TON-06-23-2017

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Volume 143 No. 29

Friday, June 23, 2017

Single Copy Cost 50¢

Storm leaves behind damage in Tonica By Zachary Pratt news@tonicanews.com

TONICA — A rumor has blown through Tonica in a manner similar to the storms that preceded it, prompting residents to haul fallen limbs to the curb in anticipation that the mess will be cleaned up for them, but no such event had been planned. Seeing the activity around town, the village board on Monday, June 19, discussed whether to bring someone in to take care of the branches this one time; the village will look into such a solution, but nothing is guaranteed. “There are a lot of limbs on the edge of the road,” village president Kevin Sluder said. “The town must think somebody’s coming to clean it up, because every-

body’s piling it up.” Jeremy Hillyer, who attended the meeting, suggested a possible reason Tonica’s residents have been struck with the idea that all their brush will be taken care of: “The state did come through and do all the stuff on 51.” Sluder said because of the storm’s ferocity and the damage it caused, he could see how it might not be a bad idea to clean up the mess this one time. “We’ve had big storms come through before, but not do stuff like that,” Sluder said. “It blew trees apart.” Some board members voiced concern about setting a precedent, that once the village takes care of the issue everyone will expect it to do so in every case. “I think if we do it once, they’re going to expect it again,” Bob Anderson said.

Sluder agreed that there was a measure of risk involved. “A lot of towns do that, but we don’t really have the money,” he said. “I’m not opposed to doing it once, but I don’t want to set a precedent.” As it stands, the expectation has already taken hold for this instance. “I live on Second Street, and everybody’s got it out on the curb,” Mike Supan said. “There’s half a dozen on my block, and, if we don’t do it, it’ll never get done.” It was decided the village will look into options, but there is no guarantee it will take responsibility for all branches. “If it’s too expensive, then we ain’t going to do it,” Sluder said. If the village does not clean up the locals’ brush, then the responsibility will fall back to the residents. Down trees and limbs were not the only

destruction left by recent storms in the village. Heavy wind and rain is what cause the south side of the old wastewater treatment plant to cave in. “You can’t see it from the road, but if you go back to the back side of the building, there is no back side of the building,” said Marc Lemrise, public works official for the village. He said they had spent the first two days after the storms at the plant, catching different items with rope and hauling them out, as the piping had been damaged as well. Luckily, Tonica’s new wastewater plant should be up and running by the end of July or first part of August. Village engineer Jack Kusek said the new facility was 92 percent complete as of last week.

One goal and one goal only By Dave Cook

news@tonicanews.com

HENNEPIN — Large jobs are always easier when people come together to help, and one of the largest jobs in the Illinois Valley is economic recovery. The North Central Illinois Economic Development Corporation (NCIEDC) was created to help communities pool their resources and move together toward prosperity. Formed in 2016 by leaders in Bureau, Putnam and LaSalle counties, the NCIEDC is a non-profit partnership of public and private investors focused on marketing the region’s industrial assets for new investment projects which will result in increased tax revenue and jobs. NCIEDC President/ CEO Ivan Baker recently presented updates at the June 12 Putnam County Board meeting and also later during a special presentation hosted at IVCC. “We need to work together to make the economy of the three counties the best it can possibly be. We all want things to be better for the 104,000 people who live here,” Baker said. He said the corporation is following a proven model that is working

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Tonica News photo/Dave Cook

Aces & Eights owner Jed Brooker has several plans in place for the future of his new establishment. The former site of the Folty Market has provided the perfect location for a new entertainment venue and Brooker looks forward to residents meeting there to have fun and celebrate.

A winning hand Aces & Eights offers entertainment while celebrating local history By Dave Cook

news@tonicanews.com

TONICA — When vacant buildings find new occupants there’s often some nostalgia created. The best renovations find a way to connect to their roots and the owner of Tonica’s newest establishment has done an outstanding job of creating something new while also honoring the past. Tonica native Jed Brooker purchased the building which housed the former Folty’s Market in December. After a complete renovation he opened it in May as the Aces & Eights Bar & Grill.

Vol. 143 No. 29

Video gaming is expected to arrive within the month and Brooker hopes to have food available by the fall. “Everything has gone smoothly so far and the community has been very supportive. The cost of all the kitchen equipment though forced me to have to wait on that, but we’ll get there,” he said confidently. Brooker also said he owns the property next door and has plans to build a patio so the fun can be enjoyed outside when the weather permits.

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Brooker grew up in Tonica and spent 20 years as a service engineer with Caterpillar before deciding to take the gamble of running his own business. “I had a two hour daily commute and also traveled a lot, so it’s great to now be able to stay close to home and I also have lots of family here,” he said. What was once a popular grocery store is now a large and clean open space featuring drinks, pool, darts, four televisions, seasonal beers, live music and plenty of seating. Upcoming additions include video gaming, and lunch and dinner served seven days a week.

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