Village seeks guidance on active transportation network

The Village of Peoria Heights will host a public meeting seeking community input regarding its active transportation infrastructure from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, June 27 at Village Hall, 4901 N. Prospect Road.

“Active transportation” refers to bicycle, pedestrian and other types of human-powered, non-motorized ways to move people and goods around the community. The purpose of this meeting is to brainstorm how best to meet the active transportation needs of Peoria Heights and to expand and improve the existing options.

The public meeting is part of an Active Transportation Plan initiated earlier this spring by the Village and the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission (TCRPC). The project is supported by funding from TCRPC’s Special Transportation Studies grant, along with a 20 percent matching contribution from the Village of Peoria Heights.

The Village and TCRPC have hired the consulting firm Lardner/Klein Landscape Architects of Alexandria, Va. to work with the Village to develop the plan. The Village has formed a planning committee comprised of representatives of a cross section of the community including residents, business owners, the Peoria Park District and the Heights Board of Trustees.

Interested stakeholders and community members are encouraged to attend and provide their input. That feedback will help the consultant and committee to identify desired destinations and routes for non-motorized transportation in the Village as well as barriers that limit such travel.

In addition to the public meeting on June 27, interested parties may access a questionnaire that will help provide guidance to the project planning team. A link to that questionnaire will be forthcoming. A finalized plan that will identify priorities and funding and provide a roadmap for implementation should be ready in December 2024.

For more information, please contact Heights Community Development Director Wayne Aldrich at waldrich@f-w.com.

Heights May 2024 Wrap-up

The Village Board approved the creation of three new firefighter positions and gave its OK to set about hiring them at its May 7 meeting as Peoria Heights transitions to a full-time department. The vote was 5-1 with Trustee Elizabeth Khazzam in dissent.

Starting pay is $65,000 with full benefits. Applications are being accepted now (https://www.peoriaheights.org/intheknow/2023/6/29/employment-opportunity-fire-chief-x4x2s).

Fire Chief Dan Decker updated the Board on the current status of local fire service, which is busy for a community of Peoria Heights’ size with some 1,300 emergency calls annually. The department is manned by 18 volunteers, five of whom live in the Village. Most of the rest live within 2.5 miles. “Many members stay overnight … just to make sure there is coverage,” said Decker, who noted that he has been impressed by their dedication and training.

Many of the volunteers are young, plucked out of Illinois Central College’s fire science program, but some are unlikely to stay long as they’re lured away by full-time firefighting jobs. The department’s stipend program has been helpful as a retention tool, compensating two people per day, said Decker.

While the manpower situation is not ideal, the chief said he’s reconciled himself to staying within the budget and not coming back to the Village Board for more resources anytime in the near future. The chief said he is committed to having at least two local firefighters going out on calls at all times.

Trustees Matt Wigginton and Elizabeth Khazzam both commented on the Village’s tight budget situation. “We are pretty tapped out,” said Wigginton. “I’m going to hold you to what you said, chief.”

In other business:

  • The Board amended its agreement with developers Dave Williams and Laurie Pearl to build housing on five properties the Village sold to Williams Brothers Construction inn 2019.   

The couple now will have three more years, until April 30, 2027, to construct single-family homes or duplexes on vacant properties at 4804 N. Ellen Ct., 723 E. Division Ave., 1105 E. Duryea Ave., 5012 N. Best St. and 618 E. Sciota Ave.

Five years ago, the properties were sold to Williams Brothers for $26,200 on the condition that building would begin in the year to follow. Between COVID and other issues, that never happened, and the agreement expired, giving the Village the option of buying back those properties at a price of $5,000 each -- $25,000 in total -- or renegotiating a new contract.

The developers have since purchased additional properties that could make for an even bigger residential project. New housing is a top priority of Village administration.

  • The Village Board unanimously entered into a contract with R.A. Cullinan & Son of Tremont to provide sealcoating on Village streets for $108,930, ultimately rejecting a lower bid of just over $84,000 from Porter Brothers of Rock Falls.

Generally, municipal governments are inclined to accept the lowest price but in this case, the Board concluded that Porter had exceeded its capacity as a company to guarantee performance of the work according to Illinois Department of Transportation guidelines, had been misleading about that, and therefore did not qualify as a responsible bidder.

Peoria Heights has long enjoyed a positive relationship with Cullinan, while Porter has not worked in the Village before.

“They just bit off more than they could chew,” said Trustee Jeff Goett.

The sealcoating completion date is Aug. 31. The work is being paid for with Motor Fuel Tax (MFT) funds. The Board also approved a $35,670 bid from Midstate Asphalt of Eureka to provide spray patching services.

  • The Board approved the creation of a new Class A-1 liquor license, which will be granted to Happenstance Events Rental. The latter wishes to run a mobile bar out of the Pabst parking lot, for now, thought it could be move around to other locations such as Tower Park in the future. Happenstance has a brick-and-mortar location in the Village at the Pabst building. “I think they’ll fit right in,” said Mayor Michael Phelan.

  • The Board set aside the dates of Nov. 29-30 and Dec. 6-7 for use of Tower Park by the Kringle Market, as well as Aug. 17 for the Peoria Heights Congregational Church and its annual Christian music event.

  • Trustees reappointed Greg Walters to the Board of Police and Fire Commissioners, Greg Fletcher to the Police Pension Board, and Floyd Wombacher and Mickey O’Neil to the Zoning and Planning Commission.

  • The Board approved a license for Peoria Pedicab LLC to operate its pedal taxi service in the Village.

  • The Board announced that the next round of “ice pigging” to clear sediment from Village water pipes will begin the week of July 8 and cover the neighborhoods south of Lake Avenue.

Peoria Heights seeks full-time firefighters

Providing a rare opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a new full-time fire department, the Village of Peoria Heights is putting out the call to fill three firefighter openings in the coming months.

Heights Fire Chief Dan Decker said that salaries will start at $65,000 annually with full benefits as the newly hired firefighters assume shifts of 24 hours on, 48 hours off. The career firefighters will be augmented by part-time firefighters paid on a stipend basis, additionally complemented by volunteers who for more than a century have formed the foundation of the Peoria Heights Fire Department. At least two local firefighters will be available to respond to emergencies on a 24-7 basis, said Decker.

Indeed, the Heights has a long and distinguished history of providing top-notch volunteer fire protection but times have changed with job and family pressures, making volunteer recruitment more difficult and prompting the Village Board to create a full-time department last year.

Applications and additional information about the positions are available now and can be found here.

The deadline for submissions is 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 10.

Beyond that, the timeline is as follows: A mandatory orientation meeting for all applicants will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday, July 20 at Peoria Heights Village Hall, 4901 N. Prospect Road. A written test will follow, to be administered starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday, July 27 at Peoria Heights Grade School, 500 E. Glen Ave. The interview process is scheduled for Aug. 12-23 at Village Hall. Finalists for the positions will be selected by Sept. 1. Offers of employment will then be made and the three firefighter positions should be filled in early October.

The hiring process has three components.

First, candidates must prove physical agility, showing a current CPAT card with ladder climb.

Second, the written exam will be weighted at 60 percent of a candidate’s overall score and cover listening comprehension, mathematics and reading comprehension. Standard & Associates practice tests and study guides are available for purchase online. The passing score is 70 percent.

Third, interviews are weighted at 40 percent and will be conducted by the Peoria Heights Police and Fire Commission.

In addition, preference points will be awarded for firefighting experience, military service, valid firefighting certifications including EMT training, and apprenticeships. Candidates up for consideration must undergo a thorough background investigation and pass a polygraph, medical and psychological examination.

“It’s the ground floor of what I think will be a good place to work,” said Decker, who touted the benefits of working at a busy department in an attractive and growing community. “Everybody wants to come to the Heights … Our job is to make it a safe place to be.”

Volunteers continue to be welcome.

“We have a rich history of volunteer firefighting and we are looking to build upon that success with permanent firefighters as our community grows,” said Police and Fire Commission member Jeff Shields.

For more information, contact Fire Chief Dan Decker at ddecker@peoriaheightsfire.org, 309-251-9174.

Enjoy Mother’s Day weekend at Heights Fine Art Fair

For the first time in its history, the Peoria Heights Fine Art Fair will take place over two days this coming Mother’s Day weekend.

Hosted by the Peoria Heights Arts Collaborative, the event will feature 44 artists across multiple genres who will be displaying their creations from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 11, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 12. This is a juried art fair with a top prize of $1,000.

The event also will feature live music over both days. Food will be provided by Tony’s on Wheels (Haddad’s restaurant) and Sweet Girls Treats.

Another significant change is the location, as the art fair is moving up the block on Prospect to the Tower Park area.

Prospect Avenue will be closed to through traffic between Kingman and Glen avenues starting first thing Saturday morning and will reopen at 6 p.m. Sunday. Barricades will be up and traffic will be rerouted.

Hope to see you there!