Thursday October 26, 2017 Vol. 5, No. 34 Hot news tip? Want to advertise? Call (309) 741-9790
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ECF outlines plans for regional fitness, wellness center By JEFF LAMPE
ELMWOOD – After years of discussion, the Elmwood Community Foundation has kicked off an ambitious $12 million fund-raising drive to build a new regional wellness center. Impetus to move the muchdiscussed project beyond the planning stage has come in large part due to recent interest shown by the Greater Peoria Family YMCA and Canton’s Graham Hospital. “We think with the YMCA and Weekly Post Staff Writer
(Graham) hospital, it adds legitimacy to what we’ve been trying to do the last two to three years,” said Dick Taylor, economic development director for the city of Elmwood and an ECF board member. “They are willing to sign on and be a part of it.” Under the first phase of current plans, the $11.97 million, 29,100 square-foot facility would include an indoor swimming pool, an indoor therapy pool, a 6,700-square-foot gym, an elevated indoor walking track, a strength and cardio workout area, fitness machines,
lockers and offices. The facility would be built on 8 acres, likely between Elmwood and Yates City. Graham President and CEO Robert Senneff said in a letter that, “Our plans include a multispecialty medical practice in a state of the art medical facility with access to Primary Care, Orthopedics, General Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology and Otolaryngology.” That support caused the ECF to expand original plans beyond a fitness center. “With the shift to a wellness
center, you might have a new level of interest from people who weren’t interested initially,” ECF board member Sarah Inskeep said. Plans call for the facility to be built without tax dollars, relying instead on donations from current residents and others with ties to the area. And ECF members stress this is not an “Elmwood project,” but a facility that can be utilized by residents of several nearby communities, including Brimfield, Edwards, Farmington, Hanna Continued on Page 7
Elmwood city considering tax increase
HELPING HANDS IN FARMINGTON
Farmer’s Closet Volunteers aiding students By NANCY DAVIS
FARMINGTON – Margaret Mead supposedly said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” A small group of committed citizens in the Farmington School District has put this in to action through the creation of a program called “The Farmer’s Closet.” “The mission of the Farmer’s Closet is to help meet some of the basic needs of students in the Farmington Central School District,” said Brenda Mottaz-Passmore, the group’s founder. “We intend not to duplicate a service but rather to coordinate amongst existing services so children’s needs may better be met.” For The Weekly Post
As a room mother and parent of a student in the Farmington schools, Mottaz-Passmore saw the need firsthand. In June, she put out a plea through the community Facebook pages of Farmington, Hanna City and Yates City for help addressing unmet needs of kids in the district. She received an immediate response, and those interested in being a part of those efforts had their first meeting just two weeks later. The Farmer’s Closet has 10 members, and is made up of parents, interested community members and two retired teachers. They know that school personnel often supply student needs out of their own funds, and they wanted to narrow that gap. “Our goal was to be up and running by school regis-
Wellness Center The Elmwood Community Foundation has unveiled a proposal for a regional wellness center. Some features of the 29,100-square-foot center include: • indoor swimming pool • indoor therapy pool • gymnasium • elevated indoor walking track • strength and cardio workout area • multi-specialty medical practice, with access to primary care, orthopedics, general surgery, obstetrics and gynecology and otolaryngology • fitness machines • lockers and offices
By BILL KNIGHT
ELMWOOD – Citing an expected drop in state income-tax revenues and a possible decline in local assessed values, the City Council on Oct. 10 voted to hold a public hearing on whether to increase the city’s portion of property taxes more than 41 percent. The City of Elmwood’s corporate and special-purpose property taxes last year raised $208,747, and the proposed hike would raise $294,774. A public hearing on the change was scheduled for 6:45 p.m. Nov. 7 at City Hall. “What Springfield did – cutting income tax and local governments’ share – is forcing counties and municipalities to do this,” said Mayor Bryan Davis. Meanwhile, City Attorney Robert Potts told the Council he anticipates a reduction in the assessed valuation of property in the City, but conceded numbers are preliminary. Together, that could mean significantly less tax revenue for the City to operate. Potts said the proposed tax increase is actually 26.7 percent since a $25,000 line item Continued on Page 9 For The Weekly Post
Members of The Farmer’s Closet at a recent meeting (left to right): Back Row – Cindy Duley, Cindy Johnson, Carolyn Ludwig; Karen Miller. Front Row: Susan Hostetler, Michele Shipley; Brenda Mottaz-Passmore. Not pictured; Alexis Maulbach, Jeni Crusen, and Lynley Krakowiecki.
tration,” Cindy Johnson, President and Donor Coordinator, said. “Our plan was to be present at registration to get referrals from teachers,
and provide supplies to each student before school started.” Response surpassed the Continued on Page 2