Lincoln constituents share ideas and concerns at Coffee with the Mayor

 

[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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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]