October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Community gathering Thursday evening

[OCT. 12, 2000]  What is domestic violence and how does it affect you? Domestic violence is a pattern of assaultive and coercive behaviors, including physical, sexual and psychological attacks, as well as economic coercion, that adults or adolescents use against their intimate partners to gain or maintain power and control.

In 1999 there were 153 reported cases of domestic battery in Lincoln, according to a summary report complied by Officer Diana Short of the Lincoln Police Department. This translates to an act of domestic battery every 2.38 days in Lincoln. Approximately 90 to 95 percent of domestic violence victims are women.

To increase awareness of the prevalence of domestic violence in Logan County, the Domestic Abuse and Violence Task Force of the Healthy Communities Partnership is sponsoring a community gathering on Thursday, Oct. 12. The event will begin at 7 p.m. at Washington-Monroe School in Lincoln. Sojourn Shelter and Service Inc. and the Family Violence Coordinating Council will provide informational displays at the school.

 

[to top of second column in this article]

A candlelight walk will then proceed from the school to the Logan County Courthouse where the "Silent Witnesses" will be displayed. The "Silent Witnesses" are silhouette figures of individuals who have died as a result of domestic violence. The victim's story is displayed on a plaque on each silhouette. During the candlelight vigil the victims' stories will be read. These "witnesses" will also be available for viewing during the day in the courthouse rotunda on Oct. 12.

Please join the Healthy Communities Partnership for this event. For more information you may call Curtis Sutterfield, Domestic Abuse and Violence Task Force chairman, at (217) 732-7890.

[Domestic Violence and Abuse
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An appeal for life

A nurse makes a presentation at LCS chapel on her efforts to make Congress,
the healthcare industry and the public take notice.

[OCT. 12, 2000]  Lincoln Christian College and Seminary welcomed a brave warrior this morning. For over a year, Jill Stanic has been lobbying to stop live birth abortions at Christ’s Hospital in Chicago where she is a registered nurse.

Stanic began in the cardiac division of the hospital, and later moved to the birthing unit. This fulfilled a dream, because she really wanted to work with mothers and their new babies. Stanic’s dream quickly changed to a nightmare, as she discovered that Christ’s Hospital was quietly performing 10 to 20 live abortions every year!

The hospital aborted babies as late as 28 weeks (the second trimester) for handicaps such as spina bifida and Down syndrome and for the life or health of the mother. To perform a live abortion a doctor chemically relaxes the cervix, which causes the baby to fall out. A number of these babies live anywhere from one to eight hours. For these unfortunate children, the hospital supplies "comfort care." Stanic defined comfort care as wrapping a baby in a blanket until it dies. If the parents want to hold their child till it dies, they may. For obvious reasons, most parents relegate this responsibility to a nurse. If the nurses are too busy, the baby in a blanket is left in the soiled-utility room to die.

This is where Stanic first had an experience with a live aborted baby. She could not stand the thought of a baby dying alone. Stanic broke down as she recounted holding a 1½-pound, 10-inch long baby in the soiled-utility room. As time slipped away, he grew too weak to move. The only way Stanic could tell if he was still alive was to hold him up to the light and look at his heart through his transparent skin. She said that she "never dreamed a hospital with the name Christ would be involved in something so against God’s law."

Stanic knew she had two choices. The easier choice was to move to a hospital that did not commit abortions. The more difficult choice was to stay where she was and try to change things. During her Bible study, she read a passage in which God reminds righteous men not to abandon those who are dying. Stanic decided to stay at Christ’s Hospital and change their policies.

 

[to top of second column in this article]

Stanic’s first course of action was to write a private letter to the board of the hospital requesting that they cease performing abortions in a hospital named after her Lord. The board invited her in and suggested that although they appreciated her help, she might be more comfortable working elsewhere. Stanic had already determined to stay and try to change things, so she told them that she wanted to stay where she was.

Next she contacted a Cardinal in the Chicago area and Dr. C. Everett Koop, the former U.S. surgeon general. Both of these men wrote Christ’s Hospital, asking them to cease the abortions also.

Since that time, Stanic and the others who are trying to save lives have been in newspapers, on radio talk shows from Dallas to Chicago, and on news stations such as CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox, CNBC, Cspan and more. Jill Stanic and her friend and co-worker Allison Baker have appeared before Congress to testify.

Stanic spoke of a baby that was killed because it was believed to have spina bifida. When the baby emerged, the spine was fine—a pointless death. She also told of how a baby was set on a counter in a disposable towel and accidentally thrown away. When the nurses searched through he garbage for the baby, he fell on the floor. Baker testified that she has seen more than one live baby naked on a cold metal counter. They did not even receive the "comfort care."

As Congress debates whether or not a live child has the right to live, Stanic is still laboring at Christ’s Hospital. She admits that she is afraid often. Her strength comes from reading Isaiah.

 

[Jean Ann Carnley]

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MML responds to SOS presentation

[OCT. 11, 2000]  Architect Dave Leonatti from MML architects responded to the presentation by architect Bill Latoza before the SOS group on Monday and sent the following response list to Dr. Robert Kidd today. LDN is publishing his list verbatim without change or modification.

Dave Leonatti commented that "Bill Latoza is a respected preservation architect in Chicago and his firm is well known for its work in restoration."

1. Mr. Latoza does not know the program requirements of the school buildings in District#27. His statements as reported are general in nature. It appears he has made general comments about the existing school buildings without full knowledge of what the goals [are] of the District #27 Board of Education.

2. Mr. Latoza compares the Lincoln Schools to his experience in the City of Chicago. When approaching District #27’s needs, there are no other school districts which share exactly the same building issues as Lincoln. Mr. Latoza is drawing broad comparisons to school renovations from across the state. Construction conditions in Chicago vary greatly from those in Lincoln, and there is no way to compare the two projects, no more than MML would compare school conditions in Peoria or Springfield with that of Lincoln.

3. The District #27 Board of Education has never stated that the renovation option was not an option. The Board reviews options from simple renovations to renovations with additions to new construction. The Board nor its architect has ever indicated that the buildings could not be renovated. The Board has chosen as option of new construction over renovation. Mr. Latoza states that he has renovated buildings in far worse condition than the Lincoln schools. Again, the renovation option in Chicago does not equate to the renovation options in Lincoln. Schools in Chicago may be renovated because there are no alternative sites available in a densely populated city or based upon program requirements specific to the Chicago Public Schools.

4. Mr. Latoza states new construction costs are $148 per square foot. MML has designed the new Peoria Heights Elementary/Middle School for $108 per square foot, including difficult site development on a 12 acre wooded, sloped lot. $148 per square foot is a high estimate of construction indicating a new school project with more features than those planned for the Lincoln schools.

5. Renovation costs vary widely. Mr. Latoza’s estimate of $116 per square foot is equal to or greater than new construction cost in our estimation. Also, without a specific scope of work, it is impossible to determine renovation costs. Minor renovations and improvements which do not substantially alter the buildings layout or finishes may be less costly than new construction. Our goal is evaluating the renovation options compared to new construction was to obtain comparable scopes of work: i.e. the renovated buildings must offer the same amenities and systems as a new building. In our estimation, the costs are relatively equal in performing a renovation with additions and constructing a new school.

6. Whether Mr. Latoza admits it or not, the risks for increased project costs during construction are greater for a renovation project than new construction. There will be unforeseen conditions and change orders in either scenario, but the opportunities for unknowns is greater in an existing building. Lead and asbestos abatement add costs to a renovation project that are not present in new construction. The new Peoria Heights Elementary/Middle School, which is 65-70% complete has so far had less than one-half of one percent in change order costs, including voluntary additions by the Owner.

 

[to top of second column in this article]

7. We do not believe that energy efficiency is better in an existing structure than new construction. In either case the overall budget dictates what energy saving systems can be installed. He states the walls stay heated and cooled longer. The inability to control the radiation of heat or cold in un-insulated walls is an energy liability. New cavity walls can be insulated to better isolate the interior spaces. If increased energy efficiency is desired at the existing schools, new interior framing and insulation will need to be installed at the exterior walls, also affecting window trim extensions. This again adds to the renovation cost option, making the costs for renovation and new comparable.

8. We do not believe it is remotely possible to do the renovations at the existing schools over the summer vacation period. Even if the construction drawings are executed far in advance, and some materials can be ordered, a full building renovation will require much longer to execute than 3 months. In many cases, some materials cannot be ordered in advance and must be made to order to fit the construction conditions. Site measurements must be made so that the new installations fit properly into the existing and modified layouts.

9. Our interpretation of the law in terms of using penalty clauses to insure timely performance is that if you include a penalty clause for missing a deadline, you must also offer a bonus for early completion. To our understanding, as a taxing body, District #27 cannot offer a bonus for early completion. Also, any penalty must be documented as real damages to the district. In other words, the school must lose revenue due to the lateness of the delivery of the project. If Mr. Latoza does not have to relocate students for his projects, how can the District enforce a $1000 a day penalty if the school does not lose reimbursement or revenue?

 

We have used penalyt/bonus clauses only once. It is extremely difficult to enforce and to document. In our experience, the contractor's will document ever small, legitimate incremental delay to avoid the penalty. This places a huge burden (and sometimes additional cost) on the architect and district to document weather conditions; supplier schedules have negatively impacted the schedule beyond the control of the contractor. What motivation will a contractor have if he is only offered a penalty for not completing on time? This would seem to put the contractor on the defensive from the project start.

10. New construction can be made to be architecturally appropriate for the location of the two schools. The current budget will allow for the scale and use of materials to provide a contextual appearance that will fit with the neighborhoods. We do not agree that the budget must be much greater to accomplish an attractive, functional building.

 

[to see article about presentation by architect Bill Latoza, click here]

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Council still seeking
leaf disposal solution

[OCT. 11, 2000]  Neither the ordinance and zoning committee nor the entire Lincoln City Council could come up with a solution to the perennial problem of disposal of fallen leaves, and the issue ended up just where it began Tuesday evening:  still in committee. That means last year’s ordinance is still in effect, permitting burning leaves and other yard waste only at locations 50 feet or more from any structure, and then only if no resident signs a complaint that the fire is a nuisance.

The committee spent more than an hour trying to come up with a motion that would ban the burning of leaves and yard waste and still permit some outdoor fires, in particular the Lincoln Community High School Homecoming bonfire and wiener roasts. The motion, which also called for a stipulation that the committee not spend any city money this fiscal year and that they continue to work on alternatives, failed to pass on a tie vote. Committee chairman Glenn Shelton and Steve Fuhrer voted yes, while Patrick Madigan and Steve Mesner voted no. The fifth member, William Melton, was absent because of illness.

"We are turning it into a ‘what-if’ ordinance," Madigan said. "We brought up so many points it’s hard to make a motion."

Fuhrer, who had pushed for a complete ban, said, "This is the 10th year we’ve been doing this. It’d like to see it in black and white."

 

"You should probably enforce what you already have," Mayor Joan Ritter told the council. "We have discussed this over and over and over."

Enforcement is a problem, according to Lincoln resident John Welter. He said some people "continue to fudge on leaf burning. They pile them up, throw gasoline on them and burn them before the fire department comes.

"I have never run into anyone who has been fined for illegal burning," he told the council. "The word is ‘Go ahead and do it. You’re not going to pay.’"

Welter was one of four residents who spoke up in support of a complete burn ban. Others were Marian Spore and Joan Graue, both citing respiratory problems, and Pat Birk, whose husband has breathing difficulties.

Saying that he was concerned about the elderly and others who had problems with leaf disposal, Welter suggested that church and civic groups, particularly youth groups, might be willing to help residents bag leaves as a service project. He suggested that the mayor and council send letters to church and civic groups recommending such a project.

 

Kay Dobson suggested the city rent another leaf vacuum and use prison labor to pick up leaves. "I think this is the city’s responsibility. If we ban burning completely, we need alternatives."

She criticized the committee’s plan to completely ban burning, see what problems arise and look for a solution next year. "Why wait a year to decide alternatives? People who want a ban don’t want to wait a year and find out how many people have trouble breathing. We need solutions."

 

[to top of second column in this article]

Donnie Osborne, street superintendent, who also favors a total ban on burning, said solutions are not easy. "Lincoln is a heavily forested town with lots of leaves. A leaf vac is not the answer." He said Lincoln is fortunate to have a landfill where residents can dump their leaves. "We had 2,000 drops last year. The landfill is a clean, safe place."

Juanita Josserand, city clerk, reminded the council that any alternatives that cost money will have to be included in the next city budget. There are no city funds budgeted this year for leaf disposal, Grant Eaton, sewer plant manager, noted.

"I don’t know how we are going to pick up leaves without spending any money," Alderman Michael Montcalm said.

Montcalm also said he thought the city should enforce the present ordinance and direct the fire department to fine offenders the first time instead of giving a warning the first time and issuing a fine at the second offense. "There should be some sting to it," he said.

In other business, at an adjourned regular meeting the council unanimously approved a new union contract between the city of Lincoln and the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 399 (the clerical union). The new contract calls for wage increases across the board of 3.8 percent for 1999-2000 (retroactive to May 1999), 3.8 percent for 2000-2001 and 3.5 percent for 2001-2002. Health insurance premiums paid by the city will decrease from 100 percent to 95 percent for employees; employees pay 100 percent of health insurance costs for dependents. Union members have 12 sick days a year and can accumulate up to 25 sick days. Sick days over 25 not used, up to 240 days, will be added to retirement.

The council also heard a report from Eaton that preliminary plans for the redesign of the city sewage treatment plant have been submitted to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Bids on the plant upgrade will be let in July or August of next year.

Osborne reported on the current road rehabilitation program in the city, noting that Tremont Street and the portions of Adams and Jackson streets around Jefferson School will be completed this week or early next week. Nicholson Road and Ottawa Street are already finished. State Street starting at Short 11th and running to Fifth Street, one block of Short 10th Street, and one block of North Jackson Street will not get the final surface put on this fall because the bottom has not settled yet, Osborne said. A binder will be put on to settle dust and the final surface applied next spring when the streets are completely compacted.

[Joan Crabb]

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Chicago expert says District 27
schools can be renovated

[OCT. 10, 2000]  A member of an architectural firm that has renovated many Chicago schools told Lincoln residents he saw no reason that two schools in Elementary District 27 could not be renovated. "I didn’t see anything that scared me. I didn’t see anything that I thought could not be renovated," said Bill Latoza, member of Bauer/Latoza Studio on South Michigan Avenue.

Latoza, who spoke to a group of about 70 on Monday evening, said he had viewed Lincoln Junior High School both inside and out and walked around outside Central School, which was closed for the Columbus Day holiday. Both schools are scheduled for demolition if a referendum is passed Nov. 7 approving a $4.1 million bond issue to help construct two new school buildings. State funding will provide the $8,318,181 to complete the $12 million project if the referendum passes.

Members of the audience who turned out for the talk represented both sides of the current debate over saving the schools, some wearing buttons favoring a "Yes" vote on the referendum, others wearing buttons urging the public to vote "No."

Asked by a member of the audience how Central and the junior high school compared with schools in Chicago that have been renovated, Latoza said, "If we came upon these two schools in Chicago, they would have gone to the back of the list because they are good, sound schools."

"Are you saying our schools don’t need major renovation?" the audience member asked.

"No, I’m saying under our criteria we have schools far more deteriorated, and they [the Lincoln schools] would go to the back of the list. They do need renovation. I see nothing that can’t be repaired."

Latoza, who came at the invitation of the Save Our Schools Citizens Committee, said he was not being paid to come to Lincoln to speak, nor was he looking for a job doing the renovation. "I’m not here sniffing out a new job; we’ve got plenty of work. I love old buildings; it’s my passion."

 

As part of the city of Chicago’s ongoing effort to improve its public school system, the city has spent $2.5 billion on a building program since 1986. Of that amount, 80 to 82 percent has gone for school renovation and the rest for new construction, Latoza said. He said his firm has done over $345 million worth of renovation, taking over schools in very bad condition, and has won many awards for school renovation.

He showed slides of about 30 Chicago school buildings that have been renovated, including a school in the Pullman Historic District that is 100 years old. "People said Chicago had the worst schools in the nation, and now they are among the best," he said. "We are touted as the most successful school renovation program in the country.

"We are going to get another 100 years out of our schools. I guarantee it. And it’s cheaper to get it done today than it will be in five or 10 years."

In general, in Chicago, new construction costs $148 per square foot, and renovation costs $116 to $118 per square foot, Latoza said. This cost does not include land acquisition or demolition of old schools. "In Chicago, renovation is running about 20 percent less than new construction," he reported.

 Utility costs in the renovated schools are about 12 percent less than in new schools, he said. "Our schools have walls three or four bricks thick. They stay heated and cooled longer. From every point of view, they are better walls than we could construct at $148 per square foot today."

 

 

 

[to top of second column in this article]

The renovation job he is most proud of is Drake school, which had been abandoned for 15 or 20 years and is next to a housing project. The 40,000-square-foot school was designed by Dwight Perkins, of the noted Chicago architectural firm Perkins and Will.

Renovation included putting in new heating and air conditioning, leveling floors, abating lead-based paint, taking out asbestos, installing all new wiring and plumbing, and making the building handicapped accessible. Work began on construction documents in March and the school opened the following August, he said.

"I do not advocate doing things that quickly, but it can be done," he told the group.

"We find we can make older schools as flexible as new schools. The construction of older schools is superior to that of new schools. I’m not saying new schools are bad, but the materials used in the old schools are far superior." He pointed out that "in the old days," labor was cheap and materials expensive. Today the opposite tends to be true.

Asked if he had done school additions, Latoza said he had added gyms and cafeterias, which he said could be made "sympathetic to the original buildings." He also said additions can be done during the school year, as long as they do not block a fire exit.

Jim Clark, a long-time maintenance man for District 27, pointed out that Central School has some broken floor joists, causing the floors to sag as much as two to three inches. He said he thought it would be very expensive to level the floors in the building. Latoza said his firm has repaired broken floor joists and leveled floors.

Asked if he had ever found a school that could not be renovated, he said, "Since 1996 we have torn one school down. Dated 1910, it probably had no maintenance for 60 years, and it was not economically feasible to save it."

Another question that came up was whether renovation could be done without having to relocate students. He replied that his firm had hardly ever been forced to relocate students, except in the case of one school where they discovered powdered asbestos above a ceiling. Because of the health hazard, students had to vacate the building.

 

When doing a renovation project, he said, his firm plans the project well ahead of time, pre-orders materials, and is ready to start as soon as the students leave the building for summer vacation. Contractors are all pre-qualified and have a $1,000-a-day penalty for not meeting goals.

In response to other questions, he said old schools could be upgraded to keep up with current technology and provide security.

He was also asked if new construction could be designed that would be "architecturally right for the area."

"We do have that capability, but $148 per square foot isn’t going to give the same interior or exterior as the old schools. You won’t get terrazzo or wood floors. For $148 per square foot, you will get the standard new school look."

The talk was given in the third-floor courtroom of the Logan County Courthouse, which Latoza described as "a wonderful building. You’re very fortunate to live here," he told the audience. "You have wonderful housing stock and churches and little squares. You can’t plan that kind of living space today.

"I believe old buildings are part of our heritage. Our old schools are living history."

 

[Joan Crabb]

[to see a response from Dave Leonatti of MML architects, click here]

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Part 4

Living downtown

New trend fills apartments
on South Sangamon Street

[OCT. 10, 2000]  Years ago, living downtown meant "living above the store," a matter of economy and convenience for families just getting a start in business. Later, when "the store" prospered, the families would move to a home in a residential neighborhood. While living downtown was practical, it wasn’t generally considered fashionable. Today it can provide economy and convenience or living quarters as elegant as any you will find in a strictly residential district.

Jon Steffens’ new apartment

Jon Steffens’ first-floor living space on Pulaski Street is an example of the elegance that can be achieved while living downtown. In this building, again, the Steffens family did the entire renovation.

"We bought it, we renovated it, I live in it, and I love it," Jon said.

 


[Jon Steffens lives downtown in a first-floor apartment on Pulaski Street]

"This place was completely gutted," he continued. "You could stand in the basement and see the sky." Now there is a roomy living-dining area with a fireplace, a kitchen complete with wine storage, and a den-TV room with a loft bedroom above. The 14-foot ceiling in the living room is finished with tile salvaged from three other buildings and arranged in a new pattern. Over the fireplace are antique tiles that came from a Chicago firm that sells architectural artifacts taken from old buildings before they are demolished.

 

 

[to top of second column in this section]

Above Jon’s quarters is a two-bedroom apartment, also rented.

Living downtown suits Jon very well. "I don’t even own a car. Everything I need is here the bank, the hardware store, insurance, groceries, a doctor, dentist, even an eye doctor. And I only have a half block to walk to work. You can’t beat that for a commute."

 


[Jon's den and loft bedroom in his downtown home]

Jon wishes more people would do as his family has done and create places to live downtown. "It’s amazing more people don’t develop their second floors. Today diversity is the key, the mainstay of business. Apartments provide dependable income every month. That takes the pressure off other businesses to perform," he said.

"It really doesn’t make a lot of economic sense not to do it."

 

 

[Joan Crabb]


Part 3

Living downtown

New trend fills apartments
on South Sangamon Street

[OCT. 9, 2000]  Years ago, living downtown meant "living above the store," a matter of economy and convenience for families just getting a start in business. Later, when "the store" prospered, the families would move to a home in a residential neighborhood. While living downtown was practical, it wasn’t generally considered fashionable. Today it can provide economy and convenience or living quarters as elegant as any you will find in a strictly residential district.

Larry and Bette Steffens’ new apartment

Larry and Bette Steffens like the idea of living downtown so well they will soon be leaving their large country home and moving to a 4,000-square-foot apartment, again renovated with their own hands. They "started from scratch" on the upper floor, once the warehouse for the old Gehlbach Hardware store, complete with a freight elevator (which they are going to keep).

 

The look they are creating is1890s, with 10-foot ceilings, tall baseboards, stenciling above the windows, and dark wood stained to match throughout the apartment. A fireplace in the commodious living room is flanked by lighted cabinets to display Bette’s collection of glass from all over Europe. Chandeliers, made in the Czech Republic, add to the old-world ambiance. A den and TV room at the back has another fireplace, and one bath will include a Jacuzzi. The elevator will take Steffens to his basement workshop under the Pink Shutter, where he will continue to work on his hobbies of taxidermy and wildlife painting.

 

Although he’s enjoyed his country home, Steffens is looking forward to living downtown. "We’ll have low maintenance, no snow removal problems, no lawn to mow. We won’t have to drive 10 miles to get a loaf of bread or wait to have pizza delivered. We can baby-sit with our grandchildren. When we’re working downstairs, we can run up for lunch or a nap," he said.

 

[to top of second column in this section]

 

Though his own new home was just an empty loft, Steffens found 54 separate little rooms when he started renovations over the restaurant and furniture shop, once the old Eckerts Meat Market. That wasn’t surprising, though, he explained, because Sangamon Street was "Hotel Row" back in the days when train travel was the way businessmen came to town. There were five hotels on the block: the Monroe House, the Western Hotel, the Illinois House, the C & A and the Spitling Hotel. (These hotels are shown in the mural on the back wall of Neal Tire, opposite the places where they once stood.) So returning the upper floors to living quarters is, in one way, coming full circle.

 

Steffens pointed out that there are more small rooms above Flounders and the Blue Dog, the other businesses on the block. "We could have 46 living units on the 100 and 200 blocks of South Sangamon Street if everybody made apartments over their businesses," he said.

 

(To be continued)

[Joan Crabb]

[click here for Part 4]


Part 2

Living downtown

New trend fills apartments
on South Sangamon Street

[OCT. 7, 2000]  Years ago, living downtown meant "living above the store," a matter of economy and convenience for families just getting a start in business. Later, when "the store" prospered, the families would move to a home in a residential neighborhood. While living downtown was practical, it wasn’t generally considered fashionable. Today it’s a national trend, according to local contractor Dale Bassi, and it can provide economy and convenience or living quarters as elegant as any you will find in a strictly residential district.

Bassi-Crisafulli apartments,
12 Steffens units

Dale Bassi and Larry Crisafulli are nearly done with the first phase of their current project: three apartments over the Elder Cycle shop. Each unit has a unique configuration. One of them is rented to Allan Elder, owner of the cycle shop. He shares it with wife Paulie and watchdog Gizmo. Elder enjoys the convenience of living above his business and the great sunsets he can see from the second-story windows.

 

His two-bedroom unit has a contemporary feeling, with brick walls, hardwood floors and an open living-dining area that is light and roomy. Four closets and the furnace room provide storage space. A three-bedroom apartment at the front of the same building has just been rented, while a two-bedroom unit is still to be finished.

Next door, the space above 205 is nothing but an empty loft at the moment, but plans call for two front apartments with sleeping lofts, and a one-bedroom unit in the rear. The Bassi-Crisafulli apartments will have many amenities, including hardwood floors, all new plumbing and wiring, and individual forced-air furnaces. Outer walls are insulated, as well as the walls separating the individual apartments.

The apartments will have a front entrance and foyer on Sangamon Street, and a back entrance with a handicapped-accessible ramp. An elevator and a laundry room will be available for all tenants. Tenants can park behind the building, and Bassi said he may provide some garage space. Rental costs will range from $400 to $700.

 

 

[to top of second column in this section]

 

The two-bedroom apartment is already spoken for, Bassi said, and he is getting inquiries about the others, which won’t be ready until spring. "These are people who don’t want to live in an apartment complex. They find this kind of living pretty desirable."

 

Larry Steffens has no trouble keeping his 12 units rented. "There are always people interested in economical housing. We provide steam heat, water, sewage, trash disposal and a laundry room. There is also a terrace where tenants can enjoy the outdoors. This is a high security building. Tenants have their own keys and there are security cameras in the hallways," he said.

Rents range from $300 to $500, depending on the unit. Units run from efficiencies to two-bedroom apartments. Parking is also available behind the buildings. The Steffens family, Larry and Bette and sons Jon and Jason, have done all the renovation work on the apartments as well as on the three businesses downstairs: Grapes and Grounds, which sells coffee and fine wines, and Eckerts Fine Furnishings and Fine Dining.

(To be continued)

[Joan Crabb]

[click here for Part 3]

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Part 1

Living downtown

New trend fills apartments
on South Sangamon Street

[OCT. 6, 2000]  Years ago, living downtown meant "living above the store," a matter of economy and convenience for families just getting a start in business. Later, when "the store" prospered, the families would move to a home in a residential neighborhood. While living downtown was practical, it wasn’t generally considered fashionable.

Today it’s a national trend, according to local contractor Dale Bassi, and it can provide economy and convenience or living quarters as elegant as any you will find in a strictly residential district. For example, Bassi reports, builders in Bloomington are fixing up apartments "left and right" in the downtown area. "They tell me there is no lack of demand for downtown residential living quarters, as long as they are of good quality and have the expected amenities," he said.

 

Apartments on Lincoln’s South Sangamon Street are proof that living downtown is popular here as well. Bassi and his partner, Dr. Larry Crisafulli, have no trouble finding renters for the apartments they are constructing on the second floors of the two buildings they own, 201 and 205.

 

 

[to top of second column in this article]

Across the street, in the 100 block, the Steffens family has renovated the upper floors of three buildings to create 12 apartments, all currently rented, and Larry and Bette Steffens are building a new 4,000-square-foot home for themselves above the Pink Shutter Thrift Shop.

In addition, about the first of November, Steffens will open the first bed-and-breakfast the city has had in recent years, and a second bed-and-breakfast suite is in the works. Both will be luxurious, with living rooms, big bedrooms and Jacuzzis, and both will be downtown, "above the store."

(To be continued)

[Joan Crabb]

[click here for Part 2]

Think You're Pregnant?

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(217) 735-4838

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Claire's Needleworks
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in downtown Lincoln
217-732-8811
M-F 10-5  Sat 10-4
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Gossett's Cleaners
will soon be closing to move into our brand new
facilities at 621 Woodlawn.

Please pick up any overdue orders. We regret any inconvenience to our customers.


Announcements

Landfill to be open extended hours for leaf disposal

[OCT. 11, 2000]  Beginning Monday, Oct. 16, the Lincoln City Landfill will be open extended hours to allow residents to dispose of leaves and yard waste, according to Donnie Osborne, street superintendent. The landfill will open at 8 a.m. and remain open until 4 p.m. seven days a week, probably until mid-December, he said. Residents may bring in leaves any way they like in bags, boxes or pickup trucks but they must take the leaves out of the containers and take the containers back home with them.


Public notice

Filing dates for nomination petitions for city offices

[OCT. 10, 2000]  The office of the city clerk in Lincoln will be open for filing petitions for nomination for the Feb. 27, 2001, consolidated primary election, with petitions accepted from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the following dates: Dec. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 18.

Petitions will be accepted for the following city offices:

  • Mayor
  • City treasurer
  • City clerk
  • Alderman Ward 1
  • Alderman Ward 2
  • Alderman Ward 3
  • Alderman Ward 4
  • Alderman Ward 5

No petitions will be accepted before 9 a.m. or after 5 p.m.

[Juanita Josserand, city clerk]


Notice to absentee voters

[OCT. 9, 2000]  Registered voters expecting to be absent from the county on the Nov. 7 election day may vote in person at the Logan County Clerk’s Office, second floor, Courthouse, Room 20, Lincoln, from now until Nov. 6.

Registered voters expecting to be absent from the county on election day or those who are permanently disabled or incapacitated may now make application by mail to vote absentee. Applications will be received by the county clerk until Nov. 2. No ballots will be sent by mail after Nov. 2, as provided by law.

Sally J. Litterly

Logan County Clerk

Election Authority

Lincolndailynews.com

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Logan County FY2001 budget

Totals of requested increases

[OCT. 7, 2000]  Following is a list of budget requests that were heard by the Logan County Board Finance Committee on Aug. 11, 16 and 17. These requests will be compiled by the auditor and matched with the anticipated revenue for the 2001 fiscal year (Dec. 1). The finance committee will then review these numbers, make necessary adjustments and prepare a recommendation to the entire County Board in the next month. There will be a public meeting entirely devoted to budget matters in the future.

Rod White, finance chairman, 732-4793

* Senior requests and Oasis, $80,956; CIEDC, $45,000; Rural Health Partnership, $25,000 = total of $150,000 requested; approximately $70,000 available.

* Non-mandated (County Farm Fund): Main Street Lincoln, $10,000; economic development, $25,000; soil and water, $4,000; Teen Court, $3,500 = total of $42,500 requested; approximately $16,000 available.

* Court security (open another door at courthouse): one employee, $16,640; plus metal detector, $10,000 = total of $26,640 requested

* Court request: new microphone, $1,000; increase in bailiff pay, $2,000; new judge support, $4,500 = total of $7,500 requested

* Sheriff’s Department: one additional deputy; one additional car= $120,000; parking lot resurface, $20,000

* Paramedics: new ambulance, $90,000

 

[to top of second column in this section]

* Superintendent of schools: if office is moved, the county will have to provide all of the rental money, $20,000

* Building and grounds: for possible new building or additional space for offices, $100,000

* Coroner: unable to work plan with paramedics or ESDA office; will house coroner’s office in funeral home until office is found elsewhere, $ ?

* Public defender: public defender’s salary, $32,422 (increased by $13,000; law says salary must be 40 percent of state's attorney’s salary, which went up this year and is expected to go up for four years); additional assistant, $15,000

* Animal control: to replace old animal-transport unit on truck, $10,000

Approximate total: $600,000

 

 


County Board committee meeting dates for October 2000

Committee

Location

Date

Time

Board of Whole Courthouse Thursday, Oct. 12 7 p.m.
Finance Courthouse Friday, Oct. 13 8 a.m.
Adjourned Board Courthouse Tuesday, Oct. 17 7 p.m.
Joint Solid Waste City Hall Wednesday, Oct. 18  7 p.m.
Special Adjourned Board Courthouse Thursday, Oct. 19 7 p.m.


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