Coffee with the Mayor yields open conversations with constituents
Topics include Cannabis, CO2 pipeline, run down structures and more

 

[September 13, 2023] 

On Saturday, September 9th, Lincoln Mayor Tracy Welch hosted Coffee with the Mayor at Guest House Coffee and Pastries. The open forum, casual meeting included Lincoln Alderman Steve Parrott, Assistant Police Chief Matt Comstock, and Fire Department Chief Bob Dunovsky. Representative Bill Hauter was also in attendance.

The morning kicked off with a question from Cliff Barrell regarding an officer involved shooting that had taken place on June 1st in the vicinity of Riggs Drive in Lincoln. Barrell said that there had been nothing reported about the event, and he wondered why and what was going on.

[A press release was issued by Chief Joe Meister on June 3rd. Read that release here.]

Comstock said there was little that he could say about the incident because it is within the state police jurisdiction now, as it always is when a municipal police officer is involved. He did tell the group that the officer who fired his weapon and struct the suspect has been on administrative leave since the incident. Barrell said he understood there were a number of officers involved and he wondered why only one was on leave. Comstock said immediately after the event, there were four who were put on leave, but as the investigation continued, all but one was called back to duty. During the conversation, Barrell also voiced his support of the department and the officer, saying that he felt the response had been appropriate for the event.

The next topic addressed by guests was about rundown and derelict properties in the city. Annette Gettleman said she is keeping an eye on a number of properties and wonders if the city is as well. She asked specifically about an apartment building on Logan Street where it appears that the support pillar on the front porch has fallen down, and said it looks like a safety hazard.

Chief Dunovsky said that he was familiar with the structure and that the pillar had been ornamental and did not compromise the safety of the awning structure. At the same time, he said it is one of the properties in the city that is being watched.

Alderman Parrott spoke about a property on North Union and said that a decaying garage on the back of the home was in the process of being torn down. He said that he personally was involved in taking down the structure, helping the homeowner along with a friend of his.

Questions were asked about the status of video gaming in the city. Mayor Welch said that he has stopped signing off on new gaming applications. He said that the city had established loose rules regarding the number of gaming establishments in the city, and that Welch saw it as getting out of hand when a friend of his commented that Lincoln was beginning to look like a little Las Vegas. He was asked if any of the video establishments had gone away. He said that the city had exercised the rights given by the state to increase the licensing fee from $25 per unit to $250. A few had decided it was not worth it, but not that many.

Welch went on to talk about the liquor commission that controls the licensing for all liquor establishments as well as controlling to the extent allowed by the state, the gaming. He said that the commission is way down on membership numbers and he is hopeful that he will be able to take some action regarding this in the near future.

Another comment made by Welch is that the code enforcement office is understaffed. He said that the Building and Zoning Officer, Wes Woodhall, is responsible for code enforcement, but he is spread too thin and needs more assistance. Welch is also hopeful that something can be done about this situation in the future.

Conversations turned to the injection of Cannabis into the Lincoln landscape. Currently the city is permitting a new dispensary and a couple of processing facilities. There is also a pending application for a craft grow establishment. Currently the establishment is looking to be permitted a craft grow license for the former Fastenal Building on Broadway Street in Lincoln.

Questions were asked about the smell that comes from such a facility and the fact that the Fastenal building is attached with a common wall to McEntire Appliance. Welch said that McEntire had that concern also as the popular appliance store does not want the smell seeping into its workspace. Welch has been told that the facility has a means to contain the smell and will be implementing a “room within a room” grow area with air scrubbers.

Barrell said he had concerns about the location of the facility because it is just feet from the Junior High School and a number of churches. Welch said that this is not a retail business and that no one will be permitted to enter the building.

Parrott has always voiced strong opposition to gaming and cannabis. He spoke saying that the city, Lincoln used to be known for its connection to Abraham Lincoln, but now it was becoming known for its liquor and gambling, and soon Cannabis would be added to that list. He said it was not good at all and did not give off a good impression to people looking to relocate into the area.

Welch had said earlier in the conversation that the Cannabis was already being consumed in Lincoln from out of town sources. He felt that having a dispensary in Lincoln would serve to keep those who are purchasing out of town in town. And there is the revenue to the city to be considered.

Dunovsky weighed in saying that the drug problems in Lincoln are not coming from legal sources. Those who are obtaining, and improperly using and consuming marijuana products are doing so illegally. He added that there are other drug issues within the city that are far worse than controlled cannabis.

Barrell said that he would just remind the city that cannabis is a gateway drug that will lead to more lethal and illegal addictions.

The last question of the day brought Representative Hauter into the conversation.

The city council had been visited by a group from Atlanta at the end of August who spoke about the CO2 pipeline that developers are wanting to bring through Logan County in the Atlanta area. The group had taken turns at the podium sharing the concerns and dangers of the gas that will be transported from Iowa into Illinois, through Logan County and to a destination just to the east.

Darren Schempp who serves on the Atlanta Fire Department spoke about attending a conference where the speakers were fire department and rescue personnel living in the area of a pipeline eruption in 2022. The speakers had told of trying to rescue victims when there was no oxygen in the atmosphere. They had said people couldn’t breathe, vehicles wouldn’t run, and many victims became unconscious in a matter of seconds due to the lack of breathable air.

The group had asked that the city speak out in opposition to the pipeline.

Welch was asked if the city would do as requested, and the question posed by Lincoln Daily News was extended to Representative Hauter to offer his opinion on the matter.

Welch offered Hauter the opportunity to speak first. Hauter said he wasn’t sure he could give a definitive answer just yet on the matter of CO2. He said there were many unanswered questions about the product and the pipelines. At the same time he offered an alternative observation. He said if there is no pipeline then CO2 will still be shipped across country, but it will be by truck or rail.

He said that questions about how the pipeline is constructed, monitored and how close together emergency shutoff valves are located at big questions, but even with all this, he feels there is greater risk of CO2 accidents with trucks and rail than with a pipeline.

Dunovsky supported that theory saying that there are dozens of trucking accidents annually and citing the serious train derailment in Ohio as incidents that put the communities in peril. He also said that while many people don’t exactly know this, one of the largest pipelines in the Midwest runs right under the parking lot at the Lincoln Park District and has been there for years without incident.

Welch said that he understood how concerned the people are who visited the city council. They live in the area where the pipeline will be constructed. He said he would not downplay their concerns, but at the same time, he agreed with others that pipelines could be the safest option. He also agreed with Hauter that there needs to be more information put out to the public from sound, reliable sources.

With the topic exhausted, Welch said it had been a great morning and he appreciated all those who had come and participated. He said maintaining transparency within the mayor’s office as well as the city council is very important to him, and he feels that the time spent with citizens in a casual open forum atmosphere is well worthwhile.

[Nila Smith]