News Tribune - Business - Business Daily - IVCH to open FastCare Clinic at Peru Wal-Mart

News Tribune - Business - Business Daily - IVCH to open FastCare Clinic at Peru Wal-Mart

How do you feel about opening a clinic in WalMart? Will it be putting the average shopper in more contact with sick people? I noted how they will give you a silent pager if they are busy and then you can get out and walk around among all the non ill shoppers until they are ready for you.
We are always told to avoid crowds during the flu season so will this make things worse? Will it help or hurt the Walmart business.
I have seen eye glass clinics in Wal Mart but do not remember coming across a health clinic. Are you pro or con and would you use it?

P.S. This is for the person who did not comprehend the article or did not bother to read it and I deleted his post.. In case some of you don't know, I do have some medical background and by sick people I don't mean those with chronic or debilitating  diseases and most of the illnesses mentioned can be transmitted to others in an airborne manner.

Bicycle Path Committee Meeting 6:30 PM Sept. 7

This meeting time has been bounced around so if you are planning on going and just happen to double check here, I wanted to make it seen right up front. It is at 6:30 NOT 7:30 PM TONIGHT 9/7/10

City of Peru Treasuers Report July 2010

Has Peru actually become an equal opportunity employer? Are patronage and clout on the way out?

It was mentioned at a recent council meeting that there were more than seventy-two applications recieved in response to the recent public posting for a position in the public works department. I have to think that there are some very well qualified applicants in that bunch. Also, the Electric Department will be seeking a Journeyman Line-Man very soon. What an amazing contrast in hiring practices there is in comparison to anytime in the history of Peru. The only fair hiring procedure Peru has ever practiced has been for police officers and firefighters. And only then because of state and federal hiring laws requiring municipalities to establish fair and honest procedures. Don't think for a minute that some present and former elected officials in Peru would not have attempted to influence the hiring of cops and firemen if they had the opportunity to do so. Consider the possibile cast of characters we might have protecting us from crime and mayhem if the old time "Powerbrokers" like Baker, Kowalczyk, O'Beirne, Kolowski, Nowakowski, Frederickson and some others had been free to use patronage, nepotism, and clout in deciding who would be added to the city payroll. As a matter of fact, I'm sure Baker was probably mayor before the police and firemen hiring laws were inacted. It must have been quite a shock for Don to have to "refrain" from hiring all the cops and firemen in town. An old-time politician could wield a hell of a lot of power and influence having hired every cop on the payroll. Unfortunately, there have never been any laws regulating the hiring of any other municipal employees. That enabled Baker and other influential insiders in Peru to continue to hire by their own "special standards". No application process. No interview process. No hiring process, just back room deals. You need only have relations, not qualifications. It is refreshing to finally see a fair and impartial process of hiring in Peru. We have already come a long way in terms of doing some things right. I have to admit that despite the method in which most current employees made their way onto the city payroll, there are some extraordinarily talented individuals among them. But, because of the refusal of those old time politicians to establish a "legitimate hiring process" there are equally as many current city employees who can only be described as overpayed and underskilled. Also, we need to be aware that just having a hiring process in place will not assure a quality hire. There is still the possibility of "human interference". Example: Committee Chairmen will be allowed input on new hires that will work in the departments those aldermen oversee. Unfortunately, that means there will be opportunities for guys like my pal Jack O'Beirne to corrupt the process. But I think even Jack will have a hard time screwing this up. He will likely just nod off during the interviews while daydreaming about how he and Don "yoosta do all da hirin' of da guys". Good ol' days......My ass!

News Tribune - Sound Off - Open Forum (Aug. 30): Why does Peru pay so much attention to Maud Powell?

News Tribune - Sound Off - Open Forum (Aug. 30): Why does Peru pay so much attention to Maud Powell?

Personally I have always thought the Maud Powell statue was in an inappropriate location.  Should the veteran's memorial have been installed in a more prominent location instead of at Veteran's Park?.

Now we know, it's all about "Image"

I have heard about the importance of "image" for Hollywood mega-stars and professional athletes. The negative impact of a domestic violence charge against Mel Gibson will certainly have an affect on the box-office and video sales. Charges of lying to Congress about steroid and human growth hormone abuse by Roger Clemens will likely destroy his image as one of the best pitchers in the history of the game. And rightfully so. Last week we were informed by 2nd Ward aldermen Joe Mikyska and Jack O'Beirne that the "image" of Peru depends on whether or not we build a new municipal pool. So there you have it. It's all about image. Using 2nd Ward logic, all we have to do is spend three or four million on a fancy new pool and the image of Peru will be saved. We will be overflowing with image. We will have so much image we might be able to market and sell the excess image to surrounding communities via an image auction. So we've got that going for us. Which is nice. Please keep in mind Joe Mikyska as chairman of the Finance Committee is suggesting a new pool is a "Priority" for Peru. I'm not kidding, Chairman, Finance, for real. Common sense tells me that a new municipal pool in Peru should not even make the top five priority issues at present. A new pool will be great someday, but not now. It can wait. It is clear that Mikyska and O'Beirne are unable to disconnect themselves from the SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) of the Baker era that relied heavily on creating "image" over reality. The image of "Leader of the Valley" which only highlighted the arrogance of those elected officials who bored us bellowing it and only served to alienate our neighbors. They were in fact "The Cheater of the Valley". The image of "financial health" and "prosperity" which we now know was essentially a hoax in which at least some of the aldermen themselves were unwary victims. Which is no excuse for not knowing. What we need more than anything right now is elected officials who are able to use common sense judgement. Image don't pay the bills. We do! Move on, there's real work to do. Note to Aldermen: Make sensible decisions based on current factual financial conditions and you might just create an image of a city council with a clue.

LaSalle County Nursing Home / Public vs. Private ownership

I have recieved a request from a member of the LaSalle County Board to provide an opportunity for feed-back from the public concerning the possibility of LaSalle County discontinuing its operation/ownership of the Nursing Home. There has been discussion of selling the facility to a private entity who would continue to operate the facility for profit. I believe there is also the possibility of a Public/Private partnership which could signifgicantly reduce the cost of operating the facility for the county. These partnerships are becoming more common between government and private business entities. If anyone can provide the financial condition of the county home, please share that information. In any event please be aware of this issue and share your thoughts with us. Thank You.

Downtown Peru, Dull Boring and Lacks Design & Color

Back in the early nineties the city of Peru decided to redevelop the main business district  at a great expense and it is  still being paid for at this date, I might add. It is from the decisions made then that we have the Mirror bldg. and the Maud Powell Plaza. Originally the design called for extensive changes including not only  an East Plaza  but also a West Plaza with courtyards, fountains, outdoor furniture, kiosks and clocks. The east Plaza was Putnam Street and the location of the current Maud Powell Plaza.  The west Plaza as designed by PGAV Urban Consulting was drawn up to close off Fulton Street and make that the West Plaza with Debo Hardware occupying the location of the current City Hall.  (Until it was pointed out to them, that if Fulton was closed, there would be nowhere to turn north from Fourth St. until you reached Pike St.) Amazing that the urban developers did not come to that conclusion until local residents pointed it out to the city and that was the end of the West Plaza. Soon afterward Debo decided against a new building and that was the end of more changes and the gradual conclusion of the downtown redevelopment and to what we have today.

Included in the designing  was adding a "shed-type awning with white or gold trim to provide theming and continuity and building freshness on Fourth Street throughout the area"  (a quote from the Master Plan.) Primarily the building renovation proposed to upgrade the original brick, replace windows and doors as necessary, paint trimwork and building features in contrasting colors with the earth tone of brick. Numerous other plans that never even got off the ground.

The city soon adopted ordinances regarding the awnings which still exist today. Has the maroon awning done what the designers anticipated? Yet the city to this day and I mean this day enforces the maroon awning ordinance.  Do you see it as a detriment to an interested party coming into downtown?  I believe the Peru Downtown Redevelopment Committee is still in existence, not that we ever hear anything about what it does or plans.


Is it time for some new ideas and perhaps even eliminating the themes that have not worked to make the downtown area any more inviting to prospective businesses than it is now? Since the Master Plan was drawn up, we have lost businesses such as the bank, Letterkraft, Sears and the City Clerks office in its prior location. Downtown has become a one stop destination and usually in through the back door from the parking lots. We did not even run the 175th parade through our main street. Is it that dead there? Do you see any way we can make it a place people want to be? What would it take?



I

What has happened to Peru Downtown Redevelopment?

BIKE TREK: Paper Trail -- Bloomington-Normal paths honor Constitution - My Web Times

BIKE TREK: Paper Trail -- Bloomington-Normal paths honor Constitution - My Web Times Speaking of bicycle paths this an article about the ultimate type of bike path. I have friends who have family that use this and you ride around and beneath traffic and not with it providing a safe bike path.

I Will Not Accept Any Further Comments on Employees Attending IML

I feel that it serves no purpose for some people to continue to harshly and unfairly comment on the 2 city employees who will be attending the IML conference.  It has been agreed upon by the Mayor and Finance Committee to approve the expenditure for the trip. If some of you don't approve or like, that will be your problem.
If you wish to complain you can call a member of the Finance Committee (names are listed on this blog under committee members) and do your complaining.
This is final so do not send any postings about this.

Illinois Municipal League - 97th Annual Conference

Illinois Municipal League - 97th Annual Conference The details

Illinois Municipal League - 97th Annual Conference - Tentative Conference Program

Illinois Municipal League - 97th Annual Conference - Tentative Conference Program If you wondered ? this is the conference schedule. Ordinarily I wouldn't put this on, but someone has decided to make it a big issue.

Comcast agreement approved. Broadcasting of council meetings yet to be determined.

The new agreement between Comcast Cable and the city of Peru was approved by the city council last night. According to Joan Sage of Comcast the agreement provides for the future possibility of broadcasting city council meetings on a designated channel on the Comcast system. Ms. Sage indicated that the city must determine what specific equipment they would need Comcast to supply to facilitate broadcasting meetings. The city could purchase equipment or hire a third party to provide the service also. If the city decides to add terms to the agreement and have Comcast provide the service there would need to be a charge added to the billing of each Peru Comcast customer. I believe Ms. Sage indicated the charge would be a small charge per customer per billing. As far as I'm concerned the broadcasting of council meetings is way overdue and is something that must be implemented asap. There should be no excuses from any elected official about not wanting to place a "burden" on the citizens of Peru for this service. The video feed should also be made available on the city website in addition to the cable system so that it can be accessed on-line anytime by anyone. So enough talk. Get it done!

Time and Location of Peru Twp August Meeting Monday

If you have an interest, plan to attend.

'The next meeting is at 4:30 PM on Monday, August 16th. The meeting is at the Peru Township Building on Peoria Street.'
 perupages.blogspot.com

Aldermen to citizens: Your request to participate in the democratic process is "DENIED"

Regardless of which side of the pool issue you're on. And because there are no less than three sides to this quagmire, it would have been nice to at least get an invite to the pool party. But, instead of suiting up for a little dip in the political process of an advisory referendum we were informed by our aldermen that they once again consider us the proverbial "Turds in the swimming pool." Last night, our aldermanic brain trust banded together to defeat a motion by Alderman Ferrari and seconded by my old pal Jack O'Beirne to place a simple question on the November ballot as an advisory referendum asking "Should the city of Peru proceed with planning and funding a new municipal swimming pool? As was predictable, the notion of the common citizen providing input or direction to our aldermen obviously left most of them feeling very threatened and unreasonable. They appeared unable to wrap there mind around the fact that this was simply an "advisory question" which did not obligate them to take any particular action. Regardless of the outcome of the vote in November the aldermen would still hold ultimate authority to determine what if any action is taken on a municiapal pool. They discussed last nights motion as if they were deciding whether or not to break ground on a new pool first thing next week. From Mertel deliberately trying to "muddy the waters" (pun intended) by claiming there needed to be a volume of information on the ballot explaining the history of pool construction in the U.S., to Potthoff patronizing us with his extensive knowledge of pool design and municipal taxes. To Waldorf thinking out loud, "After all we are the elected officials and we make these decisions". Oh my! I have to admit that I am not sure which outcome of the proposed referendum they were more afraid to have to deal with. At least a couple of them have said any move forward would have to be new construction. They are on record. This would have been an opportunity for people on any side of the issue to not only cast there vote on election day but to actively campaign and recruit others to paricipate in the democratic process leading up to the election. Why would an elected official see that as a threat and where do we find ourselves now? Believe it or not, I think there still exists a couple of "characters" on this council who will start the bizarre process all over again this coming winter by suggesting once again to patch and paint the old hole in the ground and squeel with glee, "Fill er' up Kenny". I am not currently in favor of new pool construction. At least not in the forseeable future considering city finances. That's a no-brainer. I think they must demolish the existing structure as soon as they have an opportunity to do so. By "they", I mean "city employees" not a contractor and haul the debris down to the Riviera by the River landfill "hideaway resort" of a certain city employee at no additional cost to the city. Then, I would hope that any discussion regarding water related recreational opportunities in the city of Peru be strictly limited to the "Splash Park" theme which is something we may be able to afford. Nothing more. I urge you, please do not forget those aldermen who conspired to deny us a chance to participate in the democratic process. Be sure to inform your neighbors and other residents of Peru that the culprits were Jamey Mertel, 1st Ward. Joe Mikyska, 2nd Ward. Dave Waldorf & Bob Ankiewicz 3rd Ward. Dave Potthoff 4th Ward. Ron Wren, 4th Ward was absent for last nights vote but had previously mentioned he was opposed to the idea of an advisory referendum. These are the guys who chose to leave the rest of us off the pool party guest list.

PeruPool.pdf (application/pdf Object)

PeruPool.pdf (application/pdf Object)



This is from the News Trib and a detailed description of the money spent by the city in attempts to keep the swimming pool operating. Also I noted how closely Chamlin was associated with work done or sent out for bids and I also remember just a couple of weeks ago he said and a quote "we don't do swimming pools".
Do you see something different?

NOW YOU KNOW: Is reopening the Streator pool feasible? - My Web Times

NOW YOU KNOW: Is reopening the Streator pool feasible? - My Web Times Another city with a closed pool and no money

I'm all for an emphasis on "work" in our Public Works Department

1st Ward Alderman Jamey Mertel has recieved a request from Public Works Superintendant Gary Bleck to consider his request for a new hire for the department. Bleck has indicated there is a need for a new employee due to a manpower shortage in the department. The shortage is due to recent employee retirements and some current employees work status as "restricted duty" and unable to perform at 100%. Alderman Mertel is in agreement with Gary Bleck that there exists a valid need for a new hire in the department and Mertel has recommended the process should proceed to do so. One of the qualifications suggested for a new hire by Gary Bleck and other city officicals was that it would be advantageous to seek a prospective hire who is a licensed plumber in order to utilize his skills and credentials where appropriate on city owned property and infrastructure. Not a bad idea at all. Of course this new hire would be expected to perform additional duties within the public works department. He might shovel asphalt. He might operate equipment. He might repair water-main breaks. He might rake leaves into the Leaf-Vac in the fall and then plow snow in the winter after he recieves his CDL which will be a condition of his employment. He will be expected to do what has to be done just as it says in the agreement between the public works employees represented by Local #150 IUOE and the City of Peru. Peru Public Works has a number of outstanding employees who are dedicated, responsible and hard working. However, as is the case in many organizations and government entities, Peru Public Works also has a few not so dedicated, not so responsible, and not so hard working employees. This is a work-place reality that every management team struggles with. I remain hopeful that current efforts to improve the efficiency and personnel issues in every city department will eventually be successful. There is much to do.

Our Only Choice is A New Swimming Pool or Is It?

Wisely the Council Members decided that the first 2 options presented by Williams Aquatics were not worth spending money on as neither one of those options had any guarantee with them because we would be using the same compromised pool and bath house that we currently have. In a perfect world all the residents in town would agree to go ahead and plan a new pool.

The Council would certainly like to be able offer that to Peru but considering our financial condition, we cannot do that. Are grants available? You can apply for them with no guarantee that the state or federal government will have the money to give.  The Mayor would like a referendum on the November ballot but that request would have to be turned in by August 16.

Looking at beautiful pictures of pools that can be built it is very tempting, but then we need to look at the short term use each year for a swimming pool. Also is the swimming pool a playground for the toddlers and mid age kids? Should we also plan on making it a place that advanced swimmers and adults would enjoy using? So it sounds like anywhere up to 6 million for a pool used approximately 70 days a summer. Very much a dilemma and not an easy solution at hand.

Peru Alderman suggests considering sales tax hike to fund municipal pool

Alderman Jamey Mertel (1st Ward) encouraged his counterparts in the city council to consider raising the city sales tax in order to fund any future municipal pool project. This rather bold move by Mertel took more than a few of us by surprise. Jack O'Beirnes mouth dropped open in complete confusion again. Even more so than usual. Of course none of the other aldermen commented on the idea for fear of being linked in any way to such a blasphemous suggestion. Mayor Harl commented that all ideas should be considered and he repeated his hopes of allowing for an advisory referendum on the November Ballot with a question asking Peru voters if they want to proceed with planning and paying for a new public swimming pool. I give Mertel credit for stepping up with what will certainly be a very controversial suggestion. He seems to be working without a safety net and I suspect he will get a serious scolding from the other aldermen for deviating from their plan of forcing the Mayor to make all the tough choices. I do not see Mertel making that suggestion if Dave Potthoff were in the room last night. Potthoff arrived late for the meeting after Mertel had already stunned the crowd. We must remember that sales tax in Peru has always been the "Golden Goose" or "Sacred Cow" that enabled "The Don" to always play fast and loose with city finances. Those sales tax bucks (and the Electric Light Fund) allowed Baker to subsidize or prop up any and all other city funds that were failing to pay for themselves. Those bucks allowed for a bloated "full time" employee payroll and an even more bloated "part-time" patronage summer program. Those bucks provided the under-funding of the Peru Library for years. Those bucks allowed Baker to spend virtually any amount on any thing (Peru Municipal Building) at any time. And as long as those sales tax bucks rolled in Baker could abate taxes and be hailed as The Messiah. Those days and those bucks are long gone and at present we have a sluggish economy and lagging sales tax reciepts in Peru. How will our city sales tax rate compare with surrounding communities and how will area consumers react to an increase in Peru's sales tax? Is Alderman Mertel threatening to kill the Golden Goose? I recall a bit of a backlash when the rate was raised to fund Parkside School. I'm all for a healthy debate in open meeting about this one folks. I think we may see some of the alliances that banded together against Mayor Harl will become a bit strained over this issue. This is good stuff!

Peru Township in Perspective in LaSalle County

I believe that the twp of Peru is the smallest in the county and it is a good question as to why they needed to raise our twp taxes by the large percentage that they did.

Thanks for Stopping to Read the Peru Town Forum

Sending our thanks to the bloggers out there who are stopping by to read the Peru Town Forum, some on a regular basis and others occasionally.  An average of 50 to 60 per day depending on the topic being discussed. We have topped over 100 per day when people have a lot to say.
Coming from 36 cities in Illinois and at present 11 different states. Both those numbers vary depending on topic and day of the week. The stats usually include several foreign countries and today that included Germany and Brazil.
Of the cities in Illinois of course Peru provides the most interested readers but also includes larger cities like Chicago, Wheaton, Naperville, Lockport, Bloomington and Glen Ellyn.
And of course we would like to hear your comments too.

Aldermen to Trovero: "Kiss my asphalt good-bye"

With the recent unanimous vote to reject the lone bid for our annual street program, I wonder if there is some way to determine how our engineering estimate compares to other nearby communities for similar work. As Lois reported in a previous post, Ottawa decided to accept the bid from Advanced Asphalt which was also over their engineering estimate, albeit not to the extent that Peru's was. I am not an engineer, although I did play one on T.V in the 90's, on Baywatch. Those were the days when Pam Anderson was not quite as "big" a celebrity as she is now. Anyway. What I am wondering is if it would be possible to compare the quantitiy of work bid in each city and the engineering estimates for the proposed work in each city in order to try to determine what caused the disparities between estimates and bids. Can someone get to work on that and report back to us? I know the aldermen in Peru are convinced that Trovero was just trying to "turn the screws" on us and that is always a possibility, but I am not convinced that was the case. I am not saying they should have awarded the bid. I wish they would have left themselves other options in order to get some work done this season. They could have scrutinized the engineering estimates and the bids of other local cities (LaSalle also) as I suggested or possibly even allow the contractor an opportunity to shed some light on the situation if he still feels his bid is a fair one. Something that was left "unsaid" during the discussion of this matter on Wednesday was that there exists an "unwritten understanding" between some contractors in the area that they will not encroach on each others geographic base of operations when bidding certain projects. That of course does not allow for a very effective bidding process. We would hope that a local contracor would not see it as just an opportunity to inflate his bid. They are after all, our neighbors and local residents themselves. This situation is going to have to be replayed before too long and I hope our elected officials are looking for ways to come to terms with it. My personal opinion is that the city consider making a committment to proceed with a plan to perform at least a portion of the asphalt resurfacing program "in-house". Yes, it means a considerable capital investment for some of the speacialized equipment needed. We make significant capital investments in our city all the time. Why not do so for the purpose of performing our own street paving. We have Street Department employees represented by Operating Engineers who have the finest training and skill improvement facility in the country. Peru city employees can get hands-on instruction on this equipment at little or no cost to the taxpayers of Peru. Now, before you "union-bashers" start piling on......No, I don't want or need a job with the city! No, I don't believe Mayor Harl will hire "a bunch of his union buddies!". No, I don't have paving equipment to sell to the city! No! No! No! It's an idea. Maybe it could work? Too progressive? Too expensive? You tell me!

Pave the way: Asphalt work to cost $632,500 - My Web Times

Pave the way: Asphalt work to cost $632,500  Ottawa decides to pave while Peru decides to wait. Peru took the advice of Chamlin and Associates and decided not to accept the higher bid while Ottawa chose to accept the higher bid and repair streets with the motor fuel taxes at a higher than estimated cost.

Are Peru's streets so bad that we should have accepted the high bid even though it was$416,854.46 which was 27 percent over the engineer’s estimate of $329,195. I assume the engineer in Peru meant Chamlin and in Ottawa it was the city engineer.

We all know our streets are BAD so can we be assured that by bumping our way through another year, the city will pay less?. Advanced Asphalt of Princeton is the high bidder on the Ottawa projects and Len Trovero was the high bidder on the Peru projects. UC was rejected by both cities. There is some concern that the number of contractors seems to be dwindling and if this is a trend, will we be held hostage for higher project costs..

The Ottawa project was only 26,000 over the prebid estimate while the Peru project was 87,659 over estimate.

http://www.mywebtimes.com/archives/ottawa/display.php?id=409249