Rep. Jehan Gordon announced last night at our Board of Trustees meeting, that the Village would be receiving $635,000.00 for the Prospect Road work, through the State Capital Improvements fund. In other words, it will be paid for, virtually 100% with the grant. This amount of money, obviously, is huge. It will give us a head start on more projects for next fiscal year, including doing the lower part of Prospect Road, along with (hopefully) several drainage issues we have throughout the Heights.
We really cannot thank Rep. Gordon enough. She has been attentive and concerned with our needs, and we've all been very pleased with her "service" for us. Particularly in these difficult economic times, we truly appreciate all of the help and guidance she has given to the Heights. We're doing pretty well economically, but as I've discussed before, the costs of maintaining our infrastructure will continue to exceed our ability to raise revenues. That's the nature of the beast. So, we can either turn a blind eye to our infrastructure needs (not acceptable), or do all that we can to attempt to increase our revenues in the coming years.
The grant could not have come at a better time. It's been around 20 years since Prospect Road has been milled and overlaid... it's time.
Again, THANK YOU, REP. GORDON!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
Waiting on Poison Pen
It's now Friday, nearly two full days since I invited Poison Pen to come visit me, and I've yet to have a reply. I'm thinking some cold cuts, maybe even the pulled beef, from Alwan's, for lunch. Right here. I'd even set aside a few hours (or more)... as much time as Poison Pen needs. Still waiting.
Now, don't anyone out there PRETEND as though you are Poison Pen, just to get a free sandwich or two. I have my ways of verifying if the person is the REAL Poison Pen or not. I won't give away my secrets, but it has to do with karaoke and asphalt.
Now, don't anyone out there PRETEND as though you are Poison Pen, just to get a free sandwich or two. I have my ways of verifying if the person is the REAL Poison Pen or not. I won't give away my secrets, but it has to do with karaoke and asphalt.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Journal Star Mish-Mash
I don't usually read the comments that are posted on-line whenever a story is in the Journal Star about the Heights. The fact that they're able to post anonymously, and that most everyone who bothers to post is usually negative in scope, sort of skewers the whole process, in my opinion. This story regarding Trustee Owen has taken on legs of its own, however, in allowing a stalwart Earl Carter supporter to fling all kinds of accusations around about what a jerk I am. That's fine, everyone's entitled to their opinions, but this one is almost too good to pass up... here it is, in its entirety, from someone called "Poison Pen"...
"Longing....1966, maybe 1967 measures were taken to prevent PH form being surrounded...we both know the particulars. It was a great move on the part of the participants...genius in fact. And, as far as calling for a vote to cease being a separate community, to my knowledge there has never been, nor or there any citizens now who want to see that happen...ever.
Longing...let me explain my concerns...It begins with a disgruntled citizen, who approached the mayor, demanding that the mayor have PH public works tear down a building in his neighborhood.. The mayor explained to the citizen he couldn't just tear the building down, there were legal channels that had to be exhausted before they could demolish the building. The citizen told the mayor, and I'm paraphrasing, 'you're the mayor, you can do anything you want'. The mayor insisted that wasn't the way it was done, reiterating that he couldn't do what the citizen wanted until the court gave him the legal right. The citizen became angry and told the mayor, and, again, I'm paraphrasing, 'if you can't, I'll show you I can and will'. Ultimately, the court gave PH the right to demolish the building and it was torn down, but the citizen was so enraged with the mayor for refusal to do his bidding that he decided to run for mayor himself (which is everybody's right, I have no problem with system). My problem is with the citizen expecting the mayor to supercede the legal process to meet his demands and in his belief that his demand should be the first and obviously the only consideration for the mayor. Wait...it gets better.
At some point, the very same mayor appointed the citizen's BFF to the position of Fire Chief. The new Chief had his own ideas of how the fire dept should be run, but the mayor was concerned about the costs of implementing the Chief's ideas of the perfect fire dept and ambulance service. The mayor checked with Sharon Kennedy at Advanced Medical Transport and learned the Village could sign a contract with AMT, that would cost the taxpayers nothing. When the Fire Chief learned that he could lose half of his recently acquired domain if the mayor was successful in negotiating with AMT, he called his BFF, and the race was on.
My point?
We now have a mayor, duly elected in two elections, no dispute (the people had their say), who only considered running for mayor because the former mayor refused to thumb his nose at the legal procedures required to assure the Village wasn't sued.
A mayor who has no control of his temper, who throws hissy screaming fits when people don't do what he expects or orders them to do.
A mayor who thinks purchasing a whole new fleet of official vehicles, even an official car for his BFF, the fire chief, is an example of his superior administration skills. Did Chief Bill Bair have a big, new, shiny car provided by the village Longing?
A mayor who thinks it's his divine right to spend Village money on any pet project he chooses and who isn't above violating the rules of order to cast the tieing vote to keep his project from being defeated by the people we elected to determine how our money is be spent.
A mayor who believes his intellect to be sounder, superior to everyone else and therefore doesn't have to explain his reasoning or actions except to say. 'it's the right thing to do'.
My last question is...the right thing to do for who?...the people of PH or the volunteers and paramedics of the fire and ambulance service.
Call me stupid Longing, but these actions and tactics are alarming when you compare the actions and tactics of his predecessors.
I guess Monkey has decided to keep his mouth shut until he gets his act together...wonder how long that will take? Of course, learning not to go off half-****ed comes harder for some of us than others. "
I read this, and I keep thinking that the writer is describing Earl Carter. But, nope... it's me, and my "horrible" temper, blah blah blah. My first notion is to just ignore it, but I'm going to point out a couple of things.
The house in question was on my block. It was empty for about ten years. It had a hole in its roof for about seven years. Raccoons, vermin, and vagrants were hanging out inside of it. Mr. Carter drove by this house several times a day (as he lives on the same street I do), and did nothing. We (over 20 neighbors) took two petitions to the Village to ask to have the house torn down or fixed up, but nothing was ever done about it.
Yes, I finally had enough. I went to Village Hall, asked for petitions to run for mayor, was told they never have that sort of thing at Village Hall (later I was told at the County Courthouse that this was WAY out of the ordinary); and within two weeks after that, MAGICALLY the house was torn down. Was it done by the Village? Nope. It was brokered by Mr. Carter to be done by a private excavator. That excavator then placed a lien on the property for his charges. Good deal. The house was FINALLY torn down. Why did it take so long, and why did it happen so suddenly after Mr. Carter knew I was running for mayor? Simple. He wanted it removed as a campaign issue... no photos to be taken of the dilapidated house. Whatever... at least it was gone.
Mr. Carter never talked to me about the house before it was torn down. I never said to him that he could do anything because he was mayor. Hardly... we really didn't communicate with each other. You're getting quite a story there, Poison Pen... and I'll give anyone reading one guess as to who Poison Pen has been talking to.
And, don't tell me that "legally" it takes even 5 years to have a house like this addressed. We've had to do it to a few houses since I've been in office, and it takes about 6 months from beginning to end. To quote the Village Administrator at the time, tearing down the house "was not a priority with the mayor."
Earl Carter appointed the present Fire Chief based on the recommendations from the Fire Department. Mr. Carter WANTED to be able to appoint a chief of HIS choice, but even he knew that it was best to go with the Department choice, if at all possible.
Mr. Carter had plenty of time to check out the set-up AMT could present, and he chose not to pursue signing up with AMT. Don't make it sound like he was about to do so. Nothing of that sort was ever talked about at any meeting where minutes were taken.
I chose to run for mayor without consulting with any member of the Fire Department, Ambulance Service, anyone connected with the Village. I ran for one reason and one reason only... because I felt I could do better than Earl Carter. The "falling apart" house was just one of the examples of what I didn't approve of. Add the proposed Streetscape, the changes at Tower Park, the park in the flood plain, and the poor relations with the Village employees to that list.
The Fire Chief does not have a personal vehicle paid for by the Village. The EMT Leader utilizes a vehicle that is an EMT car. It is clearly marked as one. Sometimes members of the Fire Department use the same vehicle to pick up supplies, deliver items, etc. It is used for Village safety business. Again, period. The EMT leader will sometimes take the vehicle home. He lives about a half dozen blocks from Village Hall, and is on 24 hour call. They keep a full supply of safety items in the trunk of the vehicle.
I don't feel I have a "divine right" to do anything. The trustees vote to approve or turn down. It's not my baby. There are some items I have pushed for. Others I have not. I can vote to break a tie or force a tie. I believe I've forced a tie a couple of times; broken a tie maybe about a half dozen times. I rarely vote. (Special Note: I have since verified that I CANNOT vote to force a tie. I did it once, not more than that, and I was in error when I did so. I have since publicly stated the same. Don't ask me what I read to make me think that I could do that sort of vote. Obviously, whatever it was, I was way wrong in my interpretation!)
Now, Poison Pen, I understand that you don't like what's going on in the Heights now. That's fine, everyone is entitled to his/her opinion. But, at least get the facts straight. That's all I ask. This is the same sort of "half truths, innuendos, and outright lies" that the Peoples Party and its periodicals have thrown about for years now. I don't expect Poison Pen to view things any differently, but here is an open invitation to Poison Pen...
Call me at 686-2385, and let's arrange a meeting. Bring as many questions as you want. Bring a friend if you want to. We'll take as long as you like. I've nothing to hide, it's all out in the open, we're audited every year.
I'll even spring for some sandwiches if you'd like.
"Longing....1966, maybe 1967 measures were taken to prevent PH form being surrounded...we both know the particulars. It was a great move on the part of the participants...genius in fact. And, as far as calling for a vote to cease being a separate community, to my knowledge there has never been, nor or there any citizens now who want to see that happen...ever.
Longing...let me explain my concerns...It begins with a disgruntled citizen, who approached the mayor, demanding that the mayor have PH public works tear down a building in his neighborhood.. The mayor explained to the citizen he couldn't just tear the building down, there were legal channels that had to be exhausted before they could demolish the building. The citizen told the mayor, and I'm paraphrasing, 'you're the mayor, you can do anything you want'. The mayor insisted that wasn't the way it was done, reiterating that he couldn't do what the citizen wanted until the court gave him the legal right. The citizen became angry and told the mayor, and, again, I'm paraphrasing, 'if you can't, I'll show you I can and will'. Ultimately, the court gave PH the right to demolish the building and it was torn down, but the citizen was so enraged with the mayor for refusal to do his bidding that he decided to run for mayor himself (which is everybody's right, I have no problem with system). My problem is with the citizen expecting the mayor to supercede the legal process to meet his demands and in his belief that his demand should be the first and obviously the only consideration for the mayor. Wait...it gets better.
At some point, the very same mayor appointed the citizen's BFF to the position of Fire Chief. The new Chief had his own ideas of how the fire dept should be run, but the mayor was concerned about the costs of implementing the Chief's ideas of the perfect fire dept and ambulance service. The mayor checked with Sharon Kennedy at Advanced Medical Transport and learned the Village could sign a contract with AMT, that would cost the taxpayers nothing. When the Fire Chief learned that he could lose half of his recently acquired domain if the mayor was successful in negotiating with AMT, he called his BFF, and the race was on.
My point?
We now have a mayor, duly elected in two elections, no dispute (the people had their say), who only considered running for mayor because the former mayor refused to thumb his nose at the legal procedures required to assure the Village wasn't sued.
A mayor who has no control of his temper, who throws hissy screaming fits when people don't do what he expects or orders them to do.
A mayor who thinks purchasing a whole new fleet of official vehicles, even an official car for his BFF, the fire chief, is an example of his superior administration skills. Did Chief Bill Bair have a big, new, shiny car provided by the village Longing?
A mayor who thinks it's his divine right to spend Village money on any pet project he chooses and who isn't above violating the rules of order to cast the tieing vote to keep his project from being defeated by the people we elected to determine how our money is be spent.
A mayor who believes his intellect to be sounder, superior to everyone else and therefore doesn't have to explain his reasoning or actions except to say. 'it's the right thing to do'.
My last question is...the right thing to do for who?...the people of PH or the volunteers and paramedics of the fire and ambulance service.
Call me stupid Longing, but these actions and tactics are alarming when you compare the actions and tactics of his predecessors.
I guess Monkey has decided to keep his mouth shut until he gets his act together...wonder how long that will take? Of course, learning not to go off half-****ed comes harder for some of us than others. "
I read this, and I keep thinking that the writer is describing Earl Carter. But, nope... it's me, and my "horrible" temper, blah blah blah. My first notion is to just ignore it, but I'm going to point out a couple of things.
The house in question was on my block. It was empty for about ten years. It had a hole in its roof for about seven years. Raccoons, vermin, and vagrants were hanging out inside of it. Mr. Carter drove by this house several times a day (as he lives on the same street I do), and did nothing. We (over 20 neighbors) took two petitions to the Village to ask to have the house torn down or fixed up, but nothing was ever done about it.
Yes, I finally had enough. I went to Village Hall, asked for petitions to run for mayor, was told they never have that sort of thing at Village Hall (later I was told at the County Courthouse that this was WAY out of the ordinary); and within two weeks after that, MAGICALLY the house was torn down. Was it done by the Village? Nope. It was brokered by Mr. Carter to be done by a private excavator. That excavator then placed a lien on the property for his charges. Good deal. The house was FINALLY torn down. Why did it take so long, and why did it happen so suddenly after Mr. Carter knew I was running for mayor? Simple. He wanted it removed as a campaign issue... no photos to be taken of the dilapidated house. Whatever... at least it was gone.
Mr. Carter never talked to me about the house before it was torn down. I never said to him that he could do anything because he was mayor. Hardly... we really didn't communicate with each other. You're getting quite a story there, Poison Pen... and I'll give anyone reading one guess as to who Poison Pen has been talking to.
And, don't tell me that "legally" it takes even 5 years to have a house like this addressed. We've had to do it to a few houses since I've been in office, and it takes about 6 months from beginning to end. To quote the Village Administrator at the time, tearing down the house "was not a priority with the mayor."
Earl Carter appointed the present Fire Chief based on the recommendations from the Fire Department. Mr. Carter WANTED to be able to appoint a chief of HIS choice, but even he knew that it was best to go with the Department choice, if at all possible.
Mr. Carter had plenty of time to check out the set-up AMT could present, and he chose not to pursue signing up with AMT. Don't make it sound like he was about to do so. Nothing of that sort was ever talked about at any meeting where minutes were taken.
I chose to run for mayor without consulting with any member of the Fire Department, Ambulance Service, anyone connected with the Village. I ran for one reason and one reason only... because I felt I could do better than Earl Carter. The "falling apart" house was just one of the examples of what I didn't approve of. Add the proposed Streetscape, the changes at Tower Park, the park in the flood plain, and the poor relations with the Village employees to that list.
The Fire Chief does not have a personal vehicle paid for by the Village. The EMT Leader utilizes a vehicle that is an EMT car. It is clearly marked as one. Sometimes members of the Fire Department use the same vehicle to pick up supplies, deliver items, etc. It is used for Village safety business. Again, period. The EMT leader will sometimes take the vehicle home. He lives about a half dozen blocks from Village Hall, and is on 24 hour call. They keep a full supply of safety items in the trunk of the vehicle.
I don't feel I have a "divine right" to do anything. The trustees vote to approve or turn down. It's not my baby. There are some items I have pushed for. Others I have not. I can vote to break a tie or force a tie. I believe I've forced a tie a couple of times; broken a tie maybe about a half dozen times. I rarely vote. (Special Note: I have since verified that I CANNOT vote to force a tie. I did it once, not more than that, and I was in error when I did so. I have since publicly stated the same. Don't ask me what I read to make me think that I could do that sort of vote. Obviously, whatever it was, I was way wrong in my interpretation!)
Now, Poison Pen, I understand that you don't like what's going on in the Heights now. That's fine, everyone is entitled to his/her opinion. But, at least get the facts straight. That's all I ask. This is the same sort of "half truths, innuendos, and outright lies" that the Peoples Party and its periodicals have thrown about for years now. I don't expect Poison Pen to view things any differently, but here is an open invitation to Poison Pen...
Call me at 686-2385, and let's arrange a meeting. Bring as many questions as you want. Bring a friend if you want to. We'll take as long as you like. I've nothing to hide, it's all out in the open, we're audited every year.
I'll even spring for some sandwiches if you'd like.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Diagonal Parking on Prospect?
A certain Heights business owner has consistently thrown out the need to return diagonal parking along Prospect, likely from Kelly Avenue on north... that this would help "solve the parking issues" in the Village, and possibly slow traffic down. When I say "return," I mean that diagonal parking was on Prospect (from what I've been told) up until the late 50s to early, early 60s.
Would this concept work again? Maybe... if it was 1961.
I do have to admit it would probably slow traffic down... to a complete standstill, mostly due to accidents.
Do you know what the average traffic count for this area of Prospect is? About THIRTEEN THOUSAND a day. It's an extremely busy road. Have you ever tried backing out of a diagonal parking spot at the Peoria post offices, on a reasonably busy day? Invariably, a van or a truck will park on one side or both sides of your vehicle... and you have to inch out... slowly, slowly... and hope to High Heaven that the traffic behind you is going slow, and that the drivers are watching for you, and... and...
And, that's at the POST OFFICE parking lot.
Well, try doing that with the traffic that goes along Prospect each and every day. The odds for collisions would increase dramatically. On top of that, if you have diagonal parking along Prospect, you will now have to condense the four lanes to two lanes of travel, as the road is not wide enough to do it any other way, if diagonal parking was brought back. So, the traffic (remember, THIRTEEN THOUSAND vehicles per day), that normally travels in the north or southbound TWO lanes would now be traveling in ONE north or southbound lane. The traffic along Prospect that someone would be trying to back into, for all intent and purpose, would now be DOUBLED in numbers.
You're going to need a lot more than just good luck to back out safely. You're going to need a helicopter to lift you out of your spot.
Not to mention the havoc that would be caused with two lanes of travel, when a semi-truck stops to deliver goods to a business... that's right, traffic will STOP behind that truck till it moves. Because there is no longer any other lane to go into. The semi-trucks cannot negotiate the turns on the side streets, let alone the alleys behind the businesses, to try and deliver BEHIND the stores. They simply have to deliver at the front.
What does this all sound like to you? It sounds like a total and complete MESS to me. And, a dangerous one at that.
There are those who wish that things could be like they were in 1961... when Peoria Heights was pretty much the northern-most destination along Prospect. I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I'd be surprised if the traffic count exceeded 1,000 cars a day back then. Well, since it is unlikely that we will ever see 1961 traffic count numbers again... it would be nice if those who expound on these "solutions" (i.e. diagonal parking on Prospect), would spend some time doing a very simple thing.
That would be: checking the calendar, in order to be reminded what year it is.
Would this concept work again? Maybe... if it was 1961.
I do have to admit it would probably slow traffic down... to a complete standstill, mostly due to accidents.
Do you know what the average traffic count for this area of Prospect is? About THIRTEEN THOUSAND a day. It's an extremely busy road. Have you ever tried backing out of a diagonal parking spot at the Peoria post offices, on a reasonably busy day? Invariably, a van or a truck will park on one side or both sides of your vehicle... and you have to inch out... slowly, slowly... and hope to High Heaven that the traffic behind you is going slow, and that the drivers are watching for you, and... and...
And, that's at the POST OFFICE parking lot.
Well, try doing that with the traffic that goes along Prospect each and every day. The odds for collisions would increase dramatically. On top of that, if you have diagonal parking along Prospect, you will now have to condense the four lanes to two lanes of travel, as the road is not wide enough to do it any other way, if diagonal parking was brought back. So, the traffic (remember, THIRTEEN THOUSAND vehicles per day), that normally travels in the north or southbound TWO lanes would now be traveling in ONE north or southbound lane. The traffic along Prospect that someone would be trying to back into, for all intent and purpose, would now be DOUBLED in numbers.
You're going to need a lot more than just good luck to back out safely. You're going to need a helicopter to lift you out of your spot.
Not to mention the havoc that would be caused with two lanes of travel, when a semi-truck stops to deliver goods to a business... that's right, traffic will STOP behind that truck till it moves. Because there is no longer any other lane to go into. The semi-trucks cannot negotiate the turns on the side streets, let alone the alleys behind the businesses, to try and deliver BEHIND the stores. They simply have to deliver at the front.
What does this all sound like to you? It sounds like a total and complete MESS to me. And, a dangerous one at that.
There are those who wish that things could be like they were in 1961... when Peoria Heights was pretty much the northern-most destination along Prospect. I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I'd be surprised if the traffic count exceeded 1,000 cars a day back then. Well, since it is unlikely that we will ever see 1961 traffic count numbers again... it would be nice if those who expound on these "solutions" (i.e. diagonal parking on Prospect), would spend some time doing a very simple thing.
That would be: checking the calendar, in order to be reminded what year it is.
Friday, August 21, 2009
The Costs of Maintaining Prospect Road
One of our trustees received a somewhat scathing e-mail from a disgruntled Heights citizen; angry about the cost of the mill and overlay for the upper 2/3 of Prospect Road, from the railroad tracks north to Kingman. The citizen accused the trustee of not being "fiscally responsible" and "caving in" to the "pressure" from me.
First, the plan to mill and overlay this area has been under consideration for several months. Why? Because it really needs to be done. It's been anywhere from 15-20 years since the last mill and overlay in this area, and it shows. There are costs to maintaining the road in the condition it's in, just to keep it safe to drive and walk across. It's time that the mill and overlay is done.
The costs to do so rose considerably due to the stimulus plan, and that was unforeseen when the original plans and costs were drawn up by our engineers. Why did the stimulus plan cause costs to rise so much? Because the companies who can do this sort of work are BUSY. Big time busy. And, when they're busy, their costs go up. They don't NEED to have the job. Simple economics; that's the way it is.
Now, one might ask, couldn't the Board wait for the costs to go down? We considered that. Wait till next year... maybe the year after... muddle through with the repairs until we can get the costs down. Problem is, the stimulus money will be trickling all over the U.S. for at least the next couple of years. On top of that, costs will rise just because over the same time period. We could not be certain that the costs would go down; and there was a likelihood that they would go up.
We also have received just under $85,000.00 from the stimulus plan for the mill and overlay, for this year. If we did not do the work this year, that money would be lost. After careful consideration, we arrived at the conclusion that even though we didn't like the way the costs had gone up (somewhat artificially), the facts are the facts: Prospect Road needs the repairs.
The disgruntled citizen also heaped anger towards the trustee for the "fiscally irresponsible" use of "our tax money." Is the mill and overlay of Prospect Road a LUXURY item? Something we can do without? It's the main artery of Peoria Heights. It takes a lot of road beating. Should we just spread gravel over it or something? The infrastructure of Peoria Heights needs attention... that's what we have worked hard at doing, and the work cannot be done for free, obviously. Moreover, do you know how much money the Village gets from property taxes? About $150,000.00. That's right. One hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Out of a THREE MILLION DOLLAR budget. The vast majority of the money we need to do ALL of the work we do comes from sales tax and state income tax. Without the businesses making money in the Heights, we would have to shut down.
There's a laundry list of things that I wish would have been done 5-10 years ago, but they weren't. Prospect Road maintenance is one of them. The previous administration wanted to take care of Prospect with Streetscape. That would have cost $5-6 million, in 2005 dollars. I wonder what the disgruntled citizen would have had to say about that... or, maybe that would have been okay to him/her. Regardless, here we are, and it falls upon us to address the issues: that's why we've spent nearly $450,000.00 over the past four years for the curb and sidewalk program; why the flooding at Columbus and Moneta was FINALLY addressed and corrected; why Monroe Avenue was milled and overlaid just last year; why the beginning of putting in storm sewers and curbs along Boulevard was done; the list goes on.
It could be the disgruntled citizen thinks the Heights is just a bank, and the savings can only be used for what he/she deems to be important, and to heck with the rest; or maybe there are other issues, possibly political, involved; or maybe he/she is simply sincere on feeling any work on Prospect is wrong, unless it is done for the amount he/she feels is acceptable; or possibly he/she doesn't understand the economics involved when a huge project like the stimulus plan comes into being. I don't know.
But, the work needs to be done.
First, the plan to mill and overlay this area has been under consideration for several months. Why? Because it really needs to be done. It's been anywhere from 15-20 years since the last mill and overlay in this area, and it shows. There are costs to maintaining the road in the condition it's in, just to keep it safe to drive and walk across. It's time that the mill and overlay is done.
The costs to do so rose considerably due to the stimulus plan, and that was unforeseen when the original plans and costs were drawn up by our engineers. Why did the stimulus plan cause costs to rise so much? Because the companies who can do this sort of work are BUSY. Big time busy. And, when they're busy, their costs go up. They don't NEED to have the job. Simple economics; that's the way it is.
Now, one might ask, couldn't the Board wait for the costs to go down? We considered that. Wait till next year... maybe the year after... muddle through with the repairs until we can get the costs down. Problem is, the stimulus money will be trickling all over the U.S. for at least the next couple of years. On top of that, costs will rise just because over the same time period. We could not be certain that the costs would go down; and there was a likelihood that they would go up.
We also have received just under $85,000.00 from the stimulus plan for the mill and overlay, for this year. If we did not do the work this year, that money would be lost. After careful consideration, we arrived at the conclusion that even though we didn't like the way the costs had gone up (somewhat artificially), the facts are the facts: Prospect Road needs the repairs.
The disgruntled citizen also heaped anger towards the trustee for the "fiscally irresponsible" use of "our tax money." Is the mill and overlay of Prospect Road a LUXURY item? Something we can do without? It's the main artery of Peoria Heights. It takes a lot of road beating. Should we just spread gravel over it or something? The infrastructure of Peoria Heights needs attention... that's what we have worked hard at doing, and the work cannot be done for free, obviously. Moreover, do you know how much money the Village gets from property taxes? About $150,000.00. That's right. One hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Out of a THREE MILLION DOLLAR budget. The vast majority of the money we need to do ALL of the work we do comes from sales tax and state income tax. Without the businesses making money in the Heights, we would have to shut down.
There's a laundry list of things that I wish would have been done 5-10 years ago, but they weren't. Prospect Road maintenance is one of them. The previous administration wanted to take care of Prospect with Streetscape. That would have cost $5-6 million, in 2005 dollars. I wonder what the disgruntled citizen would have had to say about that... or, maybe that would have been okay to him/her. Regardless, here we are, and it falls upon us to address the issues: that's why we've spent nearly $450,000.00 over the past four years for the curb and sidewalk program; why the flooding at Columbus and Moneta was FINALLY addressed and corrected; why Monroe Avenue was milled and overlaid just last year; why the beginning of putting in storm sewers and curbs along Boulevard was done; the list goes on.
It could be the disgruntled citizen thinks the Heights is just a bank, and the savings can only be used for what he/she deems to be important, and to heck with the rest; or maybe there are other issues, possibly political, involved; or maybe he/she is simply sincere on feeling any work on Prospect is wrong, unless it is done for the amount he/she feels is acceptable; or possibly he/she doesn't understand the economics involved when a huge project like the stimulus plan comes into being. I don't know.
But, the work needs to be done.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Peoria Heights Night at O'Brien Field
When?
July 22 at O'Brien Field. Peoria Chiefs vs. Lansing Lugnuts.
Gates open at 6:00 pm.
FREE tickets are available at Village Hall, for kids ages 13 and below ONLY. Parent or guardian needs to come with the kids to Village Hall, ask for Administrator Matt Fick, and you will get up to 2 free tickets for the kids, so long as you provide ID showing you're a resident of the Heights.
150 FREE tickets are available ONLY, so get to Village Hall early.
150 discount tickets are also available, at $5.00 a ticket (regularly $9.00 each) to Heights residents and Village employees. At Village Hall, as well.
When those 300 are gone, they're gone... but don't let that stop you from attending! We need as many Peoria Heights residents and friends in the crowd as possible, to help make it a very memorable night! I'm trying to get my wife, Kathleen, out to the ballpark... don't know how much luck I'll have.
If you have any questions, give me a call at 686-2385.
July 22 at O'Brien Field. Peoria Chiefs vs. Lansing Lugnuts.
Gates open at 6:00 pm.
FREE tickets are available at Village Hall, for kids ages 13 and below ONLY. Parent or guardian needs to come with the kids to Village Hall, ask for Administrator Matt Fick, and you will get up to 2 free tickets for the kids, so long as you provide ID showing you're a resident of the Heights.
150 FREE tickets are available ONLY, so get to Village Hall early.
150 discount tickets are also available, at $5.00 a ticket (regularly $9.00 each) to Heights residents and Village employees. At Village Hall, as well.
When those 300 are gone, they're gone... but don't let that stop you from attending! We need as many Peoria Heights residents and friends in the crowd as possible, to help make it a very memorable night! I'm trying to get my wife, Kathleen, out to the ballpark... don't know how much luck I'll have.
If you have any questions, give me a call at 686-2385.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Peoria Heights Full-Time EMT Unit
For many years, Peoria Heights was able to survive, sometimes thrive, with an all-volunteer ambulance service. Particularly during the 1960s and 70s, when Pabst was going great-guns around the clock, there were plenty of volunteers available during the first shift (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Over time, that working landscape has changed dramatically, and with it, the strength of the "round the clock" volunteer service.
There's no point to going over what was happening over the past several years with the volunteer service. For the most part, it was working, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to get volunteers, especially for that first shift, because that's when most of the working folks today work. We had several calls for emergency people that could not be responded to, because no volunteers were available. AMT (American Medical Transport) would pick up the load, IF they were in the area, and IF they had nothing else to respond to in their own territory (not Peoria Heights). Oft times, we had to rely on volunteers from West Peoria or Dunlap. In short, it was becoming problematic.
We decided that we had to address the problem, and we did. We began having a round-the-clock paid staff, Basic Life Support, who could respond at any time, and arrive to the emergency quickly. Under the leadership of Director Kenny Martin, and Fire Chief Norm Reichert, the service has received kudos and accolades from many in the medical community. Now, we are taking another step forward... by becoming an Advance Life Support service, with a paramedic available on every shift.
The decision to become an Advanced unit was approved by the Board of Trustees, in a 5-1 vote. Only Trustee Andrea Pendleton voted against the advanced service.
Why is it important for the Village to have its own ambulance service? Because it ties directly into our Fire Department service. If we do not have our own ambulance service, arriving at the scene of a fire, we very likely will be unable to provide any life-saving services by the fireperson attending. Waiting for AMT, or any other private service, to arrive might take a while. The lack of providing life-saving ambulance service could put our Fire Department in jeopardy sometime in the future, as the State of Illinois licenses Volunteer Fire Services. If we were no longer provided with that licensing, we would be forced to contract the City of Peoria for our fire service. The costs of doing so would be prohibitive. Fire fighting is not cheap.
Additionally, the cost of receiving emergency treatment from the Heights EMT service is roughly HALF the cost of receiving it from a private service. It's one more advantage to living in Peoria Heights.
There's no point to going over what was happening over the past several years with the volunteer service. For the most part, it was working, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to get volunteers, especially for that first shift, because that's when most of the working folks today work. We had several calls for emergency people that could not be responded to, because no volunteers were available. AMT (American Medical Transport) would pick up the load, IF they were in the area, and IF they had nothing else to respond to in their own territory (not Peoria Heights). Oft times, we had to rely on volunteers from West Peoria or Dunlap. In short, it was becoming problematic.
We decided that we had to address the problem, and we did. We began having a round-the-clock paid staff, Basic Life Support, who could respond at any time, and arrive to the emergency quickly. Under the leadership of Director Kenny Martin, and Fire Chief Norm Reichert, the service has received kudos and accolades from many in the medical community. Now, we are taking another step forward... by becoming an Advance Life Support service, with a paramedic available on every shift.
The decision to become an Advanced unit was approved by the Board of Trustees, in a 5-1 vote. Only Trustee Andrea Pendleton voted against the advanced service.
Why is it important for the Village to have its own ambulance service? Because it ties directly into our Fire Department service. If we do not have our own ambulance service, arriving at the scene of a fire, we very likely will be unable to provide any life-saving services by the fireperson attending. Waiting for AMT, or any other private service, to arrive might take a while. The lack of providing life-saving ambulance service could put our Fire Department in jeopardy sometime in the future, as the State of Illinois licenses Volunteer Fire Services. If we were no longer provided with that licensing, we would be forced to contract the City of Peoria for our fire service. The costs of doing so would be prohibitive. Fire fighting is not cheap.
Additionally, the cost of receiving emergency treatment from the Heights EMT service is roughly HALF the cost of receiving it from a private service. It's one more advantage to living in Peoria Heights.
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