Besides that, I’m hoping the site can help earn its keep.  It doesn’t cost much to keep the site running but there’s a lot more incentive for me to write articles and cover more events in the city, if the site can earn a few dollars here and there.  Gasoline isn’t cheap.  Basically I’m just adding some advertising – nothing obnoxious but some to help keep the lights on.  I’m hoping for Super Bowl commercial numbers but I’d settle for half as much.  Ha!

Of course content is everything and a blog isn’t much good if it isn’t regularly updated.  I was slacking on that part last year, mainly because I was concentrating on paying gigs and a home remodeling project.  I’ll try to keep it more up-to-date and hopefully the changes will help me do that.

I am also going to enable users to login using their Facebook account but I’m removing the Facebook comments for a couple reasons.  One, it was difficult for me to moderate comments, since they didn’t show up in my admin panel.  Two, most people would like to remain anonymous when commenting and I don’t blame them.  I wouldn’t want my mug showing up with every comment I wrote either, well actually my dog is my profile picture but…still.

There’s other tweaks and changes that I’m still kicking around in my head and I’m sure over the next few months more changes will be rolled out but hopefully it will all be good.  I have enjoyed the site over the past few years and thanks for sticking around.

Public meetings/work sessions are scheduled on the following dates at the following places:

6 p.m. Monday, January 23Scovill Zoo Education Center

6 p.m.Tuesday, January 24Scovill Golf Course Banquet Facility 

6 p.m., Tuesday, February 7Hickory Point Golf Course Banquet Facility

If you cannot attend any of these meetings, a detailed online survey is available here: 

Park District Master Plan Survey

An $11 million dollar low-income senior housing project is proposed for a parcel of land already purchased by the Decatur Housing Authority along West Mound Rd.  The money came from a federal grant.

Last month the city voted down the annexation request, after several owners objected to the project, however the council revisited the vote last night after some strong persuading by the DHA, who wasn’t prepared for the amount of objection they encountered last month.

When I stepped into the Civic Center lobby I was greeted by DHA supporters asking if I was in favor or against the vote. I told them I was just there to learn more about the issue but they handed me a sticker anyway in case I decided to support them later. There were senior citizens sitting front and center before the council in the first several rows, obviously planted strategically by the DHA.  

Several residents spoke before the council, first on the vote to revote and then on the actual annexation vote itself. There were several moments of loud applause for both sides. It remained, for the most part undramatic, until Councilwoman Dr. Dana Ray spoke her mind.

Ray expressed how she was in favor of the low-income housing plan, stating she wanted seniors to have a safe location to reside in, however she stepped in it when she said that Wabash Crossing, another low-income housing project in Decatur was unsafe because of criminal activity there. That perked the ears up of opponents who shouted out, “That’s our point!” and feared the same thing would happen to their area. Ray then raised her voice and pointed at the audience and told them that they had their time to speak and now it was hers. She then went on to proclaim herself the champion of those in the community with no voice. I have a feeling this stems from the recent decision by the city council to revoke the taxi license of a minority owned business.  She was the lone vote against revoking the license.

Before Ray’s statements last night, Councilwoman Julie Moore-Wolfe expressed her concerns that voting in favor of the annexation would be a stamp of approval for the entire project, to which she is opposed, at least at the proposed location. She agreed with a resident who spoke before the council that the project would be a better fit in a part of town which needed redevelopment. Moore shook her head in agreement as the woman spoke.

I agree with Moore and many others, who feel the development could be a great thing in another part of town that needs revitalized. Let’s face it, there are parts of Decatur that no private home builder will ever invest in. An $11 million dollar project would be more than welcomed in another part of town.  Lowering property values in a stable neighborhood doesn’t make economic sense, when we can bring up property values in another area that desperately needs it.

Beyond looking at it from merely a means of economic development for the city, the social issues it brings up didn’t go unnoticed by me.  It brings up social, racial and economic disparity issues in the community.  I wouldn’t call the area affluent, as has been suggested.  That has never come to my mind when driving though the area.  It seems more average middle-class to me.  Homeowners in the area worry about their homes losing value because of a low-income housing unit being next door.  They also worry crime will be introduced to the area. Others feel that the development should be able to go anywhere and not discriminated against because of the economic status of its tenants.  I see their point as well.  It’s basically a big ol’ can of worms dropped onto the city council’s lap.

The discussion isn’t over.  We’ll be hearing much more about it in the months ahead.

At the time, I questioned the safety of such an experiment beneath a populated area.  My questions didn’t necessarily fall on deaf ears; rather they were quickly dismissed as silly.

About a week ago, I learned of a 5.6 earthquake occurring in Oklahoma of all places.  It seemed an odd place to have an earthquake of such magnitude and indeed it is rare.  In fact, it’s the largest earthquake registered in the state’s history.  Until 2009, the state on average registered 50 earthquakes or tremors per year.  In 2010, 1,047 tremors shook the state and some experts are pointing to a method of extracting natural gas from deep within the earth, called fracking, as the cause for such a huge jump in seismic activity.  See link:  http://ecocentric.blogs.time.com/2011/11/08/did-fracking-help-cause-oklahoma-earthquakes/

Fracking isn’t a new process.  It has been used for many years.  The process involves injecting millions of gallons of water combined with chemicals and sand to produce fractures miles within the earth in order to reach trapped oil and natural gas deposits.  Though it has been used for many years, only recently has it been used so frequently in various regions of the country and globe.  The recent increase in seismic activity in Arkansas might be the result of fracking procedures.  The government is admitted that fracking does indeed cause earthquakes.  http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/faq/?categoryID=1&faqID=1

Of course, there’s the troubling fact that toxic chemicals are being pumped within the earth, sometimes poisoning water supplies during the process.  That alone should be enough to raise an eyebrow or two; throw in a devastating earthquake here and there, and if that doesn’t rattle some senses, I don’t know what will.

That brings us back to Decatur where fracking isn’t taking place, as far as I know, but carbon sequestration is.  We’re reassured that pumping huge amounts of liquefied CO2 deep within the earth couldn’t possibly cause any problems but we don’t know that for sure.  Common sense tells me that if we are pumping CO2 into huge reservoirs deep below the ground, the pressure is going to change.  These changes could cause ancient fault lines to shift, maybe not enough to knock a house down, but enough to possibly damage a well, maybe?

And what happens if a well is damaged and its contents leak?  Well, the carbon dioxide would be released into the atmosphere, nullifying the whole intention of keeping it out of the atmosphere in the first place.  A worst case scenario could kill humans and animals exposed to large amounts of released carbon dioxide gas.  Such a catastrophe has happened before naturally in the world.  CO2 isn’t a harmless gas. If concentrated too high it impairs respiration.  In other words, those affected would suffocate.

I’d encourage you to do some research of your own.  There’s a wealth of information out there but be warned some of it is propaganda produced by oil companies and maybe even our government.  That’s been my experience.

I’ll be taking a Haunted Decatur tour with my daughter this Friday. We’ve both read several of the books by Troy Taylor, and have wanted to go on a tour the last few years, but they were always sold out before I thought to sign up. It marries together two of my great loves – history and a good scare!

Later this month, we’ll be taking the kids to Monticello for a ride on the Ghost Train. It’s held at the rail museum and passengers ride in old passenger cars, that Americans used to board many years ago, as their means of travel across the country. However, the ghost train has some surprises as it navigates through the night. My youngest has never been there and loves trains like most 6 year old boys do. He’ll board the non-scary afternoon tour with my husband, while my daughter and I will ride the night train. The two boys are definitely the scaredy cats of the family.

Of course there are some great nearby pumpkin patches to visit. I hear the one by Arthur is awesome, though I’ve yet to make it out there. We go to Black Barts by Warrensburg, since it’s closer to our house. It’s always a pleasant afternoon watching my son pull a big wagon in search for the perfect pumpkin. My daughter pretends she’s too old to enjoy it, while walking around texting her friends, about how she was dragged there by her evil parents. Oh, those wonderful teenage years!

The Fall craft fairs are the best ones to visit and hopefully next year I’ll be able to participate again. The Apple & Pork Festival in Clinton is my favorite, which occurs in late September. Lincoln’s Balloon Festival is great too. I love the quaintness of smaller towns, especially in Autumn.

So, you have no excuse to sit at home and do nothing throughout October. We’re having a hard time choosing which places to go!

My opinion on the subject would be to keep the road open, but widen it to give more room for pedestrians, if that’s the real concern. That in itself would solve most of the problem. However, if I remember correctly, plans call for a large amphitheater to eventually go in this area. I’m assuming that’s the real reason for the closure, however a date for the construction of the amphitheater may be several years from now. I really don’t see the need to close the road until that happens.

Mayor McElroy Probably Running For A State Senate Seat

This is news that doesn’t surprise me. I’ve been hearing the idea tossed around since district maps were redrawn. Much of Decatur would be in the same district as the inner city of Springfield. Yes, it’s all political gerrymandering, meant to benefit democrats (Chicago) and neither Springfield or Decatur, but this is Illinois. I don’t expect much. Anyway, republicans, if they’re to have any chance capturing this seat will need someone with name recognition. They see McElroy as their best chance. His opponent remains to be seen but I have a hunch it would most likely be Bob Flider. That would be a very interesting race. I’d give the edge to Flider considering the demographics of the district but who knows after last year.

Parking Meters

The city council will be discussing parking options for downtown Decatur tonight. There’s several options being kicked around. I hope I get a chance to attend but 5:30 in the evening is a hectic time in the Disney house. I’ll try to make it.

I’m also looking forward to moving my glass studio out of the basement and in its’ own dedicated room with air conditioning and heat!  I’ll be glad to leave the basement behind where it’s freezing cold in the winter, wet in the spring and musky in the summer.  Only the fall provided a short window when I could work without risking pneumonia, mold poisoning or electrical shock.  That wasn’t exactly a productive environment.

Well, I hope to find a little time here and there over the next 8 weeks or so to check back in but I won’t make any promises.

“Hey everybody! If you are a TRUE Fan of The Lincoln Square Theatre please help us. As you know I am the Executive Director of LST and I am pleading to all of you. Lightening has stuck the theatre TWICE since April. The 1st time it took out our Light System, the 2nd time it took out our rented Light System! Now our insurance co. has denied our claim!!!! We have had to rent equipment in order to honor the contracts we have with the rentals coming in. The Lincoln is in red due to unforseen repairs over the past 3 years. Our boiler has broke down 3 times, and the new AC unit on the roof was struck by lightening 2 years ago also. The electrical system on stage is shot, the flat roof over the mezzanine is leaking all the time now. Every rain we have had this year causes more damage to the building. It is a true shame to see these things happening. And the POWER BILLS are killing us. They range from $1,700 – over $4,000 a month. We can’t seem to get a break on anything. We owe for repairs to alot of local businesses who have been gracious enough to bill us. The Lincoln needs help with keeping the doors open. The staff has been working for over 10 months without being paid either. if it weren’t for the wonderful volunteer staff we couldn’t host the events that come in. They clean, they work concession, they promote, they all work countless hours with only a hug and a big thank you! What I am pleading for now is this: If every fan of the Lincoln could send us $10 a month to us so that we can pay our monthly bills, those donations would keep us afloat and help us to get out of the RED and keep our doors open! Ticket sales are NOT doing it! We have tried keeping the tickets prices down because of the economy but the support isn’t coming from the community. This historic theatre is too grand to go BLACK! It would cost the city a million dollars to tear it down. Downtown Decatur is thriving now. Everytime we have events in the theatre everyone benefits. The shops stay open and the restaurants are busy.”

The Facebook page for the theatre can be found at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lincoln-Square-Theatre-Decatur-IL/125853760765576

My husband and I enjoyed listening to Christy sing with her band The STILL, (and we still will), whenever we got the chance and Doug was always there. He was her number one fan in every way. He had a wonderful marriage, great kids and grandchildren. He was great with kids – a gentle giant. He wasn’t too fond of the Winter months, especially snow which I often teased him about. He ribbed me often too, like a big brother, most recently my lamenting of the big maple tree I had to have cut down in preparation for our house addition. “Timber!” was his reply to my weeping. I had to laugh. His joking made me feel better about it. He had a great sense of humor and though we sometimes didn’t see politically eye-to-eye on everything, after the debate, we were still friends. That’s rare these days, where too many people are so quick to write-off anyone who disagrees with them on any one political subject. I enjoyed our discussions and valued his point of view, whether we agreed or disagreed. Most of all, I enjoyed his gentle nature, friendship and ability to make me and so many others laugh.

News of his illness came as a shock and how soon he was taken away an even greater one. I’m thankful for having had the privilege to have known him. I’m going to miss his friendship very much and plant a maple tree in the backyard in his memory.