The construction and equipping of a room in the basement of the municipal building has been included in the budget in the amount of $90,000. The meeting room will be able to accommodate up to 90 people and is planned to be used as a training facility for City employees and outside organizations.
The amount is located in the Buildings and Grounds Expense Section of the General Fund budget. (from the proposed budget for 2014)
The request for this room was made by Doug Bernabei, Peru Police Chief. He will try for a grant but if he doesn't get it will the city pay for this new room. Is it mostly for the police, you might ask.
Will they be asking if the LaSalle police can use it too?. I understand they train at the YMCA, ride bikes and jog weather permitting.
53 comments:
Equip a meeting room? With what? If going to be used as a training room for city employees - train them how? Classroom of exercise? If it's for the police department then why is it charged to the buildings and grounds department? Will all citizens be able to use this room? Who decides what kind of equipment goes into this room? Why does the police department (if that's true) need a training room now when money is tight and there is so much else the city needs. Lots of questions. Anyone have the answers?
Quoting Jackie Gleason "And Away We Go". Or do you remember "Alice, one of these days to the moon".
If the room is for the police department, wouldn't it be more convenient to use the upstairs of the fire department if they need training facilities? The basement doesn't seem big enough.
EXCUSE ME! Doesn't the YMCA give Discounts to policeman and fireman? Or free memberships???????? A joke! Where is money coming from for new fire truck discussed months ago, but no more word about it! Keeping old truck????Selling? HOW MUCH? Use upstairs of fire house to do push-ups!!! IS THE SWIMMING POOL FUND GETTING $90,000 too? UNBELIEVABLE THE MONEY PERU HAS! CAN PROPERTY TAXES GET LOWERED SINCE PERU HAS SO MUCH MONEY IN DIFFERENT ACCOUNTS!
What happened to the weight room at the firehouse? Upstairs. Council Members, you all need to wake up!
Will it have a bar? And a place to relax during working hours. And pay the city employees to exercise while they are working. And have the building open all the time. A lounge area, good idea.
Applying for a grant. I think the taxpayers have a right to see that application upon completion of it being filled out. Can that application be posted on here. From what I understand of applications for grants they are very detailed. Requesting $90,000??? Wow!
In prior years I have been upstairs of the firehouse for stags many times. That is a huge area. The square footage from my guess has to be 3,000+ from what I remember. What is the actual sq.ft.? What is the upstairs used for now???
Is this the first time that the taxpayers have heard about this??? If the answer is yes, imagine that, after the elections. Someone, please give us facts about this. Maybe some alderman other than Sherry or Rodney.
To anybody who knows, Does the YMCA offer discount to city employees??? Meaning police officers and fireman.
We are going to get a new fire truck and a new bucket truck for the electric department.
Alot of people go to YMCA for exercise, but also for checking out the other people exercising. Get my drift! True. It's a meeting place. Maybe some aren't getting their maximum workout experience! And need a different locale. Please post this. It will be the laugh of the day. It's true.
@3:29 LOL. I WONDER IF THERE WILL BE A UNI-SEX SHOWERS. LIKE UNI-SEX BATHROOMS AT STORES AND AIRPORTS. Hey, if your gonna do it, do it up right. We need the specks on this one. Where is the ADS(ambassador of deer spotting)?
Rest assure(pardon the pun)3:29, maybe there will be video gaming and a blackjack table. The firehouse had a homemade blackjack table, maybe they can donate it.
never had this happen, google just ate all your comments, like they disappeared. Please repost..
Where is money coming from for fire truck? Selling old one since it was said to be old and has a little rust? What
Truck costing?
Will I be able to use this room for DOG TRAINING CLASSES THAT I OFFER TOO???
Fire truck: approx. $525,000
Electric bucket truck: $180,000
Training and exercising is absolutely a necessity. All of a sudden the need for a training place when the y has been used. This probably was all in the making behind taxpayers back. Whats the truth with this deal? Bb gun club at city hall, and now this. Suspicious minds.
This is not the first time this has been mentioned, I posted before that this was mentioned a few weeks ago at a public property meeting, I was there
Why does it cost $90K? What is the room going to be used for? If it is for classroom type training it should not cost $90K. $90K can build a new house for crying out loud.
One more thing. I think it is funny that "Hurl" is going to take credit for the I-80 & RT 251 interchange project. This project has been on the books for years. Is this how he "Works at the Federal Level"? Finding projects that are on the books and taking credit for them? Next he will be saying it was his idea to build the interstate highway system - just like Gore tried to claim credit for the Internet.
Why would the campaign signs for Mike Hocking and the democratic committee candidates be along side of D. Biederstedt's office building?
What is the amount of money in the drug fund? If their is a intention of giving the square footage up the PPD have more than enough funds. It is unreasonable for the taxpayers to pay for any PPD expenditure when Peru has a airport.
Anon 6:55 has a very good idea. If this is expenditures for police and drug training why woudn't the money obtained from the airport drug, gambling, illegal activities be used constuction of police facilities? As a matter of fact why isn't police automotive gas taken out of the drug, gambling, illegal activity money being held by the PPD?
Anon 6:36 I don't understand why the campaign signs for Hocking and the democratic committee candidates being alongside someones private property is anyones business besides their own. It is evident that you already know that Doug is in a leadership position with the Democratic Party and also holding a Twpship office so what is your problem?
I saw two Lasalle county government vehicles at Biederstedts yesterday anyone know why? Chicago politics in our little city? I think so....hurl, Biederbutt, lucksukos...what did you do?
I sure hope somebody watches the expenditures and city employee man hours used to build this new room.
9:59 My problem with that is that in my opinion promoting certain candidates, who may or may not be re-elected, does not make for the best working conditions for any newly elected officials. It already makes the newcomers aware that you were not in favor of working with them. And, in my opinion, local government should not be about party affiliation. The most qualified and the best candidate should be the only reason to vote for someone (not because they're a democrat, a republican, or an independent).
7;42 Who's going to watch the expenditures and employee hours used to build this new room? It seems as though no one is able to answer those questions regarding the bb gun club costs. I'm still trying to get answers and no one seems to care or want to answer. In my opinion $90,000 to build a room with 4 walls and a ceiling and a floor is outrageous. The majority of the money must be for whatever equipment they want in there. Since when is the city responsible to provide exercise equipment for city employees? Will they be required to put in so much time during working hours or on their own time?
Citizens of Peru: Do you want your tax dollar to be used to provide entertainment, exercise, water, car washes, etc. for our city workers? Do you want them working in the basement of city hall building things that will be used by only a select few or working out on the streets and in the parks that are used and seen by everyone in town? It's your money. Voice your opinion. Attend meetings.
Does anyone know what type of training room this is going to be?
Why would Peru need a private YNCA? Why does the PPD need a training room built in the city building basement? The next four years will be the true political test of strength. Grab all you can get, spare no expenses and when stoppedf if ever immediately sneak your way back in for more.
Just read an article about the IRS AUDITING CHARITIES. MAYBE THE IRS NEEDS TO AUDIT THE CONCERT FOR A CAUSE CHARITY EVENTS SINCE THEIR EXISTENCE.
concerts for a cause is not a charity. go to the state of illinois business search page. it doesnt exist. in my opinion, she has alot of untraceable CASH CASH CASH coming in from liquor and food sales and shows no profit. then she makes a tax deductible donation against her other business revenue to reduce her taxes even more. thank u peru taxpayers for helping her with her tax planning. special thanks to harl too.
Anybody can talk to the IRS, and they take it from there. Aren't concerts promoted as charity concerts? IF SO, Another reason for IRS TO GET INVOLVED.Wonder if organizer shows all this on their taxes? If the right investigation is done funneling of money doesn't work. PAPER TRAIL. Nobody who has a business wants the IRS involved. MY OPINION IS THAT PERU SHOULD BE REAPING MORE MONEY FROM THESE CONCERTS. Is Peru getting all the money from parking? HOW MUCH PER TICKET SALES IS PER GETTING THIS year?
Peru is a small venue for this big time performers. I've always wondered why would they perform in Peru with 5-10k people when they could perform for 50k+ elsewhere. Also makes one think if the performer thinks all revenue goes to charity(food and drinks also). Which is not the case! Are managers for performers being mislead by the concert ambassador? Really, think about this. My opinion.
THE TAXPAYERS SHOULD BE ABLE TO ALSO USE THIS $90,000 ROOM! I can't believe this is in the works. What in the heck is wrong with the YMCA? The upstairs of the FD IS A NO BRAINER TOO! Isn't that wasted space? Peru is not Orland Park or Elgin.
It appears lately that we are 3:28. No matter what the project the mayor asks the treasurer how we're going to pay for it and his response is "we have the cash, we'll write a check".
Here's a question that I'd like to see answered. Now that the bb gun club is over until November how will that room be used? Could it be used as a meeting room or will it just sit idle until next gun season?
4:12PM
I believe your source for an answer would be Greg Vaccaro or the PPD.
Lois I believe that Greg Vaccaro or the PPD would be the last two I would ask if I had a intended purpose for use of the room. I live in Peru and pay property taxes in Peru which all of the employees of the PPD do not. I also own as much of that city building as Vaccaro.
I would ask my alderman first and correspond with him.
It is fine for someone to use public property as long as it remains available for all others to use.
As for $90,000 for a training room for the PPD, GET SERIOUS! One of the best YMCA's in the Midwest is in Peru for physical training and for classes they should cooperate with the Peru Grade School System which we are already paying taxes for.
READ MY LIPS, NO MORE TAXES!
Lets implement this as the citizens of Peru new motto.
I am not near as much worried about Peru being considered the leader of the Illinois Valley as I am Peru not having a money problem but having a spending problem.
1
:49 PM
I like your new motto
This training room facility has already passed through committee without incident and the treasurer has already included it in the budget and in my estimation, that sounds like it is half way through the process. If brought for a vote before the council, I wonder if Potthoff would abstain because of his job with the Y. Now to the council if Harl likes the idea, he probably will have enough aldermen in his pocket to pass this idea. Keep your eyes on this project.
We are still waiting to be reimbursed from the PPD drug fund re BB gun room. The room was in use by January with full payment by the city plus employee work hours to build paid in full by the city. I hate to be so repititious about this but it is what it is.
Yeah: and several of us are still waiting for the cost of the labor with regards to the bb gun club. no one seems to want to provide that information.
Lois, I really hope that you and the others realize that a meeting/training room has nothing to do with exercise. It is usually a conference room with tables and chairs along with whiteboards and such.
1:14 pm
We already have a large room called the Ron Wren community room which is empty most of the time and could easily be used for the purpose you suggested. If they needed some additional chalkboards or white boards, they could be purchased for less than $90,000.
Lois@1:20
I can't answer that question but I will say that I'm just glad that they haven't tried to budget for a new police station yet. Granted, they desperately need one but at least the Chief knows that Peru can't afford it.
The money that was spent on city hall should have gone for a new police and fire station combined in a central location in Peru.
7:37. That would have been a much better use of money than the new city hall. It's funny how some people say "need vs. want" regarding a new outdoor swimming pool, but the new city hall was not a "need". It was definitely a "want".
If there is as much need of new in Peru as is being hinted at maybe it would be best to consider out sourcing for the majority of services.
Peru has a full time Human Resource position who should be given the task of doing such a cost analysis project.
7:37 pm, you are nuts! Not enough businesses coming to Peru to financially support that. In fact aren't some leaving or thinking about it. Who wants their taxes skyrocketing if this were to happen. Although it's all about the show- Peru thinks they are better then other communities. ? What's happening with the pumper truck that's being replaced with a new one? Is Liberty contributing any fundraising donation money from taxpayers to offset the cost of new truck? Why doesn't anybody want to answer these questions??????
8:48 Read my comment carefully, I did not say this is happening, I said instead of the millions spent on city hall six years ago that money should have been put to a police and fire station. Public safety should be first and foremost with the development north the current station is not centrally located. This is just an opinion and really do not consider myself nuts, especially with a exclamation mark thank you very much. You should try and be nicer when responding.
Why wouldn't trucks rust out when they drive them around in the salt in winter and it is Not a fire call!! Trucks are not needed to be started everyday or driven everyday or sit inside running with the doors open and lights going. What a bunch of CRAP. If the big excuse is to say it is for battery maintenance that is BULL. Buy a battery tender. If it is for light checking -- they are using and wearing them out for no reason at all. Sit in the hospital parking lot and watch the boys play with the toys acting busy and working hard.
One of the fire trucks is used by a fireman to go home in at luch time. I have been told that the truck remains running.
The mayor openly claims to leave the department heads manage their departments without interference. The department heads can't or don't manage so who is responsible to the financial supporter - you and me?
Politics has become a very dirty game in Peru. It is a game not played from the heart for the betterment of the city but a game played for the benefit of a few individuals. Sadly these few got a vote of confidence a week ago to increase their own rules.
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