This week's big news was obviously the inauguration of the President. I thought this was a rather neat view of the event: http://gigapan.org/viewGigapanFullscreen.php?auth=033ef14483ee899496648c2b4b06233c
The new President has spent a fair amount of time talking about a new stimulus package with lots of infrastructure project funding. While the bill hasn't been passed, the City and the Greater Sterling Development Corporation have turned in our share of requests. We've also called Representative Phil Hare's office and Senator Durbin's office to ask that any infrastructure projects granted be granted directly to cities and counties rather than adding a layer of government in between. We've expressed our viewpoint that we know what is most needed for our own community. However, we'll of course take whatever we can get. We submitted a list that included street reconstruction, business/industrial park development, brownfield redevelopment, sewer extensions, broadband expansion and stormwater management improvements. Heaven knows there's always plenty of work to be done, it's just a matter of finding the means to pay for it.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Tahiti sounds nice....
Good grief is it cold out there! Add a little snow and it's not the best time to be a public works employee trying to clean up the City, or a police officer responding to a call or a firefighter responding to an accident.
Last winter was thought to be a fluke, but this winter is starting to rival last winter. We've had to spend more time on the roads this year than last year doing snow and ice control. It's definitely starting to make budgeting a challenge!
Joseph Bustos had a great article about our plow drivers in Wednesday's Gazette if you get a chance to read it.
Last, and most importantly, I need to remind people of the importance of odd/even parking. It's important for getting the streets clean and helping to avoid having your car plowed in (and to avoid getting a ticket on those snow routes!!!). The more cooperation from drivers, the faster all the roads get cleaned and the better they are cleared as well. Thanks for your cooperation, and please remember to help neighbors out by getting the sidewalks shoveled and the hydrants dug out. Stay warm out there!
Last winter was thought to be a fluke, but this winter is starting to rival last winter. We've had to spend more time on the roads this year than last year doing snow and ice control. It's definitely starting to make budgeting a challenge!
Joseph Bustos had a great article about our plow drivers in Wednesday's Gazette if you get a chance to read it.
Last, and most importantly, I need to remind people of the importance of odd/even parking. It's important for getting the streets clean and helping to avoid having your car plowed in (and to avoid getting a ticket on those snow routes!!!). The more cooperation from drivers, the faster all the roads get cleaned and the better they are cleared as well. Thanks for your cooperation, and please remember to help neighbors out by getting the sidewalks shoveled and the hydrants dug out. Stay warm out there!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
New Year Resolution for all of us
I found this article, A new year's resolution: Could we be a little more polite, please? to be a good reminder for everyone in the new year.
It's easy in a highly technological world to be cold and to sometimes write or say things that we never would have said to each other in normal conversation. One of my pet peeves is how people will communicate to each other over anonymous message boards or comments sections. Locally, we're one community. We have our ups and downs and good news and bad news like any other. A good mark of each other and the community is how we respond. Casting aspersions or engaging in petty arguments with ugly personal attacks wins no one an award and only makes all of us look a little less civil.
Everyone wants to see progress and economic development happen. We'd like to see people move to the community and be assets to the town bringing new business or services. However, I am troubled by the impression we give others outside of our community reading the online newspaper or forums about the Sauk Valley area. If you're an outsider curious about the area and interested in locating your business or moving your family here, does negativity by local anonymous posters help in any way?
People do their research and reading the local paper is one means. Going there and finding gobs of negativity and infighting doesn't aid our cause. So for 2009, let's celebrate our good news, be happy for people with good news, and when sad news comes our, let's find ways to constructively and civilly correct the issues. A lot of people care about the community, so let's take that energy and put it to productive use. Civility goes a long way in making our cities into communities.
It's easy in a highly technological world to be cold and to sometimes write or say things that we never would have said to each other in normal conversation. One of my pet peeves is how people will communicate to each other over anonymous message boards or comments sections. Locally, we're one community. We have our ups and downs and good news and bad news like any other. A good mark of each other and the community is how we respond. Casting aspersions or engaging in petty arguments with ugly personal attacks wins no one an award and only makes all of us look a little less civil.
Everyone wants to see progress and economic development happen. We'd like to see people move to the community and be assets to the town bringing new business or services. However, I am troubled by the impression we give others outside of our community reading the online newspaper or forums about the Sauk Valley area. If you're an outsider curious about the area and interested in locating your business or moving your family here, does negativity by local anonymous posters help in any way?
People do their research and reading the local paper is one means. Going there and finding gobs of negativity and infighting doesn't aid our cause. So for 2009, let's celebrate our good news, be happy for people with good news, and when sad news comes our, let's find ways to constructively and civilly correct the issues. A lot of people care about the community, so let's take that energy and put it to productive use. Civility goes a long way in making our cities into communities.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Happy New Year!
New Year means resolutions, right? I'll try to make sure this gets tended to weekly.
In the meantime, several things have been happening. You may have seen in the Gazette or heard on WSDR about updates concerning the eastern portion of the former NWSW plant, the area we generically refer to as "Plant 1." As I've stated before, when dealing with environmental law and liabilities, owners in an LLC and mortgage/lien holders, nothing is simple. While it seems black and white (you own a mess, clean it up), it's not so easy unfortunately. One misconception is that nothing is being done, or that only talk is happening. While there are multi-party negotiations in place, the City has filed and is still pursuing a nuisance abatement order in Whiteside County Court. An order of this magnitude is not adjudicated in one appearance unfortunately.
The future use of the property has not been determined, but considering the prior uses, it's likely that much of the are will be retained as public space. The river gave so much to this community in terms of its initial development, but short of Lawrence Park and the old slough, the community has had little access. Hopefully the area can combine some reuse in light development, balanced with green areas along the river. There will definitely be public involvement and comment sought from the community before any plans are formalized for reuse. The Council is committed to making the riverfront a place that serves the community.
In the meantime, several things have been happening. You may have seen in the Gazette or heard on WSDR about updates concerning the eastern portion of the former NWSW plant, the area we generically refer to as "Plant 1." As I've stated before, when dealing with environmental law and liabilities, owners in an LLC and mortgage/lien holders, nothing is simple. While it seems black and white (you own a mess, clean it up), it's not so easy unfortunately. One misconception is that nothing is being done, or that only talk is happening. While there are multi-party negotiations in place, the City has filed and is still pursuing a nuisance abatement order in Whiteside County Court. An order of this magnitude is not adjudicated in one appearance unfortunately.
The future use of the property has not been determined, but considering the prior uses, it's likely that much of the are will be retained as public space. The river gave so much to this community in terms of its initial development, but short of Lawrence Park and the old slough, the community has had little access. Hopefully the area can combine some reuse in light development, balanced with green areas along the river. There will definitely be public involvement and comment sought from the community before any plans are formalized for reuse. The Council is committed to making the riverfront a place that serves the community.
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