Old Broken Equipment for the Other Residents and Children,

First Look at 28th Street Private Club

Peru pool fundraising regroups - LaSalle News Tribune - LaSalle, IL

Peru pool fundraising regroups - LaSalle News Tribune - LaSalle, IL


Your thoughts about a new pool, it appears that even though a splash pad could be in our city by next summer, it appears that we are not willing to wait for the big pool.  Borrowing money was something Ald. Ankiewicz did mention at a pool meeting. I know this is the have to have generation. But somehow funding has to be available without goig for loan and the city does have other priorities.

This reminds of the commercial on TV where the young lady has a computer not working right and she says to her Dad, "let's go out and buy a new one" I actually grit my teeth every time that comes on air.

Yes I have been to meetings and heard the comments about 5 years being too long. Are you willing to pass this expense on to your children and grandchildren so people can have a pool right now? People ask me, didn't you take out a mortgage on your house? Yes we borrowed money to build our house but the economy was good and we were able to make the payments and we did not use other people money.

Actually I think this article has overblown the Friends for the Peru Pool intentions.

Keep your eye on the ball. Pickleball Ambassador On His New Court

Picture was done by Jeff Dankert of the News Tribune

Dalzell board unanimous: 'no' to concert venue - LaSalle News Tribune - LaSalle, IL

Dalzell board unanimous: 'no' to concert venue - LaSalle News Tribune - LaSalle, IL


The Dalzell Board recognizes that they are elected by the people and they respect them with their decisions. Perhaps we could send our council there for some training. I speak with recent decisions regarding both the concert and the pickleball fiasco here in Peru.

City ordinances are laws of municipality. Who enforces those laws?"

I found this interesting because we recently have discussed ordinances that the city has on the books here in Peru but that they, the Mayor and City Council, ignore. What committee should be looking at this as the council is not discussing it but weekly adds more ordinances to our books.

Streator may tighten belt on code enforcement

Share 06/12/2012, 7:14 pm Comment on this story | Print this story | Email this story Jerrilyn Zavada, jzavada@mywebtimes.com, 815-673-6371

Streator councilmen hope to beef up parking and code enforcement by police officers.

At Tuesday's Committee of the Whole meeting, city manager Paul Nicholson looked to the city council for direction in enforcing parking violations throughout the city.

"What we need to have is to get back to fundamental basic policy direction. We have these ordinances on books; are we going to enforce them?"Nicholson said. "We're looking to the entire aspect of parking on streets of how we appear as a community. From my perspective as your city manager, I'm looking for the council to reaffirm policy."

Council members agreed that if a policy is on the books, it should be enforced.

"If we've got it on books, I'm not sure why we're not taking action," councilman Ed Brozak said.

"The fire department is going out and writing violations because policemen have refused to do it," councilman Willy Williamson said. "There are 16 to 18 citations that the fire department has given to the police department, and they haven't decided what to do with it. They haven't been directed from top down to do it. The fire department is doing exactly what it said it's going to do. City ordinances are laws of municipality. Who enforces those laws?"

Mayor Jimmie Lansford praised the fire department for having "more eyes out there" and noted they are taking their job seriously because they have written the city up for code violations. The fire department said the violations were for weeds at the city pool property and weeds at the Knoedler building on Iowa Avenue.

"The next step coming out of this is to meet face-to-face with department leadership and then begin implementation," Nicholson said.

In related discussion, the city is securing agreements with businesses with private parking, such as Walgreens and Walmart so police can make arrests for late night loitering and other violations.

Dalzell zoning board hears concerns about concert venue - LaSalle News Tribune - LaSalle, IL

Dalzell zoning board hears concerns about concert venue - LaSalle News Tribune - LaSalle, IL

Village of Dalzell Meeting Tonight Concerts for a Cause

The Dalzell Zoning Board tonight held a meeting regarding the request by Ms. Noonan to hold her concert on ground she recently purchased for that purpose.

The request was denied mostly because she had no clear plan for the concert plus there were safety concerns.

Is A Mission Statement Important For Municipalities

Earlier someone asked about Mission Statements for a municipality like Peru.

The City of Peru's mission is to provide top-quality, fiscally responsible municipal services in a manner that promotes the high standards of our City. (Peru Mission Statement)

Is this a new fad for a city to have a Mission Statement, many communities do not. I could not find one for LaSalle, Ottawa or Spring Valley although some of those have Mission Statements from their Police and Fire Departments.

I found cities that have a Vision Statement and a Mission Statement. I started thinking about whether this was just a cluster of words put together to make someone look responsible. I have never heard anyone in the city say that they have a mission.

Since the city will be redesigning their web site soon. Would you like to see something different and would you like to have input into the statement?.

We at this time do not offer much information on our police or fire departments. I just checked with Ottawa and both of those departments are easily located from the city web site. Both have extensive amounts of information about their employees and units within the dept. Plus statistics of crime for the last several years in Ottawa. La Salle is also very informative about their Police and Fire departments

Would you like to see Peru do something similar to this when they redesign their websites. Maybe we could learn how to be more effective and also more informative to the public by establishing a more comprehensive city web site so that we don't have to search the internet to find our fire department and the police department does not have a separate web site.

If you know of a city that has a great web site, please share with us. Let's offer some constructive information to the city about what you would like to see there.

Pickleball in Peru - BBJK

LaMoille celebrates 10 years of Buffalo Days - LaSalle News Tribune - LaSalle, IL

LaMoille celebrates 10 years of Buffalo Days - LaSalle News Tribune - LaSalle, IL


Looking for some place to go this weekend. If you have been there, let us know.

SOUNDS LIKE FIREWORKS IN LAMOILLE TONIGHT.

The Other Side of the Story of Tom Riordan

This is the letter I submitted to the Open Forum But they wouldnt run it because it didnt fit their guidelines...
I reported the Superintendent of Electric Dept for the City of Peru several times in the past 4 months for illegally using the city owned vehicle for his personal use and using it when he is not working . Back in February or so the day after Jewel announced it was closing due to slow sales I saw “ The Super” in LaSalle shopping at a supermarket while on the clock and in the city vehicle . I reported this to the City Clerks office and they told me he was allowed to use the truck as he wishes . I said this is wasting taxpayer money . She said the mayor allows his Department heads to use their vehicles as they wish . I left a voice mail for the mayor about my disgust and it was never returned . Over the next few months I watched “the Super” waste our tax dollars all day long and reported and took pictures . I spoke with several council members about the waste of our tax dollars and was told almost the same exact thing by each of them , “ the mayor said that he appoints the department heads and he is in charge of them and no council member is going to tell them what to do , so drop it and mind your own business “ . Even after I took pictures and put them on a disk of “the super” using the city truck to pull a privately owned trailer and haul stuff away with the city truck on the clock from his dads house , the mayor did nothing and said nothing .

I thought our system of government was run by the council and the mayor ? Why do we elect council members if they are constantly told they have no say in anything . Our mayor is not a King ! I expect to talk to my council members with my problems and they can help me and get things solved . Not having a voice is not the proper way to have a government . Why should we attend council meetings or ask questions when we get nothing solved or answered .

I’ve been trying to get my alley vacated for 11 years now . It was supposed to be done back in 2001 but they only vacated a small portion of it because the city attorney and building inspector didn’t read the petition right and did it illegally and now refuse to fix their mistake without someone paying the almighty dollar . The funny part is the guy that did the petition never paid any fees . But now the rest of us are suppose to pay . The building Inspector said he doesn’t know if he paid fees because and I quote “ we (peru) never kept records of fees paid until 2005 so I have no idea how much he paid if he paid anything .)” What a joke !

So Saturday the 19th of May at 8:25 am I witnessed “the super” using the city truck again loading broken sheets of drywall or plywood in the back and I called the police and filed a report for him stealing from the city . I was told by the police that he has permission to use the vehicle as he wishes and the mayor said that was okay . I said I as a taxpayer don’t agree and wish to have a report made . He said okay he will make a report . I came back a short time later and he was gone . The mayor got a call while he was in his office about what was going on . He called “the Super” and asked what he was doing and the mayor was told he was picking up rags that he was donating to the city . I don’t know how old the rags were but the must’ve been pretty old because they were shaped like plywood chunks and stiff as a board.

So at the council meeting I was going to mention this to the council in the public comment section but “the super” was absent so I didn’t discuss it without him there . And apparently they were ready for me to speak but I didn’t .
So low and behold who makes a surprise visit to my house the very next day (5/22/12) But the building inspector under direction of our beloved mayor , snooping around looking for violations . I received a business card with some chicken scratch on it that said I have 10 days to remove my illegally stacked twigs and rocks behind my fence . 1st off the twigs were stacked there by my neighbor “the super’s” dad , and 2nd the rocks are for whenever the alley is vacated for my landscaping . I was told it was” illegally stored building materials “. The building inspector never noticed the “illegally stored building Materials” kept behind the super’s dads garage or the other neighbor with the 3 foot tall grass or the stacks of building materials there .
I told the inspector that I wasn’t going to be bullied by the mayor or him . That was when he said those orders came from the mayor . What a town we live in that you get bullied and singled out because you stand up against corruption . My father was a police officer in this town for almost 30 years and wouldn’t stand for the corruption and fought it whenever he could and im the same way .

If the mayor cant stand up and discipline his department heads or control them than he does not deserve to be in that spot . These superintendents and building inspector don’t deserve city vehicle to use as they wish . Money is tight . They need to drive there own vehicle to work and then use a city vehicle . They are NOT emergency responders and DO NOT come out on call outs or to emergency scenes . This is a waste of taxpayers money and needs to be stopped . A Council members needs to bring this up for discussion and stand up to the mayor . Save our money !

Oh and a little retaliation is because I announced I will run for Mayor of Peru that Saturday. This “Change” we were promised just isn’t working . We need this stuff fixed !

NT 2012 Tennis Player of the Year

NT Boys Tennis: Player of the Year (with video) - LaSalle News Tribune - LaSalle, IL

NT Boys Tennis: Player of the Year (with video) - LaSalle News Tribune - LaSalle, IL

Recreation Commission Has More Clout Than Council and Mayor

Bryan Hartman 5-24-12

Jim, thanks for bringing the pickleball idea to the Park Commission. I am so glad that the commission had the resolve to move forward with your idea. I believe this truly will be a hit. I can’t wait to see people playing on there own at 28th st. park. Bryan

Lois Said
FYI Bryan, many residents have been playing tennis all these past weeks but that doesn't seem to matter to you,does it? It is what you, Jim and the rest of the commission want, isn't it? Governance by a few for a few should be your motto.

Anonymous said... Bryan Hartman: I read your comment on "positiveinperu" the pickle ball website and I'm shocked that the president of the rec commission would make such a statement. (The statement where you told Jim that you can't wait to witness pickleball players playing on their own at 28th street park.) It's too bad you didn't come and watch all the tennis players playing on their own through the years. Then, you could tell them personally that you're closing their court. It's a shame that adults cannot reach an intelligent compromise that would benefit all. You do realize and know that both sports could be active in this park without a great deal of effort! 10:08 AM, June 07, 2012

A Trip Through the Heartland Including Peru IL

Public Property Minutes May 30 2012

Public Property Committee Meeting May 30, 2012 6:00 p.m.

Present: Bob Ankiewicz, Sherry Mayszak, Scott Harl, Gary Bleck, Mike Perry, Jim Lukosus, Gary Hylla, Dave Potthoff, Marsha Perez, Justin Loger, Lois Carroll and Linda Dzierzynski

Meeting called to order by Alderman Ankiewicz at 6:15 p.m.
Alderman Ankiewicz made a motion that the minutes of May 16, 2012 be received and placed on file. Alderman Mayszak seconded the motion; motion carried.

Unfinished Business

Recreation Commission Ordinance
Ordinance #1374 “An Ordinance Establishing a Playground and Recreation Board in the City of Peru, Illinois” was passed and adopted on May 10, 1957.

In the ordinance it states that the Board will consist of 5 members and each member shall serve 5 years or until their successors are appointed and have qualified, except that the members of the first Board appointed shall be appointed for such terms that the term of one member shall expire annually thereafter.

The Board shall be vested with the control and management of all existing parks, playgrounds and recreation centers, and shall direct the equipment, maintenance and conduct thereof, and shall make suitable rules and regulations for proper and orderly direction and management of the same.

The Board shall have the authority to conduct programs in playgrounds and recreation centers and in buildings located thereon, and may employ such supervisors, playground leaders and other employees as they deem proper, and shall have the power to furnish and control such equipment and supplies as they deem proper.

---

Ankiewicz suggested adding “Board shall have authority to plan and execute community celebrations within the City of Peru as part of their duties and authority".

---

Discussion followed about the original number of members. There are currently 7 members on the Board. Mayszak was told by Recreation Commission President Bryan Hartman that at some point, they were granted permission to have 7 members. We will need to research to see if the ordinance has been amended since 1957.

Discussion followed about the term of 5 years and that not currently being followed. The term is 5 years “or until their successors are appointed and have qualified”, so the ordinance is being followed as written. Suggestions were made to have a request made yearly for interested individuals to be on the Board because a citizen may want to be on the board but unless somebody resigns, there is never an opening. This year when Barb Pyszka retired, 3 letters of intent were received, proving that if there had been other openings, there were other citizens who would have been interested.

Mayszak will contact Board President Bryan Hartman to see if he has a list of dates when each Board member got onto the Board.

Ordinance #1067 – “An Ordinance Creating the Office of Superintendent of Parks” was approved on April 30, 1937.

Section 4 of this ordinance states “the duties of the Officer shall be to have general supervision and charge of all parks now in the City of Peru, Illinois, to see that all of said parks are properly kept up and maintained, to have supervision of all employees who are working in said parks, and in general to do and perform all work necessary to keep said premises in shape, and to follow the orders of the Mayor and the City Council of the City of Peru, Illinois, in and about keeping up said parks.

Section 5 states “that in addition to the foregoing duties said Officer shall have police powers of the same kind as are conferred upon Patrolmen……………” It was discussed and noted that there is nobody that fits this ordinance and this ordinance should be abolished.

Pickleball – Discussion followed about changing the tennis courts at 28th Street Park to 4 Pickleball courts. The Recreation Commission wants to introduce Pickleball to the area and after much thought, decided 28th Street Park tennis court would be the best location. They would have to take away the tennis court lines and paint it with Pickleball lines. Several neighbors of 28th Street Park are not in favor of this as they see that the tennis court is being used for tennis. Mayszak went to check out 28th Street Park again. There are 2 full sized basketball courts and she thought one of those basketball courts could be used for Pickleball instead of taking away the tennis court. This way there would be a tennis court, a Pickleball court and a basketball court. The only issue would be the fence around what would be the new Pickleball court. Mayszak suggested using the pool fence once the pool is demolished.

Brownfield Grant – Mayor Harl explained that this grant only applies to city owned property. The grant provides funding for a recipient to compile a listing of sites that could possibly be a brownfield. A brownfield is real property, the expansion, redevelopment or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. The site is contaminated by a controlled substance, contaminated by petroleum or a petroleum product or minescarred land. Harl said the only property he could think of that would qualify is the building on 6th and Peoria. The committee will ask Heidi to proceed with filling out a grant request for this property.

Shooting Range – SPW Bleck reported that the road work is almost done. They are waiting for the water to evaporate so they can install drain tiles. The water is almost gone. There will be two 15 x 60 pads constructed and a shed for the shooters to keep out of bad weather. This will all be paid for with confiscated drug monies. Billboards – All 2 x 16 advertising billboards have been rented. On North Peoria Street, Debo has the south side and Maze Nail has the north side. On the West end of Peru, Maze Lumber has the west side and Connecting Point has the east side. On the Bottom Road, Water Street Pub has the upper sign, and Vlastnik’s has the lower sign. So far, Water Street Pub and Debo’s have paid. Their rental dates are May 18, 2012 to May 18, 2013. We will establish rental dates for the other companies once their signs are up. Airport

Concert Excerpted from an email from Al Mlacnik from IDOT Division of Aeronautics – “Rob Hahn (from the FAA) informed me (Al Mlacnik) this morning that the airspace/safety review of FAA Form 7460 submittal is still currently under review at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Comments will be forthcoming as soon as we receive them from FAA. The Division review is limited to grant assurance compliance. Sponsors (City of Peru) are required to self certify compliance by virtue of the Application process. Neither the Division nor FAA will issue a formal approval for these non-aeronautical special events. The ultimate responsibility for operational safety at the airport belongs to the Sponsor.

Bleck called Hertz (farm management) and was told $200 an acre rent for the land around the airport because the city controls what farmers can plant there because of height restrictions. Because of that restriction, land rents for less. The police department, fire department and ambulance service all bill Merry Noonan separately for their services.

Another organization has asked for approval to use the airport for a fundraiser. The committee will look into the details of this event. Frontage Roads – Mayor Harl said that the police would like to rename the 3 Frontage Roads for easier identification when they get a call. The three roads are the road in front of Coronet Dodge, the road in front of Szott’s, and Dalzell Road to Plank Road. Mayszak asked about how the businesses would be affected with having to change letterhead, etc. because of an address change. Harl said they could give each road a secondary name for easier identification, but keep the frontage road address and their mailing address. The committee will ask Chief Bernabei to look into renaming these roads.

Shooting Park Road – Mike Mrowicki has purchased the Bernal property on Shooting Park Road. The city needs to look into putting in tiling for draining because standing water is still a problem in that location.

City Owned Real Estate – Justin Loger asked if random parcels of city owned real estate are being sold. He said small parcels of city owned real estate could be sold to homeowners next to the city owned parcel and get the real estate taxes from those parcels of land off the city’s books. Ankiewicz said this is being looked into. Meeting adjourned at 7:20 p.m.

Pay Freeze For Ottawa Firefighters « AM1220 WLPO News

Pay Freeze For Ottawa Firefighters « AM1220 WLPO News

Celebrate La Salle ready to go for a third year « AM1220 WLPO News

Celebrate La Salle ready to go for a third year « AM1220 WLPO News


Just in case you are looking for something to do this weekend. Some closeby activities

To Our Mayor and Committee Aldermen Re: Open Meetings

Monday, June 04, 2012

I expect our government to be honest and truthful in the manner in which they conduct the peoples business in the city of Peru. That must be very hard considering the fact that 2 committee meetings were held today, Monday June 4, 2012, without 48 hours notice and a posted agenda via the internet. The mayor said that they posted the announcement at the city hall and that is all they had to do.

Mayor, please read the Open Meetings Act

A public body that has a website that the full-time staff of the public body maintains shall also post on its website the agenda of any regular meetings of the governing body of that public body. Any agenda of a regular meeting that is posted on a public body's website shall remain posted on the website until the regular meeting is concluded. The requirement of a regular meeting agenda shall not preclude the consideration of items not specifically set forth in the agenda. (5 ILCS 120/2.02)(from Ch. 102 par.42.02)

The meetings were the Water and Sewer meeting at 10 AM and the Public Property Meeting which also means Recreation Commission oversight before the regular City Council meeting.

Do you suppose they did not want the people whom they serve to observe the actions of this city?

Peru pool fundraising to be revived - LaSalle News Tribune - LaSalle, IL

home : news : local

June 05, 2012 6/5/2012 2:00:00 AM
Peru pool fundraising to be revived
Peru’s outdoor pool in Washington Park sits empty for a third straight summer after it the city decided not to open it because of dilapidation. The Friends for Peru Pool Committee started raising funds for a new pool but has now dissolved due to what committee chairwoman Pam Paden said is a lack of city support. NewsTribune photo/Amanda Whitlock + click to enlarge

Peru’s outdoor pool in Washington Park sits empty for a third straight summer after it the city decided not to open it because of dilapidation. The Friends for Peru Pool Committee started raising funds for a new pool but has now dissolved due to what committee chairwoman Pam Paden said is a lack of city support.

The Friends for Peru Pool Committee has dissolved but interest is building to reform it and kick-start fundraising.

The citizen group formed in late 2010 and raised nearly $100,000 for a new outdoor pool since the city closed the old pool in Washington Park in the spring of 2010. Pam Paden, the group’s chairwoman, submitted a letter to the mayor and aldermen before they met Monday night saying the group dissolved primarily because of “the lack of support from city leadership.”

“We can no longer in good conscience ask the taxpaying people of our community to continue to donate their hard-earned money toward a project that hasn’t come to fruition despite repeated requests of our City’s leadership,” Paden wrote. “We were fortunate to have had the involvement of a few city leaders, however, it just wasn’t enough to propel this initiative to the level of importance that the committee felt it should have.” Paden did not attend the meeting. Alderman Tony Ferrari raised the issue for discussion, saying he disagreed with Paden’s letter and announcement of dissolution. He recommended the council’s public property and accounts and finance committees meet with the mayor and interested citizens to keep it going.

Gina Martin and Debbie Noonan of Peru attended the council meeting and said that Paden’s announcement did not reflect their intent, and they are interested in seeing the committee reunite. Meetings were infrequent and unproductive, they said. “We sat stagnant all winter,” Noonan said.

Alderwoman Sherry Mayszak said the committee needs restructuring. It had planned a Family Fun Day for July 1, as it did last year to raise money for a pool, but this is now cancelled. However, there will be a car show July 1 in Washington Park to raise funds for a pool.

Mayszak called a meeting for 5 p.m. Thursday at city hall for anyone interested in raising funds for a pool.

The pool group raised $95,565, deposited into a fund managed by the city, Paden told the NewsTribune.

“The funds that we have raised will remain intact and under the direction of the Peru City Treasurer with the intention of allocating them to an aquatic recreation project in the event Peru’s leadership deems it a community priority,” she said. The city learned last year it did not qualify for a $2.5 million state pool grant. Previous plans showed a new pool would cost about $3 million. In 2010, prior to the pool season, the city hired Williams Aquatics of Carol Stream for $15,000 to study the old pool. In a letter to the city the company said: “The Peru Municipal Pool is severely compromised and in a state of structural failure. Due to the age and fragile existing condition of the pool, construction activities may damage the pool.”

After the consultant’s report, after years of leaks and after hearing from insurance and legal advisors, the city chose to keep the pool closed. Paden told the News Tribune that the city has focused on what it sees as more important property repairs.

“I think the city feels the streets are imperative, and that’s fair enough,” Paden said. “At the same time I think there’s more to a community than just the roads.” “We were fortunate to have had the involvement of a few city leaders, however, it just wasn’t enough to propel this initiative to the level of importance that the committee felt it should have,” Paden wrote in her letter to the council. The city is planning this summer to demolish the old pool and pool house, which is across from the public library and northwest of Washington School. On May 2 the council tabled a motion to authorize seeking bids for demolition.

Jeff Dankert can be reached at (815) 220-6977 or perureporter@newstrib.com.Peru pool fundraising to be revived - LaSalle News Tribune - LaSalle, IL

More days, more fun, Celebrate La Salle - LaSalle News Tribune - LaSalle, IL

More days, more fun, Celebrate La Salle - LaSalle News Tribune - LaSalle, IL

Congratulations La Salle,  up the good work!

Why Do The Aldermen and Mayor Seem to Ignore 28th Street Park?

Tonight Ald. Ferrari again brought up the subject of the tennis courts in the 28th street park and the proposed elimination of them by the Recreation Commission. Not one aldermen or the Mayor seemed to be interested in adding one comment. Watching this scenerio take place, we can pretty much assume that they don't care one bit about them and if you use the courts or live next to them and would like to see the tennis courts remain, they don't seem interested in helping you. PERIOD

A few of us have tried to get their attention with absolutely no success, so I am going to assume they are trying not to offend the members of the Recreation Commission and that is more important than you and maybe even your vote next year. Why the relationship is so cozy is beyond me. Why the commission means more to them than the tennis players is also beyond me.

They Mayor seemed enthusiastic about the TIF agreements with local school districts, but not about our parks and the tennis courts you enjoy. Not one of them seems to be able to generate any enthusiasm, they act like we are asking them to donate a pint of blood.

Aledo Rhubarb Fest

Aledo Rhubarb Fest


Wish I could have seen this earlier as it sounds like a really fun festival.  Why is it that the smallest towns can produce the best summer fun? I say that because I was told by an alderman that it is so hard to find volunteers in Peru. We do July 3 which isn't much fun for a lot of people in Peru, could we add another event and could we get enough volunteers? I really think it is more about finding people who know how to organize and get it done but it does bring in the tourist dollars.

Six months after fire, clean up on hold at Westclox « AM1220 WLPO News

Six months after fire, clean up on hold at Westclox « AM1220 WLPO News