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The money came from donations given in
memory of 16-year-old Daniel Joseph Logan, a junior at Lincoln
Community High School, who died March 30 this year in a
single-vehicle accident. Dick Logan, a longtime Lincoln businessman,
is presently chairman of the Logan County Board.
Dayle
Eldredge, director of HPC, pledged to use the money for specific
programs to reduce substance abuse among young people.
Message from Dayle Eldredge
Thank you, Dick and Marsha. I know
everyone here appreciates your generosity and joins with me in again
expressing our sympathy in the loss of Daniel. We pledge to you both
that the funds will be used for a specific program that will aid in
seeing that no more young people perish due to driving while under
the influence of any substance.
The Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug
Task Force has had since its inception the goal of reducing the use
of these products by youth. Our programs have been aimed at youth.
Education in the schools targets risky behaviors and works with
youth to educate them about the dangers in illegal substance use.
Activities from bowling parties to after-proms, from mock DUIs to
speakers, continue to reinforce the message to youth that use of
these products is not only dangerous, but illegal. And that it is
possible to have a good time without their use.
Recent events have impressed upon the
task force the need to expand our efforts to those that make
alcohol, tobacco and other drugs available to youth — the adult
community. In that light the Healthy Communities Partnership
Alcohol, Tobacco and Drug Task Force today calls on all law
enforcement and members of the judicial process to work with the
task force to enforce all ordinances and laws, whether state, county
or community, regarding making any illegal substance or any alcohol
product available to minors. Where new or stiffer laws are needed,
we pledge to work with you to see their adoption and their
enforcement.
Anyone who provides alcohol to a minor
is breaking the law and should be punished, regardless where the
alcohol is made available and under what circumstances. Likewise,
anyone who sells or distributes illegal drugs to anyone is breaking
the law and should face the consequences. We will work to educate
the business community on laws, ordinances and enforcement. We will
work with the schools, local law enforcement and families to
identify symptoms of illegal substance use by youth. And most of all
— we will work to shine the spotlight on those who put our youth at
risk!
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We call law enforcement to a new level
of vigilance and action in conducting compliance checks of retail
establishments. We call upon neighborhoods to contact law
enforcement when they become aware of activities that would suggest
illegal alcohol or drug use is present. We encourage our judicial
system to toughen penalties to the maximum extent possible and to
enforce those penalties on anyone who makes these products available
— by any means — to our young people. Quiet censure hasn’t worked;
perhaps loss or reduction of the ability to drive, public
condemnation, and stiffer fines and incarceration will make a
difference.
To the youth present today — most of
you do not use alcohol, tobacco or drugs, but you know somebody that
does. Resistance to peer pressure, learning to think and act
responsibly isn’t easy, but it is possible. The old saying "Just Say
NO!" is as true today as it was 20 years ago. When you say no you
protect yourselves, and you may be protecting the lives of your
friends.
The Healthy Communities Partnership and
its task forces are here for the youth of Logan County, and we
intend to remain here for them. We will support your positive
actions, but we will not tolerate abuse of the law by you or by
adults — even your parents.
We challenge all of you present today
and especially our legislators, city, village and county officials,
law enforcement and the courts to declare war against this menace to
youth — the sale or distribution (whether passive or active) to
minors of any alcohol in any form and the distribution by whatever
means of illegal drugs.
Our youth are too precious to waste in
needless crashes and death. The need is present and the time is now.
The Healthy Communities Partnership calls on each one of you to join
the battle, to win the prize — healthy young people! Join us in this
effort, support us with your contributions of time or money, and
work with us for all of Logan County’s youth.
[LDN]
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At that time, when the Lincoln area had
more than an inch of rain, water caused considerable damage to four
areas of the building. The school and its architect, Tom Wilson of
Design, Inc., in Peoria, are still putting together the numbers, and
the exact amount of damage has not yet been determined, Plese said.
Ironically, the water damage occurred
while a construction firm, Craftmasters, Inc., of Decatur, was in
the process of repairing the 50-year-old roof, which has been
leaking off and on for the past three or four years.
The original high school building, put
up in the 1950s, had a flat roof, Plese explained. That roof, which
was repaired in 1986, had been covered with Styrofoam insulation
contoured so water would run into drains and protected with a rubber
membrane.
Contractors cut away about 60 feet of
the rubber membrane and took off the Styrofoam insulation but did
not seal up the rubber covering or put on patches to make the roof
watertight, he said. When the June 11 heavy rain came, the water
could not reach the drains and began seeping under the remaining
rubber membrane. It found the holes in the old 1950s roof and went
through.
Fortunately, the leaks occurred during
daytime hours when people were in the building.
"It happened in stages," Plese said. At
11 a.m. June 11, his secretary discovered water by her desk, coming
from the ceiling of the library above her.
Plese immediately went up to the
library and found water coming around a column supporting the air
conditioner. The books in the library were not damaged, he said.
At 4 p.m custodian Danny Aper
discovered a leak in one of the classrooms, and another custodian,
Verna Johnson, found water coming into the halls at an expansion
joint.
The four areas where the leaking was
worst, all on the west side of the building, were in the hallway at
the expansion joint, between the biology rooms and in two areas in
upper-level classrooms.
An ingenious solution saved the
building from further damage. Plese and the custodians removed wet
ceiling tile and fastened large sheets of plastic, like huge
dropcloths, to the grid-work on the ceiling to catch the water. They
punched a hole in the plastic so the water would drain into a
50-gallon garbage barrel, then used a sump pump to pump water out of
the building, in some cases out of second-story windows.
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Crews worked all day and night Tuesday
and Wednesday, catching the water and emptying the barrels. Water
was still dripping in some places Thursday, Plese said.
Supplies and furniture in the
classrooms were not damaged, but some workbooks in the biology
storage rooms will have to be replaced. Plese said he is still
waiting to see whether floor tile has been damaged. Air conditioners
are running to dry out the floors and prevent mold from forming.
Plese said the Decatur firm has
dismissed the foreman who was on the job, because the firm believes
the LCHS incident could have been avoided.
The roof that was put on the building
in 1986 was done by Goodyear and had a 10-year warranty, Plese said.
The roofing company was supposed to do an inspection in 1997 and
recommend work to be done to extend the warranty. However, Goodyear
sold the roofing business to Versico. In 1999 Versico agreed to give
the school a list of work that needed to be done to bring the roof
to a point where they would offer another three-year warranty. That
would have cost the district $250,000 to $300,000.
Instead, Plese said, the district chose
to pay about $750,000 for a new roof with a 15-year warranty, which
can be extended for another 10 years. He expects the major part of
the work to be done before school starts in late August.
It’s really tough to make a 50-year-old
building new. Our age is showing a little. Brickwork and foundations
still look good, although the building may need some tuck-pointing
in the next few years," he said.
"The roof is the number one thing that
protects us. Architects have estimated it would cost between $15 and
$20 million to replace the high school building and $6 million to
replace the contents.
"If a roof
costing $12 million is protecting a building and contents worth $26
million, that’s a good investment for the community," Plese said.
[Joan
Crabb]
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With House and Senate
approval, nearly $450 million additional spending was trimmed from
the state budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Legislators
chose to restore only a few budget items from the governor’s cuts,
including state aid to schools and a senior citizens telephone hot
line for prescription drug assistance.
Senate Republicans
demanded the state cut spending to avoid income tax or sales tax
increases proposed by some lawmakers to balance the budget. Illinois
is suffering from the same post-Sept. 11 fiscal problems as other
states throughout the nation. The final balanced budget, approved by
lawmakers, cuts spending and increases taxes only on cigarettes and
on excess profits of wealthy riverboats.
The governor has
begun reviewing substantive legislation and signing bills into law.
Among those signed into law this week was a new law authorizing
veterans license plates for motorcycles.
License plates
honoring Purple Heart recipients are already available for
motorcycles. Under SB 1550/PA 92-545, motorcycle plates honoring the
following veterans will also be available: Congressional Medal of
Honor winners, members and veterans of the United States Armed
Forces, members of the Illinois National Guard, members of the
United State Armed Forces Reserves, Pearl Harbor veterans, Korean
War veterans, Bronze Star recipients, Vietnam veterans, World War II
veterans, Army combat veterans and U.S. Marine Corps veterans.
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The following laws
were also among those approved this week:
Education audits (SB
1534/PA 92-544) — Requires the auditor general, rather than the
State Board of Education, to annually audit the finances of the
regional superintendents of schools and each education service
center.
Local improvements (HB 3771/PA 92-539) —
Allows townships with a population of at least 50,000 to vote by
resolution to utilize road funds for construction or maintenance of
sewage and water treatment facilities.
[News
release]
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