Public Property discussed the backstop and the grant for the possible splash pad near the cell tower and volley ball court, boccie ball court and picnic tables to be placed on north side of 12th street near the library plus a new parking lot. In order to apply for the grant of $500,000 from the DNR they have to have activities for all ages so the extras were added to the original idea of a splash pad.
Committee mtg of the Whole was about what one would expect from a meeting that did not have an agenda. A Mr Barnes who ran a bakery equipment business in part of the old Westclox spoke at this mtg and I only heard the last portion of his comment. Evidently it involves electric power and the city of Peru who cut his power off due to non payment of a large electric bill which he claims was not his usage but someone in the Westclox bldg that was able to connect to his meter. He wants to start up the business once again and the city will not give him power and I think I heard something about a lawsuit. The mayor appeared very unhappy that the gentleman was there and said the was a whole lot more to the problem.The reporters should have more information in their reporting.
So about 6:50 the mtg. ended because no one had anything else to discuss. Treasurer Hylla spoke until 7:15 when it was time for the Budget mtg to take place. I did not stay for the second mtg.
23 comments:
Now I understand. $500K in "free" taxpayer money.
The state is broke and can't afford it. We should not pursue this grant. And don't give me any guff about "somebody will get it so it might as well be us." That's BS - I don't want my city involved with flushing taxpayer money down the toilet.
Considering how hard it is to successfully sue a city, Its amazing to me how many law suits a city this side gets wrapped up in.
Because it steps outside the lines so often, running its own airport, running iys own power plant, having public propert used for private clubs, etc...it gets outside the protective liability umbrella most cities enjoy.
I really don't know why challengers do not bring this up when they run. Its expensive to always be in litigation. Potential liability is ignored so often in Peru decision making.
Regarding the business owner who has had his power shout down, I know this situation played out quite some time back. I have spoken to the man and he has indicated that the city has totally ignored his pleas for some sort of compromise that will allow him to get his business back on track. So I have to ask, why will our elected officials trample each other to help huge corporations like CVS by waiving many thousands of dollars in building fees without hesitation, but when a small business asks for a helping hand these same elected officials turn their backs on him?
Didn't we waive some very costly expenses for IVCH when they were expanding?
10:41...the guy you refer to is similar to Clive Bundy, they both refuse to pay what is expected of them. I have no sympathy for either. I pay all my bills every month and they should also.
The power at Westclox issue is reminiscent of the water at the mall issue. Why aren't the owners of these buildings required to meter them correctly? That is part of owning a large building with multiple tenants. The City should also be prepared to work with the owners to ensure the billing is correct.
One of Peru's official "un-written" policies is to waive a wide range of fees for "select" businesses or individual residents for building fees, water or sewer connection fees, or waiving requirements for sidewlk construction, room or porch additions, etc. This has been a "perk" for elected officials to divvy up to friends or neighbors for many years. They will try to justify the phony waivers as the cost of luring business and encouraging commercial and residential expansion, but just like everything else in Peru politics, the system is corruptly manipulated and rigged by the elected officials and other insiders to benefit only those who are "connected". If you're an outsider you will not be granted waivers and you will be expected to pony up with every applicable fee.
As 10:30 am points out, IVCH had so many "Fee Waivers" by Peru's council for its recently completed expansion that I lost track of the amount. It had to be in the tens of thousands. The IVCH Board is not shy about expecting those waivers either. I recall the entire IVCH Board of Crumudgeons showed up at a council meeting to provide a little extra intimidation to our easily swayed aldermen who just couldn't do enough for the ancient gathering of "muckity-mucks" from IVCH.
Try building a garage or an addition on your house in this city and see if your alderman will step up to arrange some fee waivers for you.
By the way, I have noticde that Alderman Waldorf's porch on the front of his house has been in a perpetual state of dis-repair and or ongoing construction since last summer. Not only is it a hazardous situation, I don't think is a Building Permit posted anywhere near what's left of the porch. Are aldermen automatically exempt from paying permit fees?
I have heard from Waldorf's neighbors that he is apparently exempt from ordinance violations pertaining to allowing his dogs to "run at large".
Hey, if Waldorf is in favor of dogs Running at Large, why is he against Aldermen Running at Large? Now that's funny!
Another example of how Peru Power is out of touch with modern technology. They should be able to offer sub-metering easily. And why isn't the conference center or whatever that old rat trap is called now able to prevent one tenant from taking power from another? Isn't that part of the building code for multi-tenant facilities? Something tells me there are some more backroom shenanigans going on here. Needless to say, the City should not be involved in things they don't have the expertise to understand. If they can't ensure each tenant's bill is correct, they should send one bill and one bill only to the owner of the facility and let him sort it out. Otherwise, the City should be installing sub-metering and ensuring the power systems are not joined.
Whatever happened with the Eccles pension debate where a few fulltime fireman were refusing full pension to his widow ?
11:39 NO TRUTH to this comment
8:31 no truth to this comment.
Please, when you attempt to damage individuals have some facts!
Anon 5:36 AM Fully agree. A tax is a tax no matter where it comes from someone has to pay it and always it is we who have to pay for it. Tax money should not be spent unless a dire need is shown for it.
How did government spending get to the state of being completely out of hand? Possibly the main reason is that too many have extended hands for a supposed freebie.
The splash pad is a perfect example. What started as a elaborate swimming pool at a cost of $3.5+ million swimming pool has been reduced to a realistic idea of a splash pad. A splash pad can be easily built for less than $500,000 but because of state stipulations many unnecessary bells and whistles have to be attached to receive a grant.
With positive incentive from the city similar as to what was given to the building of a BB Gun facility and approaching local craftsmen for advise a splash pad should be easily assembled for approximately $150,000 or less. At that time washroom and shower facilities should also be considered.
The key is the cooperation of the city. If cooperative the fund for the pool should remain as it was intended and Peru could take a leadership role in helping the state solve its financial problems. With some "in kind" city assistance and reduction of grass cutting this summer so that city employees would have ample time Peru's children could have a splash pad next summer.
Hey everybody! 8:49 am says there is "No Truth" to a couple of comments. Please take note that 8:49 has set us all straight.
True or not, that 11:39 comment is pretty funny.
9:00 AM
I am on board with your idea. Monday was the first time I heard about the bells and whistles now being added to the idea of a splash pad.
I do not want to get involved in this issue but the funds already in the pool fund and some help from the city which evidently now has a surplus of funds according to Treasurer Hylla and some fund raising, we should not have get involved with a grant.
IMO, a parking lot is not needed and I believe volley ball poles are already available at the 28th street park and I don't know anything about Boccie Ball and if indeed there are players looking for some place to play their game why not Centennial or McKinley Park. (both under utilized)
We are going to reduct the available road with a parking lot and generate more traffic with increased activities.
We all need to step back and analyze this as to what our needs are and how to get it done in a manner that works for all. The grant write will be 2,000 and to administer the grant will be 4,000. Before the pool committee gets in feet first, get the community behind you with some good public relations with the people and local organizations behind you.
Lois, I agree with you. Where will a boccie ball and volleyball court go? The area in the triangle near the library is on a downward slope. Boccie ball can be played, but how conducive is that for volleyball? I don't understand how they will jam pack those games and parking into that small area. Has anybody from the pool committee approached the local union for help. I was told by a union member that if they asked for help, and the union members would be happy to help.
Lois & 11:32 am,
If we had a true leadership in Peru there would already be a Splash Pad somewhere in this city.
All it would take is someone to step up and organize the effort to contact the local building trades for the labor, solicit local suppliers for the materials,and the City Council to step up with a few thousand bucks to purchase a few water fixtures from a manufacturer. Everything to do the job is readily availavble. Everything except a real "leader" to take charge.
I don't think a splash pad is such a good idea. Many cities are reporting injuries from slipping and sanitation issues. Cryptosporidiosis and other water-borne illnesses flourish in splash parks. I don't think the City of Peru has the ability to maintain adequate sanitation. All in all, I don't think it is worth the risk. Has anyone looked at the insurance cost?
Anon 1:23 PM Thank you for the information. If a there is difficulties in maintaining health standards and safety hazards with a splash pad what would be the alternative? It surely cannot be a swimming pool as opportunity of misfortune would only increase.
1:23 PM
I personally am very aware of the issues of splashpads and have read up on this a lot. Infections are possible and they will require trained personnel to maintain. At this point we don't know whether the water will be recirculated or not, I believe those behind want a new continuous water supply. The pads still have to be cleaned of any bacteria after use and I believe this is a daily chore. Equipment has to be cleaned down frequently if not daily and the concrete pad also. This will require more care than a playground. Yes I favor one but a safe one and with the city and the people working for it to be aware that the work just begins after it is built.
I also believe it is a good idea to be approved by the Illinois Department of Public Health, just for the safety of those using the pad.
Looking at the different aspects of a splash pad, anther question of importance is location. What was once in 1927,Washington Park, the best location in town has changed with both population and geographic growth. Peru no longer can expand to the East and this must be considered.
If we do it, the splash pad should be in the Baker Lake compound.
@ 5:13 Baker Lake would be a ideal location, walk across the Airport Road and you are in LaSalle. Duh?
10:10 PM
Baker Lake Park has the most unused land that is available to the city for anything. The city already owns that land . Walk across the street on the other end of the park and you are near many families. Beside the Sycamore Lakes homes, that is one of the newest residential areas in town. Would it work for a splash pad, they would say there is no infrastructure to handle it, I am sure.
I have always thought that Baker Lake Park was being utilized as it was intended for. A beautiful park to walk in, and observe besides a safe place to fish. Also one can go there to bike or sit and read, or socialize. It is a park which is much easier reached by auto rather than walking and is about as far from being a centrally located plot of land in Peru as is Veterans Park. Lois, it would be best not to evaluate a location for its amount of unused space but rather to what it and the objective are best suited. In acquiring what is the best fit rather than 'pinning the tail on the donkey" I would like to see the tools of short and long range city planning utilized.
Possibly are there any area students studying recreation and parks that live in or are from Peru and would help the city in it creating a game plan. As society changes so does our concept of recreation and those educated in this change should be consulted.
Everything is in continuous change and we must also change or we become obsolete.
Mrs. Carroll, Thank you for managing and owning such a professional medium of communication. You give everyone a opportunity to express themselves in a disciplined manner and to exchange thoughts. Please keep up the good work.
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