New Year’s Resolution time

It’s time to start the New Year with a clean slate. It’s time for change; time to get things in order. Every year we make these promises to ourselves, only to let ourselves down. Occasionally, one may stick but most are forgotten by mid February.

Making New Year’s resolutions dates back to Babylonian time, when the New Year was celebrated at the first new moon after the vernal equinox (first day of spring). Resolutions are a reflection of the Babylonians' belief that what a person does on the first day of the New Year will have an effect throughout the entire year. Side note; you might want to remember that at the next New Year's Eve party!

The top ten resolutions are rather cliché. They fit well for most of us. I was going to make my own, but this list sounds pretty good.

1. Spend more time with family – I think do pretty good here, but who wouldn’t want more time with their kids?
2. Get into shape – Yeah, don’t we all wish. Right after the holidays…well after the super bowl….well after valentines day….St. Patty’s day…aw never mind
3. Lose weight – see notes for get into shape
4. Quit Smoking – I can handle this one since I already don’t smoke. I think I’ll resolve not to start smoking this year.
5. Enjoy life more – OK, I’m pretty high strung. I think I could benefit from this.
6. Learn something new – Maybe I’ll take up knitting, or origami. Better yet, I’ll take up golf. That could apply to numbers 2, 3 and 6. But probably wouldn’t help number 1.
7. Get out of debt – Let’s be realistic; how about “don’t go farther in debt”.
8. Quit drinking alcohol – How about “no excessive drinking”
9. Help others – I think I do pretty well at offering a hand, holding a door, and other simple things. But could benefit from volunteering in an organized event. This may be the one that sticks for me this year.
10. Get organized – Those who know me laugh at how much organization I do. A better resolution for me may be “stop obsessing over organization”

Make a plan and be realistic with your goals. Many resolutions require lifestyle changes. It is often easy to lose 15 pounds, but keeping it off requires changing your habits. But often one resolution can help another. Learning something new can take your mind off of wanting a cigarette.

If you’re serious about your resolutions, stick to it. It takes three weeks of a new activity to be considered a habit; and six months to be considered part of your personality. Best of luck with your New Year’s resolutions, and may you all have a wonderful 2007.

My top ten stories for 2006

It’s the end of the year again and the editors are compiling the top ten stories of 2006 from the writers of the Leader. My list was pretty close to the final. As with last year, I made my choices based on the long-term effect they will have on the community.
1. FutureGen – This is obvious, the potential here is huge. No further explanation necessary.
2. Mattoon National Guard ships to middle east – National events hit home. Usually national events have little or no effect locally. When they do, its big news
3. New business opportunities for county – wind farms, biodiesel, ethanol, meat processing, Lincoln Springs, New Walgreen’s/strip mall in Charleston, etc. – It is good to be talking about gaining jobs, not losing them. (Last year’s top 10 included layoffs at Ampad and no new ‘big’ employers to the county)
4. Upcoming Electric rate hike – This will effect most in the county. There is no easy solution. Face it; rates will have to increase.
5. Funding cuts announced in drug task force. – The East Central Illinois Drug Task Force is the top drug-fighting tool in the county. Cutting the Byrne Justice Grant will cut them off at the knees.
6. County Comprehensive plan – Controversial from the word go, but most experts say one is necessary. Now we have one, will it collect dust or be implemented?
7. Charleston library expansion – Voters approved a tax referendum, now construction is underway to triple the size of the Charleston Library.
8. Personnel changes in county – Alan Gilmore, Mattoon City Administrator; Angelia Burgett, Mattoon Tourism Director; Karen Petersen, Charleston Tourism Director; Kris Phipps, Charleston Fire Chief; Pat Goodwin, Charleston Assistance Fire Chief; Mike Chism, Mattoon Fire Chief; Andy Adair, Mattoon Assistant Fire Chief; Rick Johnson, County Engineer. (I’m sure I forgot someone – sorry)
9. Bill Thallemer new LLC president. – This guy is packed full of energy and a fresh face in the area. He can be a huge asset to the county, by working with the local governments to highlight Lake Land College.
10. Mattoon/Charleston combine water line – Not the connection of the waterline so much as the cooperation between the communities on the project. Mattoon and Charleston have taken great strides in working together, this project shows that.
Honorable mentions
11. I-57 TIF district – This was also on 2005’s list. TIF districts seem to be the best way to spur economical development. It appears Mattoon has overcome the problems with the previous proposal and this will become a reality.
12. SBL dismisses Dr. Jack Spaniol & James Pitts, PA-C – On the heels of the dismissal of David Padgett in Neoga, Sarah Bush lets two more providers go. They offer little public explanation, stating privacy for the providers. Their public image has suffered greatly.
13. Ex-fire chief Bruce Grafton sues City – Story is still developing, look for this to be in the Top 10 of 2007.
14. Demolition of block area in Mattoon – When you do something over and over, it just doesn’t become news anymore.
15. County Engineer, Fred Scherer retires – Maybe this would go under “Personnel changes, but since he was so controversial, maybe on its own.

Does Mattoon have adequate ambulance service?

The emergency ambulance service in Mattoon is not broken, however, it could be improved. Mitchel-Jerdan Ambulance Service has provided this service for many years, and does an excellent job. I have never heard any complaints about the professionalism of the ambulance service.

But in addition to providing Mattoon’s emergency ambulance service, they also shoulder a major portion of the ambulance transfers from Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center. When Mitchel-Jerdan is handling transfers, they leave one ambulance in Mattoon for emergency service. This is where the gap is created. As a comparison, Charleston Fire and Rescue Department has a policy that two ambulances are kept within their service area.

The City of Charleston provides their emergency ambulance service, so they shy away from doing non-emergency transfers. Often when this happens, Mitchel-Jerdan will travel to Charleston to make the transfer. This is the way this should work. The residents of Charleston are paying for emergency service; they shouldn’t spend tax dollars for non-emergency calls. Mitchel-Jerdan on the other hand is a business, structured to handle such calls.

The Charleston ambulance has been called to Mattoon more than three dozen times within the last year when there was no ambulance available here. This fifteen to twenty minute wait could be the difference in life or death to some patients. And what would happen if Charleston were not able to fill this gap because they are responding to an emergency of their own. It is good that proximity of the two municipalities are such that they can back each other up, but when the backup becomes the primary, perhaps something else should be studied.

One possible solution is to contract with Mitchel-Jerdan to keep two ambulances within their service area instead of one. This would cost the City a little more, but would extend the excellent service Mitchel-Jerdan has provided for years.

Another solution would be for the City to replace their rescue vehicle with a City owned ambulance. The City all ready has the manpower, the command structure, the dispatching capabilities, and the locations to quarter an ambulance and its’ crew. This would not increase staffing as the Mattoon Fire Department has medical technicians that provided operate an ambulance.

The emergency room at Sarah Bush has seen a 50 percent increase in patients over the last 10 years. They now see over 30,000 patients annually. And with the medical community becoming more and more specialized with services such as trauma units, cardiac care, and stroke centers, the need for transfers are also increasing. With demand increasing, so should supply. It is time to add an ambulance to the Mattoon service area.

Two for the price of one

With only on column per week, it is sometimes hard to address all the topics in a timely fashion. So this week, I thought I would give you tow for the price of one.

If you build it, will they come?
With no objections to I-57 TIF district, the way is paved for the proposed convention center east of Interstate 57 on Route 16. The thought of convention goers, filling our motels, eating in our restaurants and shopping in our stores is enticing. But can Coles County support such a venue?

The Brookings Institute recently produced a study warning of the market being flooded with convention centers. “The overall convention marketplace is declining in a manner that suggests that a recovery or turnaround is unlikely to yield much increased business for any given community, contrary to repeated industry projections.” the study states. As of January 2005, there were 44 proposed new or expanded convention center nationwide, making competition for conference fierce. Some centers have to offer such deep discounts to tradeshow groups, they barely break even on the show.

I have not seen a feasibility study for such a venue. This would show if there is a strong market for such a facility. And could help you identify likely target markets and other factors to make the project more competitive. If Mattoon lands FutureGen, I would say the need becomes a lot bigger.

I have read in recent days that the need for a convention center is obvious. I don’t think that is so cut and dry. It’s a lot of work keeping a convention center full. The “if we build it, they will come” philosophy won’t fill motel rooms or restaurants.

The library flagpole
In 1861, Ulysses S. Grant took command of the 21st infantry in Mattoon. Grant flew an American flag in front of his tent while at camp in Mattoon. The flagpole was saved and is now fully restored and displayed in the lobby of the library. The elements had taken its toll on the pole so it was moved inside to protect its history.

This left the pedestal outside without a pole, so the library board has proposed replacing the pole with a replica for the low low price of $8000 and change. This set off a firestorm of controversy requiring the library board to explain itself. Ultimately, they stood by their decision to replace the pole with an accurate replica.

This is an outrageous price and would be a total waste of taxpayer money, if it were taxpayer money being used to pay for the pole. But the Mattoon City Council has assured that no public money will be used for the project. Only private donations will be used for the new flagpole.

The most interesting thing to me about this is the strides the library board is taking to keep the old flagpole mount looking historically accurate. But even though the library was built in 1903, the flagpole was not located there until 1975. From 1928 until 1975, the pole was across the street at the U.S Grant hotel. To be truly historically accurate, they would remove the flagpole altogether.

Private citizens have the right to spend their money, as they wish, if they want to buy a flagpole for the library, no reason to stand in their way.

If you build it, will they come?

With no objections to I-57 TIF district during the public meeting last week, the way is paved for the proposed convention center east of Interstate 57 on Route 16. The thought of convention goers, filling our motels, eating in our restaurants and shopping in our stores is enticing. But can Coles County support such a venue?

The Brookings Institute recently produced a study warning of the market being flooded with convention centers. “The overall convention marketplace is declining in a manner that suggests that a recovery or turnaround is unlikely to yield much increased business for any given community, contrary to repeated industry projections.” the study states.

As of January 2005, there were 44 proposed new or expanded convention center nationwide, making competition for conference fierce. Some centers have to offer such deep discounts to tradeshow groups, they barely break even on the show.

The expansion of the convention centers continues across the nation, even as the demand plummets. Trade show attendance is down nearly forty percent since the mid-1990s. This downward trend began long before the tragic events of September 11, 2001.

A center of similar size, in Battle Creek, Michigan, struggles to keep it in use. It now has a full time staff of three and is often vacant. It is mostly used for entertainment purposes, which do not promote overnight stays. It loses money every year and last year, only had 120 days of use.

The need for a convention center is definitely up for debate. However, if Mattoon lands FutureGen, I would say the need becomes a lot bigger. I have not seen a feasibility study for such a venue. This would show if there is a strong market for such a facility. And could help you identify likely target markets and other factors to make the project more competitive.

I have read in recent days that the need for a convention center is obvious. I don’t think that is so cut and dry. It’s a lot of work keeping a convention center full. The “if we build it, they will come” philosophy won’t fill motel rooms or restaurants.