallons of 2 part commercial epoxy to donate to the Village. We thought the street dept. could simply apply the paint over the damage and save the Village a good deal of money vs. paying Geo. Young & Sons to do this work. The day I was to bring the paint to Village Hall I received an e-mail from the Village Administrator stating the Mayor thought this would be a total conflict of interest, and to keep my paint. I am allowed to polish the Lincoln bust, work the Tower Park Fest, but donating this paint would be a conflict. It’s only a conflict because the Mayor thinks so. signed, John Smith……no really….Scott Owen"

I honestly don't recall telling the Village Administrator that Trustee Owen's supplying of the paint for the Tower would be a conflict of interest, but I'm following that up with both Trustee Owen and the Administrator in the days to follow. (SPECIAL NOTE: Our Administrator did verify that I stated this could be considered a "conflict of interest" if Trustee Owen supplied the repair paint. The memory is a terrible thing to lose!) The vandalism was turned into our insurance carrier, and we had the bill paid for, less the $500 deductible, through our insurance company. Trustee Andrea Pendleton was the one who came up with the idea for the claim to be filed.

(SPECIAL NOTE: I have since been advised by our Street Superintendent that the members of the Street Department could not have applied the Trustee Owen supplied paint, even if it would not be considered a "conflict of interest." It appears that in order to maintain our paint warranty on the ENTIRE tower, any paint repairs we have will have to be done by a recognized paint supplier and applicator... namely, George Young & Sons.)

More importantly (I feel), is what I think would be needed in order to properly compare what AMT would reportedly offer (via what Trustee Owen posted), and what we presently offer in our own service. Following are the clarifications I have requested Trustee Owen to obtain for the Board of Trustees:


"Mark Allen says: Your comment is awaiting moderation.

September 25, 2010 at 9:03 pm

Just to clarify, Scott, I think here is what we would need to compare “like to like” with AMT. You stated that you spoke with Andrew Rand of AMT and he guaranteed a vehicle to be parked at Village Hall, if the Village signed on with AMT. We need the following clarifications:

1. Would the vehicle be parked at Village Hall 24/7? Would it ONLY respond to Peoria Heights calls? At no cost to the Village?

2. Can there be a guarantee of a SECOND AMT vehicle to be parked in the Village somewhere, 24/7 as well, and responding ONLY to Heights emergency calls? A second one would be required, as we have two ambulances at our service now. Again, at NO cost to the Village?

3. Can this be guaranteed with a contract? And, will there be substantial monetary penalties, paid to the Village, if the AMT vehicle leaves the Village boundaries to respond to an emergency call outside of those same boundaries? I would say that a penalty of around $10,000.00 each time the AMT vehicle would leave the Village to attend to another call might keep them from doing so.

4. Can AMT sign a contract for at least 10 years with the Village, guaranteeing the above? And, would it compensate the Village for the costs of our ambulances, supplies, etc., should those be sold off if we no longer need them, if AMT chooses to alter their services after the 10 year contract is up? I’m guesstimating that the value of our vehicles, supplies, etc. would be in excess of $300,000-$400,000.00 at present.

If Andrew Rand and AMT can GUARANTEE CONTRACTUALLY ALL of the above, I believe the Board would love to discuss this with him.

If he cannot guarantee all of the above, then we are not comparing apples to apples. We are only comparing an apple core to the red delicious."

I've been accused of being the instigator of "The Silly Season," with the opposition just sitting on the sidelines during the last few elections, and being good soldiers. So, I'll try to keep my political posturing as issue-driven as possible. Again, I said that I will TRY.

I also advised Trustee Owen (through the blog, of course) that I do not recall ever telling him that I thought the ambulance service would cost us $175,000.00 per year. That doggoned blog has been hell on me, just over the last couple of days, for being called out on things I've supposedly said, months to years ago. I've misspoke on thousand of occasions, so anything is possible, but I normally throw out the $75,000-$100,000.00 figure on the overall cost of the ambulance service, per year. In the end, it really doesn't matter what I THINK it will cost, or what Trustee Owen THINKS it will cost... it only matters what it actually DOES cost. I'll try and get some mid-year figures together, as soon as possible, so that we all can have a better handle on the actual costs of this very necessary service.

Neighborhood Clean-Up Day Is October 9

Our second annual Neighborhood Clean-Up Day is Saturday October 9 at 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. We will meet at Village Hall, get our assignments and materials there, and then proceed out into (hopefully) a crisp clear autumn day.

Thanks again to Village Clerk Shauna Musselman for spear-heading this very worthwhile event. Litter is not nearly that problem it was when I was a kid, but there's always some out there...

Police Staffing - Past and Present

I find it interesting to note the following:

In the 8 years that the Earl Carter/Peoples Party regime was in place, police staffing was cut by one position.

We have added that one position back, within the first several months that we were in office in 2005. That position involves the School Resource Officer, where that particular officer is available to our schools anytime that he/she is needed; and that is usually about one half of the school day.

It's important to note this in light of promises that can be made by the Peoples Party in the upcoming election. As usual, the proof is in the pudding... and it's good to know what the actual history of the party making the promises is.

The Why and the Wherefore of the Observation Tower Camera

A couple of times over the past year, I've heard negative remarks about the WEEK-TV webcam mounted on the Observation Tower. Well, actually the complaints have been over the cost of the same, which is $1,500.00/month, paid for by the Village. I'll give you one guess as to which Peoria Heights political party this complainer belongs to. To the casual observer, that would appear to be quite a waste of money, particularly in these times. However, the reason why the Board approved the payment for the camera was not for the camera itself, but for the advertising that the camera brings with it.

The WEEK website has two spots available for the Heights to advertise what is going on in the community, for that $1,500.00 a month. Tens of thousands of people check out those webcams every month. On top of that, the on-air personalities on WEEK and WHOI give a number of "plugs" for the Village each and every day. All because we have the webcam. You might ask, why on Earth does the Heights NEED to advertise? Well, if advertising didn't work, no one would do it. And, as you can tell from the media around you, LOTS of entities advertise.

The bulk of our operating monies come from sales tax revenue. We get next to nothing from property tax. So, if we have a strong and viable business district, we will continue to have a strong and viable Village. It's really that simple. We have given money over the past few years to the Chamber of Commerce to advertise the Village: through billboards, TV and radio spots, through travel magazines, etc. And, it has paid off. During the very sluggish economy since 2006 into the full scale depression of 2009, we have hung in there. While some communities have seen their sales tax revenues drop by as much as 25-30%, ours grew each and every year until 2009, when the revenues dropped by around 8%.

Was advertising the sole cause for this? Of course not. But, there is no doubt it has played a major part. We are in competition with every community around us for the buying public's dollars. Advertising helps to draw people in from outside the community... new customers, so to speak. The Tower Park Music Fest on paper loses around $7,000-9,000 each year. But, that's just on paper. It brings people in, there is no doubt. Many of those people will purchase items while in Peoria Heights; others will like what they see, and return when they have more time. By doing so, they will generate sales tax revenue for the Village; revenue which we otherwise would not have had. A quick comparison? Sales tax revenues in fiscal year 2003-2004 were $1,088,928.00. In fiscal year 2006-2007, they jumped to $1,294,598.00, a 19% BUMP in that 3 year period. Yes, a bit of that would be from simple inflation, perhaps 3 or 4%; but there is no doubt that a sizable chunk of that remaining 15 to 16% can be directly tied to our ADVERTISING our Village.

In many areas, the Heights was quite static before we took office in May 2005. I believe the changes since then have been substantial and progressive. We intend to keep this going, and the advertising exposure generated by the Tower webcam is an example of what communities must do in the 21st Century, to try and stay ahead of the game. We have too much to lose if we falter.

Tower Park Music Fest 2010

This year's Music Fest will be on Friday, August 6, and on Saturday, August 7. As always, there is no admission charge. The musical acts are as follows:


Friday August 6

5:00 - 6:30 Roundstone Buskers

7:15 - 8:45 Storyline

9:30 - 11:00 Five Guys Named Moe


Friday August 7

2:00 - 3:30 Motorbiscuit

4:15- 5:45 Caribbean Sol

6:30 - 8:15 Brainchild

9:00 - 10:30 DriveTrain featuring Nick Boettcher



We'll also have food and drink vendors; a beer "trailer"; a dunk tank; and two big inflatables for the kids to play on, only on Saturday, from 2:00 to around 8:00 pm.

We hope for good weather, and also hope to see lots of people there!

Heights Population is Down...

And, unfortunately, rather dramatically. We lost over 5% of our population from 2000-2010. I was certain that we would not be gaining any population, but I was anticipating around a 3% drop. No such luck.

Much of this loss can be attributed to the loss of a number of our houses; torn down, normally, for commercial development. I believe we lost around 40 or so houses for the new Walgreen's; a few houses for the Liberty Plaza; and a dozen or so around where some development will be happening (soon, we hope) along War Memorial. There certainly is value to our land, but it appears to be more towards commercial rather than residential uses.

We have to try and do as much as we can to somehow grow the population over the coming decade. Why? Because so much of our federal dollars are based on population; population growth means a likelihood of an increase in students at our schools; and it's just a healthy way to grow.

It looks like our best possibility to increase our numbers will be in the condo and multi-family dwelling areas. We hope that the condo plan at Heritage Square and off of Gardner Lane will begin yet this year. The Cohen's building area is ripe for 2-4 story senior living complexes. We've called many developers; sent "feelers" out to many more; and there seems to be genuine interest, but like most major projects, not much will be happening until the economy gets out of its present doldrums.

The next several years will be a blueprint for the Peoria Heights of the near and far future. It's up to all of us to be as progressive as possible in building towards an even stronger community.

From The Archives: Let's Talk About "Spending"

The "Word on the Street" (at least in Peoria Heights) is that the Peoples Party hierarchy is gearing up, rock solid, for the 2011 Board of Trustees election. In other words, the Silly Season will soon be upon us. It's important to consider the facts in regards to spending in the Village, so from the archives comes the following:



"It will be sort of like comparing apples to milk jugs, but I'll give it a try, anyhow {to compare spending in the Village between now and during the 'Carter years.'}. Let's start by comparing February 2005 to February 2010.

There was roughly around 1.8 million dollars in the general fund in February 2005, a few months before I came into office. That sounds pretty good, I agree. A couple things need to be understood along with that, however, before comparing it to February 2010. First, about $300,000.00 towards the new ladder fire truck was going to come out in 2005, no matter who was mayor. So, even if Mr. Carter had been re-elected, that 1.8 million was going to go down to about $1.5 million, no matter what.

Second, a number of items had been ignored by the Carter administration, so that the general fund could go up. For example, curbs and sidewalks. I've been over that a few times, but over the four years prior to our getting into office, around $75,000.00 had been spent on curbs and sidewalks. That's over FOUR YEARS. Since we first got control of the budget (fiscal year 2006-2007), we've put in over $500,000.00 into curbs and sidewalks. That's over FIVE TIMES the amount that the Carter administration put in.

Let's go further. Columbus and Moneta continued to flood after any substantial rain we received, under Earl Carter. I can't even imagine how bad it would have been this past year, what with all of the rain we had. We addressed the problem, and corrected it. That costs money, of course. The Carter administration had no plans to do anything regarding expanding the police department: whether it be adding onto Village Hall, or purchasing an existing building. They were more than content to keep the police department in its four closets. We purchased an existing building for the police department to locate in, at about half the cost of adding onto Village Hall, and yes, that costs money, too.

We've added an Advanced Life Support EMT unit, staffed 24/7; available to get to our Heights residents at a much quicker time frame than AMT could, without any doubt. At a cost of roughly half of what AMT charges for the people they transport. While we do receive revenue for the EMT service, it does cost money (for now) after all is said and done. About $75,000.00 this past year. I believe that is a bargain. We're hopeful that in the next year or two, the EMT service might be self-sustaining. Regardless, it's a service that we have control over in the Heights. And, that's a good thing.

We've added recycling; and yes, that costs money, too. Around $82,000.00 a year. This is a positive service for those living in the Village. We've added a School Resource Officer for our schools; added a police dog to the police force; bought a new street sweeper; the list goes on and on.

Now, bear in mind that the Carter administration knew how to spend money, too. But, on what? Tower Park: Over $780,000.00. On Poplar Lane Park (about to flood again): Over $225,000.00. And, what do you think Mr. Carter was saving for when he wasn't going to spend money on curbs and sidewalks; EMT services; flooding problems; etc.?

Streetscape, of course. Saving up for what was going to cost at least $1-2 MILLION dollars (our share) for that extravagance. But, that's different, right? It's all well and good to pump money out for concreting in Tower Park; building a park that has flooded dozens of times already; and prepping us for the biggest fiasco of all, Streetscape.

Like all other municipalities in Illinois, we've taken a beating from this recession. Illinois revenues are way down, which the Carter administration didn't have to deal with. Even with all that has been accomplished over the past five years, and the hard hit regarding loss of revenues from the state, we are still close to $1.3 MILLION dollars in the general fund. The next fiscal year will see that figure climb a bit more, as we have to tighten our belts with the lack of state revenues.

So, Peoples Party hierarchy: you had realistically around $1.5 million in the general fund in February 2005, mostly because so many issues in the Village had been ignored. And, a huge chunk of that amount was about to be dumped out for the coming Streetscape.

The Peoples Party hierarchy machine is mostly on life support, but it's still chugging and shooting its mouth off with its half truths, innuendos, and outright lies.

Stay tuned."

IDOT Meeting Shenanigans

I had a meeting this morning with the IDOT Secretary, Mr. Gary Hannig. There were about 6 other IDOT pros with him.

That should have been my first clue.

My second clue was when Mr. Hannig stated that maybe we should increase the speed limit along Galena Road to 50 MPH, since so many cars speed there already. Then, some tall IDOT dude began tossing "studies" at me, just like they've been tossed at me before. In other words, they had no intention, whatsoever, to listen to me, let alone consider what I was saying.

It fell apart from there. I did something I thought I would never do... I walked out of the meeting.


I've nothing to add to this. I've done all that I could. I will check with our Village Attorney and see if it is possible to sue IDOT (seriously); and will take it to the Board if the answer is in the affirmative.

It's pretty clear that unless our elected officials are wanting to help us out on this, it will not happen. Senator Koehler was invited to the meeting; he did not show. I requested that Senator Risinger and Rep. Leitch appear and show support; I did not receive a reply from either. Rep. Gordon set up the meeting, but it was apparent that her heart wasn't in this fight. And, when I had sent a letter to the Governor, the only thing he did was forward it over to IDOT, so that they could fire off more "studies" to me.

I guess all of us living along and off of Galena Road are just whiners and have no idea what we're talking about. At least, that's what IDOT thinks, and in Illinois, that's all that matters.

Ridiculous.

... Why?

To be honest, I'm at a loss to come up with a reasonably acceptable reason as to why IDOT is as dismissive as it is regarding the changes needed on Galena Road. So, I'm left with some guesses; they might be random, some are based on what others have told me, as well. Let's try a few:

1) IDOT Is Simply Obstinate, and Unwilling to Bend Their Idiotic "Rules":

Very possible. My interaction with the head honchos of IDOT, so far, have been basically that I am the Invisible Man. And, our arguments are relegated to the pile of torn up concrete that used to be near I-474. This could be the most likely explanation. Their feelings might be that they are the ones with the engineering degrees (of course), and "By Golly, we're not going to let some stupid podunk mayor try to tell us how this work is done!"

2) Bigger, More Sinister Plans Await for Galena Road:

I've heard this one, too. The ultimate plans are to virtually wipe out the houses and businesses that front onto Galena Road, and create an interstate, for all intent and purpose, leading to the proposed (and absolutely idiotic) "corridor" to I-80, along Galena Road. The longer I deal with IDOT, the more plausible this idea becomes. But, where the heck is the "corridor" going to go to? Chillicothe? Henry? There will have to be huge bypasses built for those towns. Or, could it be that the "corridor" will just go to the Rte. 6 interchange? In preparation for the proposed ring road bridge at Mossville?

This idea that we have to have a direct interstate from Peoria to Chicago just will not work. The cost would be unbelievable. We have bluffs and the river presenting all sorts of challenges. Besides, we already have an interstate to Chicago, and have had for years. It's called "take I-74 to Bloomington, and go North."

3) Safety? What "Safety"?

Review the posting below regarding the collisions along Galena Road from 2007-2009. No matter how much IDOT states that safety is a real concern of theirs, it certainly is not when it comes to Galena Road. This should have been addressed 40 years ago. Galena Road has been known as a major problem for the residents, and the traffic on it FOREVER, and it has been virtually ignored by IDOT. Now, when the facts bear out that the true culprit for the issues is SPEED, not the lack of a center turn lane, the IDOT honchos look for the most expensive, most intrusive, and most questionable option to supposedly address the "safety" along Galena Road. I can't type much more about this... my blood vessels are about to burst.

4) Cat-Mossville Has the Political "Pull" to Make Sure The Speed Stays High.

I'm not so sure about this one. What's so great about getting your employees home a few minutes sooner, if there is also an increase in their possibly being involved in an accident? Does Cat want to make sure that their employees can fly through the Heights at 65-70 MPH so that they're not late for work? I don't know. Sounds a bit far-fetched, but I've heard this explanation more than a few times. It doesn't help that probably over 50% of the accidents and speeding tickets (I'll bet) involve Cat-Mossville workers.


There certainly are more possibilities. I'll try to come up with a few more; anyone else who might check, please give me your take on the same.

When Is An "Urban District" NOT An "Urban District"?

First, what exactly is an "Urban District," you might ask. Well, according to Illinois Statute, an Urban District is:

"The territory contiguous to and including any street that is built up with structures devoted to business, industry, or dwelling houses situated at intervals of less than 100 ft. for a distance of a quarter of a mile or more (625 ILCS 5/1-214)."

Hmmmmm. So, what is the importance of THAT definition, you might ask.

Well, the statutory speed limits in Illinois are defined as follows:

"Urban District for Any Vehicle: The maximum speed limit in an urban district for all vehicles is 30 MPH for a street and 15 MPH for an alley."

Voila! Eureka! We've caught IDOT going against the Illinois statute, right? I mean, Galena Road is CLEARLY an "Urban District," and statute says that the maximum speed limit in an urban district is 30 MPH, and... and...

Whoops. The statutes go on to give IDOT the power to INCREASE the maximum speed limit on any highway under their jurisdiction, based on engineering and traffic investigation. And, of course, any traffic study along Galena Road will show that the traffic is SPEEDING. Why? Because they're allowed to, that's why, by keeping the speed limit 15 MILES TOO HIGH for an "urban district," and by not allowing traffic signal lights, when they are allowed virtually everywhere else under similar circumstances.

Let's play a game here. Knowing what the definition of an "Urban District" is, according to Illinois statute, the next time you're out and about on an Illinois state highway, make note of when you're going through an area that you believe could be defined as an "urban district." Then, make note of what the speed limit is along that area. A few places pop into my mind. Chillicothe, Creve Coeur, Havana, Mason City, etc. etc. I can double check the next time I go through these "urban districts," but to the best of my recollection, the speed limits are, without fail, in the 30-35 MPH range. Except Galena Road. Why is that?

We'll explore the possible WHYs in the next posting.

Collisions Along Galena Road

The District 4 division of IDOT has been the culprit in not allowing the speed limit to be lowered along Galena Road, and the refusal to install traffic signal lights. The head of District 4, Mr. Joe Crowe, in his many refusal letters to me and to our elected officials, stated that the "majority of accidents along Galena Road are rear end accidents; so the center turn lane is the best way to lower the number" (in so many words).

Oh, really?

Here is the breakdown of the collision accidents along Galena Road, from 2007-2009 (3 years):




SUMMATION- Collision Causes Along Galena Road in Peoria Heights


Rear End Collisions (Total) 26

Rear End Collisions Partially Caused by
Stopped Traffic Trying to Make Left Turn 9 (35%)

Rear End Collisions While Attempting
To Make a RIGHT Hand Turn 5 (19%)


Total Collisions Along Galena Road 35
Percentage of Total Collisions along Galena Road, partially caused from Vehicles stopped to make a left hand turn: 26%


Findings:

The majority of the automobile collisions along Galena Road are rear enders.
However, the vast majority of the rear end accidents are not related, at all, to someone trying to make a left hand turn off of Galena Road. Moreover, the high speeds of the vehicles along Galena Road likely have as much to do, if not MORE to do, with the rear end collisions of those turning left.

Rear end hits while a vehicle is attempting to make a right hand turn off of Galena Road is only four below the number making a left hand turn!

The cost to put in a center turn lane along Galena Road will probably exceed $30 million dollars, or more, by the time it could be done. And, by doing so, it will only affect a mere 26% of the accidents along Galena Road, if years 2007-2009 are reflective of the accident rates (and they almost certainly are).

That 26% of the accidents could be affected in the positive sense by lowering the speed limit to 35 MPH, and by installing 1-3 traffic signal lights along Galena Road, at a fraction of the cost. And, by having the speed limit lowered, and having traffic signal lights installed, we increase our chances of commercial growth along Galena Road, as well. Most importantly, this could be done in mere months, as opposed to waiting YEARS for what IDOT mistakenly thinks will make Galena Road so much safer.

There are also a large amount of deer hits along Galena Road. While this can certainly be directly tied to deer going to the river to drink, it also is definitely affected by the high speed of the vehicles, thus lowering the driver’s reaction time to the deer substantially.


In other words, here's the deal. By spending millions upon millions on putting in a fifth lane along Galena Road, without lowering the speed limit, and not installing traffic signal lights, it will only have a potential effect on 26% of the accidents! 26%! So, 74% of the accidents will just keep on happening! Great planning, huh? Great thought process, right?

It always helps to have the facts in front of you before making blanket statements like Mr. Crowe made. Those rear end accidents, ALL OF THEM, are mostly caused by SPEED & INATTENTION, not by the lack of a center turn lane. Lower the speed limit, put in a couple traffic signal lights, and I'm betting you'll see those 9 rear end accidents involving someone trying to turn left off of Galena Road cut in HALF. If you don't lower the speed limit, if you don't put in traffic signal lights, those rear enders will STILL happen, probably at a greater rate, because those drivers will be going FASTER.

This is like trying to convince a person that the sky is blue, when they're firmly believing it's lime green. I can pile fact after fact after FACT onto IDOT, and it will still be like talking to a wall with a hearing problem.

Some Calculations

Let's pretend that a guy, coming from Caterpillar Mossville and heading home to Mount Pulaski, is going 45 MPH as he goes through the Heights, along Galena Road. I know that's a stretch, but this is a game of "pretend," after all.

There is 1.8 miles of Galena Road through Peoria Heights. There is 1 mile of Galena Road at the south end of Peoria Heights, in Peoria, from the Village limits to the McCluggage Bridge. There is approximately a half mile north of the Village limits, in Peoria, that would have to be changed from 35 MPH, then graduated to 45 MPH, until it hits the 55 MPH limit just north of Gardner Lane.

That is 3.3 miles of Galena Road that we would like to have changed to 35 MPH. Let's round it up to 3.5 miles, just to be safe.

According to my Radio Shack calculator, it will take the Mount Pulaski dude 4.67 minutes to drive this 3.5 mile distance, IF he is going 45 MPH. Don't ask me how I calculated it... I'm just fairly certain that it is correct.

Now, if the Mount Pulaski dude is going 35 MPH, over the same 3.5 mile distance, it will take him... get ready for this... SIX WHOLE MINUTES to go the same distance. That is an increase of an additional 1.33 minutes to go the same distance. Now, I don't know about the Mount Pulaski dude, but I'm reasonably certain I can afford that much time out of my day. Alright, multiply it by two, for a trip TO work, and the trip BACK home. We are now at an additional 2.66 minutes, which really comes out to two minutes 40 seconds. For the round trip.

And, obviously if there is a traffic signal light, and the Mount Pulaski dude hits it wrong, it might add another 15-30 seconds to the trip. Each way. We're now looking at a horrendous additional three minutes or so, up to three minutes and 15 seconds or so. Round trip. I'm not sure how the Mount Pulaski dude will deal with it; I'm sure it would be soul-shattering to have to spend that additional three minutes or so, behind the steering wheel.

He might be so frazzled that he will need to stop and pick up a six pack, to take home of course, at the new gas station/convenient store, that could now be located along Galena Road.

What We're Trying to Avoid

Thank you to the Journal Star and reporter Scott Hilyard for helping to bring the Galena Road issues to the public at large. We have a long ways to go, as IDOT is involved, but this is a strong start. I will repeat again what the letter I received from IDOT Secretary Gary Hannig pretty much said.

IDOT cannot lower the speed limit on Galena Road because the traffic is speeding.

Yes, that's right.

Of all the stupid excuses I've heard from IDOT so far, this one takes the cake. And, everyone who works under Sec. Hannig has repeated the same inept reason.

Well, as usual, IDOT is talking out of both sides of its collective mouth. Check out the following website, in memory of a young mother, killed along an IDOT road in LaGrange, IL.

http://www.cookfamilyfund.com/index.php?limitstart=27


This is what we're trying to avoid. We've had more than enough bad accidents and fatalities along Galena Road. What this article shows is that IDOT might act AFTER the horrific fact; AND that they will lower the speed limit along a road where speeding is occurring.

Revelations? Not really. I've found a good many contradictions so far, and I'm not very adept at surfing the internet... but, I'm learning.

This will all come to a head in relatively short order. We have to get our elected officials, from the Governor on down to understand what our issues are along Galena Road BEFORE someone else gets seriously injured or killed. For once, let's all be proactive instead of reactive.

Are you listening, IDOT?


(Oh, and even though it's not part of this website, it should be noted that IDOT ok'd the lowering of the speed limit along 47th St., from 35 MPH to 30 MPH; a scant three months or so after the accident. It can be done on Galena Road... and should be as quickly as possible.)

Comments are Getting Lost

I had a comment the other day, regarding the Galena Road situation. When I posted it on, it disappeared. I don't know what the problem is, but there is a problem. I doubt that I will be able to figure it out on my own, but I shall try.

Rte. 29 & Chillicothe

First, I don't expect Rte. 29 to be treated the exact same way through Peoria Heights as it is in Chillicothe. But, I expect it to be pretty darned close. I understand that Chillicothe was very much an established town well before the state highway system came about. That being said, it's good to bear in mind the following:

Speed limit on Rte. 29 through Chillicothe: Starts at 45 MPH at the city limits, goes to 40 MPH; then down to 35 MPH; then down to 30 MPH.

Number of traffic signal lights in Chillicothe: Three. (I'm pretty sure of that).

Estimated population of Chillicothe: 5,800

Average # of vehicles along Rte. 29 in Chillicothe per day: South of Chillicothe - 15,000 North of Chillicothe - 8,300 (Note: 18,000 through Peoria Heights each day)

What sort of commercial development and pedestrian/vehicular safety would be in place if the speed limit was 45 MPH all the way through Chillicothe, with constant speeding upwards of 55-60 MPH? Here's a wild guess... probably not very good.

At one time, a number of years ago, Galena Road in Peoria Heights was, for all intent and purpose, a rural road. Times have changed; IDOT has not. Galena Park Terrace arrived a number of years ago... OSF Nursing Home... houses on Terrace Court... Terrace View Lane... St. Jude Court... Forest Park Apartments. What probably once was around 200 residents has blossomed into 2,000 residents on and directly off of Galena Road, over the past 35-75 years or so. It's time to make those changes, IDOT. Treating an URBAN road as if it is an interstate has gotten very, very old... and very, very dangerous.

Chicken or the Egg?

The age-old question as to which came first, one might think, would apply to the potential commercialization of Galena Road in Peoria Heights. What comes first? Slowing traffic down and stopping it at certain spots; or does a major gas station and/or restaurant?

When it comes to Galena Road in Peoria Heights, it's a matter of the chicken or the drumstick.

The "chicken" here is the slowing of traffic; the installation of traffic signal lights.

The "drumstick" is the business growth along Galena Road.



Consider what would have happened in Chillicothe; in Metamora; in Henry; (amongst many others which I will post on in the near future); if the state routes had been allowed by IDOT to be what IDOT has allowed (even encouraged) in Peoria Heights. How many businesses would have located along the state routes in the above communities if there were no traffic signal lights; if traffic was routinely going 55-65 MPH during the heavy traffic hours?

IDOT has allowed Galena Road to become virtually an interstate during the peak hours in Peoria Heights, without the benefits of safe exits. And, it infuriates me that they will not consider what problems their "lack of warrants" have caused.

Accidents; injuries; deaths; no solid commercial development. We HAVE to have increased safety for the residents along Galena Road in the Heights; we HAVE to have increased commercial development along an URBAN street that has 18,000 cars passing through each weekday.

I'll beat this dead horse until it finally awakens the hierarchy of IDOT, even if it's by its stench.
As I wrote to the Secretary of IDOT recently, their handling (or lack of handling) of the problems on Galena Road is utter madness.

We'll have to stay on IDOT and our elected officials regarding Galena Road and its issues like Jeff Todd on a dribbling point guard.

In other words... VERY TIGHTLY.

More IDOT Tidbits

Average number of vehicles on Galena Road per day: 18,000

Average number of vehicles along Rte. 116 in Metamora per day: 11,300

Approximate population living along Galena Road in Peoria Heights: 2,000

Approximate population of Peoria Heights: 6,500

Approximate population of Metamora: 2,800


Speed limit along Galena Road in Peoria Heights: 45 MPH

Speed limit along Rte. 116 in Metamora: Starts at 45 MPH, goes down to 30 MPH
Majority is 35 MPH

Lanes of travel along Galena Road in Peoria Heights: 4

Lanes of travel along Rte. 116 in Metamora: 5

Special note: For those of you who haven't been through Metamora lately, there is no bluff along one side of the Rte. 116, and there are no railroad tracks running parallel to Rte. 116 through town; so, a fifth lane was able to be made without wiping out businesses and homes along the route.

Commercial development along Galena Road in Peoria Heights: Rather marginal. No gas stations, even with the high traffic count.

Commercial development along Rte. 116 in Metamora: Restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, etc.


Once more, for those of us trying to make sense of the facts above, it's really quite simple. The speed limit is too high along Galena Road; there is a need for traffic control signals due to the lack of the fifth lane, and also the number of people who LIVE along and off of Galena Road, who might want to get out onto the road in one piece.

One thing for certain: IDOT is consistent with being inconsistent, in regards to how the speed limits and such are affixed to communities.

Concrete Does Not Always A Park Make

A few problems with the concreting in of Tower Park which was done several years ago, under the previous administration.

First, of course, the cost. Pretty pricey. The whole concept took over $780,000.00 of Village money. The concrete costs were roughly around $300,000.00.

Second, it makes it awfully hot in the summer. Mr. Carter apparently wasn't aware of it, but trees produce shade; and shade produces lower temperatures in it. The lies about the trees being dead, and all that rot, is just that... lies. Many of those trees that dropped huge limbs during the ice storm of around 2001 or so, were Chinese Elms. They're like weeds. We have one in our front yard, and it has dropped huge limbs through the years during terrible storms. The tree always comes back without any difficulty. Here's a clue... dropping limbs does not cause trees to die. In Mr. Carter's world... maybe. But, for the rest of us in reality, it doesn't happen that way. Besides, let's pretend that the fairy tale of the "trees being dead," as written by the Peoples Party hierarchy was true. Would that have stopped them from planting NEW trees? No, wait... I forgot. When large limbs fall from trees after a horrific ice storm, the soil becomes contaminated too, right?

Third, it's Illinois. Concrete cracks. Quite easily. It costs money to maintain, as opposed to the relatively low costs of maintaining grass. For example, with the concrete being of the stamped variety, its surface is very smooth, and very difficult to get sealant to be absorbed into it. Several years ago, the concrete at Tower Park had been sealed, and with just a bit of icy glaze on it, it was virtually not walkable. I slipped a few times, almost fell, and I can just imagine what it was like for those with a cane or a walker. Dangerous.

Now, because we have to salt the entrance area going into the rear of Village Hall, the cracks have turned into rubble, and a long stretch will have to be repaired or replaced. The cost will exceed $6,000.00. That's a lot of mowings.

I apologize once more for beating the dead horse around and around the Village, but it continues to serve as an example of the "loosey-goosey" spending habits of Mr. Carter back in the day.

But, of course, that's different.

Galena Road & IDOT Interesting Factoids

I will be submitting interesting factoids about Galena Road and IDOT in the months to come. Of course, this information is strictly for information's sake. Of course.



Number of traffic signal lights along Galena Road (Rte. 29) in Peoria Heights: 0

Number of traffic signal lights along Rte. 29 in Rochester, IL (pop. approx. 3,000): 4

Average number of vehicles along Galena Road (Rte.29) in Peoria Heights: 18,000/day

Average number of vehicles along Rte. 29 in Rochester, IL : 11,500/day

Speed limit in Rochester and Peoria Heights: 45 MPH *

* (Rochester has a center turn lane through most of the town. The center turn lane did not eradicate a large section of businesses and homes in Rochester. Also did not take out the shoulders of the road).

** (Special Note: Rochester would likely qualify as a "bedroom community" for Springfield. Could this explain the FOUR traffic signal lights in that community? Hmmmmm...).




Speed Limit along Galena Road (Rte. 29) in Peoria Heights: 45 MPH

Speed Limit along Rte. 29 in Henry, IL: 35 MPH


Average number of vehicles along Galena Road (Rte. 29) in Peoria Heights: 18,000 vehicles/day

Average number of vehicles along Rte. 29 in Henry, IL: 3,800 vehicles/day


Number of Gas Stations along Galena Road (Rte. 29) in Peoria Heights: 0

Number of Gas Stations along Rte. 29 in Henry: 2




Approximate Population in Peoria Heights along Galena Road (Rte.29): 2,000

Approximate Population of Peoria Heights: 6,500

Approximate Population of Henry: 2,500




Special clue to trying to make sense of all of the above:

Even though things don't seem to add up, they really do. Speed limit too high; absolutely no traffic controls; makes Galena Road not only dangerous, but also commercially not viable.

Yes, it seems like common sense. And, actually it is.

Let's Talk About "Spending"

"Word on the street" is that the Peoples Party hierarchy is beginning to spin their spin; starting with how much money was in the general fund when we first came into office in May 2005, compared to what is available now.

It will be sort of like comparing apples to milk jugs, but I'll give it a try, anyhow. Let's start by comparing February 2005 to February 2010.

There was roughly around 1.8 million dollars in the general fund in February 2005, a few months before I came into office. That sounds pretty good, I agree. A couple things need to be understood along with that, however, before comparing it to February 2010. First, about $300,000.00 towards the new ladder fire truck was going to come out in 2005, no matter who was mayor. So, even if Mr. Carter had been re-elected, that 1.8 million was going to go down to about $1.5 million, no matter what.

Second, a number of items had been ignored by the Carter administration, so that the general fund could go up. For example, curbs and sidewalks. I've been over that a few times, but over the four years prior to our getting into office, around $75,000.00 had been spent on curbs and sidewalks. That's over FOUR YEARS. Since we first got control of the budget (fiscal year 2006-2007), we've put in over $500,000.00 into curbs and sidewalks. That's over FIVE TIMES the amount that the Carter administration put in.

Let's go further. Columbus and Moneta continued to flood after any substantial rain we received, under Earl Carter. I can't even imagine how bad it would have been this past year, what with all of the rain we had. We addressed the problem, and corrected it. That costs money, of course. The Carter administration had no plans to do anything regarding expanding the police department: whether it be adding onto Village Hall, or purchasing an existing building. They were more than content to keep the police department in its four closets. We purchased an existing building for the police department to locate in, at about half the cost of adding onto Village Hall, and yes, that costs money, too.

We've added an Advanced Life Support EMT unit, staffed 24/7; available to get to our Heights residents at a much quicker time frame than AMT could, without any doubt. At a cost of roughly half of what AMT charges for the people they transport. While we do receive revenue for the EMT service, it does cost money (for now) after all is said and done. About $75,000.00 a year. I believe that is a bargain. We're hopeful that in the next year or two, the EMT service might be self-sustaining. Regardless, it's a service that we have control over in the Heights. And, that's a good thing.

We've added recycling; and yes, that costs money, too. Around $82,000.00 a year. This is a positive service for those living in the Village. We've added a School Resource Officer for our schools; added a police dog to the police force; bought a new street sweeper; the list goes on and on.

Now, bear in mind that the Carter administration knew how to spend money, too. But, on what? Tower Park: Over $780,000.00. On Poplar Lane Park (about to flood again): Over $225,000.00. And, what do you think Mr. Carter was saving for when he wasn't going to spend money on curbs and sidewalks; EMT services; flooding problems; etc.?

Streetscape, of course. Saving up for what was going to cost at least $1-2 MILLION dollars (our share) for that extravagance. But, that's different, right? It's all well and good to pump money out for concreting in Tower Park; building a park that has flooded dozens of times already; and prepping us for the biggest fiasco of all, Streetscape.

Like all other municipalities in Illinois, we've taken a beating from this recession. Illinois revenues are way down, which the Carter administration didn't have to deal with. Even with all that has been accomplished over the past five years, and the hard hit regarding loss of revenues from the state, we are still close to $1.3 MILLION dollars in the general fund. The next fiscal year will see that figure climb a bit more, as we have to tighten our belts with the lack of state revenues.

So, Peoples Party hierarchy: you had realistically around $1.5 million in the general fund in February 2005, mostly because so many issues in the Village had been ignored. And, a huge chunk of that amount was about to be dumped out for the coming Streetscape.

The Peoples Party hierarchy machine is mostly on life support, but it's still chugging and shooting its mouth off with its half truths, innuendos, and outright lies.

Stay tuned.

Somewhat Tighter Times to Come in the Heights

Our revenues for this fiscal year (May 1 to the present) are lower than the previous year's revenues (for the same period) - off by roughly 7%. That's really quite good compared to other municipalities. I've read about a number of cities where their revenues are down from 10-40%. All in all, we're holding up very well. Our biggest problem is something completely beyond our control - that Illinois workers are just not able to earn as much, obviously due to the high unemployment. Our portion of the state income tax payments has decreased markedly; down by almost 25%. Hopefully, this situation will turn around (for a whole bunch of reasons) much sooner than later.

That being said, the coming fiscal year (May 1, 2010 to April 30, 2011) will be a somewhat tighter time. We will still be doing additional curb and sidewalk work - we plan on budgeting around $75,000.00 for that. Lower Prospect Road, from the RR tracks to Lake, will be milled and overlaid, but that will be finished with stimulus money left over from the previous year. I don't see any other major projects coming down the pike for the coming year, unless a second round of stimulus money is put out, which would give us additional options.

The past several months have been pretty busy, actually. Upper Prospect Road was done; we put around $100,000.00 into curbs and sidewalks; a bucket truck was purchased; extensive work was done on Cox Avenue, due to a culvert being near collapse; a parking lot was purchased on Duryea; we had a new salt bin built, one that is about two times larger than the old one, which was falling apart; amongst the normal day to day activities.

This coming fiscal year will be under the microscope, as the economy really hasn't done any true rebounding at all (I think everyone knows that). We are still quite sound financially - about $1.5 million in the black, in the general fund, and I'd like to see us get to around $1.6-1.7 million by the end of the fiscal year (April 30).

We hope to have positive news about the Kellar Branch Trail being given the green light soon; and that will open the door for our beginning the plans for a trailhead building in the Heights. We have a $390,000.00 grant that will go toward the construction of it; we will need to match it with an additional 30% in order to receive the grant; so we're looking at a building that could be around $550,000.00 plus in total. It should serve as a community building, as well. We have begun the process of the vision for this building, and I think it will be the "magnet" for the folks on the trail that we need it to be.

Ambulance Service Ordinance

This past Tuesday, the Board of Trustees passed an ordinance that requires any outside ambulance service to contact our own service, should they receive a direct call (not 9-1-1) to come to the Heights. The reason? We need to know what situation one of our citizens may be in. Is it a cardiac, or just a sprained ankle? Is it stroke related, or a minor cut to the head? In virtually ever circumstance, the Peoria Heights ambulance is going to be closer (sometimes a LOT closer) than any outside emergency service.

It would appear that passage of this ordinance would be a slam dunk. For those of you who might not know, Peoria Heights now has an Advanced Life Support (ALS) crew that is available around the clock. In other words, we offer virtually anything that any outside agency could offer regarding emergency treatment. So, for the safety of our residents, we NEED to know what emergency situation might arise within our corporate limits. Yet, somehow, the proposed ordinance became a sticking point for two of our trustees - Andrea Pendleton and R. Scott Owen. Trustee Owen had spoken with a representative of AMT (Advanced Medical Transport), and had reportedly been told that AMT might do away with the mutual aid agreement we have with them, should the ordinance be passed.

Trustee Pendleton stated that she felt the ordinance would take away the "choice" one has to have call whichever ambulance service one wishes to call.

This is not the case. The person can still call AMT if he/she wants to, it's just that AMT will need to call us to tell us the situation, if it is a direct call to AMT. (A 9-1-1 call comes directly to the Heights).

This ordinance was already passed by municipalities like Washington; East Peoria; Pekin, etc. some time ago. We're not creating a new concept here. And yet, somehow, it now was making a big hoo-hah, particularly to the two dissenting trustees.

In the end, the ordinance passed 4-2, with Trustees Pendleton and Owen voting against.

Maybe I'm mistaken, but it seems to me that the vast majority of the residents of Peoria Heights want to have HEIGHTS services. We now have a top-notch ambulance service, and yet there are those who seem to want to throw roadblocks into its path. I'm at a loss to fully understand the reasons why. Trustee Pendleton has consistently voted against everything having to do with the full-time paid ambulance service. She has stated that the Village will not be able to afford it in the long term. There is nothing so far to back up that theory.

I appreciate the positive and forward thinking of those trustees and residents who have embraced the ALS full-time service. We have dedicated, top of the line emergency personnel; a service we can be infinitely proud of.

And, we should be.