$
1
Volume 2 Number 2
Est. 2017
December 5, 2018
Your locally owned community newspaper
A R T EX Marvin Lee performs
Country music performer Marvin Lee will be at Jarman Center at 2:30 p.m. Dec. 6. The community is invited to join the residents at Jarman Center for the performance. Lee had his own TV show on WCIA called The Marvin Lee Show from 1968 to 1975.
K-Kids deliver
Hats off to the K-Kids who delivered 150 pounds of food to SAM Pantry last week. Watch next week for photos.
School Christmas concerts/programs
The East Prairie band and chorus Christmas Concert is at 2 p.m. Dec. 9 at the high school. The high school concert will follow at 4 p.m. North Ward’s Christmas Program presented by first and second graders is at 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Dec. 13 in the North Ward cafeteria.
Christmas auction
The Woman’s Club’s Christmas Auction is at 6 p.,m. Thursday, Dec. 13, at The Smith House on South Main Street. Jim Ingrum will auctioneer the event, which includes “lots of yummy goodies and crafts made by members.” Proceeds go to scholarships in the arts.
Drop off the kids
Need to do some shopping without the kids? Just need a break? From 6-9 p.m., the Douglas County Health Dept. is sponsoring a “SOCS” — Sharing Our Community Strengths — night for Kindergarten through 8th grade. It’s open to the whole county, and they’ll even send a bus to pick up the kids for those living outside of Tuscola. See more information inside.
Toys for Tots
Douglas County Toys for Tots is asking for donations. North Ward, East Prairie and the high school have bins for toy donations until Dec. 14. Toys will be distributed Dec. 15 at the community building but you must sign up at tuscola-il.toysfortots.org.
Arleigh Jones
LANE FRANKS, 7, and his brother Colt, 4, pose with Santa at the Douglas County Museum Saturday. The museum was overcrowded with kids for their annual breakfast with the jolly one. Photo by David Porter.
City eyes selling North Ward lot
By David Porter The old North Ward grade school lot may be going up for sale. The City of Tuscola’s Tax Increment Finance (TIF) committee discussed Monday whether to seek bids on the large lot in the middle of town as well as several lots the city owns near the outlet mall. The committee discussed whether it would be better to seek the highest price for the property or to seek the best use. Mayor Dan Kleiss said his preference would be to get the property back on the tax rolls. Tim Hoey asked whether it would be best to wait until the much anticipated Cronus fertilizer plant arrives. Later in the meeting, Brian Moody, director of chamber and economic development for the city, said Cronus is still on tract to start building in the second quarter of next year. He said there has not been much movement since the last time the committee met but that the most recently announced timeline hasn’t changed. What has change, he noted, is the price tag for the facility. What had
Steve Allen
been proposed as a $750 million project nearly 8 years ago is now a $1.726 billion plan. The rising costs have kept officials on pins and needles in the event that it became cost prohibitive. Moody said that funding appears to be in place for the facility although some details are still be worked out with the German contractor tasked with building it. On the North Ward lot, the committee discussed that the last appraisal had priced the land at around $250,000. They discussed that the price could come way down if a developer has a plan that the committee thinks is perfect for the community and neighborhood. However, they’re limited in what incentives they can add to the property since the TIF district is winding down. Drew Hoel, city administrator, said he doesn’t think the land would qualify for a new TIF district. As an aging school building that needed to come down, it qualified, he said, but as an empty lot, it wouldn’t. Committee member Scott Day said that it would be good to have the property back on the tax rolls “obvi-
ously” but that thought should be given to the use of the property and whether a new project blends with the neighborhood. On the lots near the outlet mall, value and use also were discussed. Hoel said the city acquired the lots in exchange for infrastructure improvements. He said there has been some interest in them recently. Committee member Alan Shoemaker said he’d like to see an offer before the city spends money on an appraisal. Hoel suggested that it could cost $1,000 to $1,500 per lot for a commercial appraisal. The committee also discussed drainage in the borrow pit behind the city dump. The Love’s Travel Center project is expected to utilize the pit for drainage but Hoel said it has not been working as well as it should to take water away from Prairie Street. He asked the committee to approve another $5,000 on top of $5,000 previously approved for additional engineering work to determine what is going on with the drainage system that leads to the pit.
Officials confident in mall’s future
By David Porter Following the city’s TIF meeting, local officials briefly discussed rumors swirling around the fate of the outlet mall on the city’s southeast corner. Social media messages paint a bleak picture with one suggesting the facility would be torn down and apartments built there. The local officials quashed that rumor and several others but did not want to go on record as the mall is privately owned. It did change hands recently and was sold for millions less than the previous time it sold. The mall is now owned by Mason Asset Management and Namdar Realty Group, which have See MALL RUMORS on page 2
Bicentennial honors local veterans The Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs and the Illinois Bicentennial Office announced the recipients of Bicentennial Honor 200, which recognizes 200 Illinois “veterans who continue to make extraordinary contributions to the people of Illinois.” Two of the veterans honored at a ceremony Dec. 3 in Chicago are Douglas County residents. Tuscola’s Arleigh Jones and Newman’s Steve Allen were among those honored.
"America is the greatest nation on earth because of the sacrifice of our veterans," said Governor Bruce Rauner. "We are proud to honor these 200 men and women as part of our Bicentennial celebration. Their service didn't stop when they took off their uniforms. They continue to be heroes among us by going above and beyond the call of duty to take care of the people in their communities." "The Bicentennial Honor
200 campaign is one of the most important commemorations of the yearlong Bicentennial Celebration," said Stuart Layne, executive director of the Bicentennial Commission. "These 200 Illinois veterans truly make us Illinois Proud." "Honor 200 provides us with an opportunity to showcase our veterans and the values they have when it comes to serving our communities," said IDVA director Stephen Curda, Ph.D.
The recipients represent more than 50 counties across the state. Nominees were evaluated based on their achievements, and on the extent to which their contributions have aided, benefited and provided inspiration to their community at large. In addition, nominees must have received an honorable discharge from the U.S. military and reside in Illinois. For information on the Bicentennial go to www.illinois200.com.