Tuesday, Feb. 4

 

City officials optimistic
about grant possibilities

[FEB. 4, 2003]  Four Lincoln City Council representatives who recently returned from Washington, D.C., are cautiously optimistic about the chances of receiving grant money to help finance Lincoln's sewer plant upgrade.

Alderman Verl Prather, reporting for the group at Monday night's council meeting, said, "All of us walked away from the meetings feeling good about the chances of getting a grant." No word is expected before late spring or early summer.

The group, consisting of Mayor Beth Davis and Aldermen Bill Melton, Steve Fuhrer and Prather, met with staff members of local congressional representatives. They saw Mark Palmer, project manager for Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Brigit McNally, project manager for Sen. Peter Fitzgerald, R-Ill. In addition, they talked with Rep. Ray LaHood of the 18th Congressional District and his staff members Diane Liesman, chief of staff, and Erin Reif, project manager.

In Durbin's office Palmer "stressed how important it was that we came in person," according to Melton. Palmer said that meeting face-to-face increased the possibility of receiving funding, Prather explained.

At each of the meetings Davis introduced the group, Melton gave details of the sewer plant project, Fuhrer discussed economic development efforts, and Prather explained the city's financial situation. After their presentation, group members answered questions and offered information on the city and county. At each office they left videos on "A. Lincoln in Logan County" and the giant Abe statue.

 

Fuhrer summed up the experience: "It felt good to explain what the city is doing. I think it was very well worth the effort." Though optimistic, all members of the group stressed that other cities are sending their own representatives and competition for grants is keen.

In other business Fuhrer announced a second public informational meeting on the proposed sales tax increase, to be held at 7 p.m., Monday, Feb. 10, at Friendship Manor. Those attending are asked to use the south entrance into the dining area.

Since the tax increase, if passed, is to go toward improving streets and curbing, aldermen are asking anyone who knows of roads and curbs needing attention to bring that information to the meeting. The streets and alleys committee has about a five-year list of such projects, Fuhrer said, but other sites can be added. If a situation is bad enough, it could take precedence over projects already on the list. "If this passes, it's going to be an ongoing project," Fuhrer explained, "so we want the public's input."

 

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Fuhrer pointed out that the half-cent hike in sales tax, from 6.25 to 6.75 cents on the dollar, does not apply to food for home consumption, prescription and nonprescription drugs, or licensed vehicles. In the case of other items to which it does apply, a $100 purchase would cost an extra 50 cents in taxes. "Sure, it's an increase in tax," Fuhrer said, "but it's not a lot of money."

For those who want to help pass the referendum, a fund has been set up called Citizens for Sales Tax Increase. Anyone wishing to make a contribution can contact Fuhrer, Melton, Prather, Davis, City Treasurer Les Plotner or City Clerk Juanita Josserand. Contributions of time are also sought. The referendum will appear on the April 1 ballot.

In a unanimous vote Monday night the nine aldermen present approved a city code amendment banning parking on the east side of Hennepin Street next to Lincoln College. The rationale is that the lane needs to be left open in case of fire or other emergency. Alderman George Mitchell was absent from the meeting.

Mayor Beth Davis announced that she has been appointed to the National League of Cities Information and Technology Policy Committee. Meetings begin in March.

At the start of the council session, representatives of Randolph & Associates, a Peoria engineering firm, described the state Municipal Brownfield Redevelopment Program, which offers grants for cleaning up and returning to use blighted properties with environmental problems, such as vacant service stations and industrial plants. The speakers recommended that the council find and prioritize sites in Lincoln that might qualify. The property may be privately or publicly owned.

Paul Connell, director of environmental engineering for Randolph & Associates, said the projects he has worked on in Peoria, Farmington, Streator and Eureka have been 100 percent funded by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Officially, funding is apportioned on a 70/30 match basis, with the state responsible for 70 percent and the city or property owner for the rest. However the city is expected to pay by providing equipment and services rather than cash, so the direct outlay is nil, Connell said.

Randolph & Associates employs a grant writer who will write a grant without charge, but in return the firm wants the environmental engineering contract.

[Lynn Spellman]


Junior high won't be
built at Adams School site

[FEB. 4, 2003]  School District 27's new junior high school building is still on the drawing board, but the Adams School site is no longer part of the plan.

At a special meeting Monday evening, school board members learned that the cost of building a new one-story junior high on the Adams School site wouldn't come close to saving the million dollars they were hoping for.

Instead, architect Dave Leonatti will be working on plans for a middle school housing grades six, seven and eight on the present Broadway Street site, and board members and Superintendent Robert Kidd will be looking for ways to find the extra money they will need to construct a good quality building.

Costs to build the new Central School, now going up on Seventh Street, were higher across the board than estimated, and costs to build the new junior high are coming in at $7.4 million, about $1.6 million higher than originally thought.

The board had hoped to save money by building the new junior high on the Adams School site and delaying or omitting the demolition of the present junior high building. They had also hoped that a one-story building would be considerably cheaper than a two- or three-story wing at the present site. At the last meeting they asked the architect and the construction management firm to come up with cost estimates for the Adams School site.

 

A major drawback to this plan is that the district will be penalized if it does not demolish the old junior high. Leonatti said he had talked to the Capital Development Board and learned that if the district does not take down the old building, it will forfeit the grant money allocated for that purpose -- more than $400,000. That would bring savings down to only about $100,000 at the Adams School site.

The Capital Development Board awarded the district a grant of $8,318,181 to build two new schools, Central and the junior high, and in 2000 district voters approved a $4.1 million bond issue to make up the $12.4 million estimated cost for the project. Plans called for demolishing both of the old schools.

Board member Joe Brewer pointed out that there are benefits to keeping the junior high where it is now. The Adams School site would mean giving up the present central location and would also put students farther away from the Ralph Gale athletic field, which is just across Broadway Street.

Superintendent Kidd also noted that the district would probably have to bus some junior high students to the Adams site, and getting into the busing business would be an ongoing expense for the district. At present the district does not legally have to bus students.

 

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"To save $1.5 million to get what we wanted was exciting, but to save maybe a few hundred thousand and then start bus service doesn't sound like a good idea," Kidd said.

Leonatti's newest plan for the junior high at the Broadway site has pared the building from its original 54,260 square feet to 50,500 square feet, cutting costs from $7,395,831 to $6,937,790. The original budget for the junior high was $5,812,000, leaving a $1.1 deficit. The 50,500-square-foot building would still be larger than the present building.

Kidd and board members agreed that the district needed to look at ways to make up the extra cost rather than put up a substandard building. Kidd asked Leonatti and Wilson firm members to bring in firm figures on the final cost of Central School so the board would know exactly what was left to build the junior high.

He said he would ask a representative of First Midstate, a Bloomington investment banking firm, to talk to the board about issuing additional bonds to make up the needed funds. He will also review the money the district has on hand, especially in the Working Cash Fund, which could be safely be used to make up the difference. He estimated the district may have about $1 million in the Working Cash Fund.

"We have to talk about how much cash we have on hand we can use," board president Bruce Carmitchel said. "We have to do our share before we ask anybody else to give up their rainy day fund."

Newly appointed board member Lenny Janet, former principal of Central School, warned the board that the district should keep some financial cushion. With the state of Illinois facing billion-dollar budget deficits, state aid to schools could easily be cut.

 

Board members said there are some quality items in the new junior high school they do not want to compromise on. One is the four-pipe heating and cooling system, which provides a much better comfort level for students and staff than cheaper systems and which is being used in the new Central School. Kidd said he was also concerned about having too many interior classrooms with no windows.

Janet said he would like to see the board restore the junior high stage, which was cut to save money. He said he thought it would be very inconvenient for junior high students to use the stage at the new Central School, which had been suggested.

Planning for the new junior high will continue at the next regular board meeting on Feb. 19.

[Joan Crabb]

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