“It doesn’t take a majority to win, just a tireless minority that will keep starting brush fires in the mind and hearts of their fellow men.”

Samuel Adams

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Peru City Council Meeting 1/11 Discussions

These were the topics of discussion at last nights council meeting.

Tesla Motors wanting to locate charging stations for electric cars to recharge in our area. They are asking about the Hyvee parking lot for 4 islands and 8 stations.. Mayor Harl said this is a pretty big thing and it will put a dot on the map for Tesla owners.

I had no idea that many electric cars were traveling cross country. Learn something new every day.

Basset training for tavern owners and employees.....will the police be the ones to do the training.? It will be mandatory by July 1, 2017. (state law) for all employees to be trained.

By May 1, at least one server will need to be BASSET-trained per Peru’s liquor license requirements.

56 comments:

Anonymous said...

The electric charging stations are a boondoggle supported by the "Green Energy" movement. It is largely paid for by the government. The theory is that nobody will buy a totally electric car until the infrastructure is in place to charge them. These stations are high tech and quite expensive. But, they don't need to turn a profit since you and I are paying for them. My bet is - maybe two to three cars per week for several years will utilize it.

The bartender training is another boondoggle. Government should not be sticking its nose in this either. Essentially, this is a licensing program for bartenders. At the best, all it will accomplish is to increase the price of beer at our local pubs.

Anonymous said...

What is the plan for the fireworks?

Anonymous said...

What will Big Daddy Government think of next? Now who in the world came up with the idea to train servers? Maybe they have a plan to serve customers booze all night without getting anyone dead drunk. I guess this will bring about a new course in school. Can't you just see all the teachers begging to handle that course five days a week and for nine months?

Anonymous said...

The private sector already has this training in place. For $15.00 National Hospitality Training will provide an on-line course that is fully accredited by the State of Illinois. Barnaby Jones' comment that "Illinois does not like on-line certification" is misleading. The only ones that don't like this are government workers that will be paid to provide the training locally.

Check out this link:

http://www.bassetcertification.org/?gclid=CLS6-pD9psoCFZOCaQod8M0L2A

Anonymous said...

WOW! Charging stations for Electric Cars in Peru? WOW! Peru's elected officials sure are "cutting edge leaders". OMG! Harl says it's a "big deal" so I guess that puts Peru right up there with Tech communities like those around Silicon Valley in California. But......nobody mentioned how many jobs the "charging stations" will create. Since Peru is a member of IMEA which produces 100% of its energy from Coal-fired Power Plants and since the cost to operate Coal-fired plants continues to rise as a result of more and more strenuous emissions standards, what plan is currently being implemented by Peru's "cutting edge leadership" in preperation for the huge rate increases that are inevitable for all IMEA member cities? I'm sure we have nothing to worry about. Harl, Waldorf, and Lukosus are very "deep thinkers" and I'm sure they have a comprehensive plan to reveal to us very soon. We can all sleep better at night knowing those three intellectual visionaries of clean energy production are on the case. If Peru's phony elected officials don't get a clue very soon Peru's residents and businesses will be paying 10 times more for electricity within the next 10 years. LOL! I'm going to call my alderman today. I'm sure I will get a detailed explanation from him about Peru's cutting edge energy plan for the future.

Anonymous said...

6:28 With the amount of flooding that is occurring quite often I think Water Street should be taken off the board as an option. Will pyrotech companies become discouraged if we have to postpone or cancel because of this condition and will it cost the city their deposit or down payment? Maybe it's time to look into combining and/or working with surrounding communities that have safer and more reliable shooting sites. Food for thought!

Anonymous said...

10:36 AM, Sorry, your idea of cooperation between Peru and surrounding communities concerning Pyrotechnics is a non-starter. Peru's leadership is historically quite elitist and they do not play well with others. Peru's current cabol of elected officials have a rather inflated view of themselves and their abilities. Their over-sized egos do not allow them to participate unless they are "in charge".

Anonymous said...

8:23 Did you know that electric cars are charged by electricity produced by coal fire generators. And did you know that the IMEA is not 100% coal production. Well if they get a big rate increase it may not amount to the huge increase others will be getting. Give Peru credit, they have benefitted for many years with low electric power rates. There is no reliable prediction that coal plants or nuclear plants will be closed.

Anonymous said...

the charging station has nothing to do with Peru's electric department - other than they will be a customer of Peru Electric. It was put there through Federal incentives to place a charging station every 50 miles or so across I-80.

Anonymous said...

It was already announced that Peru Fireworks event will no longer be held on Water Street.

Peru Town Forum said...

I was asked whether the city of Peru has erected their ice skating rink for the winter months and I am asking if anyone has noticed it at Mc Kinley Park where it was to be put up. This was not a cheap and they purchasedd a very good one and the zamboni machine to keep it clean.

Hoping the answer will be yes it is up but no one has mentioned it and I just saw a notice that Oglesby has their open for the residents.

Anonymous said...

2:46 When was it announced that the fireworks would no longer be held on Water Street? I thought they were just looking for an alternate sight.

I rode by McKinley today and couldn't see the skating rink and I too wondered where it was.

Anonymous said...

when they announced that they would not reschedule the 2015 fireworks, they announced at the same time that they would no longer be having them on Water Street. There is some plan in place that has not been announced to have them at another location. The Airport was ruled out due to costs - that was published in the newspaper. So some other deal is being worked out that they are not talking about in public.

Anonymous said...

I think I will send a letter to all the Aldermen. I think fireworks are a waste of time for Peru because other nearby cities are already doing them. Why should we waste our tax money on fireworks when we have LaSalle and Oglesby paying for them? Ottawa has a good show also. Why put our money in the mix - just crash their party. We need to learn to be smarter when it comes to these things. Like the school district. They managed to get all the other cities to pay for our new school and they got the state to pay for the demolition of the old school! That is creative financing. We should do that with our Library and Police, Fire, and Municipal retirement funds. Just add another half percent sales tax. Or maybe we could do a fill the boot campaign on both sides of route 6 and both sides of shooting park road. Only have it going all year round. Hire some minimum wage people to demand money from cars entering the city. The people will think it is a charity, so they will gladly give money.

Anonymous said...

ice skating with the temps so far this year really Lois?

Anonymous said...

7:44 Why would a topic, such as the fireworks, be being kept under lock and key? Why would it be so expensive to have them at the airport? I would think the concerts previously held there would be a much greater cost and hassle.

Anonymous said...

I guess the worry about the great fireworks celebration must be coming from the contractor or a friend of the contractor. Most of the residents didn't miss the display and question if its worth the cost.
I would ask the parks department if that is happening this year. If not, go to the various other displays around the area. Chicago has the best. July 4th is a Monday and typically Peru has the booms on the day before Sunday. I wonder on how much profit the contractor has? Probably 50%. The bar owners profit from the event on water street. I wonder if they help support the event? I hear that answer is no. The CSO sponsors a band, portable toilets, and more. That has to be costly. Can they sell enough beer to make it profitable? Probably if the weather is just right. I realize that this is a celebration and it shouldn't be all about profits. Do we have to duplicate all the other displays?

Peru Town Forum said...

6:39 A.M.

Per your comment .....

Regarding the ice skating in Peru, I am now relaying a message to Peru residents "if you are interested in ice skating. GO TO OGLESBY THEIR RINK IS OPEN ON DAYS WHEN THE WEATHER IS COLD ENOUGH". Call Oglesby city hall for further information.

Anonymous said...

Go to Chicago??? NO WAY! I don't care how good a show Chicago has, there is now way in heck that you will get me to go to the cesspool. Not without body armor, a pistol, and my AR-15 rifle.

Anonymous said...

So Lois, will Peru be putting up that expensive ice skating rink this year? If no, why not?

Anonymous said...

So will there be ice skating in Peru this year?

Anonymous said...

Chicago is a wonderful city. One of my favorite places to go. You should get out more. I am guessing it would do you some good.

Anonymous said...

So Chicago is a 'wonderful city'. And apparently the bedbugs think so also. The city came in No. One again for the most bedbugs of any city in the country. Stop worrying about the fireworks and rain dates. Here's a possible solution. Have all the internet providers broadcast fireworks from around the world so you can see them on computers, laptops, phones, etc. And people could also open their windows so the neighbors can hear the ooohs and aaahs. Also, I'm sorry to hear downtown Peru has moved to Shooting Park Road. So I went shopping there and all I could buy was a Big Mac, a Whopper and a doughnut. I can't wait for the pizza to come.

Anonymous said...

I don't know if some of you geniuses talking about the ice rink know this, but you do realize that the water actually has to freeze for it to work, right? Like we've had three days where that's even possible. It's been the warmest winter on record so far.

Anonymous said...

3:03, you forgot that you can get your prescriptions filled at two different stores that also sell food, liquor, toiletries, and various and sundry items. You can buy a car or truck - two dealers. You can do your banking on three different institutions (four if you travel one block north on Marquette). You can go grocery shopping. You can buy gasoline. You can work out at the fitness center. What am I forgetting? You can hire a contractor and purchase flooring and carpeting. I'm sure I did not cover everything.

Route 6 or 4th Street in Peru is NOT Downtown anymore. At best, it is a low rent retail district with no synergy. Lets see what you get there. You can indulge in Vapor Smoking or buy some actual tobacco. You can purchase hardware still. Or maybe a gun if that is what you are looking for. You can definitely get drunk. Purchase high price gas. On the outskirts you can get overpriced Pizza or go across the street and get a veritable red neck gas banquette at the General Store. Lottery tickets abound as well as a Pawn Shop and Video Gamming. You can hire a lawyer to get out of a DUI. That's all I can think of on 4th Street.

Anonymous said...

Correct. Oglesby had theirs open for about two days.

Anonymous said...

And, 6:30 you do know that you have to have a rink set up to put the water in so when it does freeze kids can skate. You can never skate and the water will never freeze if the rink is hidden in storage. Oglesby seems to know what to do with their rink.

Anonymous said...

I just got done cutting my grass. How does water freeze when its 48 degrees outside?

Anonymous said...

Once again you can't swim in a pool until you put water in it and you can't skate if you have no rink to put the water in when the temperature drops like it's supposed to this weekend.

Anonymous said...

What a horrible town we live in! We didn't get the skating rink set up when we haven't even had winter yet! Absurd!

I think a better question is do we really need a skating rink? Peru has like 1,000 or so school age children. How many skate at the rink? Like 20?

Anonymous said...

But we are one of the only towns around here that owns a Zamboni. And that is not o joke. We really do own one. Bought it brand new. Probably never used it.

Anonymous said...

1:51 No, we don't need a skating rink but that's not the point. Listen carefully! We already spent the money on not only the purchasing of the rink but also a bambini or something similar to smooth the ice. Should we spend the money on these items and store them who knows where and let them rot? Come on people! Get your facts straight!

Anonymous said...

2:41- exactly correct. The City of Peru buys all sorts of things. Our city buildings are like Filene's Basement. That is why they are building the new multi-million dollar Public Works Headquarters up at Area 51. They ran out of space to store all the things we buy and never use - including the brand new Zamboni that still has the price tag on it. We are also going to be building an new multi-million dollar Public Safety Complex at Are 51 (shhhhhhh! that's a secret and only discussed in closed session). It will have even more storage space to keep all sorts of things that Barnaby Jones wants to buy surplus from the Feds.

Anonymous said...

More fiction. The city doesn't own a zamboni. Drive up to Shooting Park Road and get your prescriptions refilled.

Anonymous said...

Whatever you say 3:57. Call people more names and tell people that they just want to buy stuff and collect. Yep. Suuuuuuuuuuure. You are so well informed.

Anonymous said...

The city does own a Zamboni. They bought it two years ago.

Anonymous said...

And Barnaby Jones does want to collect "stuff" from the feds. "Free" armored cars, high powered rifles, body armor. He is really in to the "Public Safety" thing and wants to build a little Cop Castle up north.

Anonymous said...

City doesn't have a Zamboni, just boneheads believing that they have a $500,000 Zamboni machine. Has anybody ever seen one in Peru? No. Ice skating is very difficult unless you have cold weather, its science. I have heard a former alderman talk about the city having this Zamboni machine. Just consider the source. I think that same alderman had seen Martians at the airport. There is no ice skating when water won't freeze and there is no Zamboni machine to make and smooth the ice.

Anonymous said...

It is a Bambini brand ice resurfacer. A Bambini is a small or "baby" Zamboni.

Anonymous said...

Check the disbursements regarding the bambini....that will end this argument

Anonymous said...

We most certainly do own a small knockoff of the Zamboni and I'd be willing to beT that if we had our rink up, and if there was water in it, IT WOULD FREEZE, AND KIDS COULD SKATE, AND WE COULD GET SOME USE OUT OF OUR PURCHASE!!

Anonymous said...

Recent discussion has questioned the age of the old stone home next to the city public works building. Discussion was that this house should be restored rather than demolished because of its historic value.

Anonymous said...

The city should not allow anything to be torn down. If the buildings are old the city should buy them and restore them. That way there is no choice but to build new buildings on the outside of town. That will grow the economy.

Anonymous said...

Speaking of the old stone home next to the city public works building has there been any more news on the proposed Dollar Store in that location? Haven't heard another word since we were told we had to hurry and start building a new public works building because they old one was supposedly sold and being replaced by a Dollar Store. The new Public Works building is full speed ahead but haven't heard anymore on it's replacement on Peoria Street.

Anonymous said...

If a private investor would like to restore the house, that is fine. Public money should not be used. Personally, I am a firm believer that OLD does not equal HISTORIC. Nothing significant happened in that house. So it should be demolished. Like almost every building over 75 years old in Peru. They are all rat traps and pose a significant risk to public safety. If government money is involved, it should be for demolition only - not restoration. If this talk continues, the next thing you know we will have the chemical moguls form LaSalle trying to get government money to rebuild Peru and restore it to its former insignificance.

New buildings = good
Old buildings = urban decay

Anonymous said...

Anon 11:22 AM Why would you lie about the house next to the Public Works Building and you have lied unless you are mistaken and do not know the history of this home. It is because of uninformed individuals such as yourself who are the reason there are so few historic landmarks left in this area. Do all of those interested in local history of the Illinois Valley a favor and shut your big stupid yap!

Anonymous said...

so 11:14, what happened in that house? Who owned it and what did they do?

Its a rat trap. Time to make way for new construction!

Anonymous said...

I did not lie. It is a dump that needs to be demolished. If we had your way, we would be laying down 4x4 planks down Peoria Street all the way to the end of "Plank Road."

Old is NOT Historic. An Old Building is simply OLD and unsafe.

Anonymous said...

6:53 (7:27) Nowhere do I see where anyone called you a liar, but it would educate all as to what is a rat trap. I am inquisitive because I presently live in it. As for being unsafe this home is so well constructed that it will outlast most other homes even though it spots them 100+ years. If you are using your description as a ploy to purchase my residence cheaply you are as incorrect as those who brag up about Maude Powell being a long term resident of Peru. Peru received its' 15 minutes of Maude fame when she was a child and than she moved on. I understand Maude's statue walks the street at night playing her fiddle when nobody is around.

Anonymous said...

12.43
Didn't you sell your house?

Anonymous said...

So, the truth comes out 12:43. You are trying to sell your house to the government as a historic building. Or is it somebody else that wants to take your house away form you and make is a historic museum? Sorry about the "rat trap" comment, but there are to many people trying to get the government to restore old buildings around here and call them into something they are not - historic.

The 11:14 comment clearly states "why would you lie"

Anonymous said...

With all the controversy with regards to this home can we assume that the purchasing of the property and the building of the Dollar Store is still not a done deal? Weren't we led to believe that we had to hurry and build the new Public Works Building because the old one was being purchased by a Dollar Store? Wasn't that the reason we were given for not being informed of this project until the last minute? Weren't we led to believe it was a bang, bang hurry up deal?

Anonymous said...

11:22 & 8:59
11:14 AM states "Why would you lie about the house next to the Public Works Building and you have lied UNLESS you are MISTAKEN and do not know the history of this home".

Once again it is a proven fact that you can make whatever you want out of a comment by only selecting what you want from it. But in no way is this ethical.














ess

Anonymous said...

8:59
Peru previous to the Harl Administration has done a horrible job of preserving the city's historic properties. This has been such a shame because at one time Peru had so much to offer and could have been the hot spot for tourists in the midwest. All the way from Water Street to beyond 4th street. I will leave the rest of this comment for others who are more acknowledged of Peru. Mayor Joe Lemlers home on 4th, the Turn Hall etc. are some of the examples.

Anonymous said...

11:06

If these homes were so valuable, why didn't anybody invest in them for preservation? What was worth preserving on Water street? And if you remember the old look on 4th street was one of desperation. Turn Hall, Peru Theater, taverns were falling down and yet we have those after the fact talking about preservation? The Baker group saved the downtown by knocking down those eyesores!

Anonymous said...

Turn Hall? Peru Theater? Friendly's Tap? Lets see.... they had an unintentional swimming pool in the basement of turn hall. I heard that they had to pump a thousand gallows of stagnate rain water out during the demolition. Peru Theater was just as bad when it was still open. If you where not careful, the mice would steel your popcorn. Then there is Friendlies. Toilets dumping directly into the basement for almost a year before they got a court order to shut them down.