Street Level

Public Works Building

2010-05-02T12:21:00.003-05:00

The previous council borrowed $6 million for several capital projects; skate park, south side drainage, sidewalk replacement, and a new public works building. While I have mixed feelings about borrowing the money, I decided I would not oppose these projects since funding was secured by the previous council and I didn’t run to undo things started by previous councils.

Let me step back a moment and explain that this money is borrowed money and is already deposited in the capital fund. An often misunderstood factor about the city budget is there are several funds that have specific laws and requirements. Only certain expenses qualify for many of the funds. It is illegal to use money from the capital fund for salaries of employees not working on capital projects. We cannot use this money to pay for police salaries. We cannot loan this money to the ailing general fund.

The money was already borrowed prior to me being elected. I want to make sure these projects get done as economically as possible. I want to make sure these projects are completed and money spent in the best interest of the community. This is why I have argued for sidewalk projects to be completed by city crews instead of contracting them out. Capital funds would qualify for these crews’ salaries while they are working on sidewalk projects. This would have relieved some pressure on the general fund.

Now that the skate park and sidewalk projects have been settled, the Public Works building will soon be brought to the front.

The Public Works department is scattered in several buildings all around town. These buildings were not built for their current use which leads them to be inefficient. Many currently need hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of repairs and upgrades. Some need torn down altogether. The city lacks proper storage for its equipment and is losing its storage space for its winter salt. The engineering department is housed in the old water department building and lacks phone or internet access.

The thought is by centralizing the department; it will run more efficiently by not having crews driving all over town to retrieve the necessary equipment to complete a job. The city would save money on energy efficient building rather than heating several 100 year old buildings. And the city would save on maintenance and longevity of equipment by being able to store them away from the elements.

I have asked to see a feasibility study on this project. The reasons listed above sound plausible, but is a new building the best solution for the problems? How much maintenance would have to be put into existing buildings? Could they be used more efficiently? Is there other office space where the engineering crew could work from? Could equipment be stored in a three sided shed? Can we estimate savings on utilities, productivity improvements, and equipment replacement? Is there grant money available?

I’d like to see a list of goals the city wishes to achieve and find the most cost effective way to meet those goals. If that is building a new public works building, then lets get on with it. But if the money could be spent more wisely and achieve most of the same goals, we should consider other alternatives.

ALS Ambulance Service

2010-05-02T12:21:00.000-05:00

By state law, a municipality is responsible for the ambulatory care of their community. Mattoon mostly handles this by licensing and regulating private ambulance companies. In recent years, the Mattoon Fire Department has been operating as a backup with a Basic Life Support ambulance, and recently upgraded that ambulance to Advanced Life Support.

The city’s ambulance service should be used for emergency care only. Non-emergency transfers should, and will be left to the private firms. As long as there are two private companies in town, I have reservations on whether the city should enter the rotation. I can’t think of anytime where there have been three companies in rotating coverage.

My position on this is the same as it was during the election. If the City of Mattoon goes into the ambulance business, three conditions must be met.
1. It must improve public safety.
2. It won’t lose the city money.
3. It won’t put existing companies out of business.

Before the second ambulance company came to town, Mattoon was relying on Charleston for backup ambulance service. They were called 4-5 times per week. They were usually cancelled in route as another ambulance was freed up, but there shouldn’t be such a gap in service. There are many emergencies where minutes count. It can take up to 20 minutes for Charleston to get here. That is a long time to a heart attack patient.

The city has worked with the union to train six more paramedics. This would give MFD enough trained personnel to staff two ALS ambulances. The decision to purchase a second ambulance has not been made. But if one of the existing companies closes, the gap must be able to be filled immediately. It takes two years to train paramedics. We cannot rely on Charleston for two years.

It is the city’s responsibility to make sure we are covered with adequate ambulance service. Communities across the state and nation are increasingly running ambulance services in conjunction with their fire departments. As long as there are two companies in town, I don’t believe the city should or will enter the rotation of regular ambulance service.

Pre Annexation Agreements

2010-04-20T21:23:00.000-05:00

The city requires water customers from outside the city to file a “Petition to Annex” when the city notifies them or face water shutoff within 30 days.

I have no problem with requiring water customers to annex in return for water service. What I have a problem with is the system that has been put in place to accomplish this. The clause at the bottom of the water agreement isn’t explained to the customer and many either are not reading it or not understanding it.

I agree, there is a responsibility for the home owner to read and understand the form they are signing. But there is a greater responsibility for the city to make sure they do so. It is not right for the city to not explain the agreement in hopes that they sign it without questions, and then play gotcha when we are ready to annex them.

It is also not right for the city to wait years after the properties qualify for annexation to act on them. Some of these properties have qualified for three years. There should be an automatic trigger that forces these to be acted on as they become available. It is not right for the city to sit on their hands for years until it becomes convenient for them to annex. Whether that convenience is the census or a city official needing their property within the city limits.

I would be in favor of the city adopting a system of “pre-annexations agreements”. These agreements would be separate documents from the water service agreements and acted on by the council. They would state that in return for water, the city will annex your property once it qualifies. Once the council approves the “pre-annexation agreement” it becomes a binding contract between the city and the home owner. If the city fails to pass the annexation once the property qualifies, they would be in breach of that contract.

This system takes away the human element of the process. Certain steps are required at certain times from the parties involved. Everyone is aware and involved every step of the way so nothing appears to be taking place behind close doors. There are no surprises, and no perceived bully tactics.

Once you take feelings and people out of the decision, is about what is best for the city. Is it better for the city to gain the tax revenue from the newly annexed properties? Or is it better to fight against a system that gives the impression of sneaky tactics and leads to good ole boy politics? I am not comfortable putting my name on a system that I feel is broken.

Pray for our leaders

2010-04-17T21:45:00.002-05:00

Before I start with my positions, I wanted to ask something from all of you. Will you please pray for the City Council? Pray that we seek God's guidance in our decisions. Pray for wisdom, strength and clarity. Pray that the decisions and actions made are God's will. Pray for patience, peace and understanding in the community. Maybe put in a prayer request at your church for the same?

The decisions we are making go far beyond who is going to pave sidewalks, or if we are going to mow the grass at the lakes, or a recycling program. There have been some unpopular decisions made, and likely more to come. These decisions don't come lightly, and at least for me, there has been a lot of personal anguish in having to make them.

I don’t speak much about my spirituality, perhaps I should more. Those close to me know how important it is to me. I don’t know how I would have survived the last couple of years without my personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

I understand the importance of a strong prayer life and often seek God’s guidance for my position on the council. The more prayers for the City leaders, the better the likelihood they will be answered. The need to pray for our leaders in spelled out in the Bible:

1 Timothy 2:1-3
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;

I have received a card from one church in town stating the regularly pray for the leaders of the city. It would be wonderful to know all the churches in town are doing the same. Thank you all for your prayers and God bless.

Chris Rankin
Mattoon City Commissioner

Bringing things back to Street Level

2010-04-16T22:09:00.000-05:00

It’s been well over a year since I posted in my blog. It started as an electronic version of my column printed in the Coles County Leader. After the Leader went out of print, contributions greatly dwindled. Once I ran for council, I stopped altogether.

It would be impossible to resurrect Street Level to its former level. As a sitting member of the Mattoon City Council, it would be counter productive to attack the other members on the council who disagree with my positions. I don’t think such actions would bring me closer to achieving my goals. This is a position I wrote about in November of 2007 (http://stlevel.blogspot.com/2007/11/working-with-city-not-against.html)

I do however feel the need to explain my positions and accept feedback. In the year that I have served on the council, one of the most frustrating things is getting my voice heard. I don’t want to say the press has been unfair as much as it has been incomplete. There have been important debates at council meetings that have not gotten one word of print.

One goal the city is working on is to start a newsletter; a form of media that the city controls and can include much more information than what gets printed in the paper. I have received requests to post my positions and reach out to the community as well. And since my ideas often differ than those of the majority, it is probably a good idea to release my own information. For now, I choose this format over the youtube video suggested.

I ran on open government and thus far, have no achieved that goal. I have found this harder than I imagined. Hopefully, this column in conjunction with a Facebook group will help in attaining that objective.

One thing that concerns me about starting this is the sheer lack of time I have to keep it up. Like many other of my projects, I fear this will dwindle or perhaps never really get started again. Well, no one will probably be reading it anyway.

Chris Rankin

Mattoon City Commissioner

The two percent advantage

2009-01-06T20:57:00.001-06:00

The public works advisory board proposed an ordinance giving local contractors a two percent advantage over out of town bidders on City contracts. This is a bad deal on many levels.
1. Passing an ordinance that forces the city to spend more money at a time when we are budgeting paperclips.

2. At least some local contractors are against said ordinance. They want an even field. They get their advantage on local jobs by saving on mobilization.

3. Ordinance will discourage out of town contractors from bidding jobs. It takes a lot of time and money to prepare a bid and when coming in at a 2% disadvantage, they are liable to not bid at all. Even though they may have beaten the locals by 10%. We would never know the true cost of this.

4. Local contractors may pad their bid. They know they have a 2% advantage and may inflate their bid knowing if they are less then 2%, they are actually leaving money on the table.

5. If out of town contractors don’t pull plans because they can’t/won’t compete with this disadvantage, local contractors may inflate their bids when they see they don’t have any competition.

6. Could actually put local contractors at a disadvantage when bidding out of town jobs. When they bid in another contractors home town, the competing contractor may bid extra hard to keep them out since they have an advantage here.

After making these points to the City Council tonight, they withdrew the motion from the agenda. The two percent advantage is off the table for now.

The council showed they are willing to listen to their constituents and should be commended on this. I think this proposal was a very bad idea and the City is better off without it.

A few words on the Cumberland Presbyterian Church

2008-12-07T17:24:00.006-06:00

The Cumberland Presbyterian Church was constructed at 1321 Broadway in 1859. Mattoon was an exchange point for soldiers on their way to and from the war front. Many injured and sick passed through town and a hospital was needed to care for them. In 1863, the basement Presbyterian Church was fitted to serve as a hospital.

Not only did the building serve as a hospital during the war, but also a jail. 26 prisoners known as “copperheads” (a northerner sympathetic to the southern cause) from the famous Charleston riot were held at the church for several days until they were transferred into federal custody.

The original building was replaced in 1895, but elements from that building were used for the new one. There have been several alterations to the building over the years, including an addition on the north side that covers one of the stained glass windows.

The Presbyterian’s moved out and the Lutheran’s moved in. Broadway Christian Church later occupied the building. In 1977, the First Alliance Church began holding services here. They moved out in 2003 and since 2006 the church was used for Apostolic Assembly Church.

Now the fate of the church has been sealed. It will be demolished for a new CVS Pharmacy. As regrettable as it is to lose another historic building, this one probably makes the most sense of all previous demolitions.

Unlike other demolitions, this one has a definite plan for the site. The 1700 block of Broadway was demolished with no plans for replacement. And the site where the Big Four depot once sat has been barren for almost five years now. This site will have a productive business on it, generating revenue and providing jobs.

A church in the middle of a business district does little for economic growth. The traffic generated by the church comes at a time downtown businesses are closed. No revenue is created at a church. And the land the church sits is tax exempt in what should be a prime real estate district. Redevelopment of a church into a successful business is rare.

A CVS pharmacy will put people in the heart of downtown at all hours of the day all days of the week. A smart entrepreneur will be able to capitalize on this traffic and draw it into adjacent businesses. And the project will take a desolate block of downtown and revitalize it back to life. It will take two properties currently tax exempt, and put them on the tax rolls. And it addresses three vacant buildings that are beginning to show signs of neglect.

Historic preservation is still important to me, but it is obvious it will not be a platform for economic development in Mattoon. Over 20 buildings have been razed since early 2004. Even if every remaining building was renovated, it won’t be enough to sustain downtown. It is time to seriously look at infill development. This project is a step in that direction.

The greased chute of government

2008-11-04T21:51:00.001-06:00

“The only thing worse then gridlock it the greased chute of government.” –Henry Hyde

When one like minded group controls government, there agenda gets passed unchecked. This is a dangerous formula that often results in trouble. Times the same political party controls Congress and the presidency include the 1930’s through the great depression, the 1970’s through double digit inflation and unemployment, and during the Bush administration, where the federal deficit skyrocketed to unbelievable measures.

Opposite that, times often referred to as good prosperous times have seen the branches of government being held by opposite parties. The 1950’s and 1980’s had republican presidents and democrat congress and the 1990’s had a democrat president with republican congress.

This is not a new position for me. I started making this argument in the 2005 local elections.

“I used to think it was best to have a group of like-minded individuals on a board or council to be able to make some changes and get things done. They would be able to move their agenda and set policies to how they saw best. I no longer believe this is the greatest idea.

While they can make some accomplishments, the lack of opposition can lead to some unwise decisions and missed opportunities. Without debate, many ideas are not considered. A vocal opposition can either change ones mind or reinforce their original opinion. Either way, both sides are being considered. And as taxpayers, we deserve that from our elected officials,” was how I put it then.

The Mattoon City Council has only seen one”no” vote in almost four years. Motions are passed 5-0 with no discussion. Any opposition voiced from the public falls on deaf ears. Fiscal responsibility has been thrown out the window. This is the greased chute of government in action.

It will be interesting what the next two or four years bring at both the national and local level. Will the democrat agenda get passed unchecked? Will that lead to trouble? Will the next city elections bring more debate to local government? Will our leaders slide down the greased chute of government?

Contemplating another run for council

2008-10-28T22:25:00.001-05:00

I’ve been asked by many if I’m going to run for council again. I’m entertaining the idea, but things are much different then they were four years ago.

Four years ago, I ran mainly on the platform of historic preservation. While historic preservation is still important to me, it is completely unrealistic to use it as a platform for economic development. Over 20 buildings have been razed since I started that campaign. Even if every remaining building was renovated, it won’t be enough to sustain downtown. It is time to seriously look at infill development.

Last election, I stated I believed the Mattoon had the right amount of professional management with the City Administrator. I wasn’t really interested in the City Manager form of government. Now after watching the way Mattoon and Charleston operate (Charleston has a city manager) for four years, I believe the manager form is more desirable. Some may call it a ‘flip flop’ but I say I am more informed on the topic then I was four years ago.

Mattoon voters will be choosing if they wish to change the form of government to a City Manager form in the November election. If elected, I would want to focus on legislative issues so the outcome of this may make my decision easier. If we keep the mayor/council form, council members will also be department heads and in charge of personnel. I am not interested in managing department.

I am also not interested in running to replace current department heads. While I may not agree with some of the decisions they have made, I believe they all would start even at the start of the new term. Again, this topic may be taken off the table if the manager form is adopted.

What else?

TIF districts: I am a strong believer of TIF districts as a tool for economic development. Mattoon now has four; three of which were good decisions. The I-57 TIF district is a gross misuse of the TIF law. However, it is in place and appears to be legal. I am not going to run on the platform of undoing the actions of past councils.

Business districts: I am not convinced these are a good thing. I can’t see raising taxes as an effective tool to attract more business. However, I am open to debate. I would not want to create any new business districts for two years so we can see if the ones created are working as planned.

Fiscal responsibility: I will not vote for projects unless funding is secured. Taking out loans based on projected sales tax revenue is not secured funds in my opinion. Applying for matching fund grants with no plan on how to pay for the city’s share is irresponsible. Approving business district grants based on projected sales tax revenue for a business that doesn’t even exist yet is dangerous.

Update codes: The subdivision and zoning ordinances are grossly outdated. The comprehensive plan was approved in 1968. These need to be updated and enforced. This would be a goal of mine if I served on the council.

I also need to take a serious look at my personal life. Do I have the time and energy to put into a campaign and serve? I have lived a lifetime in last four years since the last local election. Some things just don’t seem as important as they used to. Will I be able to give the citizens all they deserve by electing me? How would serving on the council affect my relationships at home?

Finally, do I realistically believe I can get elected? One thing I learned four years ago is local elections have little to do with issues, ideas, and knowledge. They are more about who you know. Not the status of who you know, but how many of those people can you get to show up on Election Day and vote for you. I don’t really have a base of voters. I don’t belong to a service club; I am not a member of any lodges; I am not an active member in a large church. I am not sure how far my recognition from my column will carry me.

Am I electable? If I get on the ballot and get spanked twice in a row, will I ever have enough political capitol to get elected? I really don’t want to be the guy who always runs, but never gets elected. Continuing to lose elections will erode my credibility and make my goals harder to reach.

Edit:
Open meetings: Current and past councils have caught flack about violating the open meetings act. If I am in a meeting where topics are being discussed that violate the act, I will bring up the open meetings act and refuse to take part in the conversation. If it continues, I will leave the meeting and publically acknowledge the act was being violated.

Treasures of an old house

2008-10-23T21:30:00.003-05:00

I’ve been doing some foundation work on my house. The house was built in 1891, but there was an addition put on it at a later date. I found this token between two bricks. It is a sales tax token from the 1930’s. (The must be when the addition was built).

Merchants had to pay sales tax based on their daily sales. For a ten cent item and three percent tax rate, the merchant could either round down and not collect tax or round up and charge an extra tem percent. Or they could give sales tax tokens for change. There were around 5000 of these Charleston tokens put into circulation. This ¼ cent token is worth about 2 bucks today.

The amazing thing is, someone put this between two bricks for someone to find, and I actually did. I’ve been on several construction jobs where someone will imbed a new penny somewhere on the job. And I myself have left time capsules in my house when doing some remodeling. But this would have been easily missed.

Does Illinois need a Constitutional Convention?

2008-10-20T22:18:00.002-05:00

Every 20 years, the citizens of Illinois are allowed to vote on the need to overhaul the State Constitution. The current Constitution was adopted in 1970 after the 1968 referendum called for a Convention. In 1988, voters overwhelming voted against a Constitutional Convention by seventy-five percent.

The Chicago Tribune lobbied against the Con-Con praising the Constitution adopted in 1970. “The Constitution they drafted is still a fine fit for Illinois …” the Tribune stated. Fast forward 20 years, and the Tribune seems to have changed their tune “Vote yes because if this referendum proposal fails, you do have a guarantee: The sweet-smiling panderers who run this mismanaged state will give you 20 more years of what you have now.”

State government is pretty much a mess compared to 1988. We have spent half the time since then with unpopular, corrupt governors from both major political parties. Our general assembly and governor constantly cannot agree. We have lost billions in federal transportation funding. And balance the budget by underfunding pension plans. This chaos may sway voters to call for the rewriting of the state constitution this fall.

If a Constitutional Convention is called for, there are several topics that will be addressed. Some of which may not be looked at by simply proposing amendments to the current constitution. Some of those topics include:

· Selection of Judges – should the Governor appoint judges or should the voters elect them?
· School financing – should schools be funded through property taxes or otherwise?
· Public pensions – should state employees be guaranteed a pension, and should the state be mandated to fully fund the pensions?
· Legislative Redistricting – The current “tie-breaker” system is not being used as it was designed. But no one has come up with a better system.
· Gay Marriage – should Illinois define marriage as being between one man and one woman?
· Death Penalty – Should the governor have the power to commune or pardon sentences, effectively clearing death row and negating all decisions made by the trial process? Or should the death penalty be abolished altogether?
· Graduated Income Tax – Illinois currently has a flat income tax, where everyone pays the same rate. Should there be higher rates for higher salaries similar to the federal system?
· Recall provision – Should the voters have the right to recall their elected officials before the next scheduled election? This is how Governor Schwarzenegger was elected in California.
· Term limits – Should Illinois elected officials be forced to step down after a given time?
· Binding Referenda – When lawmakers refuse or are unable to come to a solution, should voters be given a chance by putting the topic on a ballot?

Some of these issues can be resolved without a Constitutional amendment. Others require an amendment, but not the complete rewriting of the constitution. However these are ten topics that are heavily debated today. Some of these issues didn’t even exist twenty and forty years ago.

A Constitutional Convention could cost Illinois $100 million. It could also delay important legislation while the convention is held. The list of officials campaigning against this is growing, including former Governor Jim Edgar who fears the process will be taken over by "interest groups and single-issue zealots that have wielded undue influence in the Statehouse."

This is an issue that should be studied closely. It is now two weeks before the election and I have heard little about it. It is a decision that shouldn’t be taken lightly and will have a greater impact on Illinoisans then the presidential race. However, I’ll bet most voters haven’t heard of it. Make your choice wisely.

Missing Matt

2008-10-16T22:30:00.007-05:00

Once upon a time, long, long ago (ok it was 1996); there was this little boy across the street that would wait for me to get home from work. He would hop on his little bike and peddle like mad over to my place just to ask how my day was and tell me what he did in school.

A year later, I married that boy’s mother. As a junior usher, he seated my mom at the wedding. He also carried the ring in a pinch when the ring bearer got cold feet. The night before, I spent the night with the boys at my mom’s house. He didn’t feel good and climbed into my lap for comfort. That was the first time I felt like a parent.

The next eleven years were filled with all the ups and downs of raising children. The memories are too many to mention. It is odd which ones seem to float to the top. When he was younger, he didn’t want to waste time at the dinner table. He would stuff his entire meal into his mouth, packing it into his cheeks like a chipmunk, and then spending the next ten minutes chewing and swallowing.

A couple of the not so good memories were also character building ones. I remember helping him with the Cub Scouts Pine Wood Derby. We spent several nights carving, assembling, and painting what we believed to be a winning car. I don’t know who felt worse when we finished last. Another competition found him at the plate with two outs and the tying run on base. He was crushed when he struck out to end the game.

Even though through his teen aged years, things seemed rocky in our relationship. There were admirations that went silent but not overlooked. There were times we would argue to the end over a choice he was to make. Sometimes it was a financial decision, others were academic. He would spend hours telling me how I was wrong and he was right. But when the decision was made, he often silently followed my advice. This did not go unnoticed.

Friday, June 13, 2008, the unthinkable happened. This little boy that eagerly awaited my arrival from work was killed in an early morning automobile accident. There isn’t really much to say about that except it happened and it is as bad as anyone can imagine losing a child.

Now, the smallest things bring reminders of Matt. A few weeks before the accident, I was microwaving a couple hot dogs. Matt saw this with disgust. “Eww, you eat those? Do you know what they put in them? You actually like them?” he pestered. “You don’t eat hot dogs because they taste good” I explained, “You eat them because you’re hungry”. He thought about that for a second and began preparing a couple for himself. I will never eat a hot dog again without thinking of that.

There is a Red Tailed Hawk at the cemetery near Matt’s grave. This “Chicken hawk” visits Matt’s mother often. Some Indians believe the hawk is a messenger from the Otherworld, and if he has chosen to visit you, you are receiving a message. I can’t help but believe Matt is there to comfort his Mom and to let her know everything is going to be OK.

Matt’s stone came today, another chapter closed in this book. One more step towards some sort of closure. Forever loved, forever missed.

Gas Prices in relation to political power

2008-10-14T20:31:00.002-05:00

I usually stay away from national topics. You don’t seem to be able to change people’s minds, and the chances of changing national policy are pretty much non existent. But when they filter down to local issues, I sometimes feel compelled. Gas prices are one of those topics.

Democrats are quick to blame Republicans for the current fuel price fiasco. Prices have tripled since the current president took office. In this case, they may be right. But that doesn’t mean they would do any better. They point out that while the last Democrat president was in office, fuel prices were steady and falling. Republicans can counter the same throughout the 1980’s.

When adjusted for inflation, gas prices have mostly been between $2.00 and $2.50 since WWII till the early 1970's when they started to climb. They peaked and $3.81 (adjusted) in 1981 and then fell to about $1.40 (adjusted) in 1998. Then they started their current climb. It is interesting that in 1998 when adjusted for inflation, gasoline was at its cheapest rate ever.

During the three times gas prices have dramatically risen, Congress and the White house were controlled by the same party (with an exception of a year or two on the ends of the trends) 1931 till 1938 the Democrats were mostly in charge, as was from 1978 till 1981. In 2002 till 2008, it was the Republicans.

Actually, I see no indication that one party would be able to handle the situation better then the other. If the government has any control over prices, they seem to be most effective when power is in balance across the branches of government. Except from 1961 till 1957, when one party gets to much control, the results on gas prices have been disastrous.

On a similar, but unrelated note, times (recent) history often refers to as good times or prosperous times have been times one party controls the Executive branch and another controls the Legislative branch; 1950’s Eisenhower years, 1980’s Regan years, and 1990’s Clinton years. This may be the formula we should look for in future elections.

Source: http://inflationdata.com/inflation/images/charts/Oil/Gasoline_inflation_chart.htm

Fiscal Irresponsibility

2008-10-08T22:27:00.001-05:00

For years now, some have been criticizing the current council for over spending. This was a debatable claim until this week. The council approved seeking $10 million in bonds to pay for public works and economic development projects.

Up until now, most of the criticism has been with the TIF districts. TIF districts divert property tax revenues to development projects, both private and public, within the district. This is a proven economic development tool across the country. And one only has to look at downtowns across the area to see their benefits. So far, the City of Mattoon seems to have been fiscally responsible when granting TIF funds in the midtown TIF district. Grants have not exceeded secured funds.

Mattoon has also turned to Business districts as a tool for economic development. They are similar to TIF districts, except they rely on increased sales tax revenues instead of property tax revenues for funding. Payment for $4 million of the $10 million in bonds is too made from Business district revenues. The problem is, these revenues are fairly insecure. They depend on projected sales tax revenue. If the sales tax falls short, it is unclear how the debt will be paid.

The remaining $6 million is also to be repaid with sales tax funds. Several years ago, the citizens voted to increase sales tax in Mattoon to improve infrastructure and lower property taxes. Half of the increase was to be put into infrastructure projects, while half went to property tax relief.

The city has wisely saved the infrastructure funds for south side flooding improvements, and began using these funds for engineering and land acquisition this year. Now, instead of waiting until the funds build back up to complete the project, the City has decided to borrow money and speed up the project.

Also on tap for the $10 million is a citywide sidewalk improvement project. The estimated cost of this project has ballooned from $200,000 last year to $750,000 with this bond request. Sidewalks have been a long neglected portion of city infrastructure for decades. Another $400,000 is to be applied to matching funds for a grant for recreation improvements at the sports complex. Why is it suddenly necessary to put the taxpayers in debt for these?

Finally, the City plans to spend $3 million for new public works garage. This sounds incredibly high. In the past, I’ve been told the City plans to purchase the former Young Radiator site for this building. How much could this polluted ground be worth? This is more then the contracts awarded for Charleston’s new library.

“If we wait longer we would pay more in costs.” Mayor Cline claimed at the meeting. When is this not true? If I used this same logic in my personal budget, I would be in a lot of trouble. All we have heard in the last year is how broke the City is. “We are budgeting paperclips” we were told. And pension payments will soon exasperate the general fund.

If we needed to cash bonds, why aren’t we addressing the pension funds? How will we pay for these bonds if sales tax revenue falls short and property tax revenue is mandated towards pensions? If there was any debate in the council’s fiscal responsibility before, it has been well erased now.

Poison Pensions

2008-09-21T19:57:00.000-05:00

This is a topic that really scares me away from running from council. It is something I know little about and understand even less. The way I see it, the mistake was made years if not decades ago by not funding the pensions. Those early investments weren't there to draw interest to pay for the retirees today. Pension spikes were obviously a mistake.

Knowing how we got into this mess is important so we don’t make the same mistakes. But I’m going to try to avoid laying blame as that is in the past. What I would like to concentrate on is how to get out of this mess. I want to look ahead, not back.

Schilling says personnel cuts are the only way to handle this, but Bart Owen says the unions want to offer ways to raise revenue. How can the fire department raise revenues? Is there any other way then to go full time into the ambulance business? I discussed this with John Inyart this other day.

Charleston’s pensions are in much better shape then Mattoon’s. John cited three main reasons.

1. Smaller force. Charleston only has 30 firefighters to Mattoon’s 38. This would defiantly work towards Schilling’s argument.
2. No insurance benefits for retirees. Mattoon recently implemented the same policy, but those already receiving will still get it. We will just have to work through this.
3. Increased revenue. John cited it cost Charleston about $3 million per year to run their fire department. But they bill out $2 million in ambulance fees, leaving them a net $1 million cost. He said Mattoon FD costs us $4 million per year. That is a difference of $3 million between two similar sizes cities in the same county. (These are numbers off the top of his head; I have no idea how accurate they are). This would work towards Bart’s argument.

Charleston also only maintains two stations to Mattoon’s three.

This may be the best argument against TIF districts I’ve heard. TIF prevents those property taxes from being used to pay necessary bills. But it can also guarantee other things will be funded besides pensions. If we are only paying for pensions we will some day look back on 2004 as “the good times”

Back to the pensions; other than the ambulance service, how can the city raise revenues to pay for the fire department? One place I know that would help some is to charge the City of Charleston for covering a portion of their city with fire protection. There is no reason Mattoon tax payers should be on the hook for Charleston’s fire protection. Fire Station 2 needs to be brought back into town. How is the airport the most strategic location? Can we eliminate a station? Can the city be covered by strategically placing two stations?

Still on hiatus

2008-04-12T09:17:00.003-05:00

The lack of a deadline has killed my drive to keep this up. Bear with me, perhaps a spark will encourage me to go again.

Closing of 16th Street another planning mistake

2008-02-13T21:17:00.000-06:00

Mattoon recently voted to close 16th Street in front of the YMCA. The move was to assist the YMCA in their upcoming expansion. There was a public meeting before the vote for public comment. There was little to no comments, the motion passed 5-0.

Closing 16th street is another planning error made by the City of Mattoon that contributes to its demise. And another reason they need to get a professional planner on staff to advise them on such matters. These decisions are made in good faith and are thought to be for the good of the city, but they contribute to the downturn of Midtown Mattoon.

Like the closing of Prairie for County Market, this closing is made to specifically address one project without regard to rest of the neighborhood. The County Market parking lot put a huge open space fronting the retail on Western Avenue. The lot is so oversized they sell storage sheds, garden plants, hay, mulch, landscape rock, and anything else they can fit in. This is hardly the sight you want when driving or walking through your business district.

The closing of 16th Street decreases the connectivity to downtown. Traffic will divert through the proposed YMCA parking lot. The open ground south of the YMCA becomes less marketable.

The layout discourages YMCA visitors from continuing downtown. The natural traffic pattern away from Y will steer traffic away from downtown. This hardly goes towards the recently implemented midtown redevelopment plan that suggests using the YMCA as an anchor downtown.

When I first saw the plan, I knew it was bad. But I was in no way prepared to defend my position. The first it was widely publicized that the street closing was a possibility was in the media reports the day before the meeting. And it was policy 5 minutes after the public hearing closed.

There was no mention of the closing in the media reports surrounding the Planning Commission and Zoning Board meetings where the measure was discussed and voted. The media reports surrounding those meetings simply said that parking layouts were being reviewed.

Not only should a City Planner be on staff to make professional recommendations on such policies such as this, but also the process of setting such policies needs to be changed. Even though proper procedures were followed, those procedures leave little chance for a fair public review. The layout should have been published and put on display for 30 days prior to the public meeting. Voting on the policy should not be allowed at the same meeting as the public hearing to allow decision makers to fully comprehend any points brought up at the meeting.

The current policies and procedures give the impression of back door deals and good ole boy politics. This goes for any topic that goes before the city that requires a public hearing. Measures should be set to break this impression and give one of open government.

Hiring a planner still a good idea

2008-02-03T10:49:00.001-06:00

It was said before the FutureGen announcement that Mattoon could use a City Planner even if we don't get FutureGen. I tend to agree. The cities I deal with that have a planner seem to be far better off then those without.

We have four TIF districts and two businesses with no system as to what gets approved or not. The downtown redevelopment plan has basically been shelved. There was a lot of talk at the redevelopment meetings about themes for downtown, making sure one building matched the next, building to building, block to block. Instead, no one is guiding the redevelopment and we still are getting blocks of buildings that don't fit well together. The buildings in the 1400 block restored their existing facade; Bob Walker is replacing the Broadway Video facade with a similar looking one. Friesmeir tore the front of his building off and replaced it with a modern look, and Little Mexico left the 1960's facade on the Broadway side of their building. I'm not saying they should be forced to do something different, but I will bet no one even suggested anything different to them.

Now we have an entirely separate committee deciding what murals to be painted downtown. To the best of my knowledge, they have not considered the recommendations of the redevelopment plan in their decision. How will their choices fit the plan? Who with the city is overseeing this? Who best understands how the choices made will affect downtown activity? A good city planner understands that a misplaced or bad chosen mural could cause as much harm to downtown as a good one could help.

The biggest reason to hire a City Planner is the City wanting to rewrite the zoning and subdivision ordinances and redo the Comprehensive Plan. Is the building inspector really the right person to be in charge of this? He has even said he isn't qualified. And he is most concerned with the building aspects of the sites, not the planning. The planning mistakes made in Mattoon contribute to Mattoon's problems at levels most people don't understand.

A planner would be also be in charge of plan review and making sure sites follow the zoning and planning codes. The planner and not the planning commision, zoning board or council, would review minor variances. No more decisions based on "he's done a lot to clean up that side of that side of town so we will give him a break"

Change does not come easy in Mattoon, and if a planner does his job correctly, he will not be well liked by those wanting to build in town. The days of no longer following code and building what you want because what you propose is better than what you have now should be over. Codes were written for a reason, if the city has no intention on following them, they need to change them to what they intend on following. A planner should streamline this and be able to set the code to meet the city's goals. The building inspector, Public Works Director, City Administrator and City Attorney are either to busy with there other duties, don't understand what needs to be done or plain don't care because that is not really their field.

As for the funding for the position, I am not completely sure. Except, a planner should also be able to complete a lot of the duties that the city now hires consultants to do. The TIF districts, business districts, and downtown redevelopment plan all could have been done in house if we had a planner. I believe the City paid around $60,000 for that downtown redevelopment plan. Most of it was cut and paste from other reports. I had just as much information in my counter report and spent 40 hours on it. Even at a charge out rate of $250 per hour that is only $10000.
A City Planner is as important as a City administrator, City Attorney, and Public Works Director. It is another piece of the professional staff that the city began hiring in 2001. People complain about the rut Mattoon is in and how nothing changes, but when the city proposes a change to help the situation, they complain then too. Hiring a planner is the right move and the City should move forward with it, with or without FutureGen.

A thought on the restructuring of FutureGen

2008-01-31T21:15:00.001-06:00

If the DOE was serious about this restructuring, they would build 1 plant at each of the four sites, there is no need to readvertise and take new proposals. That is simply a waste of taxpayer money since they already know the 4 best sites for such a project. They could start this new plan in Mattoon today.

Now here is why they don't. If you read the final report on the four sites, you will find that there is mineral rights issue with the Texas sites. To obtain the mineral rights for required injection plume would likely take eminent domain proceedings that take three years (kinda ironic isn't it). Tuscola also had issues with property rights that may have ultimately called for eminent domain. Only the Mattoon site could FG start today, that was one of the major deciding factors of their choice.

So by asking for new proposals, that buys Texas time to solve their mineral rights issues, which also will sour Illinois into not re-applying, leaving Texas with the best site.

DOE plays their hand

2008-01-29T20:56:00.001-06:00

This stinks to high hell. Monday, this article is printed in Odessa Texas http://tinyurl.com/29wwvy . Tuesday DOE pulls funding for FutureGen. I try not to buy into conspiracy theories about funneling money to buddies in Texas, but this one is hard to deny. Look at the timeline:

DOE is 100% on board till early December when the Alliance says they are going to announce. My bets are they informed the DOE at this time they intended to choose Mattoon. Suddenly, the DOE warns of moving to fast. My bets are they were scrambling to find a way to disqualify Illinois.

The Alliance thumbs their nose at the DOE and announces anyway, they know where the best spot is and figure by announcing, they can back the DOE into a corner and take their politics out of it. WRONG, the DOE announces THAT DAY they weren't on board, stating cost as the biggest problem.

The DOE then announced they wanted to break the project into 4 smaller projects to save money. OK, when does it look like we were born, how can 4 sites be cheaper than one? My guess is they planned to start one of those smaller sites in Texas first, then say it was to expensive to start any of the other sites.

But the Alliance objected to breaking the project up and countered with offering to pay all additional costs above what US public funding was originally allocated. The silence from the DOE was deafening. Until today when they announced they are pulling the project.

But what about Monday's article in the Texas paper? Looks to me like they are ramping up for the project under a different name. Remember, Texas offered a $1billion incentive package. What does that mean? The DOE can either spend their $700 million with the FutureGen Alliance in Mattoon, or they can spend the same amount of money and give their plant to their Texas buddies without the FutureGen Alliance.

Illinois giving away its rights – Electoral College undermined

2008-01-21T21:06:00.000-06:00

Since the 2000 election, there have been calls to abandon the Electoral College. Most people remember learning in school that it is possible to win the popular vote, but not the presidency, but no one ever expected it to happen. The only other time this happened was in 1888 when Benjamin Harrison was elected.

The Electoral College is an important function of states’ rights. Each state is granted one electoral vote for each member of congress. The House of Representatives is based on state’s population, but the each state has two members of the Senate regardless of population. This is to help even distribute power across the country instead of the population centers making all the decisions. Without this power, candidates would never campaign away from the coasts. Fly over country would truly be fly over country.

A bill has passed the Illinois Legislature and awaits the Governor’s signature to give Illinois’s Electoral Votes to the winner of the national popular vote, regardless of how the citizen’s of Illinois voted. They essentially are giving the voice of Illinois away; saying is “We’re not going to listen to those we represent, those who elected us. Instead we are going to stick our fingers in the air and see what the rest of the country thinks”. Candidates no longer need to pay attention to Illinois as long as they have the coastal votes sewn up.

House Bill 1685 is titled “Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote Act”. It states that once enough states pass similar bills to cover half the Electoral College, they will collectively give their electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote, regardless of the popular vote of each state.

Those in favor of such a measure don’t understand the importance of State’s rights. Presidential candidates need approval not only by population, but by regions as well. Without the Electoral College a states with large land area but low population will be unrepresented.

This underhanded attempt to change the constitution and neuter the Electoral College has been mostly undetected. It may be too late for Illinois, but this needs topic needs to be brought to the front and debated fairly. Everyone needs to understand what is at stake here. It is much more then an unpopular president not getting elected eight years ago.

The Electoral College has remained unchanged at the Federal level since the 12th Amendment was passed before the 1804 election. In the 200 years it has existed in this form, it has been in question only five times. Three of these anomalies were due to political inexperience and have since been corrected.

There are similar bills being debated in 47 states. Governors in New Jersey and Maryland have already signed their versions of the bill. Efforts to eliminate the Electoral College have failed in the past, mainly due to the proposals of its replacement appear more problematic then the College itself. This proposal is no different. However, the under the radar approach may succeed in undermining the Electoral College.

The Short-term Impact FutureGen

2008-01-13T21:29:00.001-06:00

1500 construction jobs mean those who work in construction and live in town will be able to have work for the next few years. Those filling positions from out of town have an impact on rental houses and hotel in the area. Finding a house to rent in Mattoon will be slim pickins for the next few years. This will make landlords very happy. Out of town workers here for short term stays will fill the hotel rooms, not only generating revenue for the hotel owners, but tourism dollars for the city as well. Mattoon, like most towns, charges a hotel/motel tax that goes directly into the tourism fund. Restaurants and gas stations will see a boost from those commuting here from the surrounding area.

Fuel suppliers will see a boost in sales to construction equipment. Other construction service businesses such as Birkey’s and Neil Tire will benefit. When that backhoe at the site gets a flat, whom do you think they are going to call?

Infrastructure around the site will have to be upgraded. Dole Road will have to be improved and the intersection at 121 will have to be rebuilt. This means work for Walker Construction and Howell Asphalt. MC will be selling enormous amounts of concrete. A waterline will need to be built from both Mattoon and Charleston’s sewer plants for cooling water to the plant. This is work for area piping contractors. Power grid upgrades means work for electricians.

The studies completed during the selection process have already piqued the interest of many companies worldwide on locating here. Contact the Chamber of Commerce to verify that. The fact that these studies have been done means a company looking for a location will not have to pay for them. That is why it is not a total loss for Tuscola or the Texas sites. They can now market their towns with the results of these studies.

All of these jobs are a result of FutureGen, but not one of them is at the plant itself. All of this will be coming about the same time as the unemployment peak of the forecasted recession. This could insulate this community from such event.
Now if only the Department of Energy doesn’t screw things up and pull the plug on the entire project.

Time for a new Comprehensive Plan

2007-12-02T19:08:00.000-06:00

The Journal Gazette editorial board recently called for the City of Mattoon to adopt a strategic plan. This editorial was pretty much spot on what needs to occur, with the possible exception of the request to hire an outside firm to draft the plan.

The current Comprehensive Plan was adopted in the 1960’s. That is before the mall existed; before there was any industry on the north and west side of town; and when there was still three major railroads crossing in Mattoon. Those involved in the writing of that plan have long retired and gone on their ways. It is so outdated; it had to be amended twice this year alone to allow for proposed TIF and business districts.

The City has many irons in the fire, and no obvious plan stating their goals and how to achieve them. This council alone has seen the replacement of the leaders of three major departments. The tourism department, the police department and the fire department all have new leaders within the last three years. Without a strategic or comprehensive plan, these leaders are basically starting from scratch.

The Public Works Department has seen the most changes in recent years. None of which is likely included in any official plan. The creation of the department itself is the biggest change. Beyond that, it has been restructured at least once in recent years.

The City is tackling economic development at many different levels. They have created TIF and business districts, passed a midtown redevelopment plan, worked to attract retail business, and study development opportunities along the new interchange corridor.

They have also spent millions in infrastructure over the last decade. A new water plant, major upgrades to the sewer plant, and the Home Depot stand pipe come to mind. As well as road and utility upgrades near the north side industries. Projects in the near future include the massive south side storm water management project.

Cooperation with Charleston is at an all time high. Utility agreements, emergency response agreements and equipment sharing are all common now. Joint meetings between the councils are an annual event.

Mattoon is currently planning on updating their zoning and subdivision ordinances. This would be an excellent opportunity to update their Comprehensive Plan as well. A plan to be in place to assure infrastructure improvements match development plans. A plan to be in place to assure department goals stay focused from one leader to the next, and from one council to the next.

Charleston passed a new Comprehensive Plan and Unified Development Code with the last few years. The county also recently passed their Comprehensive Plan. Mattoon needs to get on the same page before they drag the rest of the county behind.

The new SBLHC smoking policy

2007-11-19T21:58:00.001-06:00

Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center recently announced it’s new no smoking policy for its patients and employees. There will be no smoking on Sarah Bush property; not in the building, not in the vestibule and not even in the parking lot. I am not sure how they will enforce this policy, but it is the one that is on the books and will be in effect January 1.

Probably the most controversial portion of the policy is that employees are not allowed to smoke in their own vehicles even if they are not on Sarah Bush property if they are on the clock for Sarah Bush.

On the surface this sounds extreme. Again, I am not sure how it will be enforced. But they are basically saying is that if you are on our time, you will not smoke. We are not paying our employees to smoke. When I look at it that way, I don’t see it as so controversial.

As I’ve said before, I am not a fan of smoking, but I am not a fan anti-smoking law either; though I wouldn’t fight against one. But this is a company policy, not a government imposed law. I have said in the past, the place to take the no-smoking argument is to the private business, owner, or company; not the government. Let the individual company decide how they want to run their business. Sarah Bush is a private company setting policy for their employees. If the employees don’t like it, they can search elsewhere for a job.

One under-reported portion of this policy is that SBL is offering its employees assistance in quitting smoking. This seems to be helping ease the extreme non-smoking policy. From what I’ve heard, these incentives go far beyond moral support and group therapy. It is a real financial benefit for the employee.

I am sure there is a financial benefit in it for Sarah Bush as well. The fewer smokers on the payroll, the less health insurance costs are to the company. That savings is shared by both the employees with their health insurance match and the patients in the possibility of lower charges.

A hospital is supposed to be a clean place. When its employees smell like ashtrays, it really detracts from the clean image. I think that is one of the goals of this policy. Again, I don’t see how they will be able to truly enforce every aspect of the rule. But it is a step in the right direction.

Working with the City not against

2007-11-14T21:08:00.000-06:00

Several years ago, when I became ‘community aware’, I took a stance of opposing the city on several projects. I didn’t like the direction things were going and wanted to offer the other side.

To me, the decisions that were being made were so obviously wrong I felt I would easily gain support and would be able to change things around. I know it is naïve, but when all you hear is how the elected officials are messing things up I figured the people were looking for change. I even got my name on the ballot.

I learned local elections have less to do with issues and more to do with popularity. People don’t vote on your positions, they vote for the people they know. That is unless there are really important issues such as “can I burn my leaves?” to bring people to the polls. Around here, 20% turnout on local elections is considered good.

It was pointed out that my tone was very “us vs. them”. As I mentioned earlier, I really thought public opinion would go my way, and while it seemed to, those who supported my efforts only did so in words and not actions. I got a lot of slaps on the back, atta boys, and it’s about time someone said what you’re saying.

The truth is, those who have the ambition to get involved, probably already are. And it is these people you will have to deal with to achieve your goals. Starting by opposing them will earn you the reputation of being against them and it is very hard to shake that rep.

After several months of achieving absolutely nothing, I began to change my tactics. Besides my website, I wrote a weekly column where most people know me from. I began writing more about the things I agreed with rather than the things I disagreed. On things I disagreed with, I took directly to City staff or elected officials via e-mail or phone calls and tried to learn more about their positions rather than attack them. I never changed my views I just chose positive topics to write about.

The tactic seems to have worked with the staff. They seem willing to work with me and take my input seriously. The general public also noticed the change. I am now accused of “joining the establishment” and being “the City’s biggest apologist”. The elected officials however, still see me as that guy who opposes them. I felt that once again today.

Our mayor had to resign for health reasons. After one of the council members moved up to mayor, this left an open seat. It is up to the council to appoint a replacement. They called me and asked if I would meet them to possibly fill the post. During the meeting, I kind of got the feeling I wasn’t a serious candidate. There was very little discussion to my answers.

They called me today to say they went with someone else. They went out of their way to say they didn’t ask me there to make it seem like they took me seriously. While as a collective group this may be true. I don’t think individually they really thought so.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed, but I’d also be lying if I said I was surprised. What is most frustrating to me is I am truly in this for the interest of the city. I have probably spent more time trying to improve the city then a lot of the council members. And I cannot even get appointed to a committee. I can count the number of council meetings I’ve missed in the last four years on one hand.

I am not sure on what my next move will be. It is about 18 months till the next election. If I run again and lose, I don’t think I will ever be taken seriously. I don’t want to be the guy who always runs but never gets elected. I don’t think any of my ideas will ever be taken seriously with the current council or any future council member that serves with them.

My advice to those wanting to their ideas implemented is to work within the existing establishment, not to work against them. Changing the establishment is hard, and once you are seen as the opposition, you will always be seen as the opposition.

On Hiatus

2007-11-13T21:06:00.001-06:00

It’s been a while since I wrote anything. Several weeks ago, the Coles County Leader went out of print. Without a deadline and the lack of viewers to this blog, I haven’t written since. I haven’t decided how often to update this blog or even look for another paper to carry Street Level. Stay tuned….

Mufasa update

2007-10-11T19:12:00.000-05:00

I just recieved this from the family who recieved Mufasa's doghouse. I wish them luck and many happy years with Haley and her new home. I'm sure Mufasa would approve.

Honey do list

2007-10-10T21:10:00.001-05:00

Some people have job jars. Others have ‘honey do’ list. Honey do this, honey do that, etc. I just have a never-ending pile of chores that never seem to get done. I’d like to say I’m too busy to get to them, but truth be known, I usually just procrastinate my way out of them.

Heck, I’ve even procrastinated updating the list. I have all these projects that need done in my head that need organized. Item number one will be to make the list.

I promised myself I would paint the garage this year. Now I’m hoping for next year. Maybe I can incorporate it into an overall yard makeover. Now it sounds like a huge project, better hold off on that…Next project.

I need to hang some shelves in garage. But before I can hang them, they need cut to size. Before I can cut them, I need to clear off the workbench. There are no shelves to put the stuff on the workbench because I still need to hang them. But they need cut to length…viscous cycle…Next project.

The sprayer on my sink has been busted since we moved here. I’m not allowed to do anything that resembles plumbing since I tend to make up new words that are far too improper for newspaper print. Besides, we’ve been here 10 years now and it has never worked, we obviously don’t need it…Next project.

My girls have learned to climb out of their cribs and we need to move them up to twin beds. I’d like to build some bed frames, but there is clutter all over the workbench (see shelf task above). They have a few more inches to grow before they are taller then the crib mattress; maybe I can tackle this one next spring…Next project.

I have about 2 years worth of digital pictures that need sorted. The best ones need printed and put into photo albums. The photo printer has been out of ink for about 2 years (imagine that). Maybe I’ll just transfer them to a digital photo frame instead. That’s almost the same thing…Next project.

Clean vehicles…why, they will just get dirty again…next project.

I can come up with an excuse for not doing just about anything on my list. But eventually my procrastination will come back to haunt me. Maybe I’ll get to work on it after the World Series; as long as it’s not to cold; on Saturdays of course; Sundays are for football.

Mall improvements welcome news

2007-10-03T21:24:00.000-05:00

After years of neglect, the mall will soon be the recipient of some much-needed maintenance. The City of Mattoon is in the process of creating a TIF and Business district for the mall and surrounding area, and plans are being developed to upgrade the area.

The area is starting to show some blight, but more distinctly, it looks dated. The parking lot is nothing but a sea of asphalt and what little architecture on the building screams 1970’s. The storm water holding pond has been neglected for so long, flooding has become a problem around the parking lot.

The old Wal-Mart building has also seen its better days. It has recently been purchased by Lake Land College, who has rented a portion of the building for years. Landscaping and façade upgrades will go a long way in improving the looks of this area.

Some will argue that spending money on the mall parking lot is a waste. And efforts should be spent on bringing in another anchor store or restaurant. But retailers won’t consider locating here if the site is outdated and blighted. It is the chicken and the egg effect.

Others will argue efforts should be spent on attracting manufacturing jobs to the area. Once employment figures improve, retail will follow. The city needs to work on improving the community on all fronts. There are many efforts to improve these numbers as well.

It is no real surprise the mall and surrounding area is seeing such decline. They are in the first ring of the donut that I have mentioned many times before. National chains built new stores and restaurants on the periphery, abandoning their central locations and creating the ‘hole’ downtown. This happened when the mall area was originally developed.

Businesses often scramble to the outskirts when expansion is desired. Or they fail altogether, abandoning their building. Their former buildings are left to local developers and are often too big for one business. They sit partially empty for years and eventually become an eyesore. The donut grows. There are many buildings in this first ring that fit this pattern; Kroger’s (Big Lots), Jewel/Ocso, Wal-Mart, and even K-mart.

Expanding businesses can be a double-edged sword for a community. They often bring more jobs, and increased tax revenue. But their former locations can become a drag on other resources. Not only does a town have to struggle with redeveloping downtown, they also have to deal with these first ring developments that are approaching the same problems.

Filling both downtown and first ring developments can be a daunting task to a community that has seen a declining population for the better part of two decades. But without the tools in place, this task will be darned near impossible. Most developers will only develop with incentives, regardless of how deep their own pockets are. These incentives may be the needed spark to improving the first ring developments.

Keep the entry age at 21

2007-09-27T20:28:00.000-05:00

The City of Charleston police department recently arrested 88 patrons of Jerry’s Pub for underage entry into a tavern. 77 of them were arrested for underage drinking. This phenomenon is no stranger to Charleston, but this was the most ever caught at one time.

The incident has once again spurred the debate of entry age into Charleston bars. Throughout the 1980’s and the part of the 1990’s, the entry age was 19, however you were not supposed to be able to consume alcohol until you were 21. It was very easy to obtain alcohol on inside, prompting the city to raise the age to 21, the legal drinking age.

The argument that you’re old enough to vote or fight for your country, but not have a drink; or there are plenty of people over the age of 21 that are not mature enough to drink while some younger are, is fine. It is a good healthy debate with valid points on both sides. But these are NOT arguments on why Charleston should allow 19 year olds into their bars.

The state law is no one under 21 is allowed to drink. It is the City of Charleston’s duty to uphold the laws of the state. They are not a higher authority and can pick and choose which state laws they get to abide.

Teens’ driving to Champaign to drink is also not a valid argument to lower the entry age. The more places that allow underage patrons in their establishment, the more underage drinkers there will be. For years the entry age in Charleston was 19. 19 and 20 year olds from all over the area flocked to Charleston to take advantage.

In addition to the EIU students, the bars saw young visitors from Sullivan to Paris, and from Effingham to Arcola and beyond. The numbers driving to Champaign are far less then the numbers that were in Charleston bars.

Lowering the entry age to reduce the number of house parties is a horrible argument. This is almost an admission you are going to allow underage drinking in your town. If the house parties are full of law abiding 19 & 20 year olds, they aren't the ones causing trouble.

How do you word that on the ordinance? We have a problem with underage drinkers at house parties so we are going to let them in our bars? Now to state the obvious, what does it matter what the entry age is? It is 21 now and 77 underage patrons were sipping away at Jerry's.

The state law in Illinois is no one under 21 is allowed to consume alcohol. It is the City of Charleston’s job to enforce the law. Allowing 19 year olds into the bars flies in the face of this law. It has been tried and failed. Of course entry seems to have little meaning to some bar owners as 77 underage drinker were found in one establishment at one time.

Assistance in economic development

2007-09-13T21:41:00.000-05:00

There are many tools a community has to lure business to their area. One of the most successful is to offer economic assistance or benefits to companies to locate or expand. The City of Mattoon has three such programs to help attract development.

The first is the Enterprise Zone. This is a state program that offers big incentives and seems to be taken advantage of by big companies. It is somewhat bittersweet because a lot of the companies taking advantage of these incentives can easily be profitable without them. But if they weren’t offered, they would locate elsewhere where they can get similar benefits.

The City establishes the zones, but has no control over who takes advantage of them. Companies that have taken advantage of Mattoon’s enterprise zone include, GE, RR Donnelley’s, Illinois Consolidated Telephone Company, and most active factories in Mattoon. Smaller companies have also taken advantage such as Furry Construction and Ronchetti Distributing.

There is also the revolving loan fund. The City offers a low interest loan to companies for assistance. The payments from these loans go back into the fund hence the name ‘revolving loan.’ Eighteen loans have been given since 1990. Eleven of these are still current; six have been paid in full and one ended in bankruptcy.

Recently, businesses like Broadway Beefhouse, Shimerz Glass, and Wave Graphics have taken advantage of the revolving loan fund. And in the past, Common Grounds, Dairy Queen and Gowin Enterprises have also used revolving loans to fund their projects. This has been a very beneficial tool the city offers and its success can be felt throughout town.

The city recently added TIF districts to its arsenal of economic incentives. TIF (tax increment finance) is funded with property taxes collected within the district. Any funds collected from increases in taxes after the creation of the district are used for private or public improvements within that district. They have three TIF districts; the midtown, the I-57, and the new south route 45 TIF.

Only the midtown TIF has issued grants for repairs. 21 grants have been awarded in total since 2005. These range from $2000 to $80,000. They have been used for structural and façade repairs, demolition and engineering studies. These grants are starting to show noticeable improvements downtown and along Lake Land Boulevard.

The first two years of the midtown TIF has been in existence, the city has collected over $235,000 for improvements and issued $68,000 in grants. They have committed close to $60,000 per year in coming years, but that will be a fraction of what will be collects.

The newest tool the City plans to use to assist in economic development is the Business District. This works similar to the TIF except funds are collected from sales taxes instead of property taxes. The City has created its first district on South Route 45 near the interchange and is studying other locations throughout town.

Offering incentives to attract economic development is the world we live in. Without these offerings these companies will either locate elsewhere or fade away. To those critics of these programs, take a hard consideration of the alternative.

Lane Acres road maintenance

2007-09-06T21:42:00.001-05:00

According to the City of Mattoon, Lane Acres (north) was built as an oil and chip street. It was upgraded with an asphalt overlay sometime near the early 1990’s. Lane Acres South was built as an asphalt street and sealed with oil and chip in 2004. This controversial move was thought to have cost at least one councilmember’s position in the 2005 election.

Though the streets in the north section appeared in good shape, they were beginning to show cracking and wear. Once asphalt begins to crack, it will allow water to penetrate the pavement and that is when the real problems begin. Freezing and thawing water will break up pavement in a hurry. Treating the pavement before this happens saves thousands in unnecessary repairs. Lane Acres north was put on the maintenance list for 2007.

City officials wanted to get both the north portion and south portion of Lane Acres on the same schedule, so even though it was not required yet, Lane Acres South was also put on the schedule for this year.

The typical treatment for sealing asphalt streets is to apply a layer of oil and chip to the surface. This method has been done in dozens of locations throughout town. Rudy, South 17th Street, South 19th Street, Shelby, Moultrie, and Prairie from 21st to 33rd and all asphalt streets treated with oil and chip in the last 15 years.

The decision to treat Lane Acres came long before the decision to use boiler slag. The area would have received white rock if the slag had not been used. Without any treatment, the pavement would have been facing failure within a few years.

After the boiler slag failure, the city has offered to oil and chip the streets in Lane Acres. This is the exact treatment the streets would have received if boiler slag had not been considered.

Based on a poll taken of Lane Acres residents, about half of those responding asked for this to be done this year. And half agreed since the slag treatment has improved monitoring the street will be fine for now. But some residents are not happy with either choice. “It like choosing between being shot or being hung” is how one resident put it at a recent council meeting.

Thus far, the city has taken the right approach towards Lane Acres. If they retreat the area, they should use the method originally planned. Sealing asphalt roads with oil and chip is the accepted practice throughout town.

Overlaying asphalt in Lane Acres would be unfair to taxpayers not living in that subdivision. And a slap in the face to the citizens living on asphalt streets sealed with oil and chip in the past. The city can expect residents on those streets to rise up and expect the same for their neighborhoods.

The city should oil and chip the streets in Lane Acres and everyone should move on.

Texas arrogant in their proposal

2007-08-29T21:25:00.000-05:00

The incentive packages are in, the studies have been completed, and the meetings have been held. Now it is a waiting game for the four finalists being considered for the FutureGen Alliance power plant and research facility.

Illinois passed legislation that all but matched Texas’s CO2 indemnification policies towards FutureGen. The Illinois cities fighting for the project appear to more qualified then the Texas cities. Geology is better, work force is better, topography is better, and we have better access and are closer to research facilities.

The alliance has said all along that is politics will not play a factor in the decision, and while incentive packages will be analyzed, they will not guarantee the project. This did not stop the State of Texas from offering a one billion dollar incentive package to attempt to bring the project to their state. This is over ten times Illinois’s financial incentive package.

This prompted Texas Bureau of Economic Geology Director and the chief organizer of Texas' FutureGen bids, Scott Tinker to claim “Game Over” on the FutureGen decision process.

The financial incentive package is only one factor in the decision, and it is clear Texas feels they can buy the project. We will soon see if the FutureGen bites. I question the economics of offering $1 billion for a $1.5 billion project. If Texas has a billion dollars for this, they could spend it on there own plant.

The difference in these packages may go farther in showing Illinois’s need for economic development then Texas’s flexing of monetary muscle. Texas state budget is over twice Illinois’, while their population is just under half.

Whether Illinois or Texas is chosen for FutureGen, I will always remember the arrogance of the Texas official who claimed “Game Over” before the choice was made. This attitude does not fare well for the state and public officials should choose their words more wisely. A more diplomatic response would have been something like “We feel our incentive package is what the Alliance is looking for in their decision and makes up for the Texas’ sites shortcomings”

I don’t know if the financial package will be the deciding factor in the choice, but Texas should keep in mind they may need to look to Illinois for assistance in the future, perhaps on this project or maybe something else. I hope Illinois remembers their arrogant attitude towards this when that happens.

I know I will remember when it comes time to spend my tourism dollars. Texas is struck off my list of places to visit until they show to be a friendlier state. I know the lack of my tourist dollars won’t make a difference to a state that can afford $1 billion for a $1.5 billion project, but I will have piece of mind.

The changing faces of Las Vegas

2007-08-23T22:07:00.001-05:00

One of my guilty pleasures in life is the occasional trip to Las Vegas. Four trips in the last 15 or so years have seen many changes in city of sin.

My first trip, the airport was in the middle of the desert a few miles from the city, now the city has grown around it. Most of the hotels from those first trips are now gone and replaced with mega-hotels.

The MGM is the largest hotel in the world with 5044 rooms. A cab driver told me (*cough* they never lie *cough*) their power bills are $6 million per month. I hope they don’t have Ameren as a provider.

The first time I went to Vegas I was the youngest person there. Most visitors were approaching or had recently entered retirement. This changed throughout the 1990’s when they tried to make Las Vegas more family friendly. But that seems to have subsided some and now they are slowly returning to the adult playground theme that made it famous.

Slot machines have undergone a drastic change in the last 15 years. Like every other industry, gaming has become much more automated. They no longer take coins. Instead they print vouchers with your winnings. Instead of an attendant making change, there are ATM’s to break bills and cash your vouchers.

Also gone are the low bet tables. If you want to play 2 dollar black jack, you have to play a machine. There are even roulette machines for the lower denominations.

Another change is the range of bets that can be made on a machine. If you’ve ever played slots, you know to win the jackpot you have to make the maximum bet allowed on the machine. My early trips, this was usually three or five times the denomination of the machine. A nickel machine would have a top bet of twenty-five cents. Now a nickel machine may have a top bet of five dollars. Cheap gamblers like myself have a far less chance of winning the jackpot since the top bet is out of our range.

A trip to Las Vegas to me now is more about the food then anything else. Sure the cheap all you can eat buffets are still around, but now there are many world-class restaurants to choose from as well. This last trip was dedicated to trying food we have never tried before. Raw oysters, sushi, and duck were all on our plates.

Maybe the next big change will be in transportation down the strip. Walking from hotel to hotel is very tiring. Cabs are expensive and the traffic is horrible. They recently completed a monorail, but the stations are in the back of the hotels away from attractions. If shops and attractions begin to locate close to these stations, this may very well be the best way to travel the strip.

A trip to Vegas can be as cheap or expensive as you wish to make it. I like the escape from life for a few days. But after about three days, its time to return to the grind.

One step forward, two steps back

2007-08-09T21:37:00.000-05:00

One of the problems with writing a weekly column is it can be six or seven days from the time the column is written to the time it is printed. This is amplified when writing on a topic a fluid as the boiler slag fiasco of recent. I revised my column last week as the situation changed but was not able to submit it before press time.

The slag saga peaked at the council meeting where the city acknowledged their mistake and agreed to overlay the midtown streets with asphalt. They were clear that it was the City’s mistake and not just one person’s mistake.

“When you make a mistake, first you admit to it which we’ve done. Then you apologize for it, which we’ve done and continue to do. Then you address what to do to correct the mistake, which is what we are doing now” is how Commissioner Randy Ervin explained the situation.

The council also approved the purchase of an ambulance for the fire department. When the money was appropriated for the ambulance last spring, it was agreed a committee would be formed to advise the council on the best action to take. Though it was not specifically stated, the impression was given this would be an open committee with announced members and their progress would be published for public review before council actions.

Instead, most did not even know the study had started until it was over. While I don’t think it would have changed the result, by not updating the public on the meetings gives the appearance of wanting to keep them secret. And since there is some controversy on this subject the image of secrecy is not one that should be portrayed.

Another resolution passed was a mutual aid agreement with the Charleston Fire department. The agreement says Mattoon’s Fire Station No. 2 at the airport can be first responders to the Coles Business Park that is in the City of Charleston. In return, The Charleston Fire department shall provide automatic aid response of similar nature upon request of such agreement from Mattoon Fire Department.

I am in favor to intergovernmental agreements. And with the proximity of the fire station to the business park it makes perfect sense they should be first responders. It doesn’t make sense to let a building burn with firefighters so close.

But this agreement seems a little one sided. It appears Charleston is getting increased fire protection from the taxpayers of Mattoon. What portion of Mattoon is better served from Charleston’s fire department? The full text of the agreement is in the council packet available on the City of Mattoon website.

Not every aspect of these topics is bad. All are meant to better the quality of life for the citizens of Coles County. It is the process and the details that need refined.

Boiler Slag

2007-08-01T21:17:00.000-05:00

Boiler slag is a byproduct of coal power plants and is used as an alternative to aggregate in asphalt. It is also used as a blotter in seal coat applications (oil and chip).
The City of Mattoon tested the slag last year on a couple of blocks and it worked well. So this year they put it on most of the streets downtown. Normally they wouldn't oil and chip in the business district, but slag remains black and pavement markings can be applied after it cures. They are planning to narrow the lanes and widen the sidewalks within the next five years but needed to do something in the meantime something needed to be done. This seemed like a good option.
The application failed miserably. The oil didn't cure properly and the slag is being tracked all over town. The city is now scrambling to fix the problem, but the damage is done. They will probably appropriate emergency funds next week to remove the slag and do something else.

Some have theorized, last years test was successful because it was done in the fall and this year it was a lot hotter. But every specification I’ve seen for applying seal coat gives a lower temperature but not an upper temperature to be applied. According to The Asphalt Institute “The best time to apply surface treatment is when weather conditions are hot and dry for some weeks to come….air temp to be above 50 degrees F and surface temp to be above 70 degrees F”

They applied the slag using the exact same method as the test strips. Maybe something was different in the oil, maybe the streets weren’t prepped properly, or maybe the slag had small dust particles on it. No matter what the cause, this is one of the biggest messes in recent history.

Using boiler slag is cheaper and looks better then regular oil and chip (when the application works). It is a byproduct of coal power plants and may soon be in abundance in the area. This caught the city off guard as much as anyone, and they are feverishly trying to correct it.

I hope if they use it again, they will get a better understanding of how the product works. Perhaps start slow and use it on low traffic streets first. Try applying it at different times of the year to see how it cures. It looks like it could be a very good alternative to oil and chip streets, but first impressions are lasting ones, and most people’s impression of boiler slag is one big headache.

My main criticism to the City at this point is length of time it’s taking to fix this. “The speed of government” is to slow on this one.

Doing the right thing is not always the easiest

2007-07-26T19:45:00.001-05:00

I never really was a pet person. As a matter of fact, I am severely allergic to dogs. So when I got married 10 years ago, my wife’s collie would have to stay outside. I loathed having to take care of him, but he came with the wife and I wasn’t giving her up.

I wasn’t looking forward to sharing my backyard with the dog. I wanted a deck, a garden and free roam of the yard. I certainly didn’t want to watch my step when I took out the garbage. I built him a pen in the corner where he could do as he pleased. This lasted for about a day and it was my garden that ended up in the pen.

I’m not sure when all that changed, but it wasn’t long before he was my dog as much as hers. In some ways even more. Maybe it was when he would stand with his front paws on the fence waiting for me to come home. Maybe it was the way he would jump at you and swing his paw in the air like he was hitting a tennis ball. Or maybe it was when he would sit faithfully by my side as I spent hours in the woodshop in the garage. He would have more sawdust on him then me.

He was always excited when I grilled because he knew he was getting leftover bones or that burger that accidentally hit the ground. Sometimes that accident wasn’t so accidental.

Squirrels would sit in the tree or on the fence and taunt him. This drove him nuts. Every now and then, one would wander into the yard and the chase was on. I never saw him get one, but he sure scared the heck out of many.

While he chased the squirrels, he was really very kind to other animals. One time a baby rabbit from next door made its way to our yard and was trying to squeeze back through the fence. He made it half way through and was flaying its legs to get the rest of the way. The collie gently nudged the rabbit on through the fence with his nose.

Four years ago, he got sick. I remember telling myself that I used to laugh at people who spent as much money as we did to find out what was wrong. All tests came back negative and we treated the problem and he was with us four more years. I never regretted spending that money because we were not ready for the alternative at that time.

This morning was different though. We’ve noticed the last couple weeks, things were going downhill. He wasn’t drinking or eating as much and having difficulty breathing. Today, he wouldn’t eat at all. Not even being hand fed. I begged him to eat and told him if he didn’t I would have to take him to the doctor. I think he knew and was ready to go.

I took him for a short walk to the neighbors who have watched him while we were away, and then put him in the truck for the ride to the doctor. We didn’t have an appointment so they had to fit us in. It took two hours. By then, my wife and oldest daughter were there. We sat on the floor with him and held him till it was done. We know it was for the best, but we will miss him.

One of the bad things about having a pet is you are almost sure to outlive it. Doing the right thing is definitely not doing the easiest thing. Anyone who has had to do this can attest to that. Rest in peace Mufasa, we love you. You’re free to chase the squirrels you can.

It is time for a public skate park

2007-07-19T21:23:00.000-05:00

Local skateboarders have addressed Mattoon’s council more than once about the lack of a skate park in Mattoon. Now the city is working on plans on building on at the east end of the sports complex.

The YMCA skate park closed after their insurance refused to cover it. This proposed park would be owned by the City. Most skate parks are adequately covered under standard municipal insurance policies. “It is just another piece of playground equipment” officials have argued.

The City of Charleston has no problems with their park. And the City of Sullivan is also proposing a skate park, stating it is covered under their insurance. Insurance for publicly owned parks does not seem to be a problem.

The city seems to be on the right track with their proposal. First off, the proposed location is prime for a skate park. The size of the site doesn’t lend itself too much else, and the high visibility from Logan Avenue means it is less likely to attract trouble.

They are also looking to involve local skaters in the design process. There is no better way to know what to build then to ask those who will be using it. Hopefully they will look for help from groups such as “Skater for Public Skate parks”, which a non-profit group dedicated to providing the information necessary to ensure safe, rewarding, freely-accessible skate parks are available to all skateboarders.

Skateboarding is not a sport I know very much about, so I did a little research. Did you know skateboarding is safer than basketball? The Consumer Product Safety Commission determined in 2002, the number of skateboarding injuries per active skateboarder and compared those numbers to in-line skating and basketball. Skateboarding had an injury rate of 8.9 per 1,000 participants. In-line skating was 3.9/1,000 and basketball produced 21.2 ER-treated injuries per 1,000 players. Statistically, skateboarding is safer than playing basketball.

The city is applying for a grant and estimating $100,000 for a skate park. This is a good starting point, but may be a little low in the actual cost of the park. Skate parks typically cost between $15 and $25 per square foot, and a minimum of 10,000 square feet is recommended. This puts cost estimates and $150,000 to $250,000 dollars.

One thing I was surprised about was the level of organization skate park advocates have. As mentioned, local advocates have thoughtfully addressed the council with their requests. There is even a non-profit organization geared toward skate park advocacy. The Skaters of Public Skateparks assist in advocacy, planning, and fundraising. They seem to be an excellent resource on skate parks.

Skateboarding can no longer be considered a fad. It has been around for at least a quarter of a century. A skate park is a place to skate in a controlled environment. Otherwise, skaters tend to trespass and skate in public rights of way. This is far more dangerous. The city is right in their proposal for a skate park.

Recreational requests granted

2007-07-12T21:38:00.000-05:00

Believe it or not, one effective way to get what you want is to go to City Hall and ask for it. This is true at least when it comes to the parks.

The Mattoon City Council accepted 535 signatures from Brad Perry during their regular meeting Tuesday October 4, 2005. The signatures were on a petition for the City to repair the tennis courts at Lawson Park. “If these courts are removed, there will be no tennis courts in the City of Mattoon” Perry said during his presentation. The courts have since been repaired and are in use today.

Lea Northam fought earlier this year to limit smoking in Mattoon’s parks. She addressed the council twice and convinced them to put up signs requesting smoking be refrained from the playground equipment. The city was reluctant to take on the topic because of its explosive nature. “Just because an issue is divisive doesn’t mean it is an issue to be ignored.” Northam argued before they came to common ground.

The neighborhood around Little Kinzel Park banded together and showed their support for the park in a positive way and the city responded with $10,000 in new equipment in recent years. “The City remembers these thing when it comes to budget time” Public Works Director David Wortman explained, referring to the wide neighborhood interest and continued support.

And local skateboarders have addressed the council more than once about the lack of a skate park in Mattoon. Now the city is working on plans on building on at the east end of the sports complex.

Chere Adams, a Cunningham Park neighbor of 19 years, addressed the council about the condition of the park. She pointed out that equipment has been being removed from the park steadily since 1988. Swings, slides, teeter totters, and merry go rounds have all been removed due to dangerous conditions and nothing brought back in their place. Recently the city removed two more pieces, leaving only one piece left for children to play.

Hopefully, the neighborhood will continue their requests for improvements to this park. If past examples hold true, the city will oblige them.

Here are four good examples where the city has followed through with the requests of the community. It is highly likely; none of these projects or policies would have been put in place without public involvement. I believe, the Lawson tennis courts were slated for demolition. The smoking issue would have gone unnoticed. Smaller parks are not given priority without public interest. And without awareness to the need for a skate park, grant funds could easily go to other projects.

Congratulations to those who fought for their issues. And thank you to the city for listening to the community.

Mid-summer gardening break

2007-07-05T21:19:00.000-05:00

As the summer rolls on and the state legislature wonders where their vacation is going, I’ll take a break from the heavy topics to enjoy one of my favorite hobbies. Every year, I can’t wait to begin enjoying the rewards of my garden. Not necessarily to feed my family or even to save money on groceries. Simply because I get enjoyment of eating something I grew.

The quality of fresh food is unmatched to commercially grown store produce. You can buy just about any food they want year-round at a grocery store where fruits and veggies are sold by the truckload. You can get grapefruits in the middle of February in Wisconsin even though they could never be grown there no matter what month it is.

Most garden plants, however, can be grown in a wide region. Strawberries can be grown from Saskatchewan to Florida. They are grown here during spring and summer but they’re shipped in from places like Florida or California out of season. The strawberries you buy in the store are quite firm and not particularly sweet compared to other varieties of strawberries. Fresh berries from a garden or “pick your own” place rarely need sweetened. Store bought strawberries just don’t compare.

Sweet corn is another good example; after being picked, corn begins to lose its sugar content almost immediately. After only 24 hours of being picked there is a notable decline in flavor. Anyone who has ever eaten sweet corn that went directly from the garden to the kitchen can tell you there is no comparison between garden fresh and store bought corn.

I don’t have strawberries or corn in my garden; they both take to much room for my small backyard. But there are plenty of berry farms and farmer’s markets to meet those needs. I have more of a salsa garden; tomatoes, peppers and onions. But I also have some beans, potatoes and cucumbers.

Another advantage to growing your own vegetables is control over chemicals and pesticides. Home gardens enjoy a clear advantage here as the grower has complete control over what they eat and may use or abstain from using any chemicals they see fit.

I have many hobbies, but my garden is one of my favorites. I’m now reaping its benefits. Beans, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers are all starting to ripen. I recommend it to everyone. If you are afraid of being overwhelmed, I recommend square foot gardening instead of planting in rows.

Square foot gardening is a method used to maximize space and keep your garden organized and manageable. There are books and websites dedicated to it that can explain it much better than me.

It’s a little late to start a garden this year, but its not to early to start planning for next years. A successful garden can be very reward throughout the year.

Environmental Impact of FutureGen

2007-06-28T21:16:00.001-05:00

June 26th was the night of the last public hearing on FutureGen here in Mattoon. The meeting was to discuss the environmental impact study recently completed on the proposed site.

There were several comments in favor of the project and a couple opposing it. But I felt Kent Metzger best caught the spirit of the meeting. Mr. Metzger commented on several environmental concerns and how they can be overcome. He did such a good job; I thought I would repeat his points here.

The report states all four sites are subject to severe drought. “A drought in Illinois is wet season in Texas” Metzger argued, bringing up until recently, we were considered to be in a drought but the corn is six feet high and tassling. A drought in Texas, the sagebrush would be dead. The evaporation rates at the Texas sites are two to three times greater than Illinois.

Aesthetically, the plant should be a showplace of the community as much as it is a showplace for technology. The proposed 250 foot stack will be the tallest structure for miles, but not that much taller than a lot of the grain bins in the area. Coles Station bins are 180 feet high and only a few miles away from the proposed site. Metzger pointed out that this tower and other infrastructure such as high-tension lines quickly become a common site and unnoticed. “How many high tension lines did you pass on your way here?” he challenged.

Noise pollution is another problem to be addressed. Noise can be deadened with natural and man built features such as vegetation and berms. Rail cars can be connected without banging them together as well. And the three additional trains per week are a small trade off to the community benefits to the plant.

Traffic will be increased, especially during construction. The roads to the site are asphalt roads that should handle the increased traffic. They will be upgraded if necessary. Obviously, there will be increased dust issues during construction. “That is what water trucks are for, that’s the way construction sites work.”

One of the most important issues brought up is community safety. There will be some hazardous materials handled at the proposed site, and precautions must be taken to insure safety. Metzger reminded those in attendance of some of the hazardous materials handled daily in the area that a lot of people don’t give much thought to.

“There are three manufacturing plants within three quarters of a mile from this school (Riddle School) that handle hazardous materials on a daily basis”. They are closer than the proposed plant will be. Also within a short distance is an anhydrous ammonia plant; one of the most dangerous chemicals dealt with in the area. “We are so used to it, we don’t even take it into consideration a lot of the time” Metzger pointed out.

“There are risks in everything we do, but I believe that FutureGen will take great care to the safety of our community” Metzger summarized. With the amount of preliminary study that has gone into this project, I believe he’s right.

Restoring the parks one at a time

2007-06-21T21:21:00.001-05:00

It has been nearly two years since I first wrote on the condition of Mattoon Parks. At that time, the city was contracting out mowing services and the contractor was not fulfilling his duties. City crews resumed mowing the parks, cemetery and various other city owned lots around town.

2006 was a relatively quiet year on the parks. But rumblings this year are coming to a boil. First the smoking issue was debated for weeks before the city decided to install signs forbidding the practice around the playgrounds. Now once again, parks are at the forefront of public debate.

Over the last several weeks, I have received several e-mails concerning the parks. Complaints range from tall weeds, to excessive litter, to dangerous equipment. Though all parks were mentioned, most mention Cunningham Park as the one of the worse in town.

Aging equipment has been removed, but not replaced. Trash cans and benches are continuously vandalized to the point the city no longer replaces them. There is often obscene graffiti on the equipment that usually draws the comment “glad my kids can’t read”

Last Tuesday, Chere Adams, a Cunningham Park neighbor of 19 years, addressed the council about the condition of the park. She pointed out that equipment has been being removed from the park steadily since 1988. Swings, slides, teeter totters, and merry go rounds have all been removed due to dangerous conditions and nothing brought back in their place. Recently the city removed two more pieces, leaving only one piece left for children to play.

Ms. Adams spoke of the families that used to come to the park, and now they have stopped. She used to hear laughter from the children, now only the occasional fight from the mischief teens. Overall, her complaints were similar to the ones I’ve fielded through my website.

While Mattoon has seven parks, sometimes the parks department neglects the smaller ones. Little Kinzel Park seems to the exception to this rule. Here the neighborhood banded together and showed their support for the park in a positive way and the city remembered that at budget time. They were successful in receiving $10,000 in new equipment in recent years.

Some have inquired about organizing cleanup days and tackling one park at a time. I support this, but cautioned to get city approval and supervision if anything more than pulling weeds and picking up trash was proposed. I floated the idea to Public Works director; David Wortman and he welcomed the idea as long as it was in the spirit of wanting to help and not to bash the parks department. If the neighborhood around Cunningham park can ban together like the neighborhood around Little Kinzel, that park can thrive once again. Then we can move on to Van Laningham park.

Taking the fire trucks to lunch

2007-06-14T21:46:00.001-05:00

If you’ve been to County Market around lunchtime, you’ve probably seen Mattoon’s fire trucks parked there while the firefighters eat lunch at Villa Pizza. You also may have seen the trucks at the sports complex while they enjoy a game. This practice has drawn some criticism at City Hall and various discussion groups on the Internet.

The chief and the administration in place at the time set the guidelines on leaving the station while on duty. The City of Mattoon has no official policy on leaving the station except to be done in moderation. Some leaders have kept tight leash on this privilege while others have been more lax.

It isn’t really fair to criticize the firefighters for eating lunch away from the station. Most of us leave work once in a while for lunch. Firefighters work 24-hour shifts, allowing an occasional meal is not out of line.

Allowing the firefighters to watch their kids play an occasional ball game is not out of line either. Again, we are talking about people who work 24-hour shifts. That is 24 hours away from their families. No breakfast in the morning, no dinner when they get home, no tucking in at night. Not to mention missed holidays, reunions, and school plays that may interfere with their schedule.

Firefighters know the risks of missing these events when they choose their profession. But allowing them to see a game if their duty’s are caught up and there are no emergencies is not something to get worked up over.

If the fire fighters leave the station, they must take the fire fighting trucks. That way their response time won’t be diminished by having to return to the station if they are called on an emergency. The argument of wasting fuel is something to be considered. But the benefits of keeping high spirits in the fire department far outweigh the gallon or so a day of fuel that is used for these uses.

The trucks need to leave their garage for more than just emergencies. This allows checking the vehicles for problems and keeping them in good working order. No sense waiting till there is a four-alarm fire to find out the ladder truck needs a starter.

I would hate to see the city have to make an official policy on this. The crews should understand what is meant by moderation and not abuse the privilege. While going to lunch is ok, grocery shopping for their shift may not be. But I don’t think we are anywhere near this.

The idea that firefighters should not leave their quarters unless it is to respond to a call or for training is too extreme. As with all things common sense should be applied to when and how often the trucks are taken out of the station. The fire department does an excellent job protection the City and deserves our thanks. Not petty criticism over lunches and ballgames.

A Walkable Community

2007-06-07T21:49:00.001-05:00

Perhaps you’ve seen the new sidewalk plan titled “A walkable community”. The plan is to replace, repair or rehabilitate sidewalks along certain routes throughout town. The four-year program hopes to supply Mattoon with 20 miles of connected sidewalks built to today’s safety, construction and accessible standards.

The move comes after years of complaints of deteriating sidewalks. The policy was favored over patchwork repairing throughout town. To look at all the sidewalks in town and start replacing the blocks in the worse shape would not create continuous walking routes for years.

The plan could seem controversial on the surface, especially if you do not live on one of the routes scheduled for sidewalks. So many of the sidewalks are in such disrepair, a plan must be built from the ground up. From the walks I take, I would say over 50 percent of the walks need attention of some sort. It would be way to costly to address all at once.

When rehabilitating or rebuilding a network in such disrepair, you must first secure the main structure. This phase of the plan strengthens the arterial sidewalk routes so no matter where you are in town, you can reach a walking route within a few blocks. After these trunk lines are in place, I hope the City continues repairing the secondary routes until the entire network is in working order with a regular maintenance schedule.

The work will be paid for from sales tax revenue accrued by the city from the quarter cent increase approved by the voters several years ago. They are also investigating state funding to improve sidewalks along state routes.

If you are not on the route, the city does have a 50/50 plan where they will assist in the cost of the homeowner replacing their own sidewalk. They will pay for the cost of the materials and you are responsible for the cost of the labor. They do require a deposit to insure a good job is completed. A do-it-yourselfer could go this route fairly cheap.

Overall I think it’s a good plan. I would like to see it labeled "Phase 1" with "Phase 2" beginning to fill in the voids, and an inventory map classifying each block and rating the conditions of all the sidewalks within them. (ie: Western would be considered "pedestrian arterial" all pedestrian arterials should have sidewalks at a rating of 2 or higher.)

I would also like to see all the parks, and ball fields served in the plan. Currently, Kinzel and Vanlaningham are not connected to the plan.

But this is definitely a good start and in its early stages. There is plenty of time to come up with a final plan. Unfortunately, I believe the sidewalk in front of my house will be on about Phase 46 scheduled around 2057.

Best of luck, Dr. Thallemer

2007-06-07T21:22:00.000-05:00

Lake Land College accepted the resignation of their president Dr. Bill Thallemer this week. This came after several weeks of speculations and accusations about the Board of Trustees and the President.

I never met Dr. Thallemer, but did hear him speak a couple of times. He brought a fresh look to the college and to the area itself. He was full of ideas and full of energy. I believe his style was not what the Lake Land Board had in mind when they hired him.

I like Dr. Thallemer because he’s not afraid of telling it like it is. “If the people in the community believe in the college then why aren’t they showing it?” Thallemer once asked community leaders, “The four miles between the college and Mattoon might as well be 400.”

Comments like these are brutally honest, but really hit the mark. But they also don’t make many friends. People don’t like to hear they are doing things wrong. Thallemer’s strategy was to shake things up and involve the students in the community. He hoped the community would meet him halfway; somewhere, the relationship fell apart.

Up until a couple of weeks ago, there was little public knowledge of trouble with the new president. There were only rumors. And even now, the exact reasons for the disagreements are not completely known. This had put a stain on the Board of Trustees that may seal their fate in the next election.

Sometimes it is best to keep these reasons private and save the community and persons involved the embarrassment of the story. No sense dragging everyone through the mud. But you must be prepared to take the heat. This is not that different then the Sarah Bush-David Padgett ordeal.

On the surface, it appears the Board ran Dr. Thallemer out because he rocked the boat. Sometimes the boat needs to be rocked to shake off the dead weight. Sometimes that weight can’t shake loose. This is Mattoon where leaders are supposed to drive the boat, not rock it.

The board may have a very legitimate reason for asking for the president’s resignation. But without disclosing the details, they will look like they are hiding something. It still may be the best for the situation, but they will have to face the music come election time.

Best of luck Dr. Thallemer. I had hoped your visions would take the community in a new direction. But outsiders rarely survive in central Illinois; Ask Richard Underkofler, Alan Probst, Bill Riebe, and Paul Nicholson. They were all brought in from other cities into high-level positions in Mattoon and Charleston. I am sure you will find a home where your talents will be put to there best use. And I hope your departure will not take our community a step backwards.

Oops they did it again

2007-05-28T09:53:00.000-05:00

Governor Blagojevich’s gross receipts tax seems to have gone down in flames. A non-binding vote received 107 votes against the tax and 0 votes in favor. It seems the legislature understands how unfriendly this tax is to business.

Estimates say if passed in its original form, it would add up to 15 cents to a gallon of gasoline. By the time the refinery is taxed, the distributor is taxed, and the retailer, plus every other middle man along the chain, it is the consumer that ultimately gets hurt.

And while the tax proposal has been voted down, little has been said about the massively expensive new programs being proposed or an alternative way to fund them.

But even though cooler heads prevailed in the GRT proposal, they seemed to be lost when it comes to personal comforts. Last year, they voted themselves a raise from around $57,600 annually to nearly $67,000 per year. Most legislators also receive additional pay, ranging from $8,771 to $23,338, for serving as committee chairmen or in leadership positions; and $125 for daily expenses when they are in session in Springfield. The total cost of the Senate-approved pay raises is $4.5 million.

While some argument could be made for some sort of a pay raise, this is the first since 2001, they also have approved $28 million for renovations to the statehouse. Updates and repairs are necessary, and the statehouse should be an impressive place, but some of the costs are down right irresponsible.

Urinals in the members washroom were replaced at a cost of $950 each, a base unit costs just under $200. Total cost on the bathroom makeover exceeded $400,000. Other improvements included a $38,000 clock and 27 custom doorknobs at over $400 a piece.

The 177 lawmakers will enjoy new custom built mahogany desks, historically accurate to the type used at the original statehouse. Estimates put these desks at $40,000 a piece. The administration could not provide the actual cost.

"I can't think of a worst possible, frickin' time for them to be doing this," said Jay Stewart, the Better Government Association's executive director. "Pay raises for us, gridlock for everyone else. And, by the way, we'll have really nice bathrooms."

So at this time when the state government is gridlocked on providing electric rate relief, and are facing potential tax increases and new government entitlements. Our elected officials frugally spend our tax dollars on plush bathroom amenities.

I hope they enjoy drying their hands on high-quality paper towels embossed with the state seal and the word "House" while us common folk are forced to use the low-grade stuff in the public bathrooms. It is good to know our money is in good hands.

It is time to put another ambulance in service

2007-05-17T21:18:00.000-05:00

The City of Mattoon is looking to purchase an ambulance to use a backup to the Mitchell-Jerdan fleet that serves the city. They have budgeted $120,000 for mutual aid vehicle to use for transport when Mitchell-Jerdan vehicles are unavailable due to other calls. Currently, the City of Charleston is used as a reserve.

This action comes several months after authorities across the county met to discuss ambulance service in Coles County. Most believe the City of Mattoon would benefit from adding another ambulance to serve the City.

Over the last 15 years, Mattoon has seen a variety of forms of ambulance service. In 1994, they entered into an agreement with Mitchell-Jerdan where the City would provide ambulances and Mitchell-Jerdan would provide the service.

In 1998, Mitchell-Jerdan met some competition when Advanced Ambulance Service began operation in Mattoon. They operated in town for 14 months and sited “business reasons” for discontinuing service.

The City ended its private/public relationship with Mitchell-Jerdan October 1, 1999 and they (M-J) became a private ambulance service for the Mattoon area. The city purchased a used ambulance to use when no other service was available in town. They eventually sold this to Mitchell-Jerdan during the budget crisis in the early 2000’s.

Carle Arrow Ambulance service began operation in Mattoon in February of 2000, just five months after Advanced’s departure. They alternated weeks receiving 911 calls with Mitchell-Jerdan. They quit serving the Mattoon area September 1, 2002 citing the patient volume wasn’t high enough to continue full time service.

Mercy Regional Emergency Health Services were poised to fill the gap left by Arrow, but was slowed by state and county guidelines. Six months after starting operations, they reduced their service to non-emergency transfers only. They blamed politics for their cut in service stating they would not put political differences in front of patient safety.

Mitchell-Jerdan has been the only stable ambulance service in Mattoon throughout this time. During this same time period, emergency room visits at Sarah Bush have increased 50%; from around 20,000 per year to nearly 30,000.

While Mitchell-Jerdan’s three ambulances may have been adequate in 1998, in 2007 they are stretched thin. Backup service from Charleston is being used more and more. The response time from Charleston could be to long for some patients. Without change, we are really rolling the dice on ambulance service.

Mattoon’s proposal to add an ambulance would put the City in the same position it was in when they ended their public/private relationship with Mitchell-Jerdan. They (M-J) would provide primary ambulance service to the city, and Mattoon would provide back-up service when Mitchell-Jerdan cannot handle the additional calls.

The need for Mattoon to keep an ambulance in 2001 when they sold their last one to Mitchell-Jerdan was not the same as today. There were almost always two ambulance services in town so the City ambulance was probably not used very often. Cutting the service in the time of financial hardship made sense.
But the conditions have now changed. Emergency calls are up, and backup service is 12 miles away. It is time to put an ambulance back in service at the fire department.

Cutting healthcare for retirees may not be as good as it seems

2007-05-10T20:04:00.002-05:00

The City of Mattoon recently voted to stop providing health insurance to retirees hired after May 1, 2007. The measure is to reduce the ever-increasing health care costs the city faces, even though the results will not begin to be felt for fifteen to twenty years.

This seems like a good move on the City’s part. Health care coverage for life is a benefit few jobs come with these days. According to City officials, no other towns in the area still offer such a benefit.

Similar benefits have made huge contributions to the downfalls of large corporations such as General Motors who spends over $5 billion annually for health care on their retirees. That adds $1500 to the price of every automobile.

But for some departments, dropping health care coverage on retirees can be a risk. Mattoon fire fighter Blair Bookman warned the City of the possible costs of this plan being greater than what is realized. Since employees may put off retirement to keep health benefits and ultimately increase dangers of on the job injury with an aged department.

Combining this policy with State regulations on firefighters pensions could be a deadly combination. A firefighter must work 20-years and be over the age of 50 to qualify for a pension unless certain conditions apply.

This leaves fifteen years between retirement and qualifying for Medicare benefits at 65. Or fifteen years the individual would be responsible for his or her own health care coverage. This may force a firefighter to work well past the age of 50 in order to retain healthcare.

If a firefighter becomes disabled in the line of duty and can not return to duty they may receive a pension of 65% of their last salary. Additionally the disabled firefighter, if they were receiving group insurance benefits at the time they retire, shall continue to receive health insurance free of charge for the remainder of their life.

Some cardio-pulmonary diseases are classified as "job related" for firefighters. This would mean a firefighter that has a heart attack that prevents them from continuing their duties as a firefighter; they may qualify for a duty related disability. As a duty disability the firefighter would qualify for free health insurance.

Firefighting is a very stressful and physically demanding job. A firefighter working past their mid-fifties has a much greater risk of injury then their younger counterpart. Since a person must reach age 65 to qualify for Medicare future Mattoon firefighters may be "forced" to work longer careers due to health care costs.

This scenario could conceivably wipe out or greatly reduce the savings the city expects from this policy. However, enacting the policy today, still makes sense. This gives the City 20 years to study similar policies across the state. If others find it to cost prohibitive, Mattoon can take steps to reverse its action before the same effects are felt here. If others see a savings, we have a policy in place to reduce our costs as well.

I wonder, however, why the council members didn’t include themselves in the policy. By doing so, they could have saved the taxpayers an additional $30,000 per year.

Statewide smoking ban good, but bad

2007-05-10T20:04:00.001-05:00

The state legislature passed a state wide smoking ban this week. A similar bill has already passed the state senate. Governor Blagojevich is enthusiastic about signing the bill into law, which will ban smoking in public indoor places starting January 1. “Let me see the bill, but it sure sounds to me like that would be something I would enthusiastically sign,” the governor stated.

Several weeks ago, the City of Mattoon was thrust into the anti-smoking debate when citizens asked for no smoking areas around the playground equipment in city parks. I wrote a couple of columns supporting this move and think the city made the right decision in complying with the request.

I prefer a smoke-free establishment and there are several area restaurants I have quite frequenting because there is no separation between the smoking section and non-smoking sections. So this new law will open up more establishments I will spend my money at. Many give the argument that a smoking establishment will lose business if it switches to non-smoking. I am not sure if this accurate, but in my case the opposite is true.

All that being said, I do not necessarily agree with the state’s move on a wide smoking ban. The government already imposes to many restrictions on business and it gives Illinois a reputation of being non-business friendly. This is another example.

It is not an example of infringing on smoker’s rights. You don’t have the “right” to smoke wherever you want. Do you feel businesses barring smoking are infringing on your rights? And non-smokers don’t have the “right” to not smell smoke. It is an infringement on business owner’s rights on to run their business how they wish.

I support every bar and restaurant owner banning smoking in their establishment; and would campaign for them to do so. But it is not the governments place to make them. In the case of the parks, they are owned by the city. So if one wishes for a smoke free zone in the park, the city is who to talk to. If I wish to go to a smoke free Alamo, I would lobby the owner’s of the Alamo to cater to my business, not the government.

Happy birthday Sarah Bush

2007-04-27T07:18:00.001-05:00

Sarah Bush has taken a beating over the last couple of years, but this week is one for celebration. Sarah Bush has been open for 30 years at their present location.

Before the opening of Mattoon’s hospital, patients had to travel to Champaign or Decatur for surgeries and other hospital care. Local surgeries were limited mostly to amputation performed in doctor’s offices and the morgue. Other procedures were considered to dangerous to be done outside of hospital. With the crossing of three railroads and two railroad maintenance shops, Mattoon was in dire need of its own community hospital

In 1901, Dr. David McFall founded the Methodist Memorial Hospital in memory of his two sons, who had passed. The hospital opened March 15, 1906 in the former Rudy home at 21st and Richmond. The hospital was tested in1907 when there was a wreck on the interurban line that killed 18 and injured over 50.

Ten short years later, they built a larger facility on the same property. This new facility handled its first major disaster May 26, 1917 when a tornado struck Mattoon killing 64 and injuring 467.

The hospital also sponsored a nurses training program. Nursing students worked 21-hour shifts at the hospital, which included sleeping on cots in patient’s rooms. In 1934, the Methodist Church seized activity with the hospital and it simply became Memorial Hospital, the nursing school was closed more patient beds were added, increasing capacity from 35 to 53.

A major expansion opened May 29,1955 nearly doubling the number of beds in the facility to 103. Even as early as 1965, the need for more beds was being felt as a portion of the cafeteria was closed off and beds added to ease overflow patients.

While Mattoon’s hospital was facing overcrowding, Charleston’s 65-bed facility saw a lack of patients and was short on medical personnel and staff. In 1968, a feasibility study began on building a new hospital to serve both communities. The study came a time Coles County ranked 6th to last in medical care in the State of Illinois.

Sarah Bush opened May 10, 1977. And once again, the new facility was tested by disaster when a tornado struck Lake Mattoon of that year killing five and injuring 56. Since it’s opening, Sarah Bush has added many services, including Ambulatory Care in 1985, Regional Cancer Center in 1989, and an outpatient surgery center.

So I wanted to wish Sarah Bush a happy birthday and remind everyone to come out celebrate with them May 5th. Which is the real purpose of this column. (WARNING, shameless plug) I will be participating in the BBQ cook-off and need every possible vote for my ribs. So vote for “Chris’s Lunchbox” ribs from 3:30-4:30 May 5th. And enjoy the rest of festival as well.
May Sarah Bush serve the community for the next 30 years and beyond. Again, Happy Birthday

Election turnout was pathetic

2007-04-22T07:32:00.000-05:00

Did you know there was an election last week? It was hardly a blip on the radar. And the turnout was absolutely dismal. Local elections historically have lower numbers than national elections, even though the local government has a much greater effect on your day-to-day life than national.

Charleston had a 13.5% turnout while Mattoon’s was only 11.3%. One disgruntled candidate told me this week, “I no longer care, and apparently I am in the majority for once”.

To demonstrate how low the numbers were, I am only going to write 13.5% of my column this week.

Careful with Olympic funding

2007-04-12T19:26:00.001-05:00

As Chicago continues its quest to host the 2016 Olympics, Governor Blagojevich has promised $150 million state dollars to assist in the bid. The money will only be tapped of the games lose more than $975 million. In comparison, the State of California is offering $250 million for Los Angeles Olympic bid.

These are numbers hard to wrap your mind around. Just a few weeks ago, the Governor was proposing massive tax increases and selling of state assets, including the lottery, to bail out the state’s budget woes. Now poof, $150 mil for Chicago. If the state were to commit this money, what program would suffer?

Why would Chicago, and Illinois for that matter, want to lure the Olympics anyway? What is the attraction of hosting an event that may lose over $1 billion?

Hosting the Olympics puts projects on the fast track. Federal grants for infrastructure usually flow to a host city. And while the Olympics themselves may lose money, these improvements attract development for years beyond the event.

So perhaps it would be money well spent. But why should us downstaters foot the bill for Chicago once again? Based on the number of households, Coles County’s portion of this grant would be about $685,000. Would we see that much return for our investment?

Maybe if they used the University of Illinois as one of its venues some patrons would make there way this far south. Even still, Olympic visitors would need to fill 400 hotel rooms and spend an additional $50 per day in Coles County to break even. And the U of I is currently not being considered as a venue. The University of Minnesota is being considered instead. That is over three times farther away.

The City of Chicago plans on spending $2 billion on the Olympics if chosen. By comparison, Beijing is pouring nearly $40 billion in their 2008 hosting and London’s bill for the 2012 games in now upwards of $18 billion. Both are triple original estimates.

It is to early to tell if the Governor’s pledge will bring reward. But this is definitely another issue to watch. The state is already borrowing money to keep the budget balanced. This new pledge must not put the state further into debt.

The state should insist on all venues to be in Illinois before pledging state funds. And care should be taken make sure those who benefit from the Olympics are those who contribute the most. Downstate Illinois does not need to foot the bill for Chicago once again.

Smoking debate continues

2007-04-09T12:23:00.000-05:00

As the debate on smoking bans deepen, the two sides dig in and prepare to defend their positions. The state senate passed legislation this past week to ban smoking in all public buildings. As I stated before, I don’t think the government should be dictating how private companies should be running their business, but I really wouldn’t oppose a smoking ban since I find indoor smoke very irritating.

Because of the pending state legislation, the Mattoon City Council has decided not to address the issue of smoking, regardless of pleas of some citizens to restrict smoking around playground equipment at city parks.

So I’m at the park, with my kids helping them on and off the slide, cigarette in hand. They used to bump into the ember but have long learned to stay away it as it hurts when they touch it. I am sure your kids will learn the same after they run into it a couple of times. It only leaves a small mark and heals up fine in a few days.

Once I’ve sucked the thing almost down to the filter, I am no longer interested in it. I look around for a place to throw it out and assess my options. I could throw it in the trashcan and risk a trash fire; or I could throw the butt on the ground, amidst the wood chips, where the children are playing. I’ll step on it; that will make it safe.

Later, I’ll step on over to the ball field and take in a game. I celebrate the seventh inning stretch with the ceremonial lighting of a cigar. There is nothing like a stogie at the game. When I’m done, I won’t bother the spectators to either side of me by getting up, I’ll just drop the cigar under the bleachers. I’m sure the kids playing under there know to stay away from it. I’m glad sunflower seeds are prohibited at the ball field because those shells are just gross.

If the city is going to allow smoking in the parks, then they need to cater to the smokers. I think they realized this at the last council meeting. It is my understanding they plan on placing butt receptacles and signs requesting no smoking in the playground areas of the parks. This will be a “voluntary compliance policy”.

This seems to be a fair solution to the problem. No ordinance will be passed, but a simple policy to deter smoking around the playground and a depository for cigarette butts to reduce litter around the park.
I applaud the city for this decision and I applaud those who fought make it.

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em

2007-03-29T20:49:00.001-05:00

I’m turning over a new leaf this week. I’ve spent the better part of three years trying to show the other side of many arguments. Not only disagreeing on topics, but showing why and offering alternatives. Most of my ideas were ignored or shot down. So from now on, I am going to take the path of least resistance and agree with the decisions made by our local leaders.

Recent news has offered that at least two more large buildings are to be razed in town. The Wolf Furniture warehouse for the YMCA and the former Brown Shoe Factory by the school district are both slated for demolition. Everyone agrees parking is inadequate in town.

It is about time we rid the town of these eyesores and put bring in some more open space around town. The green spaces where Central School once stood and the 1700 block of Broadway are an asset to the community. And the additional parking at the depot is much needed. The money saved by not paving the lot shows the City cares about wasting tax dollars.

The county opting to leave any mention of zoning out of the comprehensive plan was definitely the right choice. The citizens obviously are not in favor of zoning, so why should we waste our time studying it.

Several weeks ago, the Governor of Illinois announced his plan for massive tax increases to fund new government programs and the ailing Illinois pension program. It is time to tighten our belts and put our faith in our Governor. After all, we elected him not once, but twice. Illinois ranks last in funding its pension program, and we all need to pitch in our share to correct this.

And boy, was I wrong about Ameren. This is a private company that deserves to make money. Everyone should quite whining about paying higher rates. Suck it up, cut elsewhere and let pay up. Ameren needs this increase to stay out of bankruptcy.

Yep, I’m tired of being on the losing side of an issue. It’s time turn over that leaf and change my way of thinking. Or maybe not, maybe I should point out this being the first column in the month of April. The first of April traditionally known as “All Fool’s Day”

Should smoking be banned in City parks?

2007-03-25T05:42:00.001-05:00

This subject has been bouncing around town lately and it is something I never really gave much thought. Other cities and even the State of California have banned smoking in public places. And now, Lea Northam has asked the Mattoon City Council to consider, at the least, banning smoking in public parks.

My thoughts on smoking bans have always been for the government to stay out of private business. If an owner of a business wants to allow smoking, as long as cigarettes are legal, they should be allowed. However, that business owner should be aware, that I will most likely be taking my business elsewhere. This is the risk they take for allowing smoking.

But banning in parks is a different argument I had never thought of. The city banning smoking in their parks is equivalent to the city banning smoking in their buildings, or a business owner banning smoking in their establishment. They are not putting restriction on what a business owner can or cannot do with their establishment. Instead, they would be asking to respect their property and allow everyone to enjoy it by not polluting the air and ground.

And since parks, or at least the playground portions, are primarily for children, why would such a policy be so controversial? I’m not sure a citywide ordinance is in order, but at the very least, creating a smoke free buffer zone around the playground areas in the parks is a very good idea.

And should be easy to implement with some signs and receptacles for those nasty cigarette butts. Besides second hand smoke, there are a lot of smokers who flick their butts to the side or drop them, step on them, and leave them. This act is equally disgusting, and effects visitors long after the smoke has cleared. Kids will pick anything off the ground. Lets keep the cigarette butts away.

I recently had my girls at the playground and one started to pick up a cigarette butt that had been littered onto the ground. I wondered why someone would be so careless and throw that down actually in the wood chips where kids play. While there is no excuse for this, I wonder if there had been a no smoking reminder posted and a butt receptacle nearby, if the offender would have obliged. I would bet most would.

I hope the council takes on this issue. They have gone through spells of openly debating issues on the floor during the meeting. This is one they need attend to. I think when someone takes the time to address the council they owe it to that person and the community to publicly state their position on the issue. Put it to a vote, even if you are going to vote it down, and let us know where each councilperson stands.

It is time to end electric deregulation

2007-03-16T12:32:00.000-05:00

When Congress opened the doors for the deregulation of the electric power industry, it was supposed to lower prices by creating competition in a free-market system. As had been done in the airline, natural gas and telecommunications industries, deregulation was anticipated to bring electricity to consumers at the best possible price. Unfortunately, this didn't happen, as a true competitive marketplace never formed, and many states, including Illinois, were forced to cap prices to protect consumers.

California was the first state to pass electricity deregulation legislation in 1996. Power customers soon faced electricity shortages and sharp price increases, and the state government was forced to step in, suffering a significant financial loss. Maryland deregulated in 1999. They also lack the competitive marketplace promised by supporters of the legislation. Baltimore was expected to see a 72 percent rise in rates.

Other states such as Connecticut, and New Jersey are also experiencing cost issues since deregulating. And Virginia recently overwhelmingly repealed its deregulation and returned to its previous system. Arkansas, California, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico and Oklahoma have changed course and abandoned or indefinitely delayed deregulation.

Deregulation has had some success with large power customers. The cities and school districts locally were able to negotiate with other power companies to lower their bills. Though they are still paying more than their 2006 rates. The residential customer however has mostly been a victim of deregulation, as power companies see no profit in encouraging residential customers to switch.

Deregulation led to the uprising of Enron, an energy broker that ultimately folded under scandals of price fixing and fraud. Now, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has called for a federal investigation of Ameren and ComEd for price manipulation.

Ameren appears to be manipulating more than prices. They had offered a rebate to assist residential customers, but pulled it when their credit ratings were threatened. Attorney General Lisa Madigan is questioning whether a decision to downgrade the Ameren Illinois utilities' credit ratings to "junk" status on Monday might have been orchestrated by Ameren and ratings agency Moody's Investors Service.

I am normally against government intervention and all for free market. But electric deregulation has failed Illinois and many other states. It is time to end deregulation for a better system. If that system is the one in place before deregulation, then go with that. But the large utility companies appear corrupt and do not have the low-end customers in their best interests.
As I’ve said before, price caps can’t be held forever, but it appears we are not ready for free market electricity.

Do you trust the Governor with your money?

2007-03-07T20:36:00.001-06:00

Last year, Governor Blagojevich proposed selling the Illinois State Lottery for $10 billion to boost education funding. Under the plan, $4 billion would be used for a four-year plan to increase education funding. The remaining $6 billion would fund an annuity to replace the lost lottery revenue stream with a $650 million annual payment until fiscal 2025. This is controversial, but at least you can say his reasoning is noble. It is ironic to sell the revenue generator created to fund education in order to fund education.

About the same time, he also proposed selling the Illinois State Tollway system for $18 billion. The tollway clears well over $300 million annually after expenses. The loss of both the Tollway system and Lottery would be a loss of nearly $1 billion annually.

This year, the sale of the lottery has been proposed again. This time, the proceeds are to fill the gap in Illinois’ under funded pension system. During his first term, Blagojevich spearheaded the sale of $10 billion in bonds to pay down pension debt. Last year, the State balanced the budget by robbing $2.3 billion of that borrowed money from the pension fund.

So how does Governor Blagojevich plan to replace the loss of $1 billion dollars per year? What is his Plan B on funding education since he no longer wants to use proceeds from the lottery sale? What is his plan for healthcare in Illinois?

You guessed it. Massive tax increases. Over $7 billion in new taxes are being proposed. That is the largest in Illinois history. The taxes will be on businesses so the Governor claims it does not break his campaign promise of not raising income or sales taxes. But he completely ignores that business will pass this expense to their customers.

Also included in the Governor’s budget is a new entitlement program Illinois Covered, which offers health care to 1.4 million Illinoisans at a cost of $2.1 billion per years. This will be funded in part by a new tax on employers who do not offer health care. Said tax is estimated to bring in $1 billion per year.

So lets recap. First sell the lottery to pay for education. Then under fund state pensions by billions, ignoring the warnings and dangers. Then flip on education funding, instead diverting the money to the pension that is in such bad shape partly because HE didn’t pay proper attention to it in the first place. Then flop on raising taxes to fund education since he flipped on his original plan. Then offer everyone in the State health care, but mandate all employers provide it or pay a penalty.

All the while spending existing money on such items as $15 million on state funded stem cell research; $1 million grant to repair a church damaged by fire while cutting funding on repairs to a state university damaged by fire; and $2.6 million for 610,000 doses of flu vaccine from Europe that were not approved by the FDA. They ultimately expired and were destroyed.

Giving this administration more money is giving them a license to steal. The $60 billion budget is the largest in Illinois history, almost 10 percent increase over last years, which Illinois had to borrow over $2 billion to pay for.

Douglas Whitley, Illinois State Chamber of Commerce president, said it best. "Gov. Rod Blagojevich's budget plan for state taxpayers is a reckless and irresponsible affront to every employer and worker in Illinois. If this plan is approved, Illinois will most certainly lose jobs and businesses to other states for lack of regard for the economic consequences of his political ambitions for big government."

Understanding your Ameren/CIPS bill

2007-02-28T22:01:00.001-06:00

I keep hearing all these horror stories about how Ameren/CIPS bills are suddenly double what they were in December. I too, was horrified when I received mine this month. This is the first full month of billing with the new electric rates imposed after 10-year rates freeze.

I started dissecting my bill to determine why I was told there would be a 40-percent increase in electric rates, but my bill was nearly double the last one.

First off, I subtract the gas portion. January was sixteen degrees colder than December, and the difference between thirty-nine and twenty-three was sure felt on my furnace. Without the gas charge, I am now comparing apples to apples.

Next I add up all the charges to compare the rates. Someone had showed me their bill and their total rate appeared to have gone from around 7.5 cents to over 15 cents per kWh. That is far more than 40-percent and I wanted to make sure that wasn’t the case.

At first I was concerned, as when I added my rates I got the same result. But studying it further, I realized Ameren/CIPS now charges a different rate for usage over 800 kWh. So adding the columns isn’t the correct method for figuring your total rate. As a matter of fact, your rate will differ depending on your total usage because of these varying rates.

Ameren has stated that your electricity will cost you about one dollar per day more. This does not relate to the stories I’ve heard, but when I finally worked through all the rates, taxes, and miscellaneous charges on the electric portion of my bill, the difference between the old rates and the new was $30.89 for a 31-day period. As much as I wanted to call Ameren out on this, what they said (at least in my case) was true.

This is in no way an endorsement of the Ameren or the rate increase. I understand there is some issues with Ameren previously offering incentives for homes to switch to all electric and those discounts expired without warning when the rate increase went into effect. And that sure does smell of a bait and switch scheme.

I try to keep an open mind about the rate increase and being forced to charge the same amount for ten years. That doesn’t work well with economics 101. But I also think Ameren is overplaying hand stating the continued rate freeze would force them into bankruptcy. But one thing I am certain of, Ameren told me my electricity would cost me about one dollar per day more, and at least for the first month, they were right on target.

I created a rate calculator and posted it on my website at www.savemattoon.org. You can enter you kWh usage from your CIPS bill and it will compare the new rates with the old. There are some changing variables so it is not exact, but it was within a couple of dollars on every one of my 2006 bills.

Good job on storm cleanup

2007-02-23T12:33:00.001-06:00

After the first significant snowfall last year, I commented on how streets in Charleston and state highways were clear long before those in Mattoon. The same was true after last weeks storm. It appears Charleston salts the majority of their streets while Mattoon only salts stop intersections.

Usually, the snow pack melts off in a day or two, and the lack of salt on the streets isn’t felt for long. But a combination of ice, additional snowfall over the weekend and bitter cold temperatures for the better part of a week led to Mattoon’s streets staying snow packed.

My street was cleared good enough to drive on before I left for work. A second pass was made before 8:00 am to clear the parking lanes. The lanes were filled with vehicles as many had not left for work or stayed home due to the in climate weather. This left the majority of the parking lanes in less than desirable conditions. It was two days before they were cleared.

While I was initially annoyed at the lack of snow removal, the more I thought about it, the more I believe it was adequate. Roads were passable and if you weren't driving 40 miles per hour, not really dangerous. Why should the city clear off the parking lane? They don't clear my drive to the sidewalk.

Mattoon doesn’t have a parking ban during snowfall; so it is parker beware when a storm hits. Many cities make there own citizens clear out their own parking places. In Chicago, you save your cleaned parking space by placing a dinette chair there while your car is out. If you want a clear spot in Mattoon, don’t park in the street when snow is predicted.

I know many of you are in disbelief that I am siding with the City on this one. But simply look at the numbers and decide if it is worth it. Charleston has about 90 miles of streets they maintain and spent $41,000 for snow removal. That is about $450 per mile. Mattoon has 120 miles and spent about $30,000 on snow removal for $250 per mile.

For the extra $200 per mile, Charleston streets were clear and dry one day after the storm. Mattoon would to have spent an additional $24,000 to make the same effort. And while it was nice to drive on dry streets in Charleston shortly after the storm, I would prefer to spend my money on something that is going to last a bit longer than a week.

Both the Mattoon and Charleston Public Works directors told me they are equipped and able to provide however much snow removal they are allowed. But you get what you pay for. And for now, Charleston puts more priority in snow removal than Mattoon.

Regardless, the crews did a bang up job in both towns with the instructions they were given. Both put in overtime hours through the week and on the weekend after a few more inches fell. In addition to snow removal, crews fixed several water main breaks due to the cold. The fire and police departments often receive praise for their efforts. The public works department are in a lot ways the unsung heroes that keep the city running smoothly and deserve a thanks as well.

Here we go again

2007-02-15T21:06:00.000-06:00

Someone asked me this week if I was going to oppose the demolition of the warehouse along 15th Street just north of the old railroad tracks. The area is to be used for parking for the YMCA. This will make the 6th building razed for YMCA parking. And the public has yet to see nary a sketch of a proposed expansion.

The building isn’t particularly historic, nor does it have intricate architecture. But it is hard to believe with all the open space around the YMCA, more must be created for additional parking.

When they proposed the demolition of the Big Four depot, I fought hard spawning my website, and my column; they tore it down anyway. When they proposed the demolition of the 1700 block of Broadway, I presented a detailed report showing why it would be better so save it; they tore it down anyway. When they proposed the demolition of Central School, I offered several possible uses to the City; my words fell on deaf ears and they tore it down anyway.

I have written countless columns on how detrimental this practice is. Pointing out vast open space contributes to the blight of downtown, not helps it. Razing building for open space achieves the opposite of the City goals for downtown. I have brought up that there are over 2200 parking places currently in downtown, yet we create more, nothing changes.

I agree that tearing down that warehouse is wrong. But with all the effort I put into saving those other structures and being completely ignored, I don't see being able to prevent it. Every time I speak of saving buildings, I see everyone's eyes glaze over and their blank stares of "there he goes again" then carry on with their business after I've spoke like I wasn't even in the room. I wonder if anyone is still reading this week’s column.

The downtown’s best chance now is to hope for some infill projects to fill in the gaps left by building demolitions. But it will be hard to convince developers to take that chance until downtown turns the corner. And turning the corner will be hard as long there are wide-open spaces. It’s a catch-22.

"Saving Mattoon" through historic preservation isn't going to happen. I hate to admit that, but it’s a sad hard fact. I will oppose the demolition, but I probably won't put much energy into saving it. I know from past experience, it can't be done.

A different approach towards economic development

2007-02-09T11:22:00.000-06:00

I caught the last part of Matt Montgomery’s presentation to the City of Mattoon on bringing new retail to Coles County. Mr. Montgomery is from Buxton ID in Fort Worth, Texas and they specialize in community retail recruitment.

The plan is for an $85,000 study to match retail businesses with Coles County based on credit card usage, online purchases and other demographic data. The cost would be split between the communities.

The city plans to share the data for a fee with developers throughout the county to help bring business may work well in this region. Coles Together would own the actual information since they are a private entity. If the cities owned the information, someone could access it through the freedom of information act and use it without compensating.

There is an abundance of open retail space in Coles County. The old K-mart building is being renovated into a strip mall, though many spaces are full, there are still others available. There is also space available in the new strip along Lake Land Boulevard; and vacant slots in the Good Neighbor Shopping Center, not to mention the numerous available buildings downtown.

Stores already located in Mattoon are filling some of those spaces. Moving from one space to another is not exactly bringing new business to town. This step is may help fill that gap.

Charleston is not without empty retail buildings either. The former Wal-Mart building is largely vacant, as well as many store fronts in the surrounding plaza. The Walgreen’s store will leave their old location vacant. Labamba’s recently closed and Jimmy John’s moved leaving room for new retail close to campus. And there are a number of available buildings on and around the square.

I don’t know much about Buxton ID. I have seen presentations similar to this before and am never sure where the sales pitch ends and the reality begins. But I do like the idea of Mattoon and Charleston working together on economic development. The two towns are one community and their cooperation’s will benefit each other. I also like the pro-active approach towards attracting new business. If we sit and wait till companies contact us we will never move forward.

Writer’s block ramblings

2007-02-01T20:19:00.000-06:00

Another Thursday night and my deadline loom ahead with me struggling for a topic. It doesn’t happen very often, but every now and then I just am not sure what to write about.

I could write about the Omega Funds being used by the Mattoon police department. The department received around $650,000 from the sale of confiscated property once owned by the conspirators of the scam. This money was left over after victims were given a chance to be reimbursed for their losses.

The money has some strings attached, such as must be used for law enforcement on items that are not in the regular budget. And the money is to be spent in a relatively short period of time, 2 to 3 years. The City is not to simply bank the money and spend the interest; they must draw down the principle.

The police department has used the money to buy in-car cameras, in-car and handheld radios, weapons, exercise equipment and training. The City hopes to use part of the money renovate the top floors of the police department. These funds have been great help to equipping our police department.

Or I could write about the City of Charleston’s Zoning Board voting on the Lake Island Tract leases. There were good arguments on both sides of that debate, and it was a split vote. Two members of the board were absent from the meeting.

I hope they were ‘excused’ absences and the members didn’t simply miss the meeting to avoid a controversial vote. These people are appointed to these boards to make these types of decisions. If they are not willing to do that, they should let someone else serve on the board.

I thought about commenting on attracting a full iron man this summer to Lake Mattoon. This is a full 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, and 26.2 mile run. But I wore myself out just thinking about it.

I did want to mention to our state legislature to get on the ball with the FutureGen legislation. I have corresponded with Chapin Rose on this several times and the legislation seems to be hung up in the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. This legislation is one of the biggest items that will improve Illinois’ chance of landing FutureGen. I would hate to see all the hard work put in at the local levels lost because the State dropped the ball.

Usually when a topic doesn’t fall into my lap, one comes to me in my ramblings to myself. This week, nothing really stands out to fill an entire column, maybe next week.

Topping the tree ordinance

2007-01-25T20:58:00.001-06:00

Recent comments at the last Mattoon Council Meeting prompted me to revisit the tree ordinance for a third time. The discussion of tree topping came up at the last council meeting. This was banned as part of the ordinance passed last year.

Other names for this malpractice include stubbing, heading, heading-back, stubbing-off, tipping, topping off, dehorning, lopping, pollarding or roundover. Whatever you call it, it appears to be very bad for the health of a tree.

Topping shouldn’t be confused with proper pruning of the tree. Pruning a tree selective reduces the number of branches within the tree to help shape the tree and control its size. Topping removes all the leaf branches from the tree and severely deforms it.

Topping a tree often doesn’t achieve what is intended. A topped tree will grow back at a rapid rate and could be the same size as before topping in as little as two years. It grows back rapidly in an attempt to replace its missing leaf area. It needs all of its leaves so that it can manufacture food for the trunk and roots.

Topped trees will likely need re-done every few years-and eventually must be removed when it dies or the owner gives up. Each time a branch is cut, numerous long, skinny young shoots grow rapidly back to replace it. They must be cut and recut, but they always regrow the next year making the job exponentially more difficult.

Besides, it’s ugly. Part of a trees beauty is its natural shape. The stumpy branches and shoots look like a witch’s broom. Ninety years of beauty ruined in a couple of hours. If the tree ever reestablishes itself, it will be the same size as it was pre-topped. This often prompts the misinformed owner to top the tree once again, starting the vicious cycle over.

Finally, topping a tree is dangerous. The exposed cuts can cause rot in the branches. Since the tree needs its leaves to provide the trunk and roots food, the loss of its tree branches can cause the rest of the tree to weaken. These weakened branches can break under undue stress from a storm or drought year. Ironically, some think topping a tree will strengthen it. The opposite is true.

If you have a tree you feel needs topped because it is to close to your house or under power lines. It’s more likely the tree should be replaced with one that is better suited for that area. Or it should be properly pruned to grow around the obstruction without taking away from the natural shape of the tree.

Topped trees detract from the value of your property. Appraisers subtract hundreds of dollars from the value of a tree when it's been topped. The City got this one right. Topping trees should not be allowed.

The Lake Island Tract debacle

2007-01-18T21:08:00.000-06:00

Imagine if you were told to move your home or have it torn down. That is what the residents on the Lake Island Tract at Lake Charleston may be facing if the City doesn’t renew the leases on their parcels. The land is owned by the City but has been leased to the owners of the dwellings since the mid 1940’s.

In 1992, the then City Council set all the leases to expire in 2009. That was when the last lease was set to expire. Then Mayor Wayne Lanman stated at that time he saw no reason why the leases wouldn’t be renewed at that time.

But everything since then has pointed towards the City eliminating these parcels and reverting the land to recreational ground. Former City Manager Bill Riebe said the lake is too valuable of an asset and should be used as a recreational area that can be utilized by all Charleston residents.

The issue was a major topic in the 1993 mayoral campaign where future Mayor Dan Cougill gave the first indication that the City may allow the leases to expire in 2009 and use the land for recreational purposes. The conversion of this land was mentioned in the 1997 Charleston Tomorrow strategic plan. And the Comprehensive Plan adopted in 1999 called for the elimination of the leases so the “land can be returned to its natural state and utilized as recreational and open space.” In 2002, Commissioner John Winnett stated he felt when he voted on the leases in 1992 that they would not be renewed beyond 2009.

I had heard that the original leases were for 99 years, but were lost and 2009 was chosen when they were rewritten. This would extend the end of the lease 35 years. I question the loss of all copies and records of this as both leaseholders and the City would have documentation. And meeting minutes from the 1940’s would talk of a 99-year lease.

According to City Manager Scott Smith, “In 1946, the City of Charleston entered into an agreement with the Illinois Department of Conservation for the construction of “Lake Charleston”. This agreement included a 99-year “Right of First Refusal” for the State. This means, that if the City decided to sell land around the lake to private residents, the State has 2 years to determine if they want to buy the land before private ownership. The State’s “Right of First Refusal” expires in 2044.” Even if the City decided to sell the tracts, the State would get first dibs on them.

About the only problem I see is that the lease holders will not be compensated by the City. However, they own the dwellings while the City owns the land. They have the right to remove their personal property, including the houses from the land.

The discussion of the termination of leases at the Lake Island Tract has been open and public for many years. The future of the leases has been part of an open process and public discussion, including, but not limited to, various City Council meetings, the Charleston Tomorrow Strategic Plan, and the Charleston Comprehensive Plan.

It doesn’t seem to me the City is dropping a big bomb here. I cannot understand why the leaseholders would invest much in these properties without having this issue resolved first. I am sympathetic for someone who is being forced to move, and I don’t blame them for fighting to stay, but the writing has been on the wall since at least 1997.

I want my ABC!!

2007-01-11T17:00:00.000-06:00

For weeks now, we’ve been threatened of losing our ABC affiliates carried by Sinclair Broadcasting Company. Last week, it happened. WICS was pulled from Mediacom’s lineup and temporarily replaced with Starz Family.

After reading both Mediacom’s and Sinclair’s websites, it appears to be an old fashioned stand off where both companies are looking out for their own financial interests. And it’s us, the consumer that gets hurt in the end.

The Sinclair stations have traditionally been offered to Mediacom for free. They are “over the air” stations that get their revenue from advertising. The relationship works for both because Mediacom spreads Sinclair’s advertisers message to thousands of viewers, and the Sinclair stations entice viewers to use Mediacom’s service.

But Sinclair now wants Mediacom to pay for its stations, like they pay for cable stations. Mediacom is not willing to do that, so Sinclair demanded their stations be removed from Mediacom. While these two multi-million dollar corporations flex their muscles and butt their heads, we can’t watch Grey’s Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, or Ugly Betty. Luckily they are in reruns now, but not for long.

Of course each website is overly biased towards their company so its hard to get a feel for who’s in the right here. I almost can’t blame Mediacom for letting them go, but many other cable companies have been able to come to an agreement with Sinclair, including Comcast and AT & T.

If this were also a free market, I would say Sinclair has the right to charge for their service. But they have exclusive broadcasting right by the FCC for their stations in this area. They appear to be using this monopoly status to strong arm Mediacom for more money. This increase would eventually come out of the consumer’s pocket.

If Sinclair is going to charge like a cable station, they should give up their exclusive right to broadcast in this area and let other affiliates compete.

So what are you other options? The phone company now offers television service, as far as I know; they are still offering Sinclair stations. There is also Dish Network and Direct TV. Or if you have a high-speed internet connection, you can watch a lot of the network shows online through the networks websites.

Sinclair must have some deal with Direct TV, because most of their explanation of this mess read like an advertisement for Direct TV. It almost seems as though Sinclair is trying to pull customers away from cable and sign up for satellite.

By not being seen in Mediacom markets must be costing them in advertising. And also must be costing Mediacom as customers scramble for other options. I just wonder how we are going to catch the basketball game this weekend. Get this settled fast, I want my ABC!!

First impressions are lasting impressions

2007-01-03T21:39:00.000-06:00

On October 3, 1961, the Mattoon City Council approved $22,110 for the construction of public restrooms along Broadway Avenue. The restrooms were to be on the south side of Broadway, on the east side of the Illinois Central railroad tracks.

In November of that year, a section of the barrier wall guarding the slope to the subway below was removed and footings were poured for the project. Work proceeded throughout the winter and spring, and by the first of May 1962, the restrooms were open. They were open from 9 till 6 daily and till 8:30 on Fridays.

For 40 years the restrooms served shoppers and train travelers alike. The level of maintenance throughout the years sometimes-included full-time attendants other times simple janitorial services.

In 2001, the new city council felt the cost of maintaining the restrooms was greater then the city could afford. One of their first actions when taking office in May was to close the public restrooms. The building was razed as part of the bridge replacement project that summer.
Though the structure is gone, the gap in the barrier wall remains. A section of orange construction fence was placed across the gap to deter pedestrians from wandering to the tracks below. Four years later, this stretch of construction fence remains.

Ironically, this gap in the wall is one of the few places where the tracks are visible. The "trees of paradise" have infested the slopes of the subway from one end of town to the other. Getting rid of these trees will also do wonders to improve the looks of the city.

15 months have past since I first wrote that and the orange construction fence remains. Now visitors from out of town have also commented on the condition of the railroad right-of-way near the depot and that has prompted the City to look into the situation.

In 1999, the City entered into a contract with Canadian National Railroad for the railroad to clean the right-of-way, ridding it of debris and trees once the bridge construction was completed. The Champaign Avenue Bridge was the last be completed and the railroad has yet to fulfill their portion of the contract. The City has promised to put pressure on the railroad to fulfill their agreement.

Once the cleanup is completed, the railroad will grant easements to within 15 feet of the tracks so community groups can take over maintenance of the slopes, similar to the adopt a highway program.

First impressions are lasting impressions. For thousands of travelers on the Amtrak, this is the only impression they ever get of Mattoon. Mattoon is starting to take good strides in improving the looks of the community. The subway is one area that many locals never see, but many could be visitors do. Lets not neglect this area anymore.

New Year’s Resolution time

2006-12-27T20:56:00.000-06:00

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

2006-12-22T12:54:00.000-06:00

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?

2006-12-14T21:02:00.000-06:00

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

2006-12-06T20:40:00.000-06:00

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?

2006-12-01T17:27:00.000-06:00

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.

The stars have aligned on the I-57 TIF district

2006-11-24T23:20:00.000-06:00

The City of Mattoon took another step towards creating a TIF district along the I-57/Route 16 corridor. There was a public meeting held on the TIF during the council’s regular meeting on November 21. There were no objections to the TIF at the meeting.

The TIF was originally created to accommodate a proposed convention center just east of Interstate 57. The city was sued by a would be competitor of the convention center on the grounds that the land doesn't meet the requirements for a TIF district.

The TIF district was repealed in August of 2005 on a technicality with the platting of the ground. The lawsuit was dropped with the repeal.

Long before the lawsuit, the City of Mattoon negotiated with state legislatures to rewrite the TIF law to accommodate the land. The law states: "The area, prior to its designation, is subject to: (i.) chronic flooding that adversely impacts on real property in the area as certified by a registered professional engineer or appropriate regulatory agency or (ii.) surface water which discharges from all or a part of such area and contributes to flooding within the same watershed where the redevelopment project provides for facilities or improvements that contribute to the alleviation of all or part of such flooding."

Basically, it says if it floods, it qualifies. It was this provision that the City was claiming the land falls under when qualifying for the TIF. But they really didn’t produce enough evidence to make this claim.

This time around, they have done their homework and produced an engineering report almost one inch thick. “It would have been hard to qualify the land (for chronic flooding) based on the first report,” is what Public Works Director David Wortman said, “not with this one.”

The other factor working in the City’s favor this time around is the plaintiff of the previous lawsuit seems to be selling his interest in the competing motels near the proposed site. Two of the three motels have been sold and it appears the sale of the third may be in the works.

I still think the City has had worked the TIF laws to develop an area that wasn’t for what the TIF law was created. But they seem to have met the new requirements in a way that will hold up in court. And the biggest opponent seems to be getting out of the way.
It seems the stars have aligned on the I-57 TIF district. Estimates say we will have a new convention center by 2008.

County should study zoning for other solutions

2006-11-17T20:29:00.000-06:00

After two years of discussion, Coles County finally has a Comprehensive Plan. The plan was unanimously approved last Tuesday after an amendment was made to remove the recommendation of addressing countywide zoning.

For the record, the plan did not recommend zoning, only that the issue is addressed. “There has been considerable discussion about county zoning, both “pro” and “con”. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that the Coles County Board address the issue of county zoning.” is the exact text from the draft version of the plan.

Many see this as a win for the landowners. After all, who wants more restrictions on what you can or cannot do with your own land? I agree, traditional zoning puts to many restrictions on possible land uses.

This is why I suggested “Performance Zoning” earlier this year. My suggestion made it into the Comprehensive Plan, but I think since it contained the “z” word, it was not seriously considered by the County Board.

My idea was to find a compromise where land owners would still be able to do as they wish with their properties, but not put undo hardship on the rest of the taxpayers in the County. After all, if someone builds a 100-lot subdivision at the end of a 2-mile gravel road, who pays to fix the road in 5 years when the increased traffic tears it up. And better yet, who is going to want to move to that subdivision if the adjacent owner decides to build 500 cow dairy farm?

There are three outcomes to this scenario. First, without any controls, you end up with unsellable lots, bad roads, and incompatible neighbors. With traditional zoning, you would have neither the business nor the subdivision, because the land would be zoned “agricultural” since the infrastructure is not there for either. But performance zoning would allow for the sale of lots up to the capacity of the road. And adjacent ground would be able to develop as they please as long as odor and noise standards are met at the limits of their property.

It is a shame the plan was amended to take out the recommendation to study zoning. The county could be missing out on solutions that satisfy everyone’s wishes. Everyone wants to be able to do what they want with their property, but do you trust your neighbor to do what you want with theirs?

Once again, I am not advocating countywide zoning. But by not addressing it at all, the County is turning a blind eye to possible problems in the future. Address the issue, lay out the pro and cons, study the alternatives and then come to a conclusion. I hope this decision doesn’t come back to haunt us.

More debate at the meetings

2006-11-12T20:48:00.000-06:00

Past Mattoon Councils have abused consent agendas by using them to shorten meetings instead of streamlining mundane, routine items that are repeated in almost every meeting. When this was brought to the current councils attention, they approved a new meeting format correcting the misuse of consent agendas.

Now the council faces another possible change in the meeting format. Maybe not a change as much as bringing more discussion to the meetings. When the format was first changed, there were some issues debated and discussed on the floor during the meeting.

Now, the agenda is read and voted on without discussion. It is often joked about breaking time records for the meetings. The shortest City Council meeting has been just over four minutes. On average, they seem to last about 20 minutes. Add the 30 minute caucus session and the City Council is doing all of the City’s business in under 2 hours per month.

Of course they are working beyond the meetings, but since any two members cannot discuss City business outside of a public meeting, it can only be assumed one member is fully aware of the details of the item.

Why can’t two Council members discuss City business outside of an open meeting? Because it only take three members to conduct a meeting, and two votes would equal a majority in that case. And a majority cannot discuss business without a public meeting.

The Council has been called on this a few times in the past. Most recently when Chapin Rose met with the City on FutureGen and the Mayor and one councilman was in attendance. Even though the public was welcome to this meeting, it was not properly announced and advertised. It was not an official public meeting.

These instances and the inability to bounce ideas of other members prompted Commissioner Randy Ervin to propose more discussion during the City’s regular meeting. This change should greatly increase the agendas exposure to the public before voted on. The information provided on the agenda is scant at best.

I would suggest eliminating the caucus session before the meeting. The discussion that takes place in this meeting should be done on the floor during the regular City Council meeting.

It is good that the Council is working on improving its track record with the open meetings act. And the added discussion in the meetings will give the public a better chance to inform themselves on issues facing the City. I look forward to future meetings to see how things evolve.

Cows, corn, milk and ethanol

2006-11-04T11:15:00.000-06:00

While FutureGen is getting the bulk of the attention in proposed industry in Coles County, there are other large industries proposed as well. This includes an ethanol plant to be constructed at the former Trailmobile site.

The proposed site has raised some questions of safety and quality of life issues that could be affected by the plant. Processing grain has a reputation of being a smelly business. Anyone who has ever driven through Decatur can attest to that.

Last week, City of Charleston officials visited a nearby ethanol plant in Palestine, Illinois in hopes to ease concerns of the odors created from the process. Their trip seemed to ease their concerns. Odors were only noticeable when closer than 50 yards from the plant. And were described as smelling a little like baking bread.

Residents near some older plants have complained of odors described as a combination of rubbing alcohol and burning corn. But EPA regulations now require thermal oxidizers that essentially burn up emissions before releasing them into the atmosphere.

Another option for reducing the odor would be to find a use for the wet byproduct. A lot of the odor is created when the grain byproduct is dried for use as cattle feed. It is not cost effective to transport the feed wet, unless the route is fairly short.

A lot of ethanol plants attract dairy farms to the area as dairy cows feed on the ethanol grain byproduct. The two industries work well together as the methane produced from the dairy farm can be captured and used to power the ethanol plant. The manure is then used for fertilizer on the cornfields that produce the grain for the ethanol plant. It is one big cycle.

Establishing a dairy farm in rural Coles County should not be to difficult since Coles County doesn’t have, and is opposed to countywide zoning. Once EPA requirements are met, bring in the cows. This could create anywhere from 20 to 100 more jobs in the county.

Charleston is one step closer to creating 40 new jobs. Some of the fears from the proposed ethanol plant have been eased. Secondary industry from the plant could create dozens more jobs. The Coles County Comprehensive Plan is tailor made for attracting industries that go hand in hand with the plant. It’s time to see some new jobs coming to the area.

Who is to blame for the upcoming electric rate increase?

2006-10-29T18:36:00.000-06:00

As most people now know, starting in January of 2007, electric rates in this area will increase by 40 percent. In 1997, Illinois passed deregulation legislation that was supposed to allow consumers to choose their power supplier similar to the way they choose their long distance phone supplier.

One company would own the distribution system and others would own the generation system or power plants. The distribution companies would contract rates from the generation companies and pass those to the consumer. The consumer would then have the choice to accept that package or shop elsewhere for a different supplier and pay separate bills to the supplying company and the distribution company.

Prior to deregulation, utilities owned their power plants and delivered energy to customers at a regulated price. As part of the move to free markets, regulators capped electric rates for several years and required utilities to transfer or sell their plants.

The generation companies have been under contract with the distribution companies to provide power until the first of 2007, when the rate freeze expires. Rates after the first of the year were set by this reverse auction we have heard so much about. The distribution companies are now under contract to purchase electricity at this rate. Extending the rate freeze on the distribution companies will force them to charge less than what they have to pay. This would be a disaster waiting to happen.

While Ameren as a whole has been profitable, it is broken up into several subsidiaries that must act as separate companies. A profitable subsidiary cannot bail out a losing one. Doing so would be unfair to shareholders of the profitable company who did not invest in the other.

While we write our checks to Ameren, the generation companies that took part in the reverse auction are not known, or at least very hard to find. As the end consumer, we do not know where our product is originating. And it is these generating companies that are actually setting the price.

Maybe it is the State to blame for the impending rate increase. Twenty-three states passed electricity deregulation in the mid 1990’s. The California energy crisis of 2000 and 2001, and the Northeastern blackout in August of 2003, has left some states nervous. Since then, six states have either delayed or suspended the restructuring.

Illinois deregulation won’t allow distribution companies to produce their own electricity. The legislature has kept prices artificially low for close to a decade. They have set so many regulations to deregulation it is hard to regulate. Either repeal deregulation like many other states have or get out of the way of free market.

Time to change the batteries

2006-10-21T08:13:00.000-05:00

Benjamin Franklin wrote An Economic Project in 1784 at the age of 78. Franklin was known for staying up till the wee hours of the morning and sleeping till midday. He realized he lost 6 hours of daylight to sleep, yet burned his lamp for six hours before falling asleep. He calculated how much wax the City of Paris (where he lived in 1784) burned during the summer months and realized the immense cost to Parisians.

Hoping to keep everyone awake during daylight hours, Franklin made four proposals:
1. A tax is laid on every window built with shutters to keep out the light of the sun.
2. Candles rationed to one pound per family per week.
3. Guards posted to stop the passage of all coaches, etc. upon the streets after sunset except those of physicians, surgeons and midwives.
4. Every morning as soon as the sun shall rise, church bells and, if necessary, cannon shall inform the citizenry of the advent of light.

Franklin’s proposals were meant to be in humor, but in the early 1900’s Franklin’s writings sparked the ideas of Daylight Saving Time. May 21, 1916, Britain began its version.

Standard time in time zones was instituted in the U.S. and Canada by the railroads on November 18, 1883. Prior to that, time of day was a local matter. Standard time was made law with the Standard Time Act of 1918, enacted on March 19. Today, time laws are the responsibility of the Department of Transportation.

Daylight saving time was left to local legislation until 1966 when Congress passed the Uniform Time Act, which created Daylight Saving Time to begin on the last Sunday of April and to end on the last Sunday of October. 20 years later, the start of DST was moved to the first Sunday in April.

As in Franklin’s writings, energy savings are the biggest reason for Daylight Saving Time. And is the principle reasoning in the changes made to it over the years. The clocks remained an hour ahead for most of World War II. And in during the oil embargo of the 1970’s, the US stayed on DST for 15 months. Moving the start date in 1986 saves the US 300,000 barrels of oil per year.

Beginning in 2007, DST will begin on the second Sunday of March and end the first Sunday of November. The Secretary of Energy will report the impact of this change to Congress. And Congress will decide if we should go back to the 2005 time schedule.

Daylight Saving Time (not Daylight SavingS Time) is also the traditional time to change the batteries in your smoke detectors. And that is real point I want to make in this column. And don’t forget your carbon monoxide detectors as well.

I learned first hand last week the importance of a carbon monoxide detector. While I’m pretty diligent about the smoke detectors, I must admit I had lost track of the CO detector. Over the summer, it surfaced and a few weeks ago, I replaced the batteries and put it in the upstairs hallway.

Several hours after turning my furnace on for the first time, the CO alarm went off. I immediately thought of my children and how carbon monoxide may be deadly to someone their size long before an adult would even feel the effects.

We left the house and called the fire department. They confirmed elevated levels and stayed until they returned to normal. We shut the furnace down and had it checked out the next day.

The problem has been fixed and everything worked, as it should. The alarm alerted us before the levels were dangerous. The fire department responded and assured everything was safe. Now everything is back to normal and all is well. But things might have been different if I had not replaced the batteries in the carbon monoxide detector.

Bring back the bands!!

2006-10-13T19:39:00.000-05:00

Back in the mid 1980’s, when I was just a lowly band geek we spent nearly every weekend throughout the fall at various parades and competitions. There was always a weekend in October reserved for the EIU homecoming parade.

Even twenty years ago, there was trouble with rowdy spectators harassing the bands. We had to cover the bells of the tubas to keep beer cans out of them. And the flag girls lined up along the sides of the formation and performed sidespins along the route, pushing the crowd back to the curb where they belonged.

We were told what to expect and took measures to lessen the impact on our band. But the problems we encountered were relatively mild compared to some in recent years.

In 1996, a crowd of nearly 100 at the Pi Kappa Alpha house at 1110 Sixth Street harassed parade participants by shouting vulgarities, and grabbing people. Three outnumbered officers nearby could do little to control the crowd. Three members of the fraternity were found guilty of disturbing the peace and ordered to pay fines. The situation improved for the 1997 parade.

The most recent round of troubles climaxed in 2002 when members of many bands were pelted with beer cans, candy, lit cigarettes and insults. Children as young as 6th grade were propositioned by intoxicated parade spectators. These actions led to Newton Jr. High School band vow to not return. Several others declared not to come back until there have been several years without incidents to assure the safety of his students. This included Charleston’s high school and middle school bands.

2003 saw many changes to policies around the homecoming parade; the most noticeable being several dozen “blue shirt” volunteers to watch over the trouble areas. There was nothing but praise on how smooth the 2003 parade went. Praise was also given towards the 2004 parade. And there were no problems reported in 2005.

Now Mayor Inyart is taking steps to lure bands back to the parade. One suggestion is to make the parade a competition for the bands, offering a $3000 prize. Many bands state that it is not the rowdy behavior that has kept them away from the parade, but various competitions that conflict with the parade.

While scheduling conflicts may be the official reason for the absence of the bands, safety is still high on the minds of kids and their parents. There have been many suggestions to help make the parade safer, including changing the route. This has been proposed in the past and it has been decided the current route is the best.

"If it doesn't go up Seventh Street, around the Square and down Sixth Street, it isn't a parade," parade officials have stated. "The parade is about the campus, community and alumni and we want to keep it that way."

I agree, the route passes by the best of both the City and the College. By marching from Old Main to the square and back shows that EIU is united with the City. Besides, changing the route doesn’t address the problem, only moves it.

So whether its safety concerns or scheduling conflict, the number of bands at the EIU homecoming parade has been low compared to the past. A good number of bands in a parade can make the difference between a good parade and great one. Lets bring the bands back to Charleston and everyone please behave.

Solving Charleston’s roofing problems

2006-10-07T13:06:00.000-05:00

Mid September, the City of Charleston worked to appease roofing contractors and homeowners who had complained of shoddy work being done within the City. The City’s original idea to regulate such activities was to require a permit for all roofing work, including constructing, reconstructing, altering, maintaining and repairing roofs.

The permit would require anyone, except for the homeowner, working on roofs to be licensed by the State of Illinois. There was also a $50 fee attached to the permit application.

As imaginable, this proposal met stiff opposition throughout the City. Many saw this as the City overstepping their bounds and placing undo burden on its citizens. The Mayor and Council tabled the ordinance and asked the City staff to come up with a more workable plan.

Scrutiny over the proposal continued over the next couple of weeks and before the first council meeting in October, Mayor Inyart dropped the proposal all together. The proposal was supposed to allow the City to police whether roofers were following state statutes. But in the end, it was decided it would put an undue burden on the City and its citizens.

I did some checking around to see how other cities handle similar roofing problems. Many cities do require some sort of permit for different levels of roof work. But most weren’t required unless structural work was being done. So the City of Charleston was not completely in left field studying the idea.

But the citizens informed the City, they were not in approval of the idea, and since the City works for the citizens, the measure was dropped. So now what does the City plan on doing about the original complaints of shoddy roof work being done within the City?

The problem seems to go beyond making sure roofers are State Licensed. Apparently, it doesn’t take much to become licensed by the state. And having a state license doesn’t guarantee good work. I hope by dropping the permit proposal, the City is not dropping the subject altogether. There must be some common ground to insure quality work that is not a burden to the citizens.

Replacing the fire chief – what a mess

2006-10-01T10:08:00.000-05:00

Whether you are an elected official or a city employee, you have an obligation to make the decision that is in the best interest of the city, even if it is an unpopular choice. It is easy to stick your finger in the air and see which way the wind is blowing, and make your choice based on public opinion. But is the popular choice always the best choice? A good leader will make their decision on what is truly best, not on the winds.

This is what I wrote December 5, 2004 when the City of Charleston looked out of their ranks to hire a new police chief. The decision was very unpopular at the time, but seems to have worked out for the best for the City of Charleston.

When Mattoon made their decision to replace Fire Chief Bruce Grafton this week, they made the decision to only look for candidates from with the existing ranks of the fire department. By doing so, the City may be missing out on some extremely qualified candidates. I’m not saying that the candidates within the existing fire department are not qualified. They would actually have a leg up since they know the department and transition would likely be smoother with someone familiar with the force.

But how does the City know they are the best choice without opening the search to outside the community? The Council took the easy path to replacing the fire chief. The department could have run smoothly with an interim chief for weeks, or even months. Without widening the search, we will never know if the next Red Adair or Ray Downey could have been fire chief in Mattoon.

The other controversy surrounding the replacement of the fire chief is whether or not to give outgoing chief, Bruce Grafton a spike in his pension. As a taxpayer and fiscal conservative, I am all for not costing the taxpayers any more money than absolutely required. But this goes a lot deeper than that.

The so-called spike was negotiated into the firefighters contract many years ago as an incentive for firefighters to retire. At the time, the department was heavy in older firefighters and the City wanted to restructure the department with one of assorted age groups. The measure worked and now there is a diverse age range within the department. This configuration works best for the City as its good to have a mix of older, experienced firemen and younger, agile firefighters.

But the chief and assistant chief are not part of the bargaining unit. So the spike did not apply to them. But the City has extended the spike to all retiring chiefs and assistant chiefs for many, many years. The current council has approved the spike for previous retiring management.

And don’t look for this to be the end of pension spikes, as it is my understanding some management has the spike negotiated into their contract. The City needs to pass an ordinance prohibiting these spikes and keep everyone on an even playing field. To not extend the spike to Grafton reeks of the “Good ole boys club” the council claims it doesn’t adhere to.

Finally, I would like to thank Bruce Grafton for his service to the City of Mattoon. This is something that has seemed to be forgotten in this mess. Bruce served the City honorably for 32 years, 5 years as the head of the fore department. He has saved countless lives and put his own in danger for the citizen of Mattoon.

He was standing on the second floor of Walker’s Supermarket when the roof collapsed. As chief, he encouraged his men to continue their education in both firefighting and management. He was able to get the city hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants to better equip the department. And he always kept within his budget, often returning unused portions back to the City.

It is these things the City should remember Bruce Grafton for. Not this mess over his sudden retirement. I would like to see the council extend the same thanks to Mr. Grafton, on the record during council.

Keeping the lights off

2006-09-24T13:29:00.000-05:00

Electric rates will be jumping forty percent at the start of 2007. This comes after the power companies held a reverse auction to set the prices across the state. Some areas will see a fifty-six percent increase.

This comes as a nine-year freeze on electric rates imposed by the Illinois State Legislature expires. The freeze was put into place in hopes to attract competition after electric rates were deregulated. I’m not sure how freezing rates would attract competition, but nine years without an increase sure was nice on my checkbook.

But freezing rates for such a long time is only asking for disaster. Based on inflation alone, the rates should have increased by twenty-five percent. And energy prices have defiantly increased faster than the rate of inflation. Lawmakers are proposing to extend the freeze another three years. Again, it is nice for my checkbook, but not solving the problem. If this passes, look for an even larger increase in three years.

So where does a forty percent increase put us with the rest of the nation? According to my power bill, I pay 8.18 cents per kilowatt-hour. The national average is 9.21 cents and the Illinois average is 7.49 cents. So we are not in a bad place before the increase.

But the forty percent increase will make the rate 11.45 cents per kilowatt-hour. That will put Mattoon’s rates equal with Vermont’s, which has the tenth highest rates in the nation.

Artificially keeping rates low is only postponing the problem. Some say it can lead to an energy meltdown of California proportions. And when the freeze is over, the rates will increase even more. But without competition, power companies are able to charge what they want.

The competition deregulation was supposed to bring has never materialized. Since deregulation, Ameren has bought three smaller electric companies, including CIPS, widening their monopoly. But they also have invested $1.4 billion in infrastructure upgrades without resetting rates to reflect their investment.

This should be a hard lesson to the government, the power companies, and the consumers. You have to let the market set the price. And you have to have competition to keep the prices fair. We have neither. The only way we can keep our electric bill down is to keep the lights off.

Paying attention to etiquette

2006-09-15T21:39:00.000-05:00

I was asked this week how much attention I pay to etiquette. On a scale of one thru ten, I figured I was around an eight. I try not to use my phone in public. I open the door for others. I try to call people sir or ma’am. So I thought I was doing pretty good. Others felt the same as I, giving themselves sevens or nines.

My friend immediately called foul. He gave himself a three and he seems to be one of the most proper of the group. So reevaluating and doing some research, I wondered if maybe I overrated myself. But etiquette has an ever-changing definition. What was considered poor etiquette or rude in the past may now be considered the norm.

After a little research, I found what proper restaurant etiquette entails. There is a lot more to know than which fork to use with what dish.

When you're on a date, and the table has more than two chairs your lady sits on your left. Ladies, the gentleman should be on your right. If the table is two chairs, gentlemen, you give the lady the seat facing into the dining room.

When you're eating at a restaurant and you're finished with your meal you're supposed to put your fork and knife together at the 9 o'clock position. Crossing your silverware in the X position means that the waiter should not touch your plate because you haven't finished; hence the "X". It's what you're supposed to do when you pause to have a conversation or when you get up to use the restroom.

The 9 o'clock position also serves a practical purpose, when your waiter picks up the plate he or she can lift the plate and hold both pieces of silverware with his/her thumb. It keeps the stuff from sliding off the plate and falling on the floor or in your lap. When you get up from the table your napkin goes on your chair. Attentive wait staff should refold your napkin and put it back on the table for you. Putting your napkin on the table means that you don't plan on returning aka - "throwing in the towel"Never make a big deal of excusing yourself. Discreetly tell the person sitting next to you and go about your business. Also, dinner starts when the senior person/host picks up their napkin and finishes when the senior person gets up.

I found these guidelines interesting. I wonder to what degree they are followed. I certainly was unaware of many of them. But it all varies on the type and location of the place you visit. Some cultures find it rude to eat with your left hand.

I don’t think many are whispering about someone facing the dining room when their date should, or many servers complaining about silverware not being placed at nine o’clock. But at one time, in some place, this was expected. Today, we are doing good not to have to listen to someone else’s phone conversation over our meal.

It’s crime rate time again

2006-09-09T08:45:00.000-05:00

Every year, the Illinois State Police release the crime rates for every police agency in the state. The report generates a crime rate based on the number of crimes per 100,000 people. This year, the state crime rate fell 3.1 percent from 3844.5 to 3727 crimes per 100,000 people.

While the overall state enjoyed a drop in the crime rate, Coles County’s crime rate saw an increase in 2005, from 2791 to 3004. Most of the increase came under burglary and theft with 20 percent and 13 percent increases respectively.

Surrounding counties were mostly lower in their rates. Douglas County to the north saw a 9.2 percent decrease with an overall crime rate of 1299. Moultrie County decreased 20.2 percent to 1062. The crime rate in Shelby County was at 967, dropping 7.8 percent. Cumberland County climbed 9.1 percent to 1518. Clark was down 19.4 percent and Edgar down 17.9 percent to 1366 and 2226 respectively.

What other local media doesn’t report are the crime rates in the individual cities within Coles County. The rate in Charleston spiked up 28 percent in while Mattoon’s rose 4.5 percent. While this looks bad for Charleston, their overall rate is much lower than Mattoon’s. The crime rate for Charleston is 2900 crimes per 100,000 persons; Mattoon’s is 3948.

For those of you keeping score, you will notice the rate in Mattoon is higher than the state average. “Low Crime Rate” is listed as one of Coles County’s “Top Selling Point” by community leaders. How is “low” defined? Below average?

If Coles County wants to keep this selling point, they had better crack down on the growing crime problem. Rates were up 7 of the last 10 years in Mattoon. And now they have spiked in Charleston.

I’m not sure why the rates are climbing. Some say the increase began with when the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development took over management of the Chicago Housing Authority and began demolishing vacant buildings in Cabrini Extension. This displaced several thousand people, some of which moved here.

Others contribute the rise with the increased unemployment rate of the county. Coles County has lost over 800 jobs in the last six years. With so many people sitting around with nothing to do, crime rates are likely to rise.

No doubt, the high crime rate is related to the drug problem that plagues the county. All the more reason to fight for funding for the East Central Illinois Drug Task Force. The federal grant used to fund the task force has been slashed in the past years.

Regardless of the cause, it is time to faind a solution. Coles County is in danger of losing its “Low Crime Rate” status. Employment status could be looking up in the near future. And politicians are fighting to restore funding to the Byrne Justice Grant, which funds the task force. As things turn around in the area, so should the crime rate. But we need to fight the problem on all fronts and be vigilant with those responsible for the increasing rates.

Street Level turns 100

2006-09-03T20:52:00.000-05:00

That’s right, this is the 100th edition of Street Level. When I started almost 2 years ago, I had no idea it would last this long. I guess I’ve had a lot to say.

While my campaign started as one of historic preservation, it has become more of quality of life. Historic preservation is an important component, but there are many more aspects then simply saving buildings.

Almost everything a community does can affect quality of life issues. Sometimes even the smallest variations can change how you view things. A lot of times you don’t even realize what is different, you simply know things are not the same.

So since this is awards season, in the spirit of the Oscars, I’d like to thank a few people that helped Street Level make it to 100.

I’d like to thank John Broux and the Coles County Leader for giving me a forum to air out my views.

I’d like to thank the Mattoon City Council for making it so easy to come up with topics. Some believe I oppose things simply because they propose them, but that really is not the case. I just have different views on a lot of the issues they take on. Downtown redevelopment, tree and sign ordinance, green space, and TIF districts to name a few.

I’d like to thank the boards at the YMCA and Sarah Bush for their contributions to Street Level. I’d like to thank the members of the Mattoon School Board, and the Coles County Board for the same reasons.

I’d like to thank the City staff for answering my questions even though they know I’m going to slam them in my next column. They are for the most part, good people and know their decisions will draw some criticism. But they have thick skin and realize that reasonable people can reasonably disagree.

Let’s not forget the City of Charleston, who has provided some topics over the last couple years as well. The hiring of the new police chief, the passing of a historic preservation ordinance, and University Village have all provided topics for Street Level.

I’d like to thank Governor Blagojevich for making lousy decisions that make for easy topics when the local crowd falls short.

I’d like to thank my wife for proofing my columns and throwing out topics when writer’s block hits. And my mom for saving every article I’ve written.

Most of all, I’d like to thank you, my readers for putting up with me through 100 pieces. Here’s to 100 more.

A walk down Broadway

2006-08-26T15:15:00.000-05:00

Well, I finally made it to an economic development walk this week. These are walks have grown from around 15 people to several dozen. The spirit and mood towards downtown is far different than two years ago when I began paying attention.

In March of 2004, I took a hard look at the state of downtown and documented their condition. This walk is recorded on my website.

The economic walk showed a very different view of downtown than the one in 2004. On the down side, there is a dozen fewer buildings than before. But there is also starting to be some true redevelopment and new business proposed downtown.

The old Clarke Theater where the Upchurch Group was formerly located is being renovated into restaurant space. This will put feet on the ground on the west end of Broadway after business hours. Another business could take advantage of this new traffic by opening something that compliments a restaurant.

The demolition of the 1700 block of Broadway is nearly complete. It has been mentioned that new buildings may eventually be built here. Lets hope this happens, as the wide open this is the case, as the distance between business on the south side of Broadway is to far. There is no way for the stores to feed off the traffic of their neighbors.

The City needs to stress that new structures built here need to be built at the sidewalk with parking in the back. If new buildings were built set back from the street, the continuity along Broadway will be compromised.

Are you looking for office space in downtown Mattoon? Janice Moritz has several suites for rent above Warner’s office supplies. Most of these suites have been renovated and are ready for immediate use.

If you’re looking for something on the ground floor, the former Club Illini building is nearly ready for office or retail use. This redevelopment is an example of what is possible with downtown buildings.

The Club Illini building is just the first of four buildings in a row that have great potential for economic development. The former Broadway Joe’s building is also being renovated into a first class steak house where you can cook your own or have it prepared for you. The owners have done their homework and plan to serve a high quality steak.

And have your drinks served from the new martini bar next door. This specialty bar breaks the mold of drinking establishments currently in Mattoon. And it should fill a missing market for those not wanting to visit sports bars or sing karaoke. That market seems to be well served in town.

Finally, the Apostolic Church for their live theater is purchasing the old Time Theater. I have never seen their performances, but I hear they do very well. Good luck in their new venture.

So things have changed quite dramatically since March of 2004; some for the good, some for the bad. But the biggest change is that there now seems to be widespread interest in improving downtown. And those involved seem to be doers, not just talkers. Keith Summers has done a good job organizing the walks. They can go a long way towards achieving Mattoon’s downtown goals.

Tree ordinance revisited

2006-08-18T22:18:00.000-05:00

Liquidambar styraciflua (Sweet Gum)
I wanted to revisit this issue because the consequences of the new tree ordinance have been astounding. The ordinance was created to protect Mattoon’s tree lined boulevards. But the ordinance provided a provision that ultimately is destroying what it was designed to save.

According to the ordinance, sweet gum and ginkgo trees are considered nuisances and can be cut down at the landowners expense regardless of the ordinance. This has led to the onslaught of sweet gum trees all across town. Hardly protecting the tree canopy like the ordinance was designed.

This provision led to the resignation of one Tree Commission member back in March of this year. Billie Groniger gave up her position on the board over this issue. “The tree commission used to be very effective and well thought of,” Groniger argued. “Now they will be able to cut down perfectly healthy trees.”

She was right. It is hard to go a few blocks without seeing the trunk of where a sweet gum tree once stood. Most of these trees were planted to replace elm trees that suffered Dutch elm disease in the middle part of the 20th century. The tree normally grows strait up, and is resilient to insects and disease. The strong hardwood is also resilient to storm damage. This made the Sweet Gum an excellent replacement to the Elm. Most of these trees are now 60 years old and are some of the most mature trees on their block.

The fast growing tree doesn’t produce fruit until it is up to 20 years old, and can produce for up to 150 years. The mature tree can grow up to 140 feet tall but usually grow to around 70 feet. The time it will take to replace these trees will be a lifetime.

The Sweet Gum tree actually has many uses. The sap of the sweet gum was actually used as chewing gum by Indians and early settlers. This sap also has the power to induce drowsiness when its fumes are inhaled. The lumber is a popular choice for veneers, flooring and interior trim too.

One of the newest possible uses is actually quite surprising. According to the American Chemical society, the seeds found in those gumballs could be used to fight the bird flu. They contain significant amounts of shikimic acid, the starting material used to produce the main antiviral agent in a much-heralded drug for fighting bird flu. Shikimic acid is used to make a generic drug called oseltamivir - best known commercially as Tamiflu®

Almost any tree can be considered a nuisance. The Bradford Pear tree, because it is seldom pruned properly, is so fragile that it usually disintegrates long before it can grow to maturity. The Cottonwood, Tulip tree, Willow and Poplar are all weak wooded trees that could be considered nuisances.

The weak wooded trees are less of a nuisance than many others. Mulberry, Catalpa, Persimmon and Walnuts all litter their fruit similar to the Sweet Gum. Oh, and those pesky helicopters that clog my gutters. How about the thorns of a Honey Locust? Now there is a nuisance. But it was the Sweet Gum that made Mattoon’s list.

I doubt this ambush on Sweet Gum trees is what Jackie Record had in mind when she so passionately argued to reinstate the Tree Commission in November of 2004. For an ordinance designed to preserve Mattoon’s mature trees, there sure seems to be a lot of them coming down.
All trees need maintenance. Whether it’s pruning, watering or raking gumballs. Cutting a tree down is NOT maintenance.

Jobs tailor made for Coles County

2006-08-12T13:29:00.000-05:00

“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 April’s meeting on the FutureGen power plant proposal at Riddle School.

Since then, Mattoon has made the short list for the FutureGen project, Charleston is close to securing an ethanol plant, and now Oakland may score a diesel plant, using similar technology as the FutureGen site. And existing manufacturing plant, Justrite recently expanded and added 35 positions to their staff.

It is Coles County’s natural features that are attracting these facilities. The Mount Simon sandstone formation makes Mattoon perfect for FutureGen, the abundance of corn makes Charleston perfect for an ethanol plant, and the Oakland coalmine makes Oakland perfect for the diesel plant. And Coles County’s workforce makes us perfect for all three.

These sites will bring close to 835 full time jobs to the area, and a couple thousand short-term construction jobs.

835 full time jobs will go a long way in replenishing the struggling job market in Coles County. 300 jobs were lost when Trailmobile closed in late 2001. 35 permanent jobs vanished in January 2002 when the Coca-Cola bottling plant closed. And the closing of Blaw-Knox in 2003 saw 180 more jobs in Coles County disappear.

Ampad cut its workforce by 165 in 2005, closing its distribution center and cutting its workforce at its plant. And Lender’s Bagels cut its workforce by 10 percent when they recently laid off 28 fulltime employees. Mattoon Precision trimmed its staff by 22 in 2004. General Electric transferred 39 jobs overseas in 2002 and cut 44 in August of 2003, and 29 more in November of 2003.

Coles County has taken hit after hit during the last few years. These 835 jobs will bring the job market back up to the levels they were in the late 1990’s. Add in the construction boom and the possibility of secondary industries that use byproducts from these plants, Coles County’s job market could be in the best shape in 35 years when sites like Donnelly’s, Kal Kan, and Trailmobile were being built.

Illinois has lagged behind the nation in job recovery after the 2000 recession, and Coles County has lagged behind Illinois. Maybe its finally our turn to get the economic shot in the arm we so have been looking for. Hopefully Ms. Wetzel was right in her statements last April. Good luck, Coles County in securing these plants.

Lessons learned in building demolitions

2006-08-05T07:59:00.000-05:00

Another empty lot sits in Midtown Mattoon. Nine months ago there was an eighty year old art deco building that was being used as a gathering center for hundreds of kids every week to test their skills at the art of basketball.

The Community Unit District Two taxpayers incurred the cost of razing the building with minimal effort to find a second use. City officials recommended the demolition calling for no structures to remain standing so the buildings don’t end up like other dilapidated buildings in town.

August 4, 2006, the school district attempted to sell the empty lot by auction. The reserve price for the lot was set at $185,000, which was roughly the cost of demolition and around $2 per square foot. Even though there were dozens of people in attendance, not one person offered a bid.

The going rate for open land in downtown Mattoon is subject to debate as the City has learned with the YMCA land swap deal. This land that appraised for $1.75 per square foot less than two years ago, appraised again for almost $4 per square foot this spring. This drew calls for an independent appraisal that’s results have not yet been released. But this betting man estimates the $1.75 figure to be much closer.

Now the school district is stuck with a city block of unmarketable ground. They would have been money ahead to give the site away before demolition. At least then, the owner would have had something to work with. With the empty lot, a buyer has to come up with hundreds of thousands of dollars on top of the $185,000 for the property.

I don’t understand why people don’t get the advantages of reusing existing buildings; even when the evidence is right in front of them. The City recently committed $150,000 to the renovation of the old Club Illini building. It was estimated the City would spend at least this much condemning the building and tearing it down. The renovation of this building has resulted in two other buildings in the same block being renovated and new businesses are planned.

The results of building demolition for economic development are evident all over town. Almost every block of downtown has an open lot where a building stood years ago. Some sites have been vacant for 30 years. Restoration is almost always money better spent than demolition.

This has been my argument from the beginning. It is more than preservation for the sake of history. It is easier, cheaper and more profitable to develop land that is already developed. But sites continue to fall; the open space that is thought to draw in developers pushes them away. This lesson has been taught time and time again all across town. One of these days this lesson will be learned.

No relaxing on the FutureGen proposal

2006-07-29T07:06:00.000-05:00

We’ll we made it past phase one in the FutureGen playoffs. Now it is time to focus on phase two. Mattoon scored impressively on the site requirements for the project, but the fight is not over yet.

I’ve been watching the process pretty closely and I have been quite impressed with the proposal Mattoon has put together. And local authorities involved in the process have been very helpful in answering questions. David Wortman, Angela Griffin and Chapin Rose have all been a tremendous help.

But it is not guaranteed the plant will be built here yet. We are one in four possible choices. Now is the time to reevaluate our proposal and double our efforts to bring the plant.

The sites were scored based on surface conditions (availability of cooling water, power grid, site topography, etc.) and subsurface conditions (geology, faults, etc.) The Mattoon site scored second in both areas, behind Jewett, Texas on surface conditions and Odessa, Texas on subsurface conditions.

The good news is Mattoon scored very high in categories we can’t change, such as rock formations and fault lines. And lower in categories we have some control over, such as power grid infrastructure and access to nearby grounds for monitoring.

Upgrades to the power grid and negotiations with landowners for monitoring access can fill the needed gap to move Mattoon ahead of the Texas sites. We lost 40 points to land access. This one category could put us in the lead.

There will be other factors in the final choice that were not included in the first phase of the decision making process. It will probably be these factors that make or break the deal.

Both states have been touting their access and availability to coal. But the alliance has stated that the plant will be using coal from various places around the country and even around the world so this is not as important as it seems on the surface.

The Illinois sites are relatively close to the Illinois Coal Research facility at Southern Illinois University. Since FutureGen is also a research facility, this proximity could work to Mattoon’s advantage. Perhaps Lake Land could begin some kind of coal research. However, the University of Texas coal research facility is about the same distance to the Jewett, Texas site.

One of the biggest advantages that the Texas sites currently have over the Illinois sites is that the State of Texas has agreed to take ownership of the CO2 created from the plant and indemnifying the Alliance from the CO2. The proposal evaluation report released by the FutureGen Alliance states that this was a contribution factor to choosing the Texas sites.

Illinois passing similar legislation will go a long way to leveling the playing field. State Representative, Chapin Rose assured me that if it came down that close, Illinois would do what it could to match the Texas deal. U.S. Representatives, Tim Johnson and John Shimkus, and Jerry Costello are working at the federal level to see if something can be done about the CO2 liability. I want to keep pressure on the politicians to make sure Illinois is keeping up with Texas. I would hate to hear "the sites were real close, but since Texas agreed to take ownership of the CO2...."

Overall, it looks as though Mattoon is in decent shape for getting the FutureGen power plant. But now is not the time to wait and see. Now is the time to double the efforts and don’t give up on the fight. We can do this, but it will have to be a real community effort.

Using Lake Land College for economic development

2006-07-14T21:59:00.000-05:00

Mattoon has one of the most successful community college in the state. So why don't we use this success to our advantage. The truth is, unless you are south of I-57 on Route 45, you don't even know Lake Land exists.

Lake Land's new president agrees. New Lake Land College President Bill Thallemer, recently commented on lack of interaction between the college and the community. Thallemer believes there is a mental divide between Lake Land College and the communities in its district.

Using Lake Land’s proximity for economic development is something I never considered and I’m not really sure why. Lake Land is huge plus for Mattoon and is not being taken advantage of.

The problem is Lake Land is four miles south of town. And Interstate 57 lies between town and the school. This means very few students need to come into Mattoon to attend Lake Land. And even if you live in Mattoon, you still need a vehicle to get to the college. If people are required to drive, they might as well drive from their hometown.

While the new apartments adjacent to the college help students with transportation difficulties, it was a disadvantage to landlords within the City who cater to Lake Land students. And took a great number of people away from the heart of town. These apartments have not done well for Mattoon business. In a way, the campus is an element of sprawl.

Lake Land College opened long before the campus was built. Classes were held in various locations around town. The business offices were in the 200 block of North 20th street. These buildings were razed just last year. Utterbacks Business College was where Alexander Office Supplies was. Utterbacks closed when Lake Land opened and the building was razed in 1999 after the office store closed.

I have often thought how downtown would be if the Lake Land Campus had not been built and classes were still held there. Apartments on the second and third floors may be filled with students wanting live in proximity of classes. Businesses would fill the ground floors catering to students needs.

But the campus was built four miles south of town. At the time of its construction, its location and its effect on the city’s center were probably not considered. It’s not that Lake Land is hurting Mattoon, its just not really helping either.

We can't move campus, but how can we take advantage of the thousands of students that go there. Many of these students never even go into Mattoon. What can Mattoon do to bring these people into town? Can incentives or discounts be offered to Lake Land students? Are Mattoon businesses advertised on the Lake Land Campus? Is public transportation from town to campus possible?

Mattoon is studying a TIF district along the south Route 45 corridor. Cleaning up this route may help draw students into town. Now the new President of Lake Land had expressed interest in Lake Land working together with the community to help improve both institutions. This partnership could be what both needs.

Where are the E-85 pumps in Coles County?

2006-07-07T22:00:00.000-05:00

An increasing number of vehicles have the ability to run on E-85 fuel. This fuel is 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. The vehicles are known as flexible fuel vehicles (FFV).

The difference between regular vehicles and FFV's is a small computer microprocessor within the fuel system. This processor detects what fuel blend is being utilized and automatically adjusts the engine's ignition timing and air/fuel mixture ratios accordingly. The FFV chip adjusts the engine's optimum performance for any ratio of gasoline to fuel alcohol.

There have been many debates on the economic benefit of E-85. Typically, it costs about 20 percent less than regular unleaded, but you get about 20 percent drop in fuel efficiency, so your cost per mile is about the same.

But it’s the environmental advantages that attract most E-85 users. Dangerous emissions are far less with E-85 than traditional gasoline. And using home grown fuel reduces the dependency on foreign oil. And

The other big controversy about E-85 fuel revolves around amount of energy required to create it. Some studies show that by the time corn is planted, harvested, transported and processed to ethanol, more energy is spent than is created by the end product. But other studies show the opposite. It seems the results coincide with the agenda of who is sponsoring the study.

Could ethanol replace fossil fuels altogether? Probably not, some estimate if all the corn grown in the United States was used for ethanol production, it would only replace 10 percent of the fuel used nationwide. Ethanol produced from sugarcane can be 5 to 10 time more efficient than ethanol produced from corn. But the climate in most of the United States is not suited for growing sugarcane.

Whether E-85 fuel is cheaper, more efficient or safer than traditional fuel is moot to citizens of Coles County. The fuel is not available in this county. Any advantages are lost in the trip to Effingham, Champaign, Shelbyville or Marshall to purchase the fuel.

It has been argued that there is not enough demand in the County to justify gas station owners to dedicate pumps and tanks to the fuel and its sale would not be profitable. But have there been any actual studies done on this? A new website has set out to find this out. http://www.geocities.com/colese85/

The site asks users if they would use E-85 and estimate the amount per month that would be used. It currently estimates a demand for 1750 gallons per month in Coles County. It seems the demand for an alternative fuel is growing in the area and some gas station owners would find it profitable to offer E-85. It is only a matter of time before this demand is met.

What a difference a year makes

2006-07-07T21:57:00.000-05:00

The world changed for me 12 months ago. July 8, 2005, my twin girls were born. It has been the fastest year of my life. It seems like yesterday we brought Jaime and Rebecca home from the hospital.

I don’t think we slept for the first six months. I swear they timed it so one of them was always awake. The cost of baby formula and diapers was daunting. But it eventually got better and the rewards are never ending. I wrote a year ago on a experiencing a year of firsts. And every day it seems another first occurs.

We’ve had the first crawl, the first words (well kind of), and first teeth; we are still waiting for the first steps, but any day now, they will come. We just cleaned up from our first rummage sale. (Maybe I should have mentioned that last week so you readers could have come bought our stuff…oops) Now we are having our first birthday.

The sleepless nights are mostly over now, but there are many more challenges to come. But with each challenge comes much reward. Before long, they will be off to college. We will wonder what happened. Happy first birthday girls, and many many more.

Fourth of July weekend, and I’m busy with the festivities. Sorry for the low content, fluffy column, I’ll try to make up for it next week. Hope everyone had a good holiday.

Citywide internet could offer an economic boost

2006-06-26T10:32:00.000-05:00

City’s and towns across the country are starting to offer citywide wireless internet as an economic development tool. While Coles County has several wi-fi hot spots, we are way off from full coverage.

Both Mattoon and Charleston could benefit from such an incentive. This would be highly popular on Charleston’s heavy business oriented square. And Mattoon is trying to attract new business. Such a feature could help improve that effort.

Before long, this will be expected for a downtown business district. Coles County should take a step up and offer it while it is still considered an advantage.

The service is made available by placing wireless antennas a top power polls and buildings. Those antennas would then be connected to the internet. Each hub has a range of up to 1000 feet. A hub would be placed about every two to three blocks to insure coverage.

Some cities are offering the service for completely free as an economic development tool. Some are offering the service for free but users are subject to advertisements from the provider. And some are offering pay subscriptions as an alternative to DSL, Cable or other broadband services.

City-wide wireless internet is not without its risks. Studies show that while growth of public Wi-Fi usage was up a full 43 percent from 2004 to 2005, 58 percent of people will only use it if the connection is free. Why pay for the cow if the milk is free?

And the frequency used for this is the same as many wireless phones. The frequency is getting crowded and subject to interference. And as with any new technology, security is also a worry. But proper software and firewalls will protect from most security concerns.

But it is far cheaper than running fiber optic cable to every structure in the city. To run fiber-optic lines directly to every home and business, which will increase broadband capacities well beyond those available from cable-modem and DSL service today. would cost about $2,000 to $3,000 per household to run fiber, wireless can be deployed for about $20 to $25 per household
Philadelphia has become the poster child for citywide internet access. They plan to serve their 590,000 households with wireless service by years end. Tempe, Arizona; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Salt Lake City, Utah; Spokane, Washington; have all ventured into providing their cities with wireless internet. And the list of cities offering this is quickly growing.

Smaller cities are beginning to follow. Coles County is home to the 17th largest phone company in the nation. We should play on our communications background and offer citywide wireless internet to our citizens.

How many beatings can Sarah Bush take?

2006-06-16T21:40:00.000-05:00

First, Sarah Bush offered the Mattoon YMCA funding to merge their facilities with a Sarah Bush wellness center. A new site was to be constructed near the hospital. It was thought by Sarah Bush, that both their and the YMCA’s needs would be fulfilled.

What they didn’t count on was a huge opposition from the Mattoon community on the YMCA leaving downtown Mattoon. Amidst the opposition, Sarah Bush withdrew the offer to avoid further controversy.

While their intentions may have been good, their plan was poorly executed. They should have done their homework before offering the YMCA the funding. The plan turned out to be a public relations nightmare for both the hospital and the YMCA.

Before the dust settled on the YMCA deal, Neoga residents were informed David Padgett PA-C was asked to depart from Sarah Bush. The outcry from Padgett’s patients was tremendous, and once again Sarah Bush took a public beating.

Out of respect for the confidentiality to Mr. Padgett, Sarah Bush never publicly replied to the criticism. Rather than defend themselves, the hospital took the condemnation and the public relations strike. One can’t help but wonder if the hospital could have helped their image during the ordeal without violating the privacy of those involved.

On the heals of the Neoga controversy, Sarah Bush has let go two more popular health care providers; Dr. Spaniol and James Pitts, PA-C. Once again, the hospital is taking a public beating through letters and paid advertisements with little or no response.

All of this bad press comes while they fight to keep Carle from adding a competing surgical center in Sarah Bush’s back yard. Those in favor of the surgical clinic are monopolizing on these problems. Some have a lot to gain from the proposed surgical center.

Protecting the privacy of personnel involved in the dismissals is the correct policy, and Sarah Bush should be commended for doing so. And they appear to have the community’s interest in mind with the YMCA offer. After all, they withdrew the offer the offer when the opposition was evident.

But their public relations throughout these ordeals have been very, very poor. One can’t help but wonder if the business reputation would not have suffered so much if these situations were handled differently.

Sarah Bush has begun to fight to regain their high public image. A pamphlet of Frequently Asked Questions is being circulated addressing many of the issues causing the bad press over the past couple of years. Hopefully this is the first in a public relations campaign to repair their image.

Sarah Bush, together with is forerunner, Memorial Hospital, have been providing healthcare for nearly 100 years and has a long-standing reputation for excellent healthcare in the community. They have survived controversy before, lets not bury them over a string of bad press.

Enticing FutureGen

2006-06-10T09:14:00.000-05:00

Illinois offered up an $80 million in incentives to FutureGen last week to help attract the proposed power plant to this state. $17 million will be a direct grant to FutureGen for plant construction and infrastructure improvements.

Now that the selection process has begun, states are beginning to make their pledges to FutureGen to bring them to their state. FutureGen has stated site requirements will be their main focus when determining the location of the plant, but that hasn’t stopped financial incentives from being offered.

Kentucky has offered $2.4 millions in incentives, including 215 acres of free land. Wyoming has pledged $31 million in enticements. Ohio has offered $33 million in grants and a financing package that will save FutureGen $120 million. West Virginia and North Dakota are also working on incentive packages.

Texas has taken an out of the box approach by not only appropriated at least $20 million if one of their sites is chosen but has agreed to take ownership of the CO2 produced by the plant. The new law in Texas assumes responsibility if something goes wrong with the CO2 injection process. “We’ve been doing it for 25 to 30 years in the Permian Basin with no incidents,” Texas Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams said. “That’s not a couple incidents. That’s not a few incidents. No incidents.”

Locally, officials continue to praise Mattoon and Charleston’s cooperation by using effluent from their water plants for cooling water to the plant as an edge on attracting FutureGen. And the huge community support Coles County has shown for the project will help as well. Over 300 people from across the County attended the informational meeting at Riddle Elementary School earlier last month.

Illinois, and Coles County are definitely in the game with their offering. It will be interesting to see how these enticements play when FutureGen makes their final decision. And it will also be interesting how politics play in the choice. The race is on; the next big announcement comes July 21, when we will learn the finalist sites.

Should the State be selling its assets?

2006-06-02T22:23:00.000-05:00

Last week, former Governor Jim Edgar, joked if the current governor had plans to sell the governor’s mansion. The comment was made in opposition to the plans for selling the Illinois Lottery system to private investors, for $10 billion, to fund education in the State of Illinois. This proposal seems odd since the revenue from the lottery is already supposed to fund education.

Under the plan, $4 billion would be used for a four-year plan to increase education funding. The remaining $6 billion would fund an annuity to replace the lost lottery revenue stream with a $650 million annual payment until fiscal 2025.

After that point, the $10 billion would be gone, and the lottery presumably still would be in private hands. The plan does nothing to relieve school districts’ reliance on property taxes for funding. And lacks a long-term plan to maintain funding in later years. That could put Illinois back in the position of figuring out how to pay for education with little cash and lots of obligations.

The timing of the announcement came just days after state Sen. James Meeks abandoned his bid for governor because Blagojevich promised him an education plan that included more money for schools. Meeks, a popular Chicago minister, could have hurt Blagojevich's re-election efforts by drawing votes away from the governor.

The proposal won’t be debated until after the November election so its effect on the election will not be known.

The Governor has also proposed to sell the Illinois Tollway system. Based on the recent sale of the Chicago Skyway, the Illinois Tollway system could bring the State $18 billion. While this will have little direct effect on those in this area, it still may not be in the best interest to downstate residents.

Last year it generated $630 million in operating revenue. Debt service on the system, combined with all operating expenses, totaled only $310 million, meaning the Illinois Tollway generated almost twice as much revenue as it cost to operate and finance.

Who has the proceeds for such an investment? Five companies were qualified for the Chicago Skyway sale. Three were foreign companies and the other two were consortiums of companies that included foreign companies. The chosen firm was comprised of firms from Spain and Australia.

Every time you pay a toll on the Chicago Skyway, you send a little money overseas. Do we want the State system follow a similar path? What about the lottery system? All the talk about keeping money local, shouldn’t the State follow that path as well?
While the sale of the tollway and lottery may bring quick revenues to the State, is it smart for a cash-starved, debt-laden state to sell its most profitable assets? These proposals seem to be a short-term solution to a long-term problem.

Take care when approving variances

2006-05-26T21:23:00.000-05:00

The Mattoon Planning Commission recently approved a variance to the City Sign Ordinance. The variance was to allow for a 30-foot sign at KC Summers Buick. The ordinance limits the height to 25 feet in town.

The sign ordinance was passed several years ago after several large billboards were placed throughout town. The ordinance was patterned from one from another town. And most of the restrictions came from the pattern ordinance.

When considering variance, the review boards should be considering if the characteristics of the subject property differ from others in the area. Do the restrictions in the ordinance place a hardship on that property that is different than the other properties in the area?

Does the restriction interfere with the use of the property? Or will business not be affected by the restriction? Is the restriction on the property necessary in order to satisfy the purpose of the ordinance, or can relief be granted to this property without frustrating the purpose of the ordinance? Would the granting of the variance create a private or public nuisance?

If all of these conditions are met, then the variance can be granted. The board should be considering if the property meets the criteria for the variance, not if no harm would be done if the variance were granted.

They also should consider their argument if the variance gets challenged. Can their reasons for choosing not to follow the approved code stand up in court? And who bears the cost of correcting matters if it doesn’t? More than likely, the taxpayers.

In August of 2002, a sign variance was granted to Home Depot for increased surface area on their sign near Interstate 57. In December of 2003, a sign variance was granted to Comer Mazda for distance and height restrictions. In November of 2004, a sign variance was granted to American Financial Choice along Lake Land Boulevard. In August of 2005 a sign variance was granted to Dannie Gordon for a business at 520 N. 19th Street. Now a variance to KC Summers has been approved for additional height in Midtown Mattoon.

To my knowledge, no variance to the Mattoon Sign Ordinance applied for has ever been denied. The only people affected by the ordinance are those who don’t apply for a variance.

I don’t have much of a problem with any of the variances granted above. But with so many inconsistencies with the ordinance approved, one must question if the ordinance is achieving its goals. The ordinance should be followed, repealed, or amended to standards that the City feels is fair to its citizens.

Remember why we observe Memorial Day

2006-05-19T21:28:00.000-05:00

The last Monday in May, we celebrate Memorial Day. It is a celebration of remembrance of service of men and women who gave their lives for their country. Originally, Memorial Day honored those who had died in the Civil War. Now, it honors those who died in all military conflicts.

Many communities lay claim to the first Memorial Day. But in 1966, Congress and President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, N.Y. as the birthplace of this holiday. The people of Waterloo proclaimed May 5, 1866 to honor the soldiers who died in the Civil War. They closed their businesses and placed flowers and flags on the graves of their soldiers. Flags were flown at half-mast.

General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, officially proclaimed Memorial Day on May 5, 1868. It was first observed on May 30 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.

The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war.

Memorial Day was declared a federal holiday in 1971. It is celebrated on the last Monday in May to ensure a three-day weekend for Federal holidays.

In 1915, Colonel John McCrae, a surgeon in the Canadian Military, authored the poem In Flanders Field. It expressed McCrae's grief over the "row on row" of graves of soldiers who had died on Flanders' battlefields of World War I. The poem presented a striking image of the bright red flowers blooming among the rows of white crosses and became a rallying cry to all who fought in the First World War.

Moina Michael was inspired by the poem to wear red poppies on Memorial Day in honor of those who died serving the nation during war. She was the first to wear one, and sold poppies to her friends and co-workers with the money going to benefit servicemen in need.

Madam Guerin from France learned of this new custom and made artificial red poppies to raise money for war orphaned children and widowed women in France. This tradition spread to other countries. In 1922, the VFW became the first veterans' organization to nationally sell poppies. Two years later their "Buddy" Poppy program was selling artificial poppies made by disabled veterans.

Traditional observance of Memorial Day has diminished over the years. Many Americans nowadays have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day. Many no longer remember the proper flag etiquette for the day. Few know the story behind the poppies. There are no local parades honoring the Day.

So while you’re at your cookout, or at the campground, or beach, this weekend, take a minute to remember why it is you have the day off. Take a moment to honor those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our safety and freedom.

In Flanders Fields
By John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
between the crosses, row on row,
that mark our place; and in the sky
the larks, still bravely singing, fly.

Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead. Short days ago
we lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
the torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
we shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

What are the plans for those building sites?

2006-05-12T22:19:00.000-05:00

Well, its building demolition time again. It just doesn’t feel right if there is not a building coming down somewhere in town. On tap next is the 1700 block of Broadway. If you remember, the demolition of this block was proposed in the 2005 redevelopment plan for downtown Mattoon.

We were told demolition was necessary to meet the goals of the plan; increase parking, increase green space, and create a sense of place for downtown Mattoon. Seemed most believed that since it was on the plan, it had to be a good idea.

Private investors bought up the block and existing businesses were forced out. Some were able to relocate in town, some moved out of town, some closed altogether. After almost nine months of vacancy, demolition has finally begun.

We learned recently that there are no definate plans for the site. The private developer has made it clear there is no long term plans for the property. And the City of Mattoon is not involved with the property. So business was disrupted and buildings are being razed for no reason.

This is not the first time in recent years this phenomenon has occurred in town. When it was theorized that the Central School site was to be developed into a strip mall and low rent housing, the School District answered back that the property was not for sale yet. The building has been razed and there are no plans for the site.

In December of 2004, Sullen and Son’s building was torn down to increase visibility to “The Bank”. Bank officials stated at that time, there were no definitive plans for that site. Another building razed with no future plans in mind. Two buildings were also razed across from County Market along 20th Street. That site is still empty.

The Lincoln School site is being used for building trades, and the Bennett site was purchased by Lytle Park, but the Washington and Columbian sites are vacant.

Tearing down buildings with no plans is nothing new in town. In 2001, Red’s Tavern was razed. In 1990, Frosty’s Tavern at 19th and Broadway, and Wade’s Corner at 19th and Western were razed. Those sites are all still vacant today. K & S Transfer across from the YMCA was razed in 2000. Icenogle’s was torn down in 1996. That site was vacant for 10 years until recently. The list goes on and on.

These sites were not cleared for new growth. They were not even cleared to increase parking. They were cleared with no solid plans for future improvements. Now they sit empty, awaiting development. Lets hope the 1700 block of Broadway doesn’t become an empty site for years to come.