Just read that Dunkin Donuts is coming to the vacant lot on Shooting Park Road in Peru.
La Salle recently opened a new deli downtown and another new business is scheduled to open nearby which I don't have any details on yet.
Oglesby is opening a new Hardware Store this week.
Anyone else have news of any new businesses in the area?
32 comments:
Bar/rest. Where river view use to be. BBQ joint. I heard. ????? Don't need another bar though.
I was just thinking we needed a new donut/pizza/bar/shooting range/gun emporium. Then we could call guiness for a world record!
3:00 PM
The owner of that property also owns Waterstreet Pub and there will probably be liquor sold there, I would think.
Actually, we do need another shooting range. The one near Ottawa is getting very busy and is outdoor only. Need something indoor for the winter months. I bet the K-Mart or Jewel buildings would make a heck of a gun range.
Anybody want to take a shot at how many businesses already sell doughnuts in the Illinois Valley?
Dunkin doughnuts have a right to open a doughnut store but lots of people think we could use another type of store more than more doughnuts.
Here's some food for thought with regards to the change in the number of council meetings. At a salary of $4940 per alderman, and with 2 meetings per month (or 24), each alderman will receive $205.83 per/meeting. This information is fact and has been verified and researched.
3:27: You are joking, right? You're not really an Elitist, Extremist, New Progressive are you?
Elitist extremist New progressive . Yeah thats me.
I guess we should shut up while y'all turn this place into SC. Drink shoot drink shoot drink drink truck. Party picket donut pizza gamble. Rebel flag, big red truck, baseball caps n cigs.
If you think its elitist to not want this area turned into New Beruit, yeah I'll take the title.
Don't worry, y'all kin ketch me in yer big trucks n shoot me. Till then I might try and get some of the new fangled elitist tech manufacturing plants to locate and give real jobs to people.
5:28 how much does the city attorney get paid per meeting? Hourly? Or per meeting? This expense should also be less if there are less meetings. Just read that Uticas Fire Chief resigned on another blog.
I see that on Wednesday's city council agenda that at 7:00 there's a public hearing. However, there is no mention as to what this hearing is all about. Open and transparent government? I think not.
Most high tech manufacturing is either located or moving to the south east US. In order to attract new industries, we first must boot out the unions and remove business restrictions. We also need to lower income taxes for individuals and business.
8:00. AGREED!!!
8:00 Well most of the high tech industries I have worked with have little problem paying union scale, but would not be able to deal with sub standard training and low test scores in the Valley.
We have virtually no Environmental Regularion enforced in Illinois, and our other state business restrictions most quoted as a deterent do not effect business of the size and scale needed here. They generally can leverage sweetheart deals on their taxation, which is the only taxation they give a crap about. It sounds as if you personally just want a lower tax rate for income tax, or want to pay less for your small business. Fixing the pension crisis IS job one, because it threatens the very solvency of the state.
As much as it pains me to agree with Harl on anything, the lobbyist in Springfield, although a long shot, is the best hope for landing a business of the size and scale needed to make a difference. It's true, he may be just using him to further his personal political profile or keep the AG from ever messing with the Peru playground. But it also cannot be denied that there is some geographic and transportation benefit to promote here.
As soon as some rail service or high speed commuter connection to the larger cities can get off the ground, this area could be located ideally for distribution as well as manufacturing. Reverse commutes by skilled labor could become possible. There are examples all over new jersey , and Indiana , of Industrial meccas located just about our distance from metro Chicago. They are dumps to live in, but are full of Chemical and Heavy Industry.
The availability of a well educated technically skilled work force is THE limiting factor to anyone around here who can put down their beer bottle and high school spirit pom poms long enough the see our high schools have gone to crap and bleed the best and brightest out to bigger cities, cities with more opportunities and a more diverse culture.
I agree our union history and harassment mentality does scare off smaller and medium sized business, but if it costs less for power they can ignore the rat. Sadly, the electric power leverage is going away, especially as businesses can buy power in a deregulated market more easily.
I don't feel comfortable with the leadership , and certainly would not call them pro business, but saying the first things we need to do are follow the Tea Party agenda is not gonna get any new manufacturing in this area. Coming up with a strategic plan between all these little towns in the valley is the only hope, and I can't even see them able to put down their egos long enough to have common fireworks or fire/police.
The problem to me is not that we have a Peru lobbyist, but that we don't have a Illinois Valley lobbying team and Valley strategic agenda. Can you imagine Harl being part of joint team lol? Now that is funny.
Getting RID of Unions would be a HUGE step for improvement of the area!
8:20 Mr.Loger you have now been elected as the spokesperson for the Libertarian Party. Congradulations!
In think a few in city hall are over the top pro-business.
8:56. I would happily accept. The republican, democrat, and "independent" parties haven't impressed me when it comes to leadership.
Anyone who opens a small business in this economy I give you thumbs up. Very few people have the courage to go into business!
Anon 9:49 Thank you for your through and thought provoking comment.
Do you believe that the Miller addition at the junior college will be a huge positive in filling many of our localities needs?
Also Peru has a YMCA which is seldom mentioned but is a showpiece of family and individual recreation.
Interstate 80 and Interstate 39, plus a airport and the river are also biggies in drawing industries. The economy cannot always be the reason or the excuse!
Can't count on the river for any growth on waterstreet for peru. Waterstreet is a dump. Airport, really, what does that do for peru as far as growth. 39, who actually uses that highway except truckers.
Limited minds have limited potential as in the comment from 9:13. Tragic to believe those comments are serious.
6:25 You asked if I thought the IVCC addition is a positive. I believe that that community college could function as a tech training center to help draw the type of industry we need, no doubt. My main concern is that the goal of keeping and drawing younger talent and professionals, besides health care, is one that cannot be accomplished without the entire valley operating with one focused vision to incentivise and pursue growth industries.
Having one of the better YMCA facilities in the state, with its many programs, and some of the better senior living options around are definite positives for drawing people to live here, I will not dispute that at all.
However , we cannot ignore the blights of our high schools when it comes ro performance. We are culturally focused on partying and sports... perpetually emphasizing them over academics in this area. Contrary to the statement on the bars above, we are one of the highest alcohol consuming counties per capital in the state. We have a drug problem, have tolerated and encouraged illegal gambling, and have few career opportunities for kids to stay and raise families.
Our airport is not that big of a draw, contrary to popular opinion. It is somewhat redundant, with major air service available with 90 minutes and functions more as a private rec club, with its main claim to future profit being a dubious charity concert series that perpetually is a source of risk, controversy, and economic leakage.
Guns, booze and tatoo parlours cannot be your growth areas if you want to draw the type of element that buys homes and settles down. Peru in particular has not shown a desire to make a kid centered park and recreation a priority. No public pool, dilapidated parks, taking over parks for private clubs. This sends the wrong message.
People get on here and say stop complaining, but things don't get this way by too much complaining. There has not been enough complaining for far too long, and our leaders become arrogant and defensive when we demand more of them.
Things don't generally change until the pain of change becomes less than the pain of just going with the flow. We have been accepting the status quo for far too long here, now allowing a minority mayor to continue on a path of special interest budget games. I don't think the leaders are bad people. They are simply not secure enough to work with other ideas. There is little tolerance for contrary views, and strong block voting.
We don't need more of that. We need more diplomacy and more compromise.
9:13 thank you for showing complete and utter ignorance for how business gets done. Yes, airports, major interstates and rivers have nothing to do with economic development. Freaking hilarious.
11:33 well said but the complaining on a blog is NEVER going to change anything. That is the problem. Forums like this give the false impression that it is having some big impact, but it never will. In fact, I think it hurts progress because of that. Direct community involvement is what will matter. Unlike you, I do think our high schools and schools in general are headed in the right direction, opinions on a sports complex aside. But well said. People need to get involved to make a difference.
I'm going to add this and don't want any back lashing of blogs. Look at all the rental property that has evolved in the last 5 years. People would be amazed at how many of these properties are under HUD which is government subsidized housing. Yes, I could own a piece of property, register it under HUD and would get a guaranteed monthly check(which would be higher rent) if persons living there qualify for housing under HUD. It would be more money per month and guaranteed money from the government. A lot of people who own rental properties handle their
Properties this way. I know a family of 3 about 8 years ago qualified for $800'a month in rent under this
System. And yes, head of this household had a low paying full-time job. A lot of land lords don't talk about
How this works. The years to come will be interesting due to the fact the younger generations of people leave this area and don't return. The ones that stay party hardy three days at least a week. That's what the Illinois Valley has to offer our youth. Alcohol, gambling and fund raisers/benefits to attend. Sad, but true.
1:52 {<
I am very aware of all the subsidized housing in Peru. The city has always resisted public housing and instead landlords known locally as "slum lords" because of the number of rentals they own and rent out, have property that is not maintained.
Is there a way to find out the numbers of HUD homes that exist in a city? And the number of foreclosures?
Kudos to Peru for keeping the public housing out. They cannot control the HUD situation, but that is why we have less of some of these issues than some of the towns around us.
1:01 Thanks for the compliment. I do tend to agree that the high schools are headed in the right direction. They unfortunately become somewhat limited by the family values and kids coming in. They are not their to raise young adults but to educate them.
Until we focus on drawing career type jobs we will not attract the type of family structures that promote stability.
That can only be done through uniting the valley. I believe this blog does tend to stray into paranoia, gossip, and innuendo far too often. But it also serves a vital role that is virtually abandoned by our local press.
We need reporters and editors that dig deep, ruffle feathers, hit much harder and keep the spotlight on certain leaders, decisions and family names. You cannot allow the town to drift as it has for so long and expect different results.
I have seen what happens when people get involved as I think you would have it. Getting involved on the deck of the titanic would mean much more before it set sail than 20 minutes before the iceberg. Harl and the old guard crush anyone or anything that is not fully on board.
We need to step back and plan, with the other cities, and get rid of any old egos that don't want to come along. Change the motto from leader of the valley to partnering with the Valley.
Minimum wage businesses are not going to do anything for the future of peru. The housing prices are going to decline. An area can't survive on law offices, insurance offices, doctor offices, and a hospital. Peru needs big industry with paying a decent fair living salary. Period!
A city can have 10 businesses open. If they pay their employees minimum wage, no benefits and hire them as part-time workers, how does that promote growth? How many donuts can the population of peru eat? If dunkin donuts accepted the link card that would benefit the population. Because many minimum wage workers qualify for link cards(food stamps).
True 6:27
STARBUCKS ON SHOOTING PARK RD!
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