The right attitude for attracting FutureGen

“Something feels right about this…there’s just something in the air; I have a real good feeling about this,” is what Chamber of Commerce director Mary Wetzel told me after Monday nights meeting on the FutureGen power plant proposal. This positive attitude is what we need to secure the project.

Mattoon is competing with not only four other Illinois communities, but also 19 others in 10 States for plant. One of these states is Texas. I have heard some with a defeatist attitude about going against Texas. “The President is from Texas, so no one else has a chance,” is the notion some have. Going against Texas will be tough, but assuming no chance will prove no chance.

Another sign, the community is heading into this with the right attitude is the 350 people that showed up for Monday’s meeting. This is more public interest that I’ve seen for any other meeting I’ve attended in the last two years.

The political forums last spring only attracted 150 people. And most of them were candidates’ families. The midtown redevelopment plan meetings usually brought less then 50 in attendance, as did the recent Council meeting regarding the YMCA land swap deal.

What are some of the attitudes of the other communities? From my Internet research, Texas seems to be organized and confident. The state committee making the FutureGen proposal has been working with the community for months. There website is comprehensive and informative. Compare that to Mattoon officials not even hearing about FutureGen until just a few weeks ago. And there is no statewide or local websites dedicated to the project.

Opinion writers in Ohio are using the 2004 election as leverage in their bid. “Texas, President Bush’s home state, is considered one of the top contenders for this project. But we would like to remind Bush that he wouldn’t be president now if he hadn’t carried Ohio in 2004. The last election was decided here.” (source http://www.timesreporter.com/index.php?ID=52544)

Wyoming appears unsure about their bid. "I think, realistically, this is a long shot. But we're going to take it," Rob Hurless, advisor to the Governor, said on Friday. (source http://www.casperstartribune.net)

Kentucky is taking the ‘be prepared’ attitude by passing sales-tax exemptions for construction costs as well as for renovations or upgrades of the plant. North Dakota, West Virginia, and three other states are also making bids for the project.
Keeping a positive attitude and adding some of Texas’s confidence and Kentucky’s preparedness will give us our best chance for bringing FutureGen to Mattoon.

A look at the new tree ordinance

Seventeen month ago, the Mattoon City Council was prepared to abolish the Tree Commission. After a plea from Jackie Record to reconsider, new life was breathed into care of trees in Mattoon’s boulevards.

A year ago, a new Tree Commission was named and they went to work updating the City Tree Ordinance. This ordinance was recently approved by the City Council and is now in effect.

So what does the new tree ordinance mean to you? You can no longer:

1. Place a tree on public property within the city without a permit;
2. Intentionally damage or destroy a tree growing on public property within the city;
3. Trim a tree higher than ten feet above the ground or greater than two inches in diameter on public property within the city unless you are a city certified tree contractor;
4. Remove a tree on public property within the city unless you are a city certified tree contractor;
5. Top cut a tree on public property within the city; or
6. Attach any foreign object, including but not limited to, ropes, wires, nails, signs, or posters to any tree or other plant on public property within the city.

You will need to acquire a permit to:
1. The planting on public property within the city an approved tree or other plant from the City Tree List located in the tree care manual. The size and species must be also approved;
2. The trimming at a height greater than ten feet above the ground or greater than two inches in diameter of a tree on public property within the city;
3. The removal of any tree or other plant on public property within the city.

There is leeway on removing sweet gum and ginkgo trees declared “nuisance trees”.

An ordinance is only as strong as its enforcement. Most of these restrictions are already on the books. And they haven’t been enforced in years.

According to the ordinance, the purpose is to promote and protect the public health, safety, and general welfare by providing for a Tree Commission. We already had a Tree Commission. It was the proposed abolishment of the commission that started this debate to begin with.
Whether these are new rules or a rehash of old rules is not really that important. The important thing is Mattoon is taking a hard look at how trees are maintained on their public right of way. We are blessed with tree-lined streets, but they are not maintenance free. Recent actions show the City finds them an important asset to our community.

Blackie the Dog

I meant to write about this closer to its 40th anniversary, but the date slipped past me.

If you have ever driven east on Route 16 out of Coles County, you may have noticed a small gravesite at the intersection of Route 16 and Route 49. The site is always neatly mowed and usually is decorated with flowers. I drove by this site for almost 10 years when I worked in Paris, and one-day curiosity got the best of me.

I asked a guy I worked with in Paris, who was a Charleston native, if he the story behind the grave. “Everyone knows the story of Blackie the Dog,” he told me. Well not everyone, I didn’t know.

Finding the story of Blackie the Dog was easier than I thought. It was featured in a segment of “On the Road” with Charles Kuralt on the CBS evening news on September 8, 1978. And included in Kuralt’s book by the same name published in 1985.

The Stiff family who farmed nearby in August of 1965 first noticed Blackie. He appeared lost and waiting for his owner to pick him up. He sat at the side of the road or sometimes the median and looked in cars as they passed by. He would turn his head as each car went by.

Several people tried to adopt Blackie, but he preferred to stay at the intersection. Concerned citizens left food and even a doghouse. At Thanksgiving, there was a pile of turkey bones larger then one could imagine.

Local newspapers picked up on the story, and before long, newspapers across the nation were covering Blackie the Dog. Letters came in from as far away as California, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Ohio, Iowa, Georgia, West Virginia, Kansas, Florida and New York.

One icy February morning, the inevitable happened. Blackie the Dog was struck and killed by a passing motorist. The Stiff family buried him at the intersection. The stone was added in 1971.

Charles Kuralt eulogized Blackie in his book:
He was just a lost dog, and it all happened a long time ago. It's hard to explain the impression Blackie made on the people around here; hard to explain why all these years later, the kids still take turns mowing the grass and keeping the place cleaned up. Maybe the explanation is in what they wrote on Blackie's grave marker:

BLACKIE FEB. 6, 1966
KNOW YE NOW TRUE
LOYALTY LOVE

The YMCA land swap deal

I was sitting at Mattoon’s Council meeting Tuesday evening with my list of points to make to the Council about the YMCA land swap deal. Jerry Groniger made all the points I was prepared to make. The Mayor had asked to keep things short and don’t be repetitive. So to honor the mayor’s wishes, I didn’t speak. I really don’t care for public speaking that much anyway.

I believe the land the City trying to acquire is the right thing, but the deal on the table sucks. It's heavily stacked in against the City. They should get another appraisal (which they are now) and it should come from an unbiased firm. Perhaps the appraisal firm should be from out of town, where the politics of the situation aren't known.

The City gave up that parking lot 2 years ago for $1.75 per square foot. Now they are claiming it’s worth almost $4. There is no way land is appreciating that much in downtown Mattoon. And farm ground in Coles County is being bought and sold at a much higher rate then what the City farm ground has been priced.

Why does the deal have to include a trade? It was also suggested the City mortgage the farm ground to pay for the land adjacent to Y. Then use the revenue from the farm to pay off the mortgage. That way the farm will still be in City ownership in case it is needed for dredging Lake Paradise as also mentioned at Tuesday night’s meeting.

The power lines also worry me. The redevelopment plan showed this area being developed almost up to the lines. Now we are told that you may not be able to build a structure within 50' of the lines. Why was this not revealed in the redevelopment plan? Allowing those lines to be installed was a huge mistake made in 1984. They are huge detriment to downtown Mattoon.

It would be nice to see a concept plan so everyone can have idea what is in the works. The City requires everyone else to produce a plan before they award grants and loans, this shouldn't. The argument that a concept plan can’t be created until they know how much land is available just doesn’t hold water for me. This is done all the time.

If this is the best deal the City can get, they have to be willing to walk away, and that stinks. Everyone fought to keep the Y in the same place, and it would be sad to see it fall apart due to bad land deals. But the City can’t allow themselves to be taken advantage. There are other options.

The Central School site is just a convenient as the current location. And the school can donate or sell the ground to the City at a much lower price then the land adjacent to the current location. How ironic it would be to build a new gym at this location. The Coke plant could also be an alternative. There is ample nearby parking and the building has been mostly vacant for a while.

The meeting Tuesday night was productive, and it appears the Council listened. The best advice came from Mr. Groniger when he suggested the Council slow down, make sure all options are being studied.