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Post by greekgod on Aug 2, 2015 16:35:48 GMT -6
The new fire station was too fancy, with the clock and all. Maybe the city should charge them over night lodging & a pillow tax. cityslicker, I do believe a former City Fire Chief bequeathed a nice amount in his will, to help fund the new Fire Station. g
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City Hall
Aug 2, 2015 16:39:10 GMT -6
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Post by antamaleen on Aug 2, 2015 16:39:10 GMT -6
The new fire station was too fancy, with the clock and all. Maybe the city should charge them over night lodging & a pillow tax. cityslicker, I do believe a former City Fire Chief bequeathed a nice amount in his will, to help fund the new Fire Station. g And that would justify it.
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Post by willy on Aug 3, 2015 10:30:35 GMT -6
The donation of a large sum of money was given to the City by the widow of Captain Ed Heinz. I didn't know Ed but us youngsters were pall bearers for him. Some on here think that the fire station is to fancy and to big. It's nice, was built for the future, being able to house the equipment needed to handle fire suppression. If you haven't been in there, go visit. The place is full and the building was built the right way and was built to last more than 40 years. Some on here would say we didn't need it, that a Morton building would have been better. I don't think so.
The current City Hall was built back in the '70's and was put together rather hastily with no thought to building it to last. The building has had problems for a long time and all councils have avoided fixing it properly, including me when I served. W've made improvements to the exterior but nothing on the inside. The biggest hindrance to fixing the inside was and is a fact that can't be hidden. Structural changes must follow all ADA requirements and we kept putting things off because of that and this council has said enough is enough. Is the cost high? Sure is, but there is not going to be a demolition of the building and starting over. There isn't going to be a Morton building put up. There are a lot of requirements added into the equation when a police station is involved for obvious security reasons. All the bathrooms and access to the building have to be ADA compliant. What people can't see are the things that are helping to drive the costs. I'm as guilty as the next, but placing blame on the shoulders of the current members of the council is wrong. They are doing what they're paid the big money to do, make tough decisions and take the heat for them. God bless them for having the guts to do it in tough times.
Just a small example of how things were done a long time ago. Back in the day our government had what was called Federal Revenue Sharing. Back in 1974 we had in excess of 100K from Revenue sharing for the purchase of the then new ladder truck. That money was taken to help pay for City Hall. I argued with the finance commissioner that it was wrong, that financing the truck for 10 years was more costly than taking "our money" to put it into new building Financing autos versus homes is more costly I asserted. The city took the money to purchase all the furniture for the building. I thought that was wrong. A poor building went up that we are going to pay for now. Should have been done the first time.
Also back in the '70s the government was helping cities to upgrade the sewer systems. We were told by the IEPA to do so. Our council paid for a study and submitted it to the IEPA and did nothing. In the late 70's, early 80's the city was told again about the sewer system. Again they did a study and submitted it. Now comes the late 80's when the IEPA told the City enough with your studies, fix the sewers like we told you; sign a Consent Agreement or face a fine of $10K a day until you do. The City signed and we're still fixing.
For years the City took motor fuel taxes and used the money to do whatever. Moose used to argue until he was blue in the face. That money was supposed to be used to fix roads and alleys. The city was always robbing Peter to pay Paul. That was wrong and shouldn't have happened. I can go on and on with what was wrong with our government, but I won't. Scot Wrighton was hired as the first City Manager and there was much to be fixed. We couldn't buy a roll of toilet paper for the station without cash in hand.
To those that believe we don't need a City manager I would debate all day that we do. The old system didn't work and we're all paying for past mistakes. Will there be mistakes in the future? Most certainly. I just know that as a City we are improving regardless what some will think. Our bond rating has improved and we don't owe anybody other than the bonds that have been taken out to make the sewer improvements. I don't ever want to see this City go back to the good old days, I've seen and lived them.
As far as annexation goes, the city does need to expand. I don't know if it will. To those of you that say you already have fire protection and police protection. Quit calling for help when you have a fire, call your fire protection district. When you need police, call the county and wait. The City should stop all the agreements that help get you your service for free. When the county can't get to your homes, they call city police to sit on the scene until they arrive. When those agreements cease maybe you'll re-think your need for police and fire protection. The City isn't an enemy. Thatcher Glass was always out of the City and received our fire protection for free while Owen's paid for it. When they annexed to the city and was sold to a Mexican Company they closed in 1992. They saved a ton in taxes for years. They didn't close because of Scot Wrighton.
I'm through for awhile, just had to say a few things that were on my mind.
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Post by dumdave on Aug 3, 2015 12:27:51 GMT -6
Thanks for taking time to explain a few things Willy. You have a lot of insight the rest of us don't.When I saw them say demolition, foundation work and reusing....the staircases I jumped the gun and thought maybe they were gutting the whole thing, especially for that lofty price. It's a whole bunch of money, too bad if it wasn't built right the first time. I want to add my thanks for this information too, Willy.
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Post by cityslicker on Aug 3, 2015 12:30:31 GMT -6
Same old story, unqualified city council members and managers, that have no business running a city, now or 40 years ago. The council got to join the "Good Old Boys and girl Club", and got a feather in their hat. Spend the taxpayer's money and land grabs, not very professional, if they cannot do it, do not run or accept appointment.
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City Hall
Aug 3, 2015 14:58:37 GMT -6
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Post by antamaleen on Aug 3, 2015 14:58:37 GMT -6
Thanks for all the info Willy. Maybe if the council explained like you did, everybody wouldn't have been so upset. Now I say get it done. But done right. We don't want to have to go through it in the near future.
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Post by capncrunch on Aug 3, 2015 19:49:23 GMT -6
Story Comments (1) Image (2) Print Create a hardcopy of this page Font Size: Default font size Larger font size
Previous Next Would emergency response improve? File The Streator Fire Department would have faster response times than other departments in the neighborhoods outside city limits, the city maintains. Buy this photo Posted: Sunday, August 2, 2015 5:43 pm | Updated: 10:36 pm, Sun Aug 2, 2015. David Giuliani, davidg@mywebtimes.com, 815-431-4041 | 1 comment One of Streator's arguments for annexation is that its police and fire departments would have faster response times in areas that are now outside city limits.
But at a recent public meeting on annexation, a number of residents northwest of town said they were happy with service from the Grand Ridge Volunteer Fire Department and the Sheriff's Department.
The city is considering annexing neighborhoods northwest and southeast of town. With annexation, the city says it hopes to broaden its tax base and end the practice in the targeted neighborhoods of disposing waste into old mine shafts. It is promising better services as well.
'Fire can grow larger'
When it comes to fire protection, Streator has inherent advantages. It has a staff of full-time firefighters, while Grand Ridge is all volunteers. And the Streator station is far closer to residents northwest of town. For instance, the Grand Ridge department is nearly eight miles away from houses in northwest Streator, while Streator's station is two miles away.
As with most places, Streator and Grand Ridge have an agreement for emergency response.
"With our mutual aid agreement, they have to call us and ask us to come," Fire Chief Gary Bird said. "They wait to get on scene before they request assistance."
By contrast, he said, Streator's firefighters can respond immediately.
"With a volunteer department, they may not be at the station. They may have to come from home or work," the chief said. "In case of a structure fire, how quick you get there does matter. The fire can grow larger."
Jim Roux, the Grand Ridge department's president, said that if his department determines lives are endangered, its firefighters would call for assistance immediately, even before arriving.
"Response times vary based on what's going on. We do have 35 members. That helps," he said.
Grand Ridge is not a fire protection district with taxing powers. Rather, it is one of only a handful of nonprofit fire departments in Illinois, Roux said.
The department depends on contributions and fundraisers as well as revenue from fees for such services as ambulance runs.
From 2010 to 2013, the department's total revenue ranged from $312,000 to $430,000 annually, according to its IRS tax forms. In 2013, the department received more than two-thirds of its revenue from contributions and grants.
Each year, the department sends out a letter to residents seeking donations, Roux said.
"People appreciate our service. We have great support, which funds our equipment," he said. "Our last truck cost us $635,000 in 2012."
The department can charge for fire services, he said.
"If you are an annual donor giving a donation that you feel your house can afford, there is no fee for fire services," Roux said. "If you are not a donor, we will charge the maximum that the state will let us."
A nondonor, he said, could pay thousands in fees.
'They're coming anyway'
As for response times, home insurance rates generally rise the farther a house is from a fire department, said Missy Dundov, a spokeswoman with State Farm.
"A five-minute response time is better than a 20-minute response time," she said. "The five-minute time is better protection for the customer."
A household just outside a city boundary could benefit from a lower home insurance rate because of a nearby full-time city fire department, even though the house is technically covered by a volunteer department, she said.
At an annexation meeting last week, a resident said it didn't really matter whether areas outside Streator official came under Streator Fire Department jurisdiction.
"Streator has a fire chief who really believes in mutual aid," the man said. "If you are worried about response, they're (Streator) coming anyway."
City Manager Scot Wrighton took issue with that.
"Mutual aid doesn't mean another department handles the fire. It doesn't mean co-dispatch. It doesn't mean the city comes to the fire ahead of Reading or Grand Ridge," he said.
'All people want is police response'
As for police protection, the La Salle County Sheriff's Department is the primary law enforcement agency for unincorporated areas. The department divides the county, the second largest in Illinois, into quadrants for patrol purposes. Each quadrant is about 300 square miles, with Streator making up about 2 percent of its quadrant's area.
The Sheriff's Department goal is to have at least one deputy assigned to each quadrant at all times, Sheriff Tom Templeton said.
Response times north of Streator, he said, depend on the deputy's location when the office is called.
"If it's an emergency, we send the closest car, whether it's us, Streator or the state police," Templeton said.
"No one cares which uniform an officer is wearing. All people want is police response," the sheriff said. "It's a cooperative effort among the agencies."
Streator Police Chief Kurt Pastirik said his agency would respond to a police call outside of town if the Sheriff's Department requested it do so. The department normally has five officers on patrol each shift, with a minimum of three, he said.
"When the city of Streator requests assistance from La Salle County, Livingston County or the state police, we get it," he said.
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Post by capncrunch on Aug 4, 2015 6:19:35 GMT -6
A positive thought that was in the Timespress:
STREATOR: 'A big thank you from the Streators to Streator' Share on facebookShare on twitterShare on pinterest_shareMore Sharing Services 2 Updated 10 hours ago
To the Editor: A week ago, we took a trip to a family reunion in Wisconsin. We decided to meet at Streator and then go north to Appleton, Wis.
Three of us came from Northern Indiana and six (one family) came from Southern Indiana. The three got to Streator a bit early and decided to meet the others at the parking lot behind the police station.
When we arrived, I noticed a lot of police vehicles parked in the lot, so I asked a policeman who was just getting out of his car if we could park there and wait.
He assured me it was OK, and we talked for a while. He then went into the station and a few minutes later came over to our car and gave us a map of Streator and a couple of pencils with "Streator" printed on them and suggested we might like to go see the city's new fire station.
I tell you this because the nine of us have something in common with your town. We all have the last name of "Streator." We went to the fire station and received an excellent tour from the friendly firemen on duty. We ended up buying some shirts with "Streator Fire Dept." and a Bulldog on them. Ironically, my grandchildren live in a town where the high school mascot is a bulldog.
The youngest grandchild, almost 5, loves fire trucks and was thrilled to sit in one and see what it does. The firemen could not have been more friendly. Another irony was that we were headed for the town where your Pierce fire truck was assembled.
So a big thank you from the Streators to Streator. We were impressed by your town and we certainly couldn't have been more impressed by your public servants. As a town, you should be proud.
JAMES STREATOR
Claypool, Ind.
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