New county plan for the future right on course      

[FEB. 4, 2006]  A new comprehensive plan for Logan County is in the middle of its development. Though it was being looked at and talked about for quite some time, actual movement to tackle the mammoth project began about a year ago when Bill Glaze, Logan County Regional Planning Commission chairman, announced that it was time. He committed that the commission would be undertaking the project and somehow get it done in the next year and a half.

The project began conducting a survey of what citizens valued or wanted changed.

It moved on with finding a means of putting the new plan and desired changes together. It was determined to hire a group that has current experience and tools to put a plan together. The six-member staff, directed by Paul Russell from the McLean County Regional Planning Commission, agreed to direct, consult, facilitate and produce a preliminary and final draft.

The McLean group is also familiar with state statues and mandates that have been added over the years since the last Logan County plan was upgraded in 1978.

The comprehensive plan addresses land use, takes county and community zoning ordinances into effect, and directs the type of growth that the communities and the county as a whole would like to achieve over the next 25 years. The growth goals are charted in five-year increments.

The plan addresses many areas of living and doing business in Logan County and its communities. Independent growth groups have been working for months on different aspects.

The main directing body is the comprehensive plan committee. It is co-chaired by Mount Pulaski Mayor Bill Glaze and Atlanta Mayor Bill Martin. Martin was excited to say that at their meeting a couple of weeks ago, "We finally got down to brass tacks." He said they spent quite a bit of time and went over goals and objectives. The meeting was more than two hours long and concentrated. I felt like we got a lot done, he said.

Russell has said that they would like to schedule meetings with the town officials of Atlanta, Elkhart, Lincoln and Mount Pulaski to discuss their land-use plans.

The big news that everyone was happy to hear is that Logan County is getting a grant through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to do a greenways study that will be added to the comprehensive plan.

Adding a greenways plan will enable the county to seek funds for recreational development. At the forefront of the plan is a walking and bicycle trail that would connect Logan County to McLean and Sangamon County trails. Officials have been planning and trying to make a trail happen for years. It would run along old Route 66. Tourism director Geoff Ladd and John Sutton are working on a grant through the Route 66 Byways program. They and Martin will be going to the greenways planning meeting in Bloomington later this month.

Atlanta also has a walking and bicycle trail waiting for development, using the old Pacific Railroad bed that ran from Peoria to Decatur, Martin said.

Other work that will aid the county in moving forward is the development of a geographic information system. County engineer Bret Aukamp, who is overseeing the project, said that there are three companies interested in doing the next leg of work, called parcel mapping. The companies each specialize in adding streets, markings and parcel lines to the new maps created by digital photograph. The companies have been working with the various departments in the county, like the assessor's office, that need certain work done to their specs. Each company is preparing to submit a proposal, a sample of their work and a bid that will help Aukamp in making a recommendation to the county board.

The GIS committee has been active in determining what will go into the Logan County GIS. They are scheduled to meet again at 9 a.m. on Feb. 14.

The comprehensive plan committee meets again at 7 p.m. on Feb. 22. We are right on schedule at having a preliminary draft to approve, Glaze said, seeming surprised.

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