PeoriaStory

Buying the water company -- what happened in Pekin

PEORIA, IL -- Whether the city of Peoria should buy the Illinois American Water Co. is a huge issue now, as the city has a year to decide what to do.  It holds a contract that allows purchase every five years.

The League of Women Voters of Greater Peoria has studied the issue and voted that the city should explore the purchase with 'due diligence' using experts that could cost up to $500,000. The mayor and some council members are opposed as of now.

The League invited Pekin's city attorney, Burt Dancey to tell what happened when Pekin decided to explore the purchase. The meeting, on Oct. 28, was enlightening. 

Dancey said the two water systems are different.  Pekin has wells that require little treatment. Peoria gets half of its drinking water from the Illinois River, requiring much more treatment.

Pekin city officials decided to explore buying the water company and commissioned a study from local experts who ultimately advised the purchase. It would allow the city to control rates and service, manage growth, and keep the money and jobs in the city.

The city would save $1.5 million a year, since 34 percent of the annual income could be used to buy the company and reduce the rates, he said.

An earlier referendum failed, but when a German company bought Illinois American, Pekin citizens voted to buy.  The issue went to the Illinois Commerce Commission, where an administrative law judge ruled against the city.  Appeals also didn't work.  "We lost," Dancy said, so Pekin still has Illinois American Water Co., and high rates.

The ICC is now out of the picture, Dancey said, so Peoria has only to commission an appraisal and pay the company to control the water. It could outsource the operations, and perhaps get grants to upgrade the century old system, something Illinois American cannot access. That would save ratepayers money.

The issue for Peoria is cost, so the appraisal is crucial. Illinois American will fight back with advertising, to persuade the public to reject the idea.

I have attended a few meetings on the water company purchase, and support it. The purchase makes good sense, but whether Peoria officials will do it remains to be seen.  That's another reason to vote in local elections.

 -- Elaine Hopkins 

ACLU Event Nov. 15 - We the People

PEORIA, IL -- Here's an interesting event: 

ACLU of Illinois to hold “We The People” Town Hall meetings in Peoria and Bloomington-Normal in November

The ACLU of Illinois will hold town hall events, titled “We the People,” in Peoria and Bloomington, Illinois in November at the following times and locations:

Peoria
Wednesday, November 15, 6 p.m. 
Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall 
416 Hamilton Blvd. 
Peoria, IL 61602

Bloomington
Wednesday, November 29, 7 p.m. 
The Chateau Bloomington Hotel & Conference Center 
1621 Jumer Dr. 
Bloomington, IL 61704

The ACLU wants to hear civil liberties concerns both nationally and locally from the audiences, and will share challenges it sees in the coming years. ACLU of Illinois Executive Director Colleen Connell will discuss the state of civil liberties under the Trump administration and contribute to the conversation at the events.

For more information click here (https://www.aclu-il.org/en/events) or contact the ACLU at [email protected].  The events are free and open to the public.

An additional event scheduled for the Bloomington-Normal area will be hosted by the League of Women Voters of McLean County. Edwin Yohnka, Illinois ACLU Director of Communications and Public Policy, will speak on “Civil Liberties in the Trump Era” at 7 pm on November 8, at the Normal Public Library’s Community Room, 206 W College Ave, Normal, IL.

###

Water Meeting on Saturday

PEORIA, IL --Attorney Burt Dancey will explain why Pekin wanted — but couldn’t get — its own water utility at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, at Advanced Medical Transport, 1718 N. Sterling, Peoria.

The City of Pekin tried unsuccessfully in 2002 to purchase its water distribution system. Dancey will detail the reasons Pekin decided to pursue public ownership and what happened that it wasn’t able to do so.

“What Happened When Pekin Tried to Purchase Its Water Utility” is one in a series of public education meetings hosted by the League of Women Voters of Greater Peoria. LWVGP's position supports the City of Peoria moving forward on Due Diligence toward possible purchase of the water utility.

The event is free and the public is invited.

The League is a non-partisan, issues-oriented, volunteer, member-directed organization committed to open, responsive and effective government brought about by informed, involved citizens with membership open to both men and women in Peoria, Tazewell, and Woodford counties. For more information, go to www.lwvgp.org.

 

Motown the Musical, surprisingly good

PEORIA, IL -- Motown the Musical danced its way into the Peoria Civic Center for three performance, Oct. 17-19, and put on a fine, high energy show.

It had all the elements of a good production -- talented actors/singers/dancers, spectacular sets with video, good costumes, and an ok story: black Detroit musicians create Motown, and their music becomes the background for a generation, white and black.

Video effectively shows the world behind the music: Martin Luther King, his assassination, the Kennedy assassination, the Vietnam War, NIxon. 

Motown also creates stars, the Jackson Five with Michael Jackson (played beautifully by a child!), Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, the Supremes, Marvin Gaye and others. The chief creator of Motown, Berry Gordy, manages these talents into international fame, and some desert him. It's based on his autobiography.

I suspect this is a sanitized version of what really happened, but no matter. The show is cheery, fast paced, and presents an amazing number of songs,  66, according to Wikipedia, most with dancing.

The audience cheered wildly from the opening music as if they were at a rock concert. They clapped along, even sang along as the show rolled on.  They knew the songs and were obviously fans of these talents -- unusual for a Civic Center musical.

So -- this show is worth seeing.  For more information, read the Wikipedia article on it, linked above.  Critics complained that the songs were too abbreviated, and the characters were not well developed.  All true, but the show is still fun.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Dramatic, exciting concert

WASHINGTON, IL -- The Heartland Festival Orchestra's Oct. 14 concert, Classic Rumble, was one of the most exciting and dramatic performances yet.

Three pieces which were similar yet different thrilled the audience. The first was Sergei Prokofiev's brilliant Second Suite from his Romeo and Juliet Ballet,* Op. 64. Half of the seven sections (movements) were accompanied by rain on the roof of Five Points auditorium, and thunder.

Artistic director/conductor David Commanday cleverly paused to provide a talk about his experience with the piece, hoping the rain and thunder would vanish, which finally occurred.

This piece with jazz themes and dissonance was perfect for the stormy weather. And the orchestra's rich sounds were fabulous for this and the rest of the program.

The second number was another dance piece, the Symphonic Dances from Leonard Bernstein's musical West Side Story. "Tonight  we honor 'Leonard Bernstein at 100,' as part of a world wide celebration" for the composer's 100th birthday in 2018, Commanday wrote in his program note.

This work, too, was exciting and dramatic, but very familiar, with jazz riffs, dissonance, a police whistle, snapping fingers, loud, melodic.

So we heard a Russian and an American creating works on the same theme, their pieces as relevant today as when they were written decades ago in the mid-20th century and before.

The final number was just as dramatic and interesting, Raise the Roof, for Timpani and Orchestra by Michael Daugherty.   Six timpanis in various keys were required for this work, beautifully played by soloist David Collier.

This intriguing modern piece, fast paced, rhythmic, exciting, lived up to its title. "If a tornado didn't raise the roof, this piece did," said an audience member.

My reaction:  wow, what a night!

       -- Elaine Hopkins 

*Be sure to read the Wikipedia article on the Romeo and Juliet Ballet, which won the Stalin Prize (!), and has been performed by the most famous dancers in ballet. 

Events coming soon

PEORIA, IL -- Here are some interesting events:

Oct. 15 clean up: Students of Bradley University, the City of Peoria, Moja Southern Kitchen & Creamery, and the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council team up to plant roots in a vacant city-owned lot through the “Fight the Blight” project. To celebrate this project , the community is invited to a groundbreaking event and fall fest on Oct. 15 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. This family-friendly event will feature light refreshments and activities, including fall-themed games, face painting and participation in a community art project. This is free and open to the public.

 

Peoria's First District is home to many of the city’s vacant lots that are underutilized. This creates opportunities to redefine these spaces and bring those neighborhoods together. The Fight the Blight event aims to educate the local public about vacant lots and seek opinions about giving purpose to those areas.

 

“We are looking forward to working with the students of Bradley University on a project that can be a benefit to the entire community,” said Stacy Peterson, Communications Specialist for the City of Peoria.

The lot and event are located to the north of Moja Southern Kitchen & Creamery at 301 N MacArthur Highway. Parking will be available in the neighboring streets. For additional information and details, please contact Jenna Niedzwiedz at [email protected].

FLOW DOCUMENTARY

The Greater Peoria League of Women Voters Water Position Action Committee invites you and your buddies to watch the movie "For the Love of Water (FLOW)."  It is a powerful documentary that focuses on the challenges of managing our most vital but dwindling resource: water. 

FLOW builds a case against the privatization of our water systems by examining the failures of corporations to provide people with safe, clean, and affordable water. It highlights practical solutions to the water crisis we face today like turning our water systems over to local and public control. 

Wednesday October 11 at 6pm-8pm,                                                                                            McKenzie Room, Peoria Public Library, North Branch, 3001 West Parkway, Peoria, 61615

Sponsored by Peoria Families Against Toxic Waste and Food & Water Watch. this is a FREE documentary screening to learn about the intersecting influences of policy, pollution, climate change, and economics on our water system and examine your personal role in our local water system.

 Evidenced Based Education Funding

The Greater Peoria League of Women Voters will discuss Evidenced Based Education Funding at its Drinks and Dialogue event, 5:30 – 6:30 pm on Wednesday, October 18, at the Lariat Steakhouse, 2232 W. Glen Avenue, Peoria.

The League of Women Voters of IL has long been an advocate of access to equal and equitable education for public schools.  Recently, the Illinois General Assembly and the Governor passed and signed HB 1947.  This bill has the potential for equity for education funding for our schools.  While not perfect, this law allows the budget item for General State Aid to Education to be funded for school year 2017-2018.

 Illinois public schools can operate during current year with expectation that funding will arrive in timely manner.  It also reforms the formula for school aid to enable public schools to meet needs of students using an evidence based model with strategies that have been proven.  The old formula asked: “What money does the state have available and how should it be allocated?.” The new model asks:  “What do schools need to provide their children with the education they need?.”

 Some concerns with this law is that schools need more money to do their job than the state is providing.  More than half of the schools districts in the state have been operating at a deficit.  The percentage of the state’s contribution continues to dwindle.  The strategies in the evidence based model will require more money to implement, thus more money to operate.  Will there be enough revenue to fund spending in the current budget.  Some items such as special education and transportation is not covered by General State Aid.  These expenses are paid when state has enough money its checkbook.

Beth Derry, Peoria County Regional Superintendent of Education, will present an overview of the elements of the recent education bill passed by Illinois State Legislature and its impact on Peoria County schools.

The event is free and the public is invited.  Refreshments are available for purchase.

Drinks and Dialogue is offered on the 3^rd Wednesday of the month, starting at 5:30 pm and ending promptly at 6:30 pm, always at a local restaurant, to discuss local, state and national topics relating to approved LWV positions, aimed at “Making Democracy Work.” - 30 -