NORMAL – Over the course of the past six months, the Town of Normal has looked back, through numerous events, at its history and the events and individuals responsible for making that history. In the last of six events that celebrated the Town’s 150th Anniversary, current Town and business leaders were part of a panel discussion, held in the 4th Floor Town Council Chambers at Uptown Station, recalling events in the last quarter-century that have made Normal the place it is today.
The panel for this discussion, titled, “Normal Blossoms: Growth, Redevelopment, And Planning For Sustainability 1993-2015†were: Mayor Chris Koos; Dottie Bushnell, co-owner of The Garlic Press; Wayne Aldrich, Public Works Director for the Town, who, in the past has also served as Normal’s Uptown Development Director, and City Engineer; and Dr. Alan Chapman, former Unit 5 School District Superintendent, and former Principal of Normal Community High School.
If it weren’t for the food processor known as a Cuisinart, Dottie Bushnell might have had another sort of business rather than being one of the team of owners of The Garlic Press, which began in 1981. She said she feels her store serves â€as a bridge between Downtown Normal and Uptown Normal.†She gave a nod to businesses now just a memory to shoppers who frequented Downtown, such as Watkins Jewelers.
Bushnell remembered when Town officials proposed an update to Downtown in the late 1990s. “It wasn’t going to be just street lights – it was going to be a whole new renovation. We were very excited about the Children’s Discovery Museum, and then the hotel, and then the roundabout.â€
The Garlic Press had something to look forward to, too, in 2005, after having earlier purchased the adjacent former Stadium Restaurant, and opening a café in that location. Bushnell explained the opening of the College Ave. Parking Deck turned out to benefit her ownership group’s growing business.
Aldrich, who came to work for the Town in 1997 following being employed by Illinois Department of Transportation for a number of years, said, at the time of his joining the Town, Interstate 39 North had opened, and he was drawn to what he saw as Normal’s continuing expansion and the opportunities that presented. “Normal gained a reputation for how the Town has developed,†he said.
Chapman, who has spent 46 years in the community and Unit 5, called that time “a blessing to be part of the community.†He lauded the district’s ability to manage finances and do it, at times, despite concerns over State funding. “We created budgets that allowed us to live within our means while providing a quality staff.â€
Koos, who also is a business owner, of Vitesse Cycle Shop, in addition to being Mayor since 2003, recalled Vitesse was “in a good location despite being in an area of Town with no public parking.†He said there were businesses in Downtown Normal but not many patrons at that time there because “people thought Downtown was full of students. But the truth was, students didn’t go downtown.â€
Among some of the Town’s more controversial touchpoints over the last quarter-century, according to Koos: Camelback Bridge Restoration and College Hills Mall’s renovation.
Aldrich reminded Town officials sought ways to look for government funding programs which would help finance restoration of facades of older businesses in Uptown. He also said hiring an Uptown Liaison to work with business owners was an important resource to introduce. “These were investments we made to help Uptown,†Aldrich said.
On the subject of communications with the Uptown liaison, Bushnell joked, “They probably got tired of hearing from our store,†then added, “In all seriousness though, I would have to give the liaison in the Uptown Development Office a grade of A Minus.â€
For years, there were people in town who’d never been Downtown,†Koos said. “We had the monumental task†of getting people to come there to see it. He said a marketing strategy for the central part of Town has been a staple for the community since 2005.
Koos said by changing the central part of town’s moniker from Downtown Normal to Uptown Normal, “making us distinctly different would help bring change.†That change also brought Normal recognition, having won national awards, as well.
Transforming Downtown Normal into the Uptown we know today included reaching out for monetary assistance for certain projects. Town officials became very skilled a researching and applying for – and getting – Federal dollars for building projects such as Uptown Station.
“We needed Federal dollars to cover them,†Koos said of such projects. “We were in Washington constantly for that.†Among the grants awarded to the Town was money from the Federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, or TIGER Grant Program. Koos added that potential projects seeking the TIGER Grant funds totaled $50 billion. Of those, the Feds gave out $1 billion to worthy projects, including Uptown Station.
Unlike a number of the community projects that applied for TIGER Grant funding, Koos explained, “We had construction plans when we applied.â€
“I want to say we were lucky,†Koos said. “We had a great project which was ready.â€
Unit 5 School District, Chapman said, saw an increase of more than 2 percent in the period between 2000-2005 after seeing less than 3 percent growth prior to that period. The district’s peak growth year, he reported, came in 2012.
Chapman also cited, during the period between 1994 and 2011 that the district opened Normal Community West High School, renovated NCHS, and built and opened nine new schools. “There was a concern at the time Normal West opened we would diminish the district in terms of academics and athletics,†Chapman said regarding public concerns, at the time Normal Community West High opened.
The result of adding the new high school, Chapman said, showed the concerns were unfounded. “What the Town now has is a wonderful collection of buildings to serve the community.â€
After 150 years and numerous changes – whether they’ve been in business, in economics, or societal — the Town of Normal has shown flexibility to change as the times have demanded. Some communities, like Normal, are able to do that. Others, needing to learn that lesson could learn from Normal’s example.