|
Alderman Verl Prather, reporting for
the group at Monday night's council meeting, said, "All of us walked
away from the meetings feeling good about the chances of getting a
grant." No word is expected before late spring or early summer.
The group, consisting of Mayor Beth
Davis and Aldermen Bill Melton, Steve Fuhrer and Prather, met with
staff members of local congressional representatives. They saw Mark
Palmer, project manager for Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Brigit
McNally, project manager for Sen. Peter Fitzgerald, R-Ill. In
addition, they talked with Rep. Ray LaHood of the 18th Congressional
District and his staff members Diane Liesman, chief of staff, and
Erin Reif, project manager.
In Durbin's office Palmer "stressed how
important it was that we came in person," according to Melton.
Palmer said that meeting face-to-face increased the possibility of
receiving funding, Prather explained.
At each of the meetings Davis
introduced the group, Melton gave details of the sewer plant
project, Fuhrer discussed economic development efforts, and Prather
explained the city's financial situation. After their presentation,
group members answered questions and offered information on the city
and county. At each office they left videos on "A. Lincoln in Logan
County" and the giant Abe statue.
Fuhrer summed up the experience: "It
felt good to explain what the city is doing. I think it was very
well worth the effort." Though optimistic, all members of the group
stressed that other cities are sending their own representatives and
competition for grants is keen.
In other
business Fuhrer announced a second public informational meeting
on the proposed sales tax increase, to be held at 7 p.m., Monday,
Feb. 10, at Friendship Manor. Those attending are asked to use the
south entrance into the dining area.
Since the tax increase, if passed, is
to go toward improving streets and curbing, aldermen are asking
anyone who knows of roads and curbs needing attention to bring that
information to the meeting. The streets and alleys committee has
about a five-year list of such projects, Fuhrer said, but other
sites can be added. If a situation is bad enough, it could take
precedence over projects already on the list. "If this passes, it's
going to be an ongoing project," Fuhrer explained, "so we want the
public's input."
[to top of second column in
this article]
|
Fuhrer pointed out that the half-cent
hike in sales tax, from 6.25 to 6.75 cents on the dollar, does not
apply to food for home consumption, prescription and nonprescription
drugs, or licensed vehicles. In the case of other items to which it
does apply, a $100 purchase would cost an extra 50 cents in taxes.
"Sure, it's an increase in tax," Fuhrer said, "but it's not a lot of
money."
For those who want to help pass the
referendum, a fund has been set up called Citizens for Sales Tax
Increase. Anyone wishing to make a contribution can contact Fuhrer,
Melton, Prather, Davis, City Treasurer Les Plotner or City Clerk
Juanita Josserand. Contributions of time are also sought. The
referendum will appear on the April 1 ballot.
In a unanimous vote Monday night the
nine aldermen present approved a city code amendment banning parking
on the east side of Hennepin Street next to Lincoln College. The
rationale is that the lane needs to be left open in case of fire or
other emergency. Alderman George Mitchell was absent from the
meeting.
Mayor Beth Davis announced that she has
been appointed to the National League of Cities Information and
Technology Policy Committee. Meetings begin in March.
At the start of the council session,
representatives of Randolph & Associates, a Peoria engineering firm,
described the state Municipal Brownfield Redevelopment Program,
which offers grants for cleaning up and returning to use blighted
properties with environmental problems, such as vacant service
stations and industrial plants. The speakers recommended that the
council find and prioritize sites in Lincoln that might qualify. The
property may be privately or publicly owned.
Paul Connell, director of environmental
engineering for Randolph & Associates, said the projects he has
worked on in Peoria, Farmington, Streator and Eureka have been 100
percent funded by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.
Officially, funding is apportioned on a 70/30 match basis, with the
state responsible for 70 percent and the city or property owner for
the rest. However the city is expected to pay by providing equipment
and services rather than cash, so the direct outlay is nil, Connell
said.
Randolph &
Associates employs a grant writer who will write a grant without
charge, but in return the firm wants the environmental engineering
contract.
[Lynn
Spellman]
|
|
At a special meeting Monday evening,
school board members learned that the cost of building a new
one-story junior high on the Adams School site wouldn't come close
to saving the million dollars they were hoping for.
Instead, architect Dave Leonatti will
be working on plans for a middle school housing grades six, seven
and eight on the present Broadway Street site, and board members and
Superintendent Robert Kidd will be looking for ways to find the
extra money they will need to construct a good quality building.
Costs to build the new Central School,
now going up on Seventh Street, were higher across the board than
estimated, and costs to build the new junior high are coming in at
$7.4 million, about $1.6 million higher than originally thought.
The board had hoped to save money by
building the new junior high on the Adams School site and delaying
or omitting the demolition of the present junior high building. They
had also hoped that a one-story building would be considerably
cheaper than a two- or three-story wing at the present site. At the
last meeting they asked the architect and the construction
management firm to come up with cost estimates for the Adams School
site.
A major drawback to this plan is that
the district will be penalized if it does not demolish the old
junior high. Leonatti said he had talked to the Capital Development
Board and learned that if the district does not take down the old
building, it will forfeit the grant money allocated for that purpose
-- more than $400,000. That would bring savings down to only about
$100,000 at the Adams School site.
The Capital Development Board awarded
the district a grant of $8,318,181 to build two new schools, Central
and the junior high, and in 2000 district voters approved a $4.1
million bond issue to make up the $12.4 million estimated cost for
the project. Plans called for demolishing both of the old schools.
Board member Joe Brewer pointed out
that there are benefits to keeping the junior high where it is now.
The Adams School site would mean giving up the present central
location and would also put students farther away from the Ralph
Gale athletic field, which is just across Broadway Street.
Superintendent Kidd also noted that the
district would probably have to bus some junior high students to the
Adams site, and getting into the busing business would be an ongoing
expense for the district. At present the district does not legally
have to bus students.
[to top of second column in
this article] |
"To save $1.5 million to get what we
wanted was exciting, but to save maybe a few hundred thousand and
then start bus service doesn't sound like a good idea," Kidd said.
Leonatti's newest plan for the junior
high at the Broadway site has pared the building from its original
54,260 square feet to 50,500 square feet, cutting costs from
$7,395,831 to $6,937,790. The original budget for the junior high
was $5,812,000, leaving a $1.1 deficit. The 50,500-square-foot
building would still be larger than the present building.
Kidd and board members agreed that the
district needed to look at ways to make up the extra cost rather
than put up a substandard building. Kidd asked Leonatti and Wilson
firm members to bring in firm figures on the final cost of Central
School so the board would know exactly what was left to build the
junior high.
He said he would ask a representative
of First Midstate, a Bloomington investment banking firm, to talk to
the board about issuing additional bonds to make up the needed
funds. He will also review the money the district has on hand,
especially in the Working Cash Fund, which could be safely be used
to make up the difference. He estimated the district may have about
$1 million in the Working Cash Fund.
"We have to talk about how much cash we
have on hand we can use," board president Bruce Carmitchel said. "We
have to do our share before we ask anybody else to give up their
rainy day fund."
Newly appointed board member Lenny
Janet, former principal of Central School, warned the board that the
district should keep some financial cushion. With the state of
Illinois facing billion-dollar budget deficits, state aid to schools
could easily be cut.
Board members said there are some
quality items in the new junior high school they do not want to
compromise on. One is the four-pipe heating and cooling system,
which provides a much better comfort level for students and staff
than cheaper systems and which is being used in the new Central
School. Kidd said he was also concerned about having too many
interior classrooms with no windows.
Janet said he would like to see the
board restore the junior high stage, which was cut to save money. He
said he thought it would be very inconvenient for junior high
students to use the stage at the new Central School, which had been
suggested.
Planning for
the new junior high will continue at the next regular board meeting
on Feb. 19.
[Joan Crabb]
|
