NORMAL – Normal Town Council members found out how some young Town citizens see what may be available to them in the future.

Town Planner Mercy Davison explained that since 1990, the Town has asked residents to create a vision plan for the Town every five years. The goal of those tasked with the vision plan is to consider what the Town will be like 25 years into the future, she explained to Council members. Davison said the plan “serves as a reference point for community-wide plans and initiatives.”

But, Davison told Council members, the traditional way of getting people gathered together to discuss how they see the future got interrupted by COVID-19, so there were no meetings in 2020 or 2021, prompting the Town to rethink how to restart the concept. Davison said the Town turned to Teen STEAM Camp, operated by the Children’s Discovery Museum; The Teen Adventure Camp, supervised by Matt Frahm, Youth Sports/ Teen Programs Supervisor in Normal’s Parks and Recreation Department, and Laura Golaszewski,supervisor of Normal Public Library’s Summer Reading Program.

Davison said the youngsters, ages 3-15 who took part in the STEAM Camp at the Children’s Discovery Museum, Teen Adventure Camp through the parks and recreation department and the Normal Public Library summer program were tasked with imagining how the Town might look 25 years from now, in the year 2045. STEAM is an acronym for studies in science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics.

“I hope in the future we will have lots of colors and everyone will be smiling,” Avery Roehm, 10-year-old daughter of Mike and Erica Roehm, said. She admitted that in the picture she drew of people living in a house, she had people “smiling from ear-to-ear. I wanted to show that the people were very happy and joyful.”

“In the year 2045, I would like all the homeless people to have a home, and have warmth, food, and a place to sleep before they get into all the technology,” stated her 8-year-old brother, Connor. “

Chiddix Junior High School Seventh grader Dhruv Ravinuthala, son of Satya and Nagasudha Ravinuthala, said he envisions a future “with more wheelchair accessible type playgrounds so people can still have fun at recess and things, ways for the Town to loan sports-type equipment for people who don’t have it with them, more environmentally friendly buildings in the Town like the City Hall, more cultural art showings in the Town, more funding for schools so they can have field trips more often, and more butterfly gardens.”

That last suggestion came, he said, because he volunteers at Miller Park Zoo, where, he said, “I’m exposed to a lot of animals who are endangered.”

“The youth of today are living in a completely different world than you and I did,” Davison told Council members. “They are growing up in a world of Smart Phones,” among other things, she said, adding they have also had to be out of touch physically from friends as a result of the pandemic.

Resolutions For The Vineyards, Trails At Sunset Lake Subdivisions Approved: Council members unanimously approved a pair of resolutions related to The Vineyards subdivision. The first resolution approved the fifth amendment to the annexation agreement related to the approximately 94 acre subdivision located at the southeast corner of Raab Rd. and Airport Rd. approving the annexation agreement will allow for building out the last undeveloped area of the subdivision, giving developers another 23 lots to be developed.

Within the area approved in the first resolution, there is a cul-de-sac with 30 lots for development which would be enough space for 15 homes. The developer of the property seeks to convert the 30 lots into 23 lots where his group will build detached single family homes. Among the variances required from the Town by the developer to accomplish this are: A variance for each piece of land to have lot widths of 55 feet, as opposed to the Town Code required 60 feet; and a waiver for the cul-de-sac to have a length of 585 feet. That length exceeds the Town-regulated length for a cul-de-sac of a maximum of 400 feet.

In her report to Council members, Town Planner Mercy Davison indicated the requested expansion is not a significant difference in length from what the Town Code allows. A public hearing concerning The Vineyards was held prior to the Council meeting, but no one spoke at the hearing.

The second resolution approved unanimously by Council members approved an amended preliminary plan for a section of the Trails On Sunset Lake Subdivision. In this instance, a preliminary subdivision plan is needed to for development. The preliminary subdivision plan will add 16 lots where executive-level housing will be constructed. Normal Planning Commission members stated in their report to Town officials the additional lots would be placed among “large lots to the south and the smaller lots to the west,” adding, “This type of diversity is encouraged by” the Town’s Comprehensive Plan.

Both subdivision plans came before Normal Planning Commission members at their Feb. 7 session and plans presented for both properties were unanimously approved by NPC with 7-0 votes.

Final Plat For Greystone Fields Subdivision 5th Addition Approved: Council members unanimously approved the final plat for Greystone Fields subdivision’s 5th addition, to be located on Parkside Rd. Last month, Council members approved an amended preliminary subdivision plan for property of roughly 4.32 acres in the north central section of the subdivision. That amendment reduced the number of lots on the property from 40 lots intended for duplexes into 30 lots meant for single-family residences. This subdivision has been growing since it was first approved for a final plat in 2011. Its first preliminary subdivision plan came before Council members for approval in 2004.

Ordinances Relating To Outdoor Dining, Parking Pads Approved: Council members unanimously passed a pair of ordinances related to Parking. The first of the two was an ordinance permitting restaurants to offer outdoor dining from April 1 through Oct. 31. Outdoor dining became something of a necessity during the pandemic but it also was seen by restaurant owners as a draw to bring in customers during it as well.

At its public meeting Feb. 10, NPC members held a public hearing where no members of the public testified. NPC members voted 7-0 in favor of a zoning text amendment which would allow the outdoor dining option between those dates.

Council members also unanimously passed an ordinance which would permit adding a parking pad to an existing two-car residential driveway, and do it so that less pavement would be required by Town Code for its installation. Based on consistency of with which the Zoning Board had been approving such spaces without much negative feedback from neighbors, Town Council members initiated a zoning text amendment allowing them. ZBA passed the measure for them, sending it back to Town Council for approval, which Council members did unanimously Monday night.

Ordinance Related To Parking And Outdoor Dining Approved: Council members unanimously approved a pair of ordinances, one concerning parking, the other concerning outdoor dining. The ordinance concerning parking and outdoor dining created permanent guidelines for outdoor dining within private parking lots. As a result, the Town will expand dining options for residents, thus increasing opportunities for local restaurants to provide such a service in the current post-pandemic environment. The ordinance allows restaurant operators to use up to 10 percent of required parking spaces for outdoor dining between April 1 and October 31 annually. It also requires that parking space use for outdoor dining will not affect required ADA parking spaces or the flow of traffic through the site.

The second ordinance, passed unanimously, would permit the addition of a parking pad adjacent to an existing, two-car residential driveway. Such parking pads would require less pavement than is currently required by Town code.

Omnibus Agenda Items Approved: Omnibus agenda items approved by the Council included:

• Approval of minutes of the regular Council meeting of Feb. 7, 2022.

• Report to receive and file Town of Normal expenditures for payment as of Feb. 16, 2022.

• A resolution to award the bid for water main and service line materials to Bloomington-based Water Products Co.

• A resolution to appropriate $1,000,000 of Motor Fuel Tax (MFT) funds for the resurfacing of various streets for the 2022 MFT Street Resurfacing Project and authorize the Director of Public Works & Engineering to sign the IDOT General Maintenance Form.

• A resolution authorizing a license agreement with Illinois State University for parking spaces.

NORMAL – The pedestrian underpass is on verge of going from being something desired to taking one step closer to becoming a reality, according to engineers who have worked on its layout and design. On Feb. 16, residents were invited to a function in a Normal City Hall 4th floor conference room to give feedback and ask questions about the underpass project.

Also as part of the two-hour session was an opportunity for residents to look at plans for the part of the Town’s “Uptown 2.0” plan, which calls for a new public plaza at the south side of the railroad tracks.

Discussions and planning for the $23.9 million project started in 2015, and at a Normal Town Council session in mid-November, Council members approved funding for Phases II and III of the project. As part of the project’s completion, the Town plans to invest $1.69 million, or roughly 7 percent of the total project cost. The other 93 percent of the cost of the project will be paid using Federal and State funding.

Normal resident Bob Broad attended the session, he said, to check on its progress, adding the project “is such a powerful next step for the Uptown. I think it’s a great investment. I love the gathering places to the north and to the south. But, for me, the important part to me is just the practical part of it is let’s just make it safe for people to move from one side of the tracks from one side to the other.”

Explaining she had experience as a financial advisor to retirement communities, Normal Council Member Karyn Smith said she asked some specific questions concerning the construction of the underpass of Rick Powell, senior engineering manager for Chicago-based WSP USA and Normal Town Engineer Ryan Otto. She said she wondered if the underground construction would force the Town and railroads who use the tracks coming to Uptown Station to have close those tracks and divert trains around Uptown to get to destinations along the rail lines.

The Town of Normal launched an online survey to gather public input about the Uptown underpass project which will be live through Friday, March 4 and can be found at this website, https://live.metroquestsurvey.com/?u=ke4q4s#!/?p=web&pm=dynamic&s=1&popup=WTD. Responses to questions range from “No priority” to “Low,” “Medium” or “High” priorities. There is also a section of the survey asking one open-ended question concerning COVID-19.

The purpose of the online survey is not to reevaluate the project but to gather community input, according to a news release.

About the survey, Mayor Chris Koos said it’s “more about options, taking the survey, and letting us know what people want out of this.”

Smith said getting citizen input on the project is important “so that people take ownership of and become stakeholders in its success as a focal point for our community.”

“I think there is an appetite for people in Normal who want to see quality of life in our community to improve our community,” Smyth said. “If the pandemic has taught us anything, it has taught us we need to have more to divert us than what’s simply inside our four walls.”

“It sounds as though they will keep to a minimum any passenger rail traffic,” Smyth said. She said she also inquired about the potential construction of seating on the south side of the tracks for events in Mark R. Peterson Plaza so that people with disabilities would have access for events.

John Hutslar, associate principal with Indianapolis-based Ratio Design, the company which will design that part of the project, said he responded to questions from some of the nearly three dozen people who attended the session, mainly concerned with maintenance issues while construction was in progress.

Three More Steps To Go Before Bids For Construction Go Out: There are still three more phases for this project before the Normal gets to the bid submitting phase of the project. The next phase is a plan showing Town Council members how the project would look at 60 percent completion, with that phase due next month; there is also a plan showing Council members how the project would look at 90 percent completion, with that phase due in September. The final submission of how the finished project would look is due to be presented to Council members in December. Once Council approves the final submission, the project would be put up for bid by the Town, with construction slated to begin in March 2023. From there, the project is due to be completed by December 2024.

Use For Funding From American Rescue Plan Act Slated For Later This Year: A work session for Normal Town Council members will be held later this year to discuss community needs and potential uses of the American Rescue Plan Act funding. Last March, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 into law. The Act is a $1.9 trillion package, based on President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, is intended to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, including the public health and economic impacts.

NORMAL – Even in a battle between two teams considered underdogs, one is bound to come out on top. That proved to be true when Bloomington High School brought its 12-14 record to Normal Community West High School to take on a Wildcats squad Monday night in one of two Illinois High School Association Class 3A Regional games. Winners would advance to a Regional championship at the school Feb. 16.

Fifth seed Bloomington High School (12-14) overcame a 15-point deficit midway through the third quarter to push in front of Normal West and maintain command through to the contest’s final buzzer, eliminating 4th seed Normal West, 46-43. A trey by West guard Megan Williams followed by a deuce from senior forward Monie Howard put the Wildcats up early, 5-0, but a series of deuces, two from senior forward Marissa Hilt, and one each from freshman forward Sosi Dadekian and sophomore guard Kate Barger helped push the Purple Raiders up by one, 10-9, after one quarter.

Junior guard Joselyn Gale and senior forward Monie Howard added to scoring for Normal West (14-17) in the second quarter combining for four deuces, with sophomore guard Reanne Cupples and Howard closing out the half by going a combined 4-for-4 from the free throw line to help contribute to Normal West’s 21-13 lead.

A trio of unanswered threes from junior guard Emily Kobel, Ashley Wilcox, and Howard highlighted Normal West third quarter, giving the Wildcats a 32-17 advantage, prompting BHS Head Coach Austin Myers to call timeout with 4:24 until half. Coming out of timeout, BHS managed to come within 10, 37-27, courtesy of two baskets each from Hill and junior guard Katie Barger, a lead Normal West held going into the fourth quarter.

A free throw by Gale for the Wildcats, who went 1-for-2 after being fouled, opened the fourth quarter, increasing their lead, 38-27, at the 7:51 mark. But from there, the Purple Raiders went on a 15-2 rampage, including three treys – one from Dadekian and two from junior guard Marley Davis. The result of that drive gave BHS a 42-40 lead and prompted NCHS to call time. Coming out of the timeout, Normal West responded with a trey from junior guard Ashley Wilcox, giving the Wildcats a 43-42 advantage.

But Wilcox’s points turned out to be the last for the Wildcats as Hilt hit a jumper with 49.1 seconds left and was quickly followed by two free throws by Hilt leading to the final score.

As a result of their victory, 5th seed BHS will face top seed Mahomet Seymour on Thursday night at 7p.m. at Normal Community West High School with the winner advancing to Sectionals. Mahomet Seymour defeated Rantoul, 68-26, in the contest which preceded the Normal West-BHS showdown.

“Our girls just never gave up,” explained BHS head coach Austin Myers, crediting how his team performed to “their energy and effort in the third and fourth quarter. I have seniors who have battled so hard for me, and they’ve put it all on the line.” “All on the line,” to Myers’ thinking, includes “diving for balls and making unselfish passes. I’m proud of my kids, man.”

Looking ahead, Myers said, “Mahomet-Seymour is really, really tough and this will be our first time playing for a regional title in a long time. Myers said he believes it has been “about six years, and another 10 before that. This is a big opportunity for us. Our seniors just never, never, never gave up,”

“This was a tough one to swallow,” admitted Normal West head coach Darrelyn Dunn. “We needed to take better care of the basketball. I felt we had all the momentum, but Bloomington got a couple turnovers and got their momentum back.” He added his team had concerns about containing BHS junior guard Marley Davis, who managed to get past Wildcats defenders to contribute 9 points on the night.

NORMAL – A State judge’s ruling on masks being mandated for school-age children entered the picture and added to the opposition parents registered with Normal-based Unit 5 School Board members prior to the governing board’s Feb. 9 meeting, held in the auditorium of Normal West High School.

According to a report posted Feb. 5 to the website of ABC News, a central Illinois judge issued a temporary restraining order which prevents school districts across the state from requiring students wear masks in classrooms. The judge’s ruling stated Gov. J.B. Pritzker went beyond his legal authority by making masks mandatory. The Governor’s that has angered many parents and teachers alike. One of those mandates included mandatory vaccinations for school employees.

A ruling issued Feb. 4 by in response to a lawsuit filed by Sangamon County Circuit Judge Raylene Grischow was in response to a group of parents and teachers. Judge Grischow also determined as part of her ruling a number of the Governor’s emergency orders preventing COVID-19 disease from spreading to be “null and void.”

A total of 21 residents signed up to address Board members in the meeting’s public comments segment, many of them voicing their opposition to the State mandated requirement of wearing masks in public settings, including students in school. Among those who spoke were two high school students.

Normal Community West student K. J. Smith explained to Board members he is autistic. As a result of that, he said, he has “struggled with masks the entire time they have been mandated. I can speak from personal experience and say masks cause me anxiety, stress, and hinders my learning experience.” He then gestured toward the audience and added, “As you can see, so many other people feel the same way. Going mask optional would be huge for everyone. All I am asking is for is a choice. Let those who want to wear masks wear masks and let those who want to go mask-free go about their school day mask-free without being belittled or judged.” He finished by saying Unit 5 needed to “abandon the mask mandate.”

“When it comes to school, COVID has created immeasurable obstacles for all of us in the public education environment,” Keegan Wurth, a senior at Normal West, said in beginning his comments. “From the struggles of e-learning to our sports seasons being cancelled, COVID has deeply affected every student in the last few years.” He added that Judge Grischow’s ruling “is allowing my friends to enjoy the choice of whether they will wear masks in school, but I am not allowed to enjoy that freedom. Unit 5 has decided they will ignore this legal gray area.” In doing so, Wurth said, the district is trying to enforce “a legal mandate they cannot legally enforce.”

District Five-Year Forecast Presented: In presenting a five-year financial forecast for the district, District Chief Financial Officer Marty Hickman explained of the budgets being maintained, Unit 5’s Education fund is “under the most pressure right now.” He explained some financial assumptions need to be made in preparing the forecast including that property tax earned assessed valuation will go up 2 percent and that staff salaries would also increase 3.5 percent annually, too. Another assumption is that health insurance contributions would also increase 5 percent annually. Another assumption is that staffing levels stay the same when Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) Grants expire in 2025.

Hickman said the Education budget for the district is headed toward finishing the current school year at $13.9 million with it finishing in successively higher numbers over the next five years. He said the district is assuming it will receive a 2.5 percent increase in earned assessed valuation, which he touted as being more than what the district on average has received in the last five years.

He said there is also the assumption salaries for employees not under a contract would receive salary increases annually of 3.5 percent. Employees who work under a union contract situation would stay at the same salary until contracts are negotiated and signed for another period of time.

Board Member Barry Hitchins pointed out that the Board also had on that meeting’s agenda a resolution to issue $46 million in working cash bonds to work with over the next three years. But that would still leave a deficit of $8 million. Hitchins explained choosing an amount of money beyond the $46 million would impact property tax rates. He added the Board is looking at “bridging that $8 million gap,” and that the district finance committee has asked District Superintendent Dr. Kristen Weikle’s administration to look for ways to address the remaining shortfall and handle it over a 10-year period. Board members voted unanimously to pass the resolution.

Board Unanimously Approves School Year 2022-23 School Calendar: Board members unanimously approved a school year calendar for 2022-23. As part of a change to the calendar, seven half days for students to be in class will replace 12 late start days, which the district began using in the 2010-11 school year after Board members approved a measure for them in July 2010.

Next Board Meeting Scheduled For March 9 In Normal West High Auditorium: The Board’s next meeting will be on Wednesday, March 9 in the auditorium of Normal Community West High School, beginning at 6:30p.m.With the district having spring break during the week of March 21, this will be the only Board meeting next month.

NORMAL – Normal Town Council members unanimously approved a waiver for the Town’s Design Code which would help a local bar expand to the east while eliminating an open alley in the process. The vote helps the owners of Maggie Miley’s, an Irish pub and restaurant to expand their business into the adjacent vacant lot to the east. In addition, the owners will have a new outdoor dining space on the second floor of the added structure.

During the nearly two-year pandemic, the lot had served as outdoor dining space during the spring, summer, and fall months. At a hearing of the Town’s Uptown Design Review Commission held January 11, architects for the project architects made themselves available for questions, but no additional public testimony was offered. Commission members voted 3-0 in support of the project at their Jan. 11 meeting, an action which sent the matter onto Council members.

Council Approves Loan Agreement With Busey Bank For Fire Station: By a 5-2 count, Council members approved an ordinance authorizing the Town to enter into a loan agreement with Busey Bank for $2.5 million to support construction of the Town’s second fire station replacement. Mayor Chris Koos, joined by Council Members Chemberly Cummings, Kevin McCarthy, Karyn Smith, and Kathleen Lorenz voted in favor of the measure while Council Members Scott Preston and Stan Nord voted against the measure.

The loan agreement for the Town has an interest rate of 1.46 percent to help the Town pay for the structure which will become the Town’s new Station #2. For years, Town officials have wanted to build a new station which would address serving residents living on the Town’s east side. That means the new Station #2 will be located in the Blackstone Trails area. The construction will also be funded partially with grant money the Town secures. Busey Bank was one of five financial institutions submitting proposals for financing the project coming in with the lowest interest rate offered and having an option for paying off the debt early.

The amount the Town will spend on the project breaks down this way: The total cost of the building is expected to be $4.9 million. Of that amount, the Town will get $1.4 million of that from the money already in Town accounts, with $1 million coming from a State grant, and the remaining $2.5 million from the loan taken out by the Town. Other sectors of the Town will benefit from this, Reece explained, including building maintenance projects and various Parks and Recreation capital needs.

But after saying the interest rate for the project the Town would receive was a positive, Preston said, currently, the Town should have used money it had on hand rather than “take on additional debt” by taking out the $2.5 million loan. “We certainly have the ability to pay the $2.5 million and not increase the debt,” Preston said. “I just can’t make the case, at the end of the day, to take on additional loans at a time when we don’t need to.”

Lorenz sought out positives in her support of the measure, reminding Council members although the loan comes due in 10 years, it can be paid off early, has no specific conditions such as a callable date built in, and that the transaction the Town is engaging in is with a local bank. She added the Town gets an additional benefit from the deal in how long the new building stands within the community.

Mayor Chris Koos added entering into this agreement puts a community in “good financial shape, but this puts us in better financial shape in terms of allowing us to do some things that are for the benefit of our citizens.”

Public Speaker Addresses Those Having Utility Bill Issues During Pandemic: One public speaker addressed Council members toward the meeting’s end, addressing concerns of those having issues paying utility bills during the pandemic. Noah Anderson identified himself as a member of the “No Ameren Shutoff Coalition,” a group which, he said, has put a resolution before Gov. J. B. Pritzker and Illinois General Assembly “to protect renters and those who have to pay utility bills from eviction and utility shutoffs during the pandemic.”

He said he would like for the Coalition, which is already working with the City of Bloomington on this issue, to begin working with the Town concerning it. Doing so, he said, “would protect our constituents.”

Omnibus Agenda Items Approved: Omnibus agenda items approved by the Council included:

• Approval of minutes of the regular Council meeting of Jan. 18, 2022.

• Approval of the minutes of the budget work session special meeting of Jan. 26, 2022.

• Report to receive and file Town of Normal expenditures for payment as of Feb. 2, 2022.

• A resolution to approve executive session minutes, to release executive session minutes from Nov. 15, 2021, and retain confidentiality for executive session minutes from June 19, 2017; Feb. 18 and April 15, both 2019; and June 21, 2021.

• A resolution authorizing execution of a service agreement with the lowest responsible bidder for the supply of electricity for residential and small commercial retail customers who do not opt out of such a program.

• An ordinance abating the levy of 2021 property taxes for Special Service Area Number One.