I was so surprised to see so many people in attendance last evening at the city council meeting and great to see the concerns that brought them there expressed publicly.
Most definitely there were people opposing the medical marijuana dispensary present and they were able to get their point across to the council. Some were professional people and business people and not one person except Ken Molan expressed a desire to have this go forward in this neighborhood location. Since the city has no history of dealing with this type of business it was wise to not go forward with it.
The sand terminal will proceed and I hope with caution and changes to the original plan. Exiting from the proposed facility as initially laid out is a bad idea and without a doubt would cause not only damage to the roads in the Industrial Park but also to Rte 251 but I believe damage to people with increased accidents. The Council needs to study this more thoroughly on their own and not depend upon the company (EOG) for their information. A few of them laughed when I said to them to take a trip up to Chippewa Falls WI and see how it has affected that small community, talk to people, do your job. Thinking and taking only the information from EOG is a mistake. What company is going to tell you any drawbacks associated with their business when they are trying to get the city to cooperate with them about getting this off the ground. Also do your own internet research, lots of information out there.
Mayor Harl mentioned last night that all this information regarding the sand terminal was discussed in length at the 4 hour meeting last Wednesday. To Mayor Harl I would like to say"why did you not publicly get the information out to the public, you know how to use the radio and news paper for your own benefit and why did you not use the information available to inform the residents?" Facebook is free and you have a City of Peru page. It could have been brought up at several council meetings weeks ago. Encourage your aldermen to talk to the friends and neighbors. In other words COMMUNICATE, that is part of your job as mayor of Peru.
Thankfully we had one well spoken gentleman express concerns that many in Peru have concerning the location of the sand terminal. Thank you George Marple, well done.
#EOG
#sandterminal
#medicalmarijuana
#marijuanadispensary
#communication
29 comments:
The employment opportunity presented by this project is worth any inconvenience some people may experience.
Anon 10:52 AM
Being so understanding and knowledgeable as you are if by chance when walking my puppy and it takes a huge dump in your front yard which I cannot pick it up because of the odor hopefully you will consider your inconvenience a opportunity to smell S_ _ T!
All nominations for the 2014 poster child of ignorance have been closed and you have been declared the early winner. Congratulations, now do you think that a signed contract should be completed or simply endorse this group to enter Peru and wing it similar to the song "Whatever Will Be Will Be The Future Is Not ours To See Casa Et Al, Et Al ?
10:52 Not if it creates a health or safety issue. Health and safety come before employment. At least in my books.
How often does EOG Resources Inc. give their employees a complete physical examination? Many chemical plants give their employees a yearly physical examination at a minimum because the jobs are so environmentally dangerous.
How would one go about getting a employee handbook from EOG's Wisconsin facility? How far away is this facility and has anyone from Peru asked to tour it? Any good business person knows that Perus' bargaining power decreases as EOG moves forward. Peru had greater bargaining power before last nights vote than it had after the passing vote of ayes. Would EOG sponsor a busload of concerned citizens and elected politicians to show us their Wisconsin facility. Why has city representation jumped at this offer having such little prior knowledge of the industry? If someone told you they were bringing a gun to town but it would not be loaded would you be inclined to trust him more so than the man who said he was travelling unarmed?
What 10 to 12 jobs ?? Wow
1:33 PM
I quote from the news article. The plant would operate 24/7, five days a week to start. Five or more people would be on duty at a time with a total of 10 or more terminal jobs and 12 truck drivers.
The Wisconsin Chippewa Falls plant is a processing center and has employed over 2000 people and continues to expand it is operated by EOG. The Peru location is a simple load sand area and has no mining or processing of the sand. The sand from Peru will be shipped to other destinations. Please don't alarm residents with air quality, land displacement or water issues. Its not the same process. Peru EOG will load sand from truck to train(enclosed).
Sounds like about 27 good middle class jobs to start. I know they aren't as glamorous as Corn Dog Dipper, Canal Boat Captain, Canal Boat Muel Wacker, or Burgoo Meister; but heck, they will pay a lot of bills.
NIMBY's Just piss and moan because there is no development then piss and moan when there is. Go get your unlimited bread sticks at the Italian McDonalds and let the people that want to work, work!
It looks like old Quinncometax has been sent packing. This is a good start!
Right-to-work in Illinois 2015!
Anon 3:44 PM
27 GOOD middle class jobs? Nowhere have I seen any question of the number of jobs nor their ability to pay a lot of bills.
What I have seen questioned is the effect this facility will have on the local environment, the personal health of those who physically come in contact with this industry and the how extensive the corporation ethics have been scrutinized that they are allowed to start up before all the i's are dotted and t's crossed in a well defined legal contract by a city council vote. Would you allow a unknown stranger knocking at your front door into your families home at night or any other time as this council has granted the freedom to enter your city without ever seeing their close by production facility or ever making the effort to.
Yes we need jobs but what jobs does the city have defined which would be advantageous to get in regards to their short and long range planning or is the council simply shooting from the hip without any prearranged target?
In reference to 3:44: When trying to be funny you will get more laughs without ethic slurs and vulgarity, if you are serious and this is a comment that you have given your best at expressing yourself welcome to the blog.
It is of great importance to this blog that you, all others and all active bloggers live in a area in which government representation makes a extensive effort to attract good, well paying occupations which contribute to the environment positively for not only today but for the unknown future.
Anon 9:09 AM Excellent comment! MONDAY evening the Peru City Council and City Attorney endorse EOG Resources with a 7-0 vote and positive verbalism. All of this without any prior experience with EOG Resources and particular industry.
TUESDAY voters of Waltham TWP. cast votes stating that 84% want no more of this same industry.
Who has had any real life experience with this industry?
Peru representation votes 100% positive in favor directly opposite of Waltham TWP. which has experience and votes 84% negative against with a time frame of only brief hours and 6 miles away. Does anyone see something inefficient with this?
9:57 Your off the track on this topic. Watham voters vote to not extend mining. The Peru project has nothing to do with the mining. Its transporting sand from Peru to other parts of the country. You take a truck and empty the sand in the truck to a railcar that is enclosed and the rail car travels to another area for use. No mining in Peru and the non binding referendum in Waltham opposed mining in the township. The Peru project is NOT a mining project or a production process, it is transportation! You understand why a 7-0 vote passed, its because this transportation has little to debate from a environmental factor, a property owner prospective (property sold for probably 4x value) or a quality of life. And it provides blue collar jobs that the area needs. You can't compare Chippewa Falls, Utica, South Dakota to this project. Nothing is similar. Do you oppose the Walmart distribution center, which has more traffic, more dangerous material transported than sand and pays much less than EOG?
Both of the topics sand transportation and marijuana dispensary had extensive public hearings. Many attended including those who represent the residents. Those minutes are on-line and nothing was secret about either topic. The hearings are required to give the public input on the requests. The City council concurred with the recommendations on the sand terminal and opposed the dispensary. 9:09 attend the meetings and find out what are the environmental factors. Less than farming corn! Is the answer and the jobs? I guess 1 is more than 0, but they will employ many drivers and about 12 loaders. And pay more than No jobs will pay. 9:09 YOU mentioned production? There is no production involved to compare with.
11:37 AM
I believe you have posted previously with the same comments and I replied with please give us the date and committee for the minutes as they don't seem to be on our city web site. They may have been discussed in "closed" sessions but you know those minutes are not available to the public. Name of committee, date and location of minutes please.
Joint hearing with the planning commission and zoning board was held on October 29th. EOG was the topic along with dispensary. Newstribune also had article about the hearings on October 30th. The topics are not information that would be allowed in closed meetings and the respective planning & zoning boards hear the requests. Minutes would be on file at the city clerks office.
That meeting from Oct. 30 does not have minutes online because they have not been officially approved. The paper does not post those online. My point is that if those items were to be discussed the mayor and/or council have a responsibility to bring it up at a city council meeting early so that it would be publicized and also to make an announcement on their web site and I don't mean the wording that they put on the written agenda, considering both of those topics could potentially affect the community. Your excuses for the sudden exposure does not fly. If the city wants the public to know something please go beyond what you have to do and do what you should do. The public relations of the government with the citizens is lousy. Did this election tell you something? People are not happy with most government.
I can't find any ethnic slurs in the 3:44 comment. Will somebody explain, or was the 9:09 commentor using the tried and true liberal tactic of tagging everything they disagree with as racist?
The minutes of the EOG terminal and marijuana dispensary are on the city web site under committee reports.
Anon 3:26
If you can't find any ethnic slurs in 3:44's comment you evidently don't what a ethnic slur is nor what defines a racist.
Ok I'm still missing it. I said NIMBY which means Not In My Back Yard. I made reference to the inexpensive pseudo - Italian restaurant because Peru practically declared a holiday when it opened. Whate is "racist" ??????
The comment was made that since the city has no experience in medical marijuana it was wise for them not to go forward with it.
What experience does the city have with EOG Resources Incorporated which they did go forward with?
What all of a sudden made the location and zoning laws so important with medical marijuana when Peru has a history of variances and zoning rules being broken. A history which has made some of the same people who sat in the very same council chambers that evening very wealthy. Was this vote swayed by huge dollar signs which in time will be proven by who does receive a medical marijuana dispensary if allowed to locate in Peru. In the eyes of some was the wrong person applying when someone else is (the so called right person) already designated? Reasons and questions such as this are what eventually interest people to become civic watchdogs and whistle blowers and this city council is in need of a watchdog on this issue.
Anon 3:16
A racist is the fat guy smoking a stogie wearing a trench coat and cap with a attached a dark green visor sitting in the upper seats with the racing sheets for betting at the Arlington. Approximately 10 years ago a movie was made about him in which he spoke about you, do you remember Forrest Gump saying "Stupid as what stupid does"!
1:00 PM, what the heck does that have to do with anything? I still don't see any racist comments, so why did the liberal that posted the 9:09 comment go off in that direction? What ethnic slur?
Oh, by the way, Forrest Gump was released on July 6, 1994 - over 20 years ago, not 10.
Anon 1:18 Read 3:16 AM who asks what is a "racist"????
July 6, 1994 Wow I wasn't two years old yet, as my Dad tells me with all that knowledge you can take it to the grocery store and see how much it buys you.
10:49 - all the knowledge in the world is at your fingertips, all you have to do is Google it. You don't think that I actually had that date memorized do you? Need to take some of your search results with a "grain of sand" though.. ha ha.
I guess it is still OK to say NIMBY - the Liberal attacker with the racism allegations doesn't seem to be able to defend his or her stand.
Go Sand Mining! Go Fracking! Right-to-work in Illinois in 2015!
Anon 9:33AM You just don't get it! Whoever the person you identify as a liberal attacker never mentions the word racism and therefore has no stand to defend. Reread the comment by 9:09 and as I have and nowhere will you find any reference to racism.
You should read it again 5:42 -
"In reference to 3:44: When trying to be funny you will get more laughs without ethic slurs..."
Anon 8:09 Do you realize the difference between racism and ethnic slurs? There is a difference.
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