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Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2013 10:43:24 GMT -6
im drinking today lol
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Post by dragonfly on Sept 3, 2013 11:28:18 GMT -6
As for residential sewers, most of the homes east of Ottercreek St. which is outside the city limits do not have sewer systems let alone storm water sewers. No one wants to hear that. It is funny why the EPA made south Streator connect to our sewer system and Ottercreek Township is still in the old mines. Although we don't expect development in Ottercreek Township. FOT I don't agree $100,000 is not alot of money these days. It is a drop in the bucket. You could not pay 2 city employees in the union for a year with $100,000 nor hire an excavator for very long. A band shelter was more important. No more money for beneficial growth. That band shelter has certainly created jobs, and brought in money.
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Post by Kyle Mitchell on Sept 3, 2013 14:15:48 GMT -6
Utilities are extended to the perimeter of the south industrial park. The Mayor and SACCI have been to most of the businesses in town to ask what they need and what the city could go for them. I call that business friendly. What would it cost to employ an Economic Dev Director? Where would that money come from? What other costs would there be? What program or dept would suffer because of this new position? We don't need tax increases. I agree that there needs to be more extensive exploration of job opportunities. How do we know that the city and chamber aren't already doing that? Certainly they shouldn't tell us of every business they are talking to or checking on from out of town. If they are trying to get a business to relocate here you wouldn't want that public while talking. The other city and residents would be up in arms. If that business stayed it could create bad feelings in that town. Having the money is key. $100,000 is a lot these days. The city is trying to build up reserves. When the time comes to hire a new City Manager it may be a good thing to find someone who has done that at another city and has the capability to be the Manager. You are right, we do not have all of the information as to what they are doing. We do not know how many potential businesses have come to the City for more information or what restrictions they were given. All the public has to look at is the end result. I think we could have paid more than a couple years of a qualified person's salary with what we spent on the band shell; the funds could come from the same type of places that funds for club houses and band shells come from. I think it is about making priorities. Does our community want amenities like those more than it wants livable wage jobs so that we can prosper? I don't see more amenities stopping the trend of declining population and property values without other major changes.
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Post by fishman on Sept 3, 2013 15:57:11 GMT -6
A number of years ago I read of an old company that had raised funding to start producing their product again, they were looking for a large facility and a skilled work force to draw from. This was shortly after Anchor glass closed . I copied the address and phone number from the article and stopped by the S.A.C.C.I. office with what I thought was a great tip. I explained to the Director what the business was and what they manufactured. His reply to me is we aren't interested, he didn't want the contact information I had I left dejected. He could have at least taken the information and thrown it away after I left. I hope you are curious what the company was, many would say we wouldn't stand a chance in getting a Co. like that but www.cityofspiritlake.org/ , Spirit Lake, Iowa tried and landed the Co. I speak of Indian Motorcycles..... "We aren't interested"
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Post by rocket on Sept 3, 2013 16:04:11 GMT -6
You should know by now that sacci is running this town, not those ones at city hall.
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Post by dog on Sept 3, 2013 19:46:16 GMT -6
I never said that the City was stopping I-fiber. It may be here but it is not available for businesses to use. If we paid to have it installed and ready for business use now, we would be ahead of other surrounding communities. If we wait until our economics warrant an individual ISP installing it, we will probably be last in the area to get it, just like 4G. I was reading about I-fiber and they were saying they are about to get into offering to businesses and would be contacting them in the near future. When you say you want it installed, where exactly do you mean? How much cost would the city have to incur to basically install it and then give it to any business that wants it?
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Post by OutlawwithaSnipeSniper on Sept 3, 2013 19:57:04 GMT -6
Folks, it isn't the city, it is the STATE. Until we quit being the laughingstock of State Fiscal responsibility, employers aren't going to consider this state, unless it might be for Corporate headquarters in Chicago.
Illinois is NOT a place to locate your business, at least as of this date.
Fishman, you are correct about SACCHI 20 years ago, now not so much........
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Post by dog on Sept 3, 2013 20:22:41 GMT -6
I disagree that utilities have to be up to other providers. If a business wanted to locate there they would have to pay to bring water and power there. If the City were to pay for that development, it would make the area much more attractive to perspective businesses. We may be doing some storm sewer improvements, but what about sanitary sewer? From what FOT and others have said, these developments you want, are already there. All utilities are at the industrial park, waiting for a tenant. It sounds like the city is trying to attract business and be business friendly, contrary to what you think and say. I did a quick research and see that the Coal Run Creek Sewer project will start in a couple of years. Other sewer projects such as the Kent St project have been completed. These are all infrastructure improvements being made by the city. I am not sure if the city was responsible for the project on South Otter Creek St, but that was an infrastructure improvement. I also borrowed this from the Times site: "Stertil ALM would also like to thank a number of our local, elected officials who continue to support us in our efforts to boost jobs and expand the local economy," said Pavlick. "Many thanks to Jimmie Lansford, mayor of the city of Streator, Congressman Adam Kinzinger, representing the 11th District of Illinois, and U.S. Sen. dick Durbin." It appears to me that Stertil ALM seems to think that local officials are helpful in creating jobs and helping the economy. This stuff doesnt happen overnight and may take years from idea to reality. Just because things dont happen as fast as you like, that doesnt mean good things arent happening behind the scenes. Run for council and get an insight to what is actually happening. You might be surprised.
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Post by Kyle Mitchell on Sept 4, 2013 6:30:55 GMT -6
Well, we will see how soon I-fiber is made available to businesses here. I would bet that it will be years and will be after communities around us that already have more business. It is economics that will have the ISP installing it in places with more customers first. We will be next to last, just like with 4G. I fiber will make those other communities a more attractive place for some businesses to locate before us, in my opinion.
I'm not surprised that there is some utilities at the edge, but I didn't realize that we had an industrial park that is already to go with plenty of utilities. What industries did they plan for when they put those in? Food processing industries require large amounts of water, how big is that water line? Some industries require large amounts of power, do we have a high voltage transmission line out there? There is no other infrastructure improvements in our City that could be done to help attract more jobs?
You asked me for some suggestions and I gave a couple of possibilities with the word "maybe", I also said that a professionally trained person that was hired for the specific job of bringing livable wage jobs here, would be able to study the situation to help us develop a plan for what could be done. Were you just asking me (knowing that I don't have all the information) for suggestions so that you could pick them apart?
Are you trying to make people think that our City has done everything possible to try to get businesses here? There are no other infrastructure improvements or marketing that we can do to help get jobs here?
I know that these things take time, it has been how many decades now that our economy has been declining? I admit that I do not have all of the details, like the rest of the public, all we have to go on is the end result, which is a lack of jobs, declining population and rising vacancies. How many terms should we let our City leaders keep heading us in the same direction before we make some kind of change?
As I have been saying, I think we could do much more, instead of borrowing hundreds of thousands for amenities.
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Post by evaryman on Sept 4, 2013 7:38:54 GMT -6
This is a small 'fish' but every new tax payer is a help to our community. The 'fish' I refer to is the planned opening of a new service business on Main Street, if all goes as planned, the owner will be opening the shop in spring of '14. I wish more businesses in our county would notice the very affordable property in our town and consider moving their enterprises here, they could pay less in mortgage costs than they presently pay for rent in some of the nearby towns.
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Post by father of two on Sept 4, 2013 8:10:32 GMT -6
Unlike a lot of other communities that Streator competes with for jobs, the City owns none of their own utilities. A lot of other communities can offer reduced rates for water, electric, gas. This makes a big difference. You would suggest that the city borrow money to make infrastructure improvements. What specific improvements do you mean. When you held your candidates forum you asked for specific details from us. Why not give some back? If borrowing money to make these improvements only to see nothing come to town to use them, is it money well spent?
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Post by Kyle Mitchell on Sept 4, 2013 8:38:02 GMT -6
That is why I think we should have someone that is professionally trained at Economic Development, to make sure that we are spending tax payer money with the best possible returns on investments we make into the future of our community.
I am very confident that money spent on a full time properly trained person for even just a couple of years, would produce more results for our economy than the money spent on a band shell.
Ottawa has an Economic Development Director. Downtown LaSalle seems to be making a pretty good turn around with a progressive thinking Mayor and Economic Development Director.
I just don't think that the direction our City leaders have been taking has been producing very good results; I think we could do much more. I also think that voters have already realized that and voted for a different direction. I sure hope that our Council honors that with the coming appointment.
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Post by dog on Sept 4, 2013 8:38:04 GMT -6
Well, we will see how soon I-fiber is made available to businesses here. I would bet that it will be years and will be after communities around us that already have more business. It is economics that will have the ISP installing it in places with more customers first. We will be next to last, just like with 4G. I fiber will make those other communities a more attractive place for some businesses to locate before us, in my opinion. Yes, that is how things work. Most businesses will try to cater to the most customers possible. So it will only make sense to offer the service first to areas that have the most customers. Since the network is already here, this would be a good opportunity for an adventurous person, maybe even yourself to setup an ISP and sell the service to current and future businesses and homes in Streator. Maybe the city has already checked into what the cost would be and found it too prohibited for them to supply it for free? I'm not surprised that there is some utilities at the edge, but I didn't realize that we had an industrial park that is already to go with plenty of utilities. What industries did they plan for when they put those in? Food processing industries require large amounts of water, how big is that water line? Some industries require large amounts of power, do we have a high voltage transmission line out there? There is no other infrastructure improvements in our City that could be done to help attract more jobs? You say they need improvements and say the city should pay to have utilities already installed out there. Then we find out that they are actually out there, and now your focus shifts to "are these utilities adequate enough" for every possible tenant of the industrial park. You asked me for some suggestions and I gave a couple of possibilities with the word "maybe", I also said that a professionally trained person that was hired for the specific job of bringing livable wage jobs here, would be able to study the situation to help us develop a plan for what could be done. Were you just asking me (knowing that I don't have all the information) for suggestions so that you could pick them apart? I asked you not to pick your ideas apart, but you were saying we haven't had any infrastructure improvements, then I give you factual information where the city is doing them, I thin it is time for you to put some "skin in the game"(sorry Greek, I stole your line), and give us a list of what you think we need. It is easy to call for these improvements and then say "I don't know, we need to hire a professional to determine what we need".Are you trying to make people think that our City has done everything possible to try to get businesses here? There are no other infrastructure improvements or marketing that we can do to help get jobs here? No, I am not trying to make people think the city is doing EVERYTHING. I am trying to make you aware that the city is doing SOMETHING.
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Post by Kyle Mitchell on Sept 4, 2013 8:50:06 GMT -6
I have skin in the game. I moved my family here and invested a lot of money and hard work here, only to see continually declining population and property values. I don't have to run for Council or educate myself on everything the City has been doing, I can just look at the results or in this case, lack of, to determine that much more could be done.
I guess we just have different opinions on this issue. You voiced yours, I voiced mine, the rest of the readers can take a look around and see if they think we are heading in a good direction or not.
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Post by 34bears on Sept 4, 2013 8:56:39 GMT -6
I'm not really sure I agree with the band shell or the golf clubhouse, but how much of that money was grants? I'm pretty sure you can't take grant money for parks and use it for I-fiber or roads or sewer systems etc. I would be willing to bet that streator applies for all kinds of grants. You get what you get. I can think of plenty of times on this forum when people have suggested that city park is a wonderful asset and should be utilized. Well? There it is. Decades ago I'm sure the city's leaders didn't have the foresight to see what it has become. Those downtown businesses didn't close up the day after thatchers and Owens went out of business and down sized respectively. I can't say exactly when things got alarming for the city council. It should have been sooner, but everyone knows hindsight is 20/20. It's going to take a while, you need long slow wide turns to get a barge headed the other way. There are always back seat drivers too.
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