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Post by Kyle Mitchell on Dec 21, 2013 8:23:33 GMT -6
This isn't a new idea. In the late '90s when I was on the council we looked into making all the north and south streets 2 way. The state killed the idea because the intersections are not wide enough for trucks to make right hand turns onto the side streets. The cost at that time would have been about $100,000 per intersection for new light signals and moving some of the poles further away from the corners. It wasn't long ago that a truck took out a light standard on the corner of Main and Park by Centrue bank because it didn't swing out far enough into the other lane when he attempted a right hand turn. There was $100,000 to waste on a plan that they now don't even want to wait to be finished before taking action. The plan process was supposed to integrate what citizens want as well. If they aren't even going to follow the plan why did they waste the money and people's time? It is a shame that people spending our tax dollars aren't more concerned about what tax payers want or the value they receive.
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Post by hawk on Dec 21, 2013 9:48:32 GMT -6
I wish people would actually take the time to read the plan, and wouldve gone to the public revealing instead of conceptualizing their own idea of the plan. No where in the plan does it talk about making 23 two lanes. Even the guy in charge of constructing the plan said it has too much traffic for it to work. As for 18 the idea is to eventually (something that will take a few years to achieve) make main and bridge st two lane. Main st in the downtown district will handle local traffic only. The truck traffic and people just driving through would travel down bridge st.. Vandewalle also mentioned to save some money that the downtown district could install stop signs instead of traffic lights os some corners. They also agreed that it will take some convincing for idot to help make these changes, and would not happen right away. I know i heard several things mentioned in the plan that were brought up by business owners and citizens during Vandewalle input sessions with downtown business owners and community leaders, the Plan Commission, and the general public. One of which was the one way streets.
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Post by Kyle Mitchell on Dec 21, 2013 11:04:39 GMT -6
I wish people would actually take the time to read the plan, and wouldve gone to the public revealing instead of conceptualizing their own idea of the plan. No where in the plan does it talk about making 23 two lanes. Even the guy in charge of constructing the plan said it has too much traffic for it to work. As for 18 the idea is to eventually (something that will take a few years to achieve) make main and bridge st two lane. Main st in the downtown district will handle local traffic only. The truck traffic and people just driving through would travel down bridge st.. Vandewalle also mentioned to save some money that the downtown district could install stop signs instead of traffic lights os some corners. They also agreed that it will take some convincing for idot to help make these changes, and would not happen right away. I know i heard several things mentioned in the plan that were brought up by business owners and citizens during Vandewalle input sessions with downtown business owners and community leaders, the Plan Commission, and the general public. One of which was the one way streets. I wish I could have gone to the revealing, but my job had me working out of state. Where is the plan available to read? The link on the city's page takes me to a Vandewalle page with some information, but not an actual plan. Isn't it still being drafted? I am not conceptualizing my own idea of the plan, I posted reporting from the Times on the matter. Does it really matter what is in the plan though? Are they just going to do what they want? Why not wait for the plan to be finalized and voted on by the entire council before starting action on just part of what it is supposed to recommend? Does that sound like the ideas compiled from the list of groups you mentioned are really going to be followed? I did attend an earlier meeting to give my input of what is needed to help businesses downtown, I talked about needing better enforcement of our laws to create a better environment for businesses other than bars and was backed up by others in attendance. I see better enforcement of building codes mentioned on the Vandewalle site, but am yet to see anything mentioned about enforcement of our over-serving laws to reduce the number of street fights and other things that continue to go on, year in and year out. Do you remember this incident? Police 12-31 01/02/2013, 10:03 am Print this story | Email this story Streator XXXXX XXXXXX, was arrested at 5:21 p.m. Sunday at Carbo's, 402 E. Main St., on complaints of disorderly conduct and trespass. Police said Brooks, in a drunken condition, phoned police, saying officers needed to be sent to his location because he was going to kill everyone. I remember many more, too many. These incidents keep people away and need to be reduced for other businesses to have a better chance of being successful. There was just one article in the Times about the empty Murray building. Another about opportunity in downtown Streator. The Vandewalle downtown information talks about a niche hotel. I think it would be great to have a hotel in the Murray building, but feel these incidents hurt the chance of that becoming a reality. I am very interested in reading the entire plan to see what it recommends for better enforcement to create a better business environment. Could you please post the plan here for us all to read?
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Post by daviddr on Dec 21, 2013 12:10:54 GMT -6
Hawk, I understand the logic that it could work if truck traffic stayed on Bridge St. and bypassed the downtown area that way. But it isn't a feasible option. All stores on Main St. and the side streets have weekly if not daily deliveries. The truck have to get to the stores. And they can't do it with two way traffic. This has all been studied and discussed before. I know its nostalgic for people to want the downtown to be like it was when we were all younger with the two way traffic but trucks are much larger and longer than they were in the '70s. It's a great idea to bring it back up for discussion again, but I'm sure the conclusion will be the same.
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Post by rocket on Dec 21, 2013 12:22:51 GMT -6
Not to mention the bridge st bridge over the vermillion river would have to be rebuilt to handle excess traffic and be raised higher to avoid possible flooding if the river floods like it did back in april and in 1958. 1958 westgate was flooded before that dike was built. All those buildings sat under 6ft deep of water. And the bridge and highway there was under water. It would be best to leave 18 the way it is. Or make 18 2way up to Bloomington st/ rt 23 south.
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Post by dog on Dec 21, 2013 13:11:19 GMT -6
Question............If Route 18 were to become 2 way again and lets say Bridge St was no longer a state route, who would be responsible for the upkeep of the bridge? The city, or the state?
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Post by rocket on Dec 21, 2013 13:20:26 GMT -6
The city since it would no longer be a state highway
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Post by rocket on Dec 21, 2013 13:22:18 GMT -6
Then they would just demolish the bridge so they wouldn't have to maintain it.
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Post by Kyle Mitchell on Dec 22, 2013 8:43:40 GMT -6
I know i heard several things mentioned in the plan that were brought up by business owners and citizens during Vandewalle input sessions with downtown business owners and community leaders, the Plan Commission, and the general public. One of which was the one way streets. I was at the input session for downtown business owners, were you there? No one at that meeting even mentioned a full time downtown manager. I wonder whose idea that was? Did Streator have a downtown manager when it was booming? What other communities our size have a downtown manager? Is this person supposed to manage all the businesses, telling them what they can not do? Will this be a professionally trained position or just another job for a retired buddy of a club member? In case you can't tell, I am not in support of this idea. It might be different if I thought this person would be working at night when downtown could use some managing. I could see having a professional Economic Development Director, working to bring livable wage jobs here and also trying to attract more business to our downtown, but a full time person to manage a bunch of vacant buildings doesn't seem beneficial. Please do post the entire plan here for us all to read.
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Post by hawk on Dec 22, 2013 11:06:02 GMT -6
Hawk, I understand the logic that it could work if truck traffic stayed on Bridge St. and bypassed the downtown area that way. But it isn't a feasible option. All stores on Main St. and the side streets have weekly if not daily deliveries. The truck have to get to the stores. And they can't do it with two way traffic. This has all been studied and discussed before. I know its nostalgic for people to want the downtown to be like it was when we were all younger with the two way traffic but trucks are much larger and longer than they were in the '70s. It's a great idea to bring it back up for discussion again, but I'm sure the conclusion will be the same. There are a lot of booming downtowns that are smaller then ours with tiny streets. How do the trucks deliver to those stores? One example is downtown Naperville. Great downtown! Lots of retail stores, restaurants, ect, but very small streets, tight intersections, and small spaces. Deliveries on certain days, times...?
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Post by father of two on Dec 22, 2013 14:29:18 GMT -6
Where does it say a full time manager for downtown?
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Post by father of two on Dec 22, 2013 14:34:42 GMT -6
How much would it cost to convert the old bank into a hotel? I would think that each room would have to have a bathroom with toilet, bath, sink etc. separate room for bedroom. That would require additional plumbing to run drain pipes throughout building. Knocking out and replacing some walls. Possible asbestos removal. Roof replacement, tuck pointing, handicap accessibility etc. all of which could make it more costly than tearing it down and building new.
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Post by Kyle Mitchell on Dec 22, 2013 15:07:15 GMT -6
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Post by hawk on Dec 22, 2013 15:07:45 GMT -6
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Post by Kyle Mitchell on Dec 22, 2013 15:09:23 GMT -6
How much would it cost to convert the old bank into a hotel? I would think that each room would have to have a bathroom with toilet, bath, sink etc. separate room for bedroom. That would require additional plumbing to run drain pipes throughout building. Knocking out and replacing some walls. Possible asbestos removal. Roof replacement, tuck pointing, handicap accessibility etc. all of which could make it more costly than tearing it down and building new. I have no doubt that it would require a lot of work, but I really doubt it would cost more than tearing it down and building new.
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