Thursday January 22, 2015 Vol. 2, No. 46
The Weekly Post
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Farmington council approves Dollar General location By MICHELLE SHERMAN
FARMINGTON – In a controversial decision, the Farmington City Council on Monday voted 4-2 to rezone a residential area in expectation of a 9,200square-foot Dollar General store. Ward One Alderman Matt Ulm and Ward Three Alderman June Whitmer voted against the measure. The council accepted the findings of fact created by the Farmington Planning Commission during a Jan. 8 hearing, the second on the proposed project. Both hearings, as well as Monday night’s council meeting, were attended by a roomful of residents eager to voice their For The Weekly Post
Elmwood backs school renovation
concerns. “I would think that nice residences that have been taken care of,” said Dick Hitchcock, whose home is located directly across from the future entrance to the retail store, “would have a much stronger first impression to people coming into town than a Dollar General store. They’re everywhere.” The area in question, on East Fort Street just west of the County Market lot where Dollar General currently rents a storefront, contains three homes. The fate of those homes is unknown. While Dollar General will, technically, be surrounded on three sides by residential areas, the large field between
the McDonald’s lot and where Dollar General will build is slated to become a multi-occupant residence, said Mayor Kenn Stufflebeam. Petersen Health Care plans to break ground on a new assisted living facility this summer. In the city’s previous two comprehensive plans, the most recent in 2012, that portion of East Fort Street was not officially slated to become commercial, but Ward Two Alderman Kent Kowal said the committee believed it was a prime spot for future development. “While we didn’t zone it commercial either time, it was a tacit understanding of both groups that that was a very effi-
A REAL STUMPER
cient commercial corridor,” he said. “I think, in order for the town to grow, that we need to consider that as a potential commercial growth area.” The site is located within the town’s Tax Increment Finance district and the store is projected to bring the town $16,000 to $33,000 in revenue annually. Dollar General also projects an increase in sales tax revenues over those the current store is generating, said Gary Davis of The Farnsworth Group at a December planning commission hearing. Initially, the TIF fund will see a hit from the lost property tax revenues on the three homes, Stufflebeam said, but Continued on Page 2
Transmission line meeting in Princeville
By BILL KNIGHT
By BILL KNIGHT
ELMWOOD – Dozens of area residents joined most school board members last week to hear Superintendent Chad Wagner outline a $1.5 million renovation of the junior high school, an idea that 38 of 39 faculty and staff surveyed support, Wagner said. If approved, the project could add 2,700 square feet of space in new classrooms, replace an old, inefficient boiler with two new boilers, and require no tax hike. It also improves security by creating a new entrance where visitors would be required to come through a secure office. “This Phase 1 came from a community concept in terms of the whole facility,” Wagner said. “The revamp comes out of that Master Plan. The state doesn’t have the money, and the county facilities sales tax didn’t pass, so this is another approach to meeting our needs.” The plan also would create a new multipurpose space for student collaboration, move bookshelves now in hallways, remodel restrooms, and eliminate the need for students to use one classroom to reach another. Wagner proposes financing the proj-
PRINCEVILLE – A second front in efforts to influence the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) on where Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois can put a proposed 345,000-volt Spoon River Transmission Line has opened up in the northern corridor, and Citizens Against Route B (CARB) will hold a 6:30 meeting tonight (Jan. 22) at the Heritage Museum here. “If we do nothing, it could end up here,” said John Megan, one of the organizers. Megan and Robert Ingle last week appealed to nearby Millbrook Township trustees for support, and Millbrook Supervisor Danny Powell conceded that “our township roads would not hold up to the weight of all the heavy equipment and cement trucks that would be traveling on them.” Powell said CARB “asked that all concerned attend for input and a pooling of our resources to defend our property rights concerning this project.” Ameren’s ICC filings note that the utility prefers a Route along Interstate 74 (Route A) for the line, but adds that Route B, which heads north from Peoria then turns west just south of
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Who is this man and why is he standing on a giant tree stump? Make sure to pick up The Weekly Post next week to find out.
Rosefield TWP set to fight lawsuit By BILL KNIGHT
ROSEFIELD – Rosefield Township trustees on Wednesday (Jan. 14) prepared to mount a vigorous defense against a lawsuit filed against them in September, noting that it could for the long haul and cost taxpayers considerable money. Tied to a long-running dispute with Rosefield’s former Road Commissioner Mark Vicary and his wife Megan Miller Vicary, the lawsuit was filed in September, alleging invasion of privacy, civil conspiracy, intentional infliction of emoFor The Weekly Post
tion distress, slander, and harassment. It named the Township and Road Commissioner Matt Windish, plus former Township Supervisor Steve Davis and three others who have worked for the Township: John Forney, Robbie LaFollett and Kevin Windish. “This is a potential disaster,” said Trustee Dan Kuntz. “Even if we win, it could wipe out the Township like the tornado did Elmwood.” Nevertheless, Trustees said they’re planning for the long haul. They’re conContinued on Page 7
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