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It's a plan ready for the making
Logan County zoning director Phil
Mahler said he was standing in for Bill Glaze, the Logan County
Regional Planning Commission chairman and mayor of Mount Pulaski, as
Glaze had another meeting on Tuesday. Mahler was there to answer any
questions about the development of the comprehensive plan. Last
month city aldermen were presented with information and a request to
assist with funding a new plan.
Mahler was speaking just following
discussions about the new Robert's Sysco warehouse and distribution
center and pointed out that all the work that was and is still being
done with that would be lessened with future developments when a
comprehensive plan is in place.
"What you've worked on tonight is
definitely part of the comprehensive plan," he said. In fact, the
last three properties on Woodlawn Road that have been developed
needed annexation and rezoning, he added. The comprehensive plan
deals extensively with land use.
Not only that, but having a plan
will open doors just by the ability to apply for federal help when
it is in place, Mahler added.
Mahler said that one thing Lincoln
could focus on in the future is increasing [freight] train service.
Large businesses often use the rails for transporting products. Just
in the last year Sysco requested assistance with a railroad spur and
so did the ethanol plant.
An average contribution of $2 per
person, based on census population, is being requested from
communities in the county. Lincoln, the largest community,
representing nearly half of the county population, was requested to
contribute $30,000 toward the $55,000 cost for development of the
comprehensive plan.
Finance chairman Verl Prather got
behind the request, saying, "It will pay for itself in a short
time."
The allocation will need to wait for
appropriation at the end of July since it was not in the budget for
this year. But this won't be a problem, he said.
Mayor Davis affirmed that it is a
good use of funds that the city will be paid back in future economic
development.
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[to top of second column in this article]
 |
 Car cruise-ins
Jim Loeffler from the Railsplitter
Antique Car Club made an appearance to say that the first car
cruise-in, in May, went very well. They used all the allocated space
on Kickapoo Street between Broadway and Pulaski streets with over 80
cars in attendance. He thought this was a great start, and since it
fell on Memorial Day weekend and there were lots of graduations
going on, they anticipate that there may more in the future.
He requested permission for cars to
park on the north side of Broadway. That street area would not be
closed as the Kickapoo Street area is during the cruise-in.
Loeffler said that there were lots
of people on the streets, and he hopes that more downtown merchants
will take advantage of this in the future by opening their doors for
the evening. It would be a service to the visitors as well, who
would like to purchase food and drink and maybe do a little shopping
too.
This is a great opportunity to bring
people into our downtown, show it off and liven it up.
The cruise-ins are scheduled for the
last Saturday of the month. The next three cruise-ins are set for
June, July and September and begin at 5:30 p.m. None is scheduled in
August because of the Lincoln Art & Balloon Festival. The next one
will be Saturday, June 25.
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The unzoned
The school bus loading zone on
Eighth Street in front of the former Central School has been
eliminated, as it is no longer needed.
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Downtown walks spiffy
Alderman Wanda Rohlfs complimented
Streets Superintendent Tracy Jackson on work in progress and
recently completed on downtown sidewalks. Rohlfs also serves as Main
Street Lincoln director and recently completed a walking tour of the
downtown area. She said, "Downtown is looking great."
[Jan
Youngquist] |
