This blog is maintained for the sole purpose of allowing the people of Peru and those interested in the cities of the Illinois Valley to express their views.
“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
Take a look at the proposed band shelter the city of Streator is proposing to build. To Peru's credit, they have taken care of the sports interests in town and maintain numerous ball fields in almost every park we have. But to their discredit, they have done little to promote any culture in this town and while they promote band concerts all summer and the Maud Powell festival also, the locations used are pretty pathetic. Each year we spend thousands and thousands of dollars for a one day July 4 event and we do not have a proper venue to use for our band concerts. This is something that could be used on Memorial Day, Pearl Harbor Day, Fourth of July. How about street dances nearby or drama events, childens events. I'm sure you have more ideas.
Agree, Peru could benefit from culture venues. But who will maintain them? Just like the parks. Consider the baseball fields...Peru has several nice parks & ball diamonds, however, actually tending to them is a whole different subject. They could use improvement in that area. It would also help to know who's responsible for what...The city says the park board is responsible, the park board says the city is. Bravo that the boards on the bleachers in Washington Park are being repaired. Take a closer look around the parks - they're looking dilapidated. Veteran's Park looks nice, but I've heard the baseball diamond is for LP ball, not city. I've read the debates about the amount of summer help, seems to me like they could be put to work in the parks. Who's in charge?
2:02PM Usually leadership comes from the top and that means we need a Mayor and City Council to take an interest in exploring some avenues to make the city a bit more attractive and to be more than a sports town. Don't be offended as I know how important baseball is to this community but we raised 4 children who took no interest in baseball but all were good tennis players and learned at Washington Park during the summer and several of them are still playing tennis which can be a lifelong hobby. We enjoy the city band and H.S.Band and perhaps even a Jazz Band, but they don't get the amount of city interest that other activities do. Who would take care of it, should belong to the public works dept. and with energetic leadership that could happen. It takes pride in doing work to maintain you city and make it look its best. We are having a very hard time with that. The recreation commission and public building aldermanic committee should also be a part of the discussion.
Anon 2:02 Let it be known that the bleachers are being fixed now because Central States is coming. The local games are over. Also, don't forget the senior league and minor league diamonds were just completely torn apart and redone so they should be in tip top shape. I've heard they are not. I've also heard that we had to hire T-Ball coaches this year above and beyond the 41 summer employees. I don't understand why those who already work for the city couldn't coach T-Ball. They always did before.
I agree that the discussion at hand is and should be based around the culture aspect, and offering something for all interests, not just parks and sports. I just wanted to stress that the idea of a band shelter or pavilion is a great one, as long as the thinking goes long term for required maintenance and upkeep. The local sports arenas prove that ongoing maintenance falls by the wayside; no matter how many departments and city resources we have in place. They resposibilities aren't clearly defined which is likely the core of dilapidation in-progress. But I do agree, if folks work together, great things can happen.
Good questions! Deserve a Answer! With plans of opening a swimming pool summer employees were allocated at 38 in 2010. Knowing that a swimming pool was not going to be opened summer employees were allocated at 41 in 2011. Now it is disclosed in the blog that T-Ball coaches are hired above and beyond the 41. LaSalle has a swimming pool which it opens and its summer help is nowhere near the number of 41. Peru pays $440,000.00 per mile for its roadwork LaSalle pays nowhere near this figure.
I went past the park on Friday July 15, around 1:30 pm. There were 7 + young workers in green shirts working??? on the washington Park diamond, Why can't these same people work on the trash along the streets in Peru? Do you think people comming in for Senior States don't see the sloppyness of the Street? Just a thought.
10:50 PM I'll leave the answers to your questions up to you to justify the following facts. Peru will get 2 miles of roadwork done at a cost of $884,000. LaSalle will get 3 miles of roadwork done at a cost of $502,278.05. Both cities awarded their street project to the same contractor - Len Trovero. LaSalle hires a summer help work force of 18-20. This includes all the workers for their swimming pool. Peru hires a summer help work force of 41. Peru does not have a swimming pool. Peru has a huge sales tax coming to it and has a electric plant which it robs to supply its general fund. LaSalle has neither. Some Peru administrators want to increase the sales tax from 7% to 7.5%. The LaSalle administration has not made any attempt to increase its sales tax percentage from 7%.
10:50 P.M. I hope you don't mind and I hope 9:18 P.M. doesn't take offense but I would like to take 9:18's comments and ask anyone and everyone to submit justifications to Peru's current business practices.
10:31PM I think I heard a comment that our roads were done curb to curb and La Salle's were not. How much difference it would make it price I am not sure. Is that a good way to save money if only the main driving surface is in bad condition? Why did one city choose one practice and the other something different? Is it a matter of engineering? Now that is different in each city.
More than two years ago Mayor Harl made his choice for a city engineer and spw. Upon complete rejection by the city council he really didn't force the issue in what appeared to be a attempt to get along. With a different council why hasn't he made another attempt to enforce CHANGE?
Lois you have disclosed a very interesting topic in that Peru's roads were bid curb to curb and LaSalle's were bid on only the main driving surface if that is all that was in bad condition. Of the two different methods the quality aspect has to be compared as well as the cost.
Too compare cost by the measurement of mileage now seems to be incorrect and a civil engineer should be consulted as to the proper method to be used.
The answer to many of the questions which have faced the city of Peru can only be answered by the the SOME'S. Some day, some where, some how, some time, some etc. etc. etc. Peru may have their own engineer who works for the City of Peru and not for themselves first.
So then, let me see if I understand this. Peru did it's roads curb to curb which ultimately means they got fewer miles of road done but they look nice up to the curbs (which you don't drive on). La Salle took the cheaper way per road but got more driveable surface done for less money. Is this a respectable conclusion to the difference in price? If so, during these hard times, which way do you think was the most efficient use of their money?
16 comments:
Take a look at the proposed band shelter the city of Streator is proposing to build.
To Peru's credit, they have taken care of the sports interests in town and maintain numerous ball fields in almost every park we have.
But to their discredit, they have done little to promote any culture in this town and while they promote band concerts all summer and the Maud Powell festival also, the locations used are pretty pathetic. Each year we spend thousands and thousands of dollars for a one day July 4 event and we do not have a proper venue to use for our band concerts. This is something that could be used on Memorial Day, Pearl Harbor Day, Fourth of July. How about street dances nearby or drama events, childens events. I'm sure you have more ideas.
Agree, Peru could benefit from culture venues. But who will maintain them? Just like the parks. Consider the baseball fields...Peru has several nice parks & ball diamonds, however, actually tending to them is a whole different subject. They could use improvement in that area. It would also help to know who's responsible for what...The city says the park board is responsible, the park board says the city is. Bravo that the boards on the bleachers in Washington Park are being repaired. Take a closer look around the parks - they're looking dilapidated. Veteran's Park looks nice, but I've heard the baseball diamond is for LP ball, not city. I've read the debates about the amount of summer help, seems to me like they could be put to work in the parks. Who's in charge?
2:02PM
Usually leadership comes from the top and that means we need a Mayor and City Council to take an interest in exploring some avenues to make the city a bit more attractive and to be more than a sports town.
Don't be offended as I know how important baseball is to this community but we raised 4 children who took no interest in baseball but all were good tennis players and learned at Washington Park during the summer and several of them are still playing tennis which can be a lifelong hobby.
We enjoy the city band and H.S.Band and perhaps even a Jazz Band, but they don't get the amount of city interest that other activities do. Who would take care of it, should belong to the public works dept. and with energetic leadership that could happen. It takes pride in doing work to maintain you city and make it look its best. We are having a very hard time with that.
The recreation commission and public building aldermanic committee should also be a part of the discussion.
Anon 2:02 Let it be known that the bleachers are being fixed now because Central States is coming. The local games are over. Also, don't forget the senior league and minor league diamonds were just completely torn apart and redone so they should be in tip top shape. I've heard they are not. I've also heard that we had to hire T-Ball coaches this year above and beyond the 41 summer employees. I don't understand why those who already work for the city couldn't coach T-Ball. They always did before.
I agree that the discussion at hand is and should be based around the culture aspect, and offering something for all interests, not just parks and sports. I just wanted to stress that the idea of a band shelter or pavilion is a great one, as long as the thinking goes long term for required maintenance and upkeep. The local sports arenas prove that ongoing maintenance falls by the wayside; no matter how many departments and city resources we have in place. They resposibilities aren't clearly defined which is likely the core of dilapidation in-progress. But I do agree, if folks work together, great things can happen.
Good questions! Deserve a Answer!
With plans of opening a swimming pool summer employees were allocated at 38 in 2010.
Knowing that a swimming pool was not going to be opened summer employees were allocated at 41 in 2011.
Now it is disclosed in the blog that T-Ball coaches are hired above and beyond the 41.
LaSalle has a swimming pool which it opens and its summer help is nowhere near the number of 41.
Peru pays $440,000.00 per mile for its roadwork LaSalle pays nowhere near this figure.
WHY?
Has any one compared what tipe of work was done in lasalle vs peru? apples to apples or diff work?
I went past the park on Friday July 15, around 1:30 pm. There were 7 + young workers in green shirts working??? on the washington Park diamond, Why can't these same people work on the trash along the streets in Peru? Do you think people comming in for Senior States don't see the sloppyness of the Street? Just a thought.
10:50 PM I'll leave the answers to your questions up to you to justify the following facts.
Peru will get 2 miles of roadwork done at a cost of $884,000.
LaSalle will get 3 miles of roadwork done at a cost of $502,278.05.
Both cities awarded their street project to the same contractor - Len Trovero.
LaSalle hires a summer help work force of 18-20. This includes all the workers for their swimming pool.
Peru hires a summer help work force of 41. Peru does not have a swimming pool.
Peru has a huge sales tax coming to it and has a electric plant which it robs to supply its general fund. LaSalle has neither.
Some Peru administrators want to increase the sales tax from 7% to 7.5%. The LaSalle administration has not made any attempt to increase its sales tax percentage from 7%.
10:50 P.M. I hope you don't mind and I hope 9:18 P.M. doesn't take offense but I would like to take 9:18's comments and ask anyone and everyone to submit justifications to Peru's current business practices.
10:31PM
I think I heard a comment that our roads were done curb to curb and La Salle's were not. How much difference it would make it price I am not sure. Is that a good way to save money if only the main driving surface is in bad condition? Why did one city choose one practice and the other something different? Is it a matter of engineering? Now that is different in each city.
union in the government??? or leaders that just dont know how to run an efficient city?
More than two years ago Mayor Harl made his choice for a city engineer and spw. Upon complete rejection by the city council he really didn't force the issue in what appeared to be a attempt to get along. With a different council why hasn't he made another attempt to enforce CHANGE?
Lois you have disclosed a very interesting topic in that Peru's roads were bid curb to curb and LaSalle's were bid on only the main driving surface if that is all that was in bad condition. Of the two different methods the quality aspect has to be compared as well as the cost.
Too compare cost by the measurement of mileage now seems to be incorrect and a civil engineer should be consulted as to the proper method to be used.
The answer to many of the questions which have faced the city of Peru can only be answered by the the SOME'S. Some day, some where, some how, some time, some etc. etc. etc. Peru may have their own engineer who works for the City of Peru and not for themselves first.
So then, let me see if I understand this. Peru did it's roads curb to curb which ultimately means they got fewer miles of road done but they look nice up to the curbs (which you don't drive on). La Salle took the cheaper way per road but got more driveable surface done for less money. Is this a respectable conclusion to the difference in price? If so, during these hard times, which way do you think was the most efficient use of their money?
PERU DOES NOT HAVE A TAX PROBLEM IT HAS A SPENDING PROBLEM!
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