ALMH seeks land use permit from city of Lincoln
Wellness trail would be extended to Hickox Drive

 

[February 19, 2019] 

LINCOLN 

The Lincoln City Council Regular voting session is delayed this week to this evening (Tuesday, February 19th) due to the President’s Day holiday on Monday. As the council meets tonight, one item on the voting agenda will be to approve a request from Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital for a “Land Use Permit.”

At last week’s Committee of the Whole meeting Angela Stoltzenburg of ALMH and the ALMH Community Health Collaborative presented the request explaining that the hospital wants to extend the wellness trail on the northeast corner to meet up with Hickox Drive. The purpose would be to add an additional point of access to the wellness trail, and make it more accessible for walkers and bikers who wish to come in on the north side.

At one point in time, Hickox Drive on the south and west side of the Woodlawn Road and Lincoln Parkway intersection, extended from the four corners area all the way down to the Fifth Street Road intersection. Over the years the road southward was closed from the area now known as Reps Gym. The road north is still open from Reps to the Four Corners business site.

When ALMH purchased their building site for the new hospital, the property purchase included the old road. The road is now a grassy area with trees planted along the ALMH property line. As a result of the permanent road closure, a culvert was removed just south of Reps, so there is a large ditch there that makes it impossible for folks to walk from the Reps Gym area to the walking trail without walking along the shoulder of Lincoln parkway.

Stoltzenburg used an aerial photo to explain what the hospital would like to do in that area. They plan to rebuild the land to join up with Hickox Drive, and pour a concrete trailway that will connect with the wellness trail.

The property needed belongs to the Illinois Department of Transportation, but it was explained that IDOT does not wish to issue the permits required to a private entity. Therefore, IDOT has passed the authority to permit to the city.

During the discussion period, Ron Keller asked if there was a specific timeline for the project. Stoltzenburg said that there was no specific timeline, but that the hospital wanted to do the work within the spring or summer of this year.
 

In addition to the connection to Hickox Drive, the hospital is also planning to extend the trail to connect with Copper Creek Villages. Stoltzenburg said that development would have no impact on the city, but would be done at the same time.

Steve Parrott asked about parking on the north end, is there a public parking area?

Stoltzenburg said there is not. She said that those who were driving to the wellness trail just to walk would still use the ALMH parking lot. The northern access would be most beneficial to those who were walking to the trail from the north and also for those on bicycles coming in from the north.

Tracy Welch noted that Reps clientele are using the trail, and changing this access would make it easier for those specific walkers. City Clerk Peggy Bateman noted that as a client of Reps, she has walked from the gym to the trail and has had to walk on the shoulder of Lincoln Parkway part of the way. She noted that in the early morning hours, traffic does not respect the pedestrians on the shoulder, they don’t move over and it is intimidating for the walkers, and perhaps even dangerous.

Parrott asked if the city would be held liable in any way for the new trail extension. He wanted to know if city attorney John Hoblit had reviewed the request and the information provided by ALMH. Hoblit said he had not seen any of the documents. He was given a hard copy from city administrator Beth Kavelman and did a quick review. He noted that the documents specifically said that ALMH would carry liability insurance, and in addition the document said that the city “would be held harmless.”

Stoltzenburg said ALMH would bear the entire cost of the improvement and would pay for the maintenance of the property. The city would be asked to do nothing.

Lincoln Street Superintendent Walt Landers explained that the process would include IDOT issuing a permit to the city of Lincoln, giving them authority to deal with ALMH. The city in turn would then issue the land use permits to ALMH.

With the questions of cost and liability satisfied, aldermen agreed to put the request for permit on the voting agenda for this week. The board is expected to vote on this topic, but as is always the case, the aldermen have the right to table any agenda item they feel they are not prepared to vote on.

[Nila Smith]