PeoriaStory

A Pavilion in Donovan Park?

PEORIA, IL -- Does Peoria need a $20 million Ravinia-style pavilion in Donovan Park, a 120-acre park on the upscale north side of the city, created from a former golf course?

The Peoria Park Board has already given a sort of preliminary approval for the project, telling its staff to work on presenting a document for its official ok.  The vote could come in October, park district CEO Emily Cahill said.

There's a lot at stake in this project: pay checks for the contractor and event promoter, and tax write-offs for the donors, even surcharges on event tickets for the park district.

It's not the first entity to try to take park property for private gain. A drugstore and an apartment complex failed to grab park acres in recent memory. But this project is different.  It's a not-for-profit venture to bring arts events to Peoria.

It would take 18 percent of the park, on its southwest corner, for the 1,500-seat  pavilion and parking lot for 670 vehicles. 

It will all be "green" construction, the advocates say. 

A project proposal before the park board can be accessed here, though it's less than ideal visually. But the backers make their case and the board likes it, so far.

The downsides: creature habitat in the park (will birdsong vanish?), the threat of light and heat pollution to the venerable observatory, and competition to several other venues, including some now being developed. And that $20 million could be spent on other charities, maybe.

Is the idea financially viable? When is the last time the Peoria Civic Center Theater was sold out, or the baseball park Dozer Field?  In the August issue of the Community Word, columnist Roger Monroe notes that Dozer Field has been attracting only a couple of  hundred fans at games (it needs 700 to break even), and the Heart of Illinois Fair attendance was way down.

So a symphony or a national rock group would attract more? Maybe. The park pavilion would be open from April to October, have year round classrooms back stage, and could also be rented. The park district would get a fee for each ticket sold, and the not-for-profit group would pay for all maintenance, so there's no financial risk for the park district.

Here's a sensitive downside: it's on Peoria's white northside, instead of where most of the Black communities live.  And closer to them, Glen Oak Park's pavilion has been closed. That area is scheduled for a $2 million facelift, with  the pavilion demolished in favor of more green space, Cahill said. But events could still take place there, she added.

Some have said the Glen Oak Park area has become dangerous in a bad neighborhood, and people won't go there. The same complaint is made about downtown and the Civic Center. I disagree with both fears, but I have heard them. 

The pavilion is a tempting proposal with some major flaws.  But it won't happen if the funding fails, Cahill said.There could be a time limit on raising the $20 million plus an endowment for maintenance, she added.

There will be two public hearings, she said, before the board votes. 

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Saving the endangered

PEORIA, IL -- From a news release:         

New Bill Would Galvanize Wildlife Conservation,

Help Prevent Extinctions in Illinois

 

Champaign (July 21, 2021) — New bipartisan legislation in the House and Senate will fund locally-led efforts to help prevent extinctions and help wildlife thrive nationwide. The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act will send approximately $26 million to Illinois each year, which the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) will use to help the 419 species of concern in Illinois, such as the Blanding’s Turtle, the Lake Sturgeon, and the Monarch Butterfly.

 

“We are facing a looming wildlife crisis in Illinois. This commonsense, bipartisan bill will allow us to help at-risk wildlife early with collaborative, voluntary measures before they become endangered,” said Elliot Brinkman, Executive Director of Prairie Rivers Network. “This will create jobs while restoring habitat for some of Illinois’ most threatened species.”  

 

The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act was just introduced in the Senate by Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.). Representatives Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) and Congressman Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) introduced a similar version of the  Recovering America’s Wildlife Act in the House in April. 

 

“The historic, bipartisan Recovering America’s Wildlife Act is by far the most important piece of wildlife legislation in the past half century,” said Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. “At a time when more than one-third of wildlife species are at heightened risk of extinction, this critical legislation will help recover thousands of at-risk species through proactive, collaborative efforts in every state, territory, and Tribal nation, creating jobs while preventing extinctions. We applaud the incredible bipartisan leadership of Senator Heinrich and Senator Blunt, and their House partners Rep. Dingell and Rep. Fortenberry, who are all demonstrating once again that wildlife conservation can unite all Americans.”

 

Nationwide, the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act dedicates $1.4 billion annually to locally-led wildlife restoration efforts, with most of the money going to wildlife agencies like IDNR who will use the money to implement existing plans for at-risk wildlife. At least 15 percent of the funds will be used to help species that are already considered endangered or threatened.  

 

More than 1,500 businesses and organizations have signed on in support of the legislation, including 30 from Illinois.

 

 

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At Prairie Rivers Network (PRN), we protect water, heal land, and inspire change. Using the creative power of science, law, and collective action, we protect and restore our rivers, return healthy soils and diverse wildlife to our lands, and transform how we care for the earth and for each other. PRN is the Illinois affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation.

 

The National Wildlife Federation is America's largest conservation organization uniting all Americans to ensure wildlife thrive in a rapidly-changing world.

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The ghost paper

PEORIA, IL -- The Peoria Journal Star has become what is called a "ghost paper,"  a shadow of its former self.(Listen to On the Media's podcast "We Are Putting Out a Damn Paper.)

Apparently the PJS editors have all been fired, so that stories end up missing valuable information.  Instead they become propaganda pieces for whoever is interviewed, from the police to the developers.  For example:

Two recent front page Sunday stories on the murder of Dr. Marshall, an art collector, 90 years old, living on one of the best streets in northeast Peoria, has omitted key information. Just how did the murder suspect target him? A caregiver? A handyman?  Police said the suspect, an unlike art lover, was part of a ring of burglars, so what about the rest of them?  The PJS isn't telling us.  No time to find out, apparently.

Then in the July 11 paper, a long story on a planned pavilion for Donovan Park, is also missing key information:

What percentage of the park would this take?  What about parking, driveways, lighting (shielded?  I doubt it) and even the vintage observatory? 

Which habitats for birds, butterflies, prairie plants and small mammals would be destroyed? Comparing it to Cyds restaurant in the park is ridiculous.

Why  not renovate the Glen Oak Pavilion and Peoria Stadium for large outdoor venues?

There are already large and small competing venues not filled with audiences now including the Civic Center, Dozer Field and the Riverfront Pavilion.

The story doesn't even say when the crucial vote will occur at a park district board meeting, or whether there will be a public hearing. (July meetings are scheduled for July 14 and 28, and comments can be submitted via the website.)

Poor journalism, from busy reporters without time to find out key issues, and with no sharp editors overseeing their stories.  Sad.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Hog factory threatens aquifer

PEORIA, IL -- From a news release:

Socially Responsible Agriculture Project
1120 Washington Ave. Suite 200 Golden, CO 80401
(503) 362-8303

Hog CAFO Threatens Water Quality of Mahomet Aquifer – Residents
Concerned About Health, Safety, and Access to Clean Water and Air

Mason County, Illinois – Mason County Concerned Citizens (MCCC) has
partnered with Illinois Coalition for Clean Air & Water (ICCAW) and the Socially
Responsible Agriculture Project (SRAP) to submit comments to the USDA Farm
Service Agency (FSA) on the impacts of a swine concentrated animal feeding
operation (CAFO) proposed by Fanter Farms in Mason County Illinois.
The site is located over the Mahomet Aquifer which was designated as a
Sole Source Aquifer in 2015. Over half the population in east-central Illinois
relies on the Mahomet Aquifer system as the sole source of their drinking
water.

Fanter Farms recently applied for a Beginner Farmer Loan through the USDA
direct and guaranteed FSA loan program to construct the 2,400 head swine
CAFO. Prior to approving a loan to finance a CAFO, FSA must consider the
potential impact on local water sources and ecology via an environmental review.
In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the National
Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), and the Endangered Species Act, FSA is
required to consider the environmental and cultural impacts of government loans
that are approved through its program. Areas of special concern such as effects
on minority and low-income populations and water resources are among issues
to be evaluated.

The FSA recently issued a public notice regarding the Fanter project and invites
public comment as they complete the current environmental assessment (EA).
Residents are concerned that the project’s proposed site is located near existing
residences and would expose residents to the public health effects associated
with industrial livestock operations. Many residents living in the community of
Peterville near the proposed site experience serious health issues, are on
supplemental oxygen, and are low-income minority populations.

Scientific research has shown, over and over again, that industrial livestock
operations can contribute to health problems, lack of access to safe drinking
water, and unsafe air to breathe for communities living nearby.
Furthermore, an industrial CAFO coming into the neighborhood would negatively
impact property values, destabilize the local socioeconomic structure, and would
endanger the Illinois Chorus Frog – which is a vulnerable and threatened
species.

The high potential of the Mahomet Aquifer – which is the sole source for
drinking water for a large portion of Illinois – to be contaminated by the
CAFO’s operations is critically concerning.

A new Bill (SB 2515) to create a permanent Mahomet Advisory Council
dedicated to protect the Mahomet Aquifer passed both houses in the General
Assembly and is currently on the Governor's desk. The proposed CAFO is a
direct and serious threat to the safety of the aquifer.

“Agricultural runoff has long been noted as one of the threats to the integrity of
the Mahomet Aquifer. The passage of this bill is timely, in that it recognizes the
urgency to preserve the drinking water purity for all of East- Central Illinois,”
stated Karen Hudson of ICCAW and SRAP. “The future of the Mahomet lies in
the hands of the FSA who is using our tax dollars to either subsidize or deny
loans for projects that could affect almost 500,000 residents whose lives and
livelihoods rely on a clean water source.”

The MCCC is also submitting new photos showing flooded fields from recent
heavy rains. Drainage ditches in the area often have year- round standing water
due to the elevated aquifer. There are also sections of farm fields unable to be
planted for three years in a row due to constantly saturated ground, according to
the coalition.

“This project is trying to place 2400 swine and their 10 ft deep waste pits along
my road that was rebuilt & elevated one and a half feet after severe flooding
inundated us in 1993,” stated Kay Curtis, one of the nearest neighbors to the
site. “It makes zero sense to store and spread the untreated waste of over two
thousand hogs in our sandy and soggy neighborhood. The last thing our aquifer
and shallow private wells need is more animal waste runoff and leaks.”
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About Socially Responsible Agriculture Project
For more than 20 years, Socially Responsible Agriculture Project (SRAP) has
served as a mobilizing force to empower communities to protect themselves from
the damages caused by industrial livestock operations and to advocate for a food
system built on regenerative practices, justice, democracy, and resilience. Our
team includes technical experts, independent family farmers, and rural residents
who have faced the threats of factory farms in their communities. When asked for
help, SRAP offers free support, providing communities with the knowledge and
skills to protect their right to clean water, air, and soil and to a healthy, just, and
vibrant future. www.sraproject.org
About Illinois Coalition for Clean Air and Water
Illinois Coalition for Clean Air and Water (ICCAW) is a state-wide coalition of
family farmers and community groups advocating for sound policies and
practices that protect the environment, human health, and rural quality of life from
the impacts of large-scale, industrialized livestock production facilities in Illinois.
www.iccaw.org
About Mason County Concerned Citizens
The Mason County Concerned Citizens coalition supports responsible livestock
production and is calling for stronger livestock regulations that will better protect
public health and future rural development in Illinois.
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