Lincoln constituents share ideas
and concerns at Coffee with the Mayor
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[November 05, 2023]
On
Saturday, November 4, Lincoln Mayor Tracy Welch hosted a Coffee with
the Mayor event at Guest House Coffee and Pastries on the square in
Lincoln. Other city representatives joining him were included Ward
Four Alderwoman Rhonda O’Donoghue and City Clerk Peggy Bateman.
Just a few constituents were in attendance to visit with the three
city officials and talk about both positive and negative conditions
within the city.
To help people understand how he got involved in politics, Mayor
Welch said he always paid attention to what was happening in the
city. At one point, Welch was part of Main Street Lincoln. Then,
when Marty Neitzel was the Mayor of Lincoln, she appointed him as a
Ward One Alderman.
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Welch was appointed Mayor of Lincoln after Seth
Goodman resigned from the role. Welch said he got involved as a way
to help people. It has nothing to do with the money.
The job is 24/7 and things are always happening. For instance, Welch
said when the college closed, or there is some kind of incident,
reporters will start calling all throughout the day. He loves
working with local reporters and says they are great to work with,
but also meets with reporters from Springfield and Decatur at times.
There have even been times when O’Donoghue has had reporters going
door to door to get information.
The city council meetings are recorded and streamed online, and
Welch feels that seems to help with transparency.
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Lincoln resident Anna Seefeldt said she listens to
city council meetings and there are some interesting conversations
that go on. She has learned from them.
Previously, if people could not watch meetings on Channel Five, they
could not watch them anywhere. Welch used to stream meetings from
his phone putting his phone by the presenter’s deck. He then began
to use a go pro. He hopes to add a camera that will better show the
presenter’s faces during meetings.
When it comes to the city council’s meeting schedule, Welch said it
is pretty simple. They have a committee of the whole where he and
the city council build the agenda for the next week. Then, they meet
the next week. There are fewer meetings than the County Board has.
With the committees in the city, Welch said they are more hybrid,
which started in 2021. If there is a project that comes up, Welch
puts a couple alderman on project committees. For example, Kevin
Bateman headed a committee for the recent sewer project. Another
initiative Welch said the city has right now is a safety initiative
and there are some aldermen on it. O’Donoghue is involved in working
with short time projects.
A question Seefeldt had is whether there is anyone who communicates
with the county on what they are doing.
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The city and county don’t work together as much as
they used to, but Welch hopes that will change. He would like to see
communication between the city and county improve, especially since
there are many newer members.
Once a month, Welch meets with mayors from surrounding towns to talk
about what is happening in their communities. Each month, they meet
in a different town to discuss how each one addresses issues. Welch
realized the need for meeting with the others after a Regional
Planning incident where the mayors realized they were not all on the
same page.
Regional Planning provides collaboration between communities, which
Welch said is good when trying to move projects along. Regional
Planning manages areas like the Enterprise Zone and the city pays to
be a part of it. He feels collaboration is very important. People
usually want to get to the same place, but Welch said they all have
different opinions on how to get there.
As Mayor Welch said, “our job is to represent you [the people]. If
we [he and other city representatives] are doing our job, then you
are telling us we are doing our job well.” If not, Welch said they
need to work harder on it.
Things happening in the city
There were then some discussions and questions about other things
going on in the city. For example, work on the new Mel-O-Cream
building on Kickapoo is coming along well. There will be a few other
businesses in the building such as a Bourbon Lounge. On Chicago
Street, renovations are progressing well in the building that will
house Amigos World (formerly Amigos Tacos).
One building that has been repurposed is the old bottle factory.
Alderman O’Donoghue said Jake Johnson and his brother bought it and
did tons of work on it. They tore down the old silos, then remodeled
and rented out some buildings on the site as storage facilities.
There are housing products being shipped out of it. O’Donoghue said
the building looks really nice.
Because empty lots typically become junkyards, Welch is happy to see
the bottle factory being repurposed.
As far as possible plans for the Lincoln College campus, Welch said
he does not have any new updates. He has had a recent conversation
with the gentlemen looking at it and there were some takeaways from
it, but that is the last he heard.
There was a rumor going around that the city derailed the project,
but Welch said it is not true. The city heard their request and gave
it consideration, but thought it was too high risk and not in the
best interest of Lincoln. Welch said they informed the potential
buyers but gave them alternate options to consider.
All questions about the Lincoln College property are deferred to Pat
Doolin, who chairs the college’s board of trustees. If what has been
proposed comes to fruition, Welch said it would be good for the
city.
Lincoln resident Cindy Lowe asked about housing in the area, which
she feels is a need for many.
There are many rentals available, but Bateman said some need more
maintenance. There are also many landlords.
Landlords do talk to each other about their tenants, and Welch said
some may have trouble finding a place. As with everything, Welch
said there is good and bad in the rental industry. The city tries to
work with landlords if they have issues. There can be both bad
landlords and bad tenants.
Houses can be auctioned off after the owner is delinquent on
property taxes for three years. Welch said that the program is run
by Logan County Trustees, which the county has contracted with. Some
houses can be purchased for as little as $800, but Welch said the
person who buys it becomes responsible for fixing any code
violations or safety issues.
Something else Lowe wanted to know is who to call if a neighbor’s
tree falls on her property.
When Welch faced a similar situation, he feared the neighbor’s big
tree may come down on his house in a bad storm. Welch helped pay to
get the tree on the neighbor's property cut down. Fortunately, the
neighbor shared in the cost.
The recently opened dog park is something Lowe loves. She sees the
dog park getting quite a bit of use, especially in the evenings.
The dog park has several trees that were donated from a fundraiser a
few years by a local organization Brenda Short, Sarah Welch and
others are involved in.
The dog park is something Seefeldt agrees is a good thing.
Something Bateman feels would be nice is to have a walking area
around the dog park.
Alison Park recently had some upgrades. Welch said the Rotary Club
donated to the park. He said the city has many good organizations
helping with projects.
A new sidewalk is going in at Postville Park.
Because Lowe lives on Eighth Street and there is some empty space,
Bateman asked her what else she would like to see on that street.
Since it can be hard to get out of her own driveway, Lowe said there
seemed to be enough going on in that area. It can be hard to find
parking.
An amphitheater is something Welch then mentioned. He feels it could
be a great addition to the city.
The Sherman city park has an amphitheater and O’Donoghue said it is
very nice. There are many events held there.
Next, Lowe asked whether the city has grown.
Population wise, Welch said Lincoln is at around 13,000 people.
Illinois is a state many are leaving, so other places also have
lower populations.
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One family from California
recently moved to the New Holland area and Welch said they like
being in a smaller community.
For what we are losing, Welch said we are still gaining ground
and revenue streams are holding steady.
A couple of Boutiques, Highbrow Studio and a few other places
have recently opened downtown. The newly opened Urgent Care
center on Woodlawn and the car wash being built in front of
Walmart are other places Welch feels are good additions to
Lincoln.
The Old Griesheim Building is being renovated and Welch said
there are plans to put a butcher shop there.
A black octagon building in Lincoln was renovated and Welch said
it is now being used as an Air BNB. He said it is great to have
Air BNBs when events are going on downtown.
Though Welch said the economy is not booming, he feels it is not
going backwards either. There are many nice little things
happening.
When some places do not last, Welch feels it is just
related to what the market demands. He reads a lot and sees many
people talking about roads.
The road budget has tripled since Welch came in, and it is up to
$1,000,000 annually. Welch said “we need nice roads, but we also
have to invest in other things.” If we don’t, Welch said we may have
nice roads and no one driving on them.
A road like Tremont Street is a possible Capital Improvement
project. Welch said it is an upcoming project that is long overdue.
It may need long term resurfacing.
Welch recently talked to Andrea Runge, Chief Executive Officer at
Lincoln Economic Advancement and Development. He said they discussed
how things are shifting as the community is trying to grow. They
feel we will be successful if we can get more brick or mortar stores
in.
Small businesses are something Welch feels we need to promote.
Shopping locally means more money stays in town. Supporting these
businesses helps support the city’s revenue.
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When people shop in town, if someone spends $100 in
town, Runge told Welch $70.00 of that revenue stays in town. If you
go to a chain, only $30.00 stays in town. If you shop online, Welch
said money only stays in town if the driver delivering is local.
In Lincoln, Welch said people are trying to get commercial
properties rehabbed and ready to rent. He said grants have helped.
With ARPA funding and grants, he said $350,000 has been given out.
Welch wants to see the whole town thrive.
One building Lowe asked about was the one on Chicago
Street that caved in.
The city purchased two parts of the building. Welch said there are
hopes to remediate the property and sell it but they have to be
careful not to damage the wall attached to the property next door.
Some buildings can be hard to afford because Welch said some have up
to $20,000 in back taxes.
There was one property on Tremont Bateman said the city paid $800
for. Welch said they sold it to Habitat for Humanity for them to
renovate and provided a home for a family who needed it.
As Welch said, doing stuff from an economic development standpoint
can make the city move forward. There is no recipe for a growing
town.
On each side of the square, Welch said there are new bike racks with
Abraham Lincoln’s faced etched in. Many children ride downtown and
need a place to park them. Previously, people would sometimes lean
their bikes against windows panes, which Welch said broke a few
windows.
A negative Welch brought up is that the Lincoln Police Department is
still short staffed, which makes it hard to keep up with the demands
of the city.
More ideas from constituents
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Lincoln resident Chris Glick expressed a concern
about some of the electronic bikes he sees “flying down” some roads
at high speeds. He saw one go past at 70 miles per hour and worries
about a child being hit.
On North Logan, O’Donoghue said she has seen people speed through
there too, and she understands the concern.
Glick is a veteran and said 350 veterans commit suicide annually. He
feels more Veterans Affairs hospitals are needed because there are
long waits to get into the ones available.
The Lincoln College campus is a place Glick would love to see
utilized for veterans. With the various buildings, Glick said there
would be housing for veterans and spaces for various services like
counseling and therapy. He feels between 400 to 600 individuals
could be employed at such a place. It would give back to local
businesses.
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Since Glick had some ideas for the campus, Welch
suggested he present them to the Lincoln College Board of Trustees.
While Welch believes services for veterans are much needed, he said
the state would also need to be consulted. He thinks it may be
helpful to contact some representatives like Sally Turner and Mary
Miller, since they may be able to help.
Help for veterans is available at the Federal level, so Glick said
that could be a starting point. Glick said the closest VA hospital
is in Danville. He is very passionate about helping veterans and has
a folder with a list of contacts.
There is one empty building in Pekin Street Glick hopes will be used
for veterans. With so many suicides, he said veterans need more
facilities to help them with PTSD and other mental health issues.
Glick said having someone to talk to can help many.
Recently, O’Donoghue said she has seen more push for mental health
services as they have come to the forefront. She agrees more is
needed to provide those services. Mental health issues need to be
addressed because they can affect the whole family.
Too often, Glick said people become a number. He worked many years
in the mental health field and saw how long people had to wait to
get help.
The Fifth Street facility (the old St. Clara’s Nursing Home) is one
place Welch said will help with some services. He is hoping it can
start to solve some issues.
The right people are involved in the project. Welch said sometimes
you have to take bureaucracy out of it because it can kill projects.
Others involved working closely with the veterans can make more
risky decisions. Welch gets weekly updates from people like Joe
Schaler who is working with the project.
This project received $200,000 from one county fund to assist in the
project.
Because the Fifth Street facility is being renovated, Lowe asked
about how the project is going.
Welch said plans are for the building to be used for Veteran
services. Those involved in the project are looking at all the
square footage in the building to see how the spaces can be best
utilized.
More resources are needed for many people. Welch said too many
people get lost in the system.
Through the help of many grants available, Welch said the city is
hoping to get more people making investments in the city.
One last question Lowe had was about the new juvenile facility going
up on State Street.
The work on that is progressing and some of the streets nearby have
been upgraded. Welch said the facility may open sometime next year.
When discussions drew to a close after over an hour, Welch thanked
everyone for coming and sharing their thoughts. He will likely host
more coffees with the mayor in the future.
[Angela Reiners]
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