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Matthew
Hortenstine, an attorney representing Spectrum Energy Inc. of Irvine,
Calif., and Charlotte, N.C., told the board that the three "peeker
units" are being proposed for the Logan County site due to its
proximity to a major natural-gas line and a 130-kilovolt power line
that would be used to feed generated electricity into the power grid.
"An
option on five acres of ground has been obtained from Ag-Land F.S.
located on the east side of New Holland," Hortenstine said.
He
also told the board that the units would operate from approximately
June 1 to Sept. 30 when the electrical demand is greatest.
"Typically,"
Hortenstine said, "these units are used to provide additional
electricity during ‘peek’ times when the demand of air
conditioners pulls more power than can be obtained from the current
grid."
The
natural-gas-fired systems are cleaner to use than coal, but are more
expensive. For this reason, the units would operate only when the
demand is generally greatest.
Hortenstine
said that their operation is approximately from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
weekdays when offices are open and demand is typically the greatest.
Other
similar units located in Fayette and Shelby counties are very
low-level contributors of nitrous oxide, which is what the
Environmental Protection Agency is most concerned about in its
monitoring efforts.
"Gas-fired
generators produce approximately 80 parts per million on nitrous oxide
as compared to 1150 parts per million for coal-fired generators,"
Hortenstine said.
The
board also heard that the noise output of these units is approximately
the level of a grain-bin drying unit, according to Hortenstine.
(To top of second
column in this article)
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"Spectrum
is seeking an extension of the Enterprise Zone from Lincoln to New
Holland in order to take advantage of the sales tax waiver,"
Hortenstine said.
Hortenstine
also told the board that they were not seeking any abatement of
property taxes, which they have no problem in paying.
Other
units of similar size produce approximately $120,000 in revenue
annually, Hortenstine added.
"The
Enterprise Zone would consist of a strip approximately three feet wide
and would run from Lincoln's west side to New Holland and surround the
five-acre site," Hortenstine said.
Hortenstine
also explained that in order to do this a joint agreement would have
to be reached between the Lincoln City Council and the County Board
before the proposal could be submitted to the Department of Economic
and Community Affairs.
Also
among the Spectrum plans is digging a new well for New Holland,
including pumping capabilities, and then giving it to New Holland.
"We
would then become a customer and purchase water from the town,"
he added.
Meetings
are also being planned by Hortenstine with the city of Lincoln in
order to present this proposal, as well as with Waste Management in
order to dispose of water that is used to cool the generators.
"Waste
water that is a concentrated form of water drawn from the local supply
would be trucked once a day for disposal," he said.
Nothing
is added to the water supply in order to use it for cooling, he said,
but the water that is left from this process has a more concentrated
form of natural minerals due to the reduction of volume from the
recirculation five to six times.
The
short-term economic impact, according to Hortenstine, would be the
creation of 100 to 125 construction jobs in a six- to nine-month
period, and there would be four to 10 permanent jobs per unit.
[Fuzz
Werth]
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Since
1977, IRMA has honored an individual with its Retailer of the Year
award, but at the beginning of the new millennium, the organization
chose instead to honor a select list of top companies in the state.
Only 107 retailers received the award.
Lincoln
Mayor Joan C. Ritter submitted the nomination to the state
organization. To be considered, the retail operation had to be in
business at least 35 years, be involved in community programs and
business organizations, and have an important economic impact on the
community.
In
her nomination letter, Mayor Ritter said, "Robert Graue has been
affiliated with the Lincoln Chevrolet Dealership since returning from
the Korean War in 1953," providing more than 47 years of service
to the community. She noted that the business employs approximately 40
people, and its payroll and sales tax have a substantial impact on the
community. She also submitted lists of community and business
organizations that have benefited from Graue Inc.’s participation.
Graue
Inc. was a Chevrolet dealership until 1986, when it picked up Buick.
Oldsmobile was added in 1997 and Pontiac-Cadillac in 1998.
"The
secret of our success is the people around us," Mark Graue told
the Lincoln Daily News.
"You
not only have to treat the customers right, you have to treat
employees right," Chris Graue said. "You have to make them
feel they are part of a team, which they are."
"There
really ought to be 40 other people sharing this honor with us,"
Robert Graue added. "We’ve got a lot of people working here
that make us look good every day." He said that a few years ago a
survey showed the average age of a Graue Inc. employee was 36 years
and the average length of employment 12 years.
"Turnover
has not been one of our problems. We probably have the lowest turnover
of any dealer we know," he continued. "Also, we make a major
investment in training – $25,000 to $35,000 a year – some in-house
and some at General Motors centers."
Robert
Graue started in the auto dealership business on Sept. 12, 1953,
joining the Augspurger and Plienes Chevrolet-Buick dealership at 227
Kickapoo across from Latham Park. "I got out of the Marine Corps
one Monday and went to work the next Monday," he explained.
Augspurger
and Plienes became Partlow and Rust in April of 1954, and Robert Graue
soon became sales manager. In January of 1960 he became general
manager and a partner in the business. In 1964 the dealership became
Partlow and Graue, and in 1976 it became Graue and Sawicki. Graue Inc.
became the name on Dec. 31, 1979.
The
dealership moved to its present address, 1909 N. Kickapoo, in 1970.
The company had already purchased the land, but before the building
was ready, in November of 1969, a fire at 227 Kickapoo damaged the
parts room and part of the service department. "There was a
gaping hole in the ceiling," Robert explained.
Across
the alley was a building being used as a warehouse by a Ford dealer,
Robert Langellier Sr. and his son, Robert Jr. "Langellier was
kind enough to offer us the use of their warehouse until we could get
on our feet. That was the kind of town Lincoln was. I found out a long
time ago that Lincoln is a great place to live, a great place to raise
a family and a great place to do business."
(To top of second
column in this article)
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[Robert Graue (center), with sons Chris (left) and Mark
will receive one of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association
"Retailer of the Year" awards for their service to the
Lincoln community,]
Graue
and his family have helped to make Lincoln the kind of town it is,
according to Mayor Ritter’s nomination letter. "This
community-oriented business has set the standard for both leadership
and supportive financing of dozens of beneficial civic projects,"
she wrote.
Among
these contributions are the following: founding sponsor of Lincoln
Jaycee’s Outstanding Young Farmer award; charter contributor of Main
Street Lincoln; Balloon Fest sponsor and Art Festival benefactor;
Community Theatre patron; Community Concert Association patron;
sponsor of youth athletic programs, including baseball, basketball and
three-on-three; sponsor of Annual Salute to Agriculture; provider of
automobiles for Lincoln High School driver training programs; and
sponsor of Mount Pulaski Homecoming Soap Box Derby.
Robert
Graue is a past president of the Lincoln and Logan County Chamber of
Commerce and served as a trustee and president of the board of Abraham
Lincoln Memorial Hospital, where he chaired a successful
million-dollar capital development campaign. He is a trustee of the
Holy Family Church, a Paul Harris fellow of the Lincoln Rotary Club, a
member of Knights of Columbus, American Legion, Lincoln Elks Lodge,
the Fighting Illini Scholarship Fund, a Red Cross Blood Bank chairman
and 11-gallon donor, Lincoln YMCA board member, and Citizen of the
Year for both the Lincoln Courier and the Lincoln Jaycees.
He
is a past president of the Lincoln Auto Dealers Association, a member
of both the National and the Illinois Automobile Dealers Association,
winner of the Time Magazine National Quality Dealer Award and a member
of a number of other industry organizations.
Robert
Graue says he is "primarily retired" as of Jan. 1, 1999, and
adds that his sons Mark and Chris are "doing a very good
job" running the dealership. He and his wife, Jody, have three
other children: Steve, a publicist for a publishing company in the
Chicago area, Dr. Beth Graue, professor of early childhood education
at the University of Wisconsin at Madison; and Barbara Nikles, office
manager at Burwell Oil Company in Lincoln.
Mark,
who has been with the business for 21 years, is a member of the Growth
and Expansion Initiative for the Christian Church, chairman of the
board of ALMH, and a member of Kiwanis. He and his wife, Bobbi, have
two sons: Derek, 8, and Patrick, 6. Chris, who has been with the firm
for 13 years, is a member of Rotary and of St. Patrick’s Church in
Elkhart. He and his wife, Phyllis, have two children: Olivia, 5, and
Ethan, 8. The other partner in the firm is John L. Radloff, CPA, of
Morton. Radloff and his wife, Malinda, have a son, Garris.
"At
Graue there’s always been that attitude of giving back to the
community. We’ve grown by giving," Mark Graue said.
"Dad
should get the credit for this honor more than we should," Chris
added. "We’re here to carry the torch. We hope to get such an
honor in another 50 years."
[Joan
Crabb]
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