NORMAL – University High senior forward Ty Blake started his team’s Illinois High School Association Class 2A Regional game by appearing to send an unspoken but clear message to opponents on third seed Williamsville squad: We want to advance to Sectionals. University High successfully accomplished advancing, defeating Williamsville in the regional Friday night at U-High, 82-54, to advance as top seed in Sectional Semifinals, to take on 2nd seed Quincy Notre Dame, Tuesday. The winner of that game would advance to the Sectional Championship in Pleasant Plains to face either Bloomington Central Catholic or Plesant Plains at Plesant Plains.

After Findlay’s game opening basket, Findlay and his teammates could not keep Blake in check as he scored eight straight points giving Pioneers fans reason to get loud early with an 8-3 lead, prompting Williamsville head coach Nick Beard to call time with 4:32 left in the quarter.

Coming out of the timeout, Williamsville sophomore guard Blake Shoufler’s basket resulting in a trey cut U-High’s lead to two, 8-6 at 4:19 in the first quarter before Minor rattled off five straight points including another trey and a steal resulting in another basket giving U-High (24-9) 13-6 lead. Shoufler hit another trey at 2:40 in the quarter, cutting U-High’s lead, 13-9 and was countered with a trey for the Pioneers by senior forward Mason Funk, putting U-High up, 16-9 with 2:19 remaining in the quarter.

A foul by Pioneers junior forward Miles Kirin sent Williamsville senior forward Jacob Finley to the free throw line where he made both shots, cutting U-High’s lead to five, 16-11. But Kirin hit another trey and, as a result of a Williamsville miscue, the Pioneers got the ball back, with Kirin closing out the quarter with a deuce giving the Pioneers a 21-11 lead to open the second quarter.

About the 13-point start Blake gave the Pioneers to start the contest, U-High Head Coach Andrew McDowell said, “I’m not surprised he got the first 13, but he just kind of did his job. He ran the floor, he made his open shots, and Ty is pretty good at that.”

The contest’s second quarter opened as its first quarter had, with a basket for Williamsville (24-8) with senior guard Tyler Beck’s jumper reducing U-High’s lead to eight, 21-13. But as had happened in the first quarter, U-High rattled off five straight points, a trey from Kirin and a deuce from senior guard Christian McKee doubling the Pioneers on the Bullets, 26-13 with 6:21 until halftime, prompting Williamsville’s Beard to call timeout. A layup by Finley followed cutting U-High’s lead to 26-15 with 5:01 left in the quarter but was quickly countered by a trey for U-High by Funk, putting the Pioneers up, 29-15.

McKee and Blake traded shots, putting the Pioneers up, 31-17. That was followed by a free throw for the Bullets from McKee, going 1-for-2 at the line, having been fouled by Funk, cutting U-High’s lead to 31-18. From there, the Pioneers went on a 7-0 run with Blake and Funk hitting deuces followed by a three-point shot from Minor putting the Pioneers up by 20, 38-18, prompting Williamsville to call timeout.

Blake followed up with a basket with 1:35 left in the half followed by Williamsville senior guard Tyler Beck’s basket, only to be quickly followed up by another Blake basket to close out the half, giving U-High a 42-20 advantage.

Williamsville was only able to outscore the Pioneers in the third quarter, 17-15, behind three baskets from Sam McCoy, who scored 6 of his 8 points on the night in the quarter, joined by a basket from senior guard Jake Seman bringing Williamsville within 20, 51-31, prompting Williamsville’s Beard to call timeout with 4:17 left in the quarter. After that though, Pioneers baskets from senior guard Oliver Cade, Blake, and Owan Nelson closed out the third quarter with a 57-37 lead.

Seman hit two treys in the fourth quarter for the Bullets, but a Pioneers 11-0 run midway through the fourth quarter highlighted by four free throws and a trey from Funk gave U-High a 73-47 lead which was followed by a Williamsville basket from Beck, closing U-High’s lead, 73-49, prompting Beard to call another Williamsville timeout with 3:49 left in the contest.

Blake and Funk contributed double-digit scoring for the Pioneers, with 25 points and 23 points, respectfully. Finley scored 20 points for Williamsville joined by 10 from Seman.

A loss to Maroa-Forsythe at last year’s regional championship has been a memory which has pushed the Pioneers to do well this season, explained U-High’s McDowell.

“That first half was really impressive,” McDowell added. “Our kids executed everything we asked of them to do. We wanted to play fast. We wanted to get the ball up the floor quickly and pressure their guards.”

“Getting into regionals was one of our goals going into the season,” McDowell added. “I thought our intensity and energy and enthusiasm in the game’s first 16 minutes were off the charts.

Williamsville Head Coach Nick Beard admitted he thought his team was “battle-tested” against teams like St. Joseph-Ogden and East Peoria in preparation for whichever teams they would face in the playoffs. “We were focusing on Funk and Minor and then Blake kills us….They’re ranked third in the State for a reason. We knew we were dealing with a really good team and they showed it tonight.”

NORMAL – At a future meeting, Normal Town Council members will vote to approve the development of an area in in Uptown known as Uptown South. At a work session held prior to the regularly-scheduled meeting Monday, Council members received a preview of what the area could potentially look like as envisioned by Chicago-based Farr Associates. Doug Farr, Founding Principal of the company, gave Council members a glimpse of what Uptown South could look like.

City Manager Pam Reece informed Council members the master plan for Uptown South which Farr presented was the result of surveying citizens and taking information directly from citizens at two in-person events in July, September, and November. Mayor Chris Koos said the meetings where plans for the area were introduced had “very good turnout and robust participation” from residents – something he characterized as being “a very good sign.” Reece said residents can find the results of Farr Associates’ work on the Town website. It can be found on the website’s main page under the heading titled Uptown South Master Plan. Among the amenities planned for the area are buildings which would have varied uses, four public parks and plazas, and a parking deck. Road expansion is also included in the plan.

Farr explained an underpass currently being prepped for will connect Uptown, Uptown South, and Amtrak station to one another with the underpass having features like green space for north and south train tracks. An amphitheater-like space will be located south of the train tracks. The land’s north plaza will be north of the tracks at the entrance to the underpass.

Farr explained that public input which included making sure there would be walkways and green space were built into the plan. He also pointed out there is land he referred to as a “study area” – 7.37 acres of open space with boundaries of Linden St. to the east, Irving St. to the south and Constitution Trail to the west.

“What’s significant is that Uptown, north of the train tracks, is fairly close to being done,” Farr reported. He said the underpass will extend Uptown beyond the railroad tracks southward in what Farr described as “the most pedestrian, bike-friendly way.” Farr explained that in addition to land used by Amtrak, the land would also feature space for both housing and larger buildings, and a parking structure.

Of the larger building being considered, Farr said his firm envisions the potential for retail or housing. In terms of housing, Farr said five buildings using 402,000 sq. ft. of land with ground floor retail space and apartments on the upper floors. He added parking for the structure would include a 240-space parking deck, a 20-space parking lot to the west and a 22-space parking lot to the east providing 282 total parking spaces for the building.

Farr said his firm “wanted to get the open space right,” in terms of how they believed the Town wished for its final result. He said his company worked with Gainesville, Fla.-based landscape architects ECT which worked on creating designs for open space areas for Uptown South.

Among questions Council members asked Council Member Karyn Smith asked Farr about the potential for geothermal heating for the new structures. Farr indicated his firm has been able to do that, specifically for the organization called Chicago Center For Green Technology which opened 20 years ago.

Council Member Stan Nord informed Farr there are still vacant spaces in Uptown, specifically the building at 1 Uptown Circle where its upper four floors have residences but the neither the Town nor developers have not been able to entice an eatery of any kind to reside on its ground floor since being built in 2015.

Farr indicated for Council Member Kevin McCarthy the new buildings would be used primarily as residential property, with ground floor use being reserved for office space or retailers. Council Member Kathleen Lorenz informed Farr she was pleased to see there would be space for vehicles needing to pick up or drop off people at the new structure. The pick-up/drop off point would be on the site’s west side, accessible from Phoenix Ave.

No members of the public signed up to speak during the one-hour session. Council Member Scott Preston publicly thanked the steering committee who worked on the presentation, as well as thanked citizens and stakeholders who added their ideas at sessions held by the Town.

Needed Pavement Repair Subject Of Resident’s Public Comment: Normal resident Ron Ulmer addressed Council members in the meeting’s public comments section with concerns he had about road maintenance. First, concerned about pavement preservation, Ulmer said he was informed by Ryan Otto, director of public works and engineering, that more work in that area was ahead.

But Ulmer told Council members he looked at the Town’s plans for road repairs which maps out where the Town will do work over the next five years, but that waterproofing work to be done to concrete seams and expansion joints appear to not be included in work to be done. Not taking care of such matters, Ulmer said, “has been going on for a couple of decades, at least.” He then asked Council members directly, “Don’t any of you notice anything from a golf ball size to a baseball size to a softball size of concrete popped out every spring?”

He said he has also sent Council members photos of what he described as “big weeds” protruding from concrete cracks. He expressed concern the Town “will never catch up” to getting concrete patching completed. He also expressed concerns about street lights needing replacing in some sections of town.

Council Member Stan Nord said he would like to see Council members ask Town Staff to enter such repairs into Town records, and then, every six months, Council members could receive a list of such reports and indicate its status, whether resolved or about to be, or still being looked at. City Manager Pam Reece said the Town “get a few” reports about street lights, and upon hearing about those, the Town reports those to Ameren Illinois. “We have no ability to demand Ameren’s attention, no ability to demand a timeline when Ameren repairs,” Reece said.

Explaining Normal has a total of over 3,000 street lights, Reece added the Town notifies Ameren regularly when lights need repair. She said the frequency for such notification used to be weekly. “We will continue to get Ameren to provide attention to non-functioning street lights, but a street light or a street light there in the 3,000 overall doesn’t get attention in a situation where multiple lights in a row aren’t working.” She concluded when bringing such concerns to Ameren Illinois’ attention, the Town “is somewhat limited on what we can demand.”

Regarding Ulmer’s comments regarding paving issues, Reece said the amount of money spent on pavement by the Town will be a subject of an upcoming Town Council meeting next month. Reece said the Town’s “investment in pavement is over 100 percent more than it used to be, so we will be making progress.” In reply to a question from Council Member Kevin McCarthy, Reece said the Town had recently purchased equipment specifically for filling potholes, but gave no specifics.

Omnibus Agenda Items Approved By Council included:

• Approval of minutes from the public hearing meeting of Feb. 6, 2023.

• Approval of minutes from the regular Council meeting of Feb. 6, 2023.

• Report to receive and file Town of Normal expenditures for payment as of Feb. 15, 2023.

• A resolution to accept bids and authorize a two-year contract with Urbana-based Guilliford Services, Inc. doing business as Illinois Portable Toilets, Inc., to provide portable toilets and hand-washing units in the amount of $48,965.

• A resolution to waive the formal bidding process and accept quotes totaling $87,251.04 from Dell for the purchase of computer equipment.

• A resolution to accept bids and award a contract to Bloomington-based Stark Excavating, Inc. for the Kerrick Rd. and Main Street improvements in the amount of $1,698,279.63.

NORMAL – For fans of Normal Community High School’s boys’ basketball team, perhaps it was fitting junior guard Braylon Roman got his team’s first points on the night against crosstown and Big 12 Conference rival Normal Community West High School. After all, when the two Unit 5 teams met in November, the 6 foot-4 junior was not playing as a result of a broken right hand.

But Roman hit the Ironmen’s first basket and was quickly outpaced by a trey from Normal West sophomore guard Nate Moore’s trey, putting the Wildcats up early, 3-2, at the 6:31 mark in the first quarter. From there, senior guard Braylon Roman hit a pair of unanswered treys, the second of which was followed by two foul shots after his being fouled by Normal West senior guard Robbie Brent. Sluder sank both free throws, giving Normal West a 10-3 lead with five minutes left in the opening quarter. Those baskets were quickly followed by twoNormal West free throws from Wildcats senior forward Tanner Cupples, having been fouled by NCHS’ junior forward Dexter Niekamp. Cupples’ shots cut the Wildcats’ lead in half, 10-5.

From there, NCHS (18-13) went on a 7-0 run starting with back-to-back unanswered baskets from senior guards Brady Starkey and Robbie Brent, giving the Ironmen a 14-5 lead. The Ironmen got the ball away from the Wildcats on the ensuing play and added to their lead with a trey from Roman, giving NCHS a 17-5 lead, prompting Normal West Head Coach Ed Hafermann to call time with 2:26 left in the quarter. Coming out of the timeout, Wildcats forward Taylor Hafermann hit a deuce, reducing NCHS’ lead to 10-7, followed by Starkey answering with a trey ahead of the buzzer. NCHS went into the second quarter owning a 20-7 lead.

A successful three-pointer from junior guard Jason King for Normal West (14-16, 6-4 Big 12) opened the second quarter cutting NCHS’ lead in half, 20-10, but was responded to quickly with a deuce from NCHS’ junior center Jaheem Weber, giving the Ironmen a 22-10 lead. Back-to-back buckets for Normal West came quickly from junior guard Gavin Camp and senior guard Kylen Smith, cutting NCHS’ lead to 22-14. But the Wildcats followed up those baskets with back-to-back fouls which put Ironmen sophomore guard Kobe Walker and Roman at the free throw line for a combined 3-for-4 shooting, putting NCHS up, 25-14 with 4:23 left in the half.

NCHS increased their lead with back-to-back buckets – a 3-pointer from Starkey and a deuce from Webber, increasing the Ironmen lead, 30-14 with 2:20 left in the half. A foul committed by NCHS senior forward Owen Meyers sent Camp to the free throw line for the Wildcats where he sank two shots, cutting NCHS’ lead to 30-16 at the half.

Three Ironmen buckets — a jumper by Webber, sandwiched between baskets from Roman – open the third quarter for NCHS, advancing their lead to 36-16, and prompting Normal West’s Hafermann to call timeout at the 6:54 mark. That was followed by a trey from West’s Brent reducing NCHS’ lead, 36-19, with 6:33 left in the quarter. From there, Roman and sophomore guard Marcus Russell each added consecutive unanswered baskets, increasing NCHS’ lead to 40-19 until Ironmen junior forward Dexter Niekamp fouled West’s Camp sending him to the free throw line. But Camp only made 1-of-2, as NCHS held a 40-20 lead.

But Camp’s shot started a 10-0 run for Normal West, as it was followed by the 6 foot-1 guard hitting a three, followed by a deuce from Sluder, reducing NCHS’ lead, 40-25, at 4:35 in the quarter. An NCHS foul by Meyers sent Camp to the free throw line where he sank two free throws which reduced the Ironmen to 13, 40-27, with 2:46 left in the quarter. Sluder added a bucket to Normal West’s 10-0 run with 2:07 left in the quarter, reducing NCHS’ lead, 40-29, but that was short-lived, as Starkey hit a 3-pointer, putting the Ironmen up, 43-29 with 1:50 left in the quarter, and prompting NCHS to call a 30 second timeout with 1:50 left in the quarter. The quarter closed with NCHS owning a 43-32 lead after West’s Camp hit a trey with 41.7 seconds left.

Smith opened the fourth quarter with a basket, reducing NCHS’ lead, 43-34, but two unanswered baskets – a trey from Starkey and a deuce from Roman – gave the Ironmen a 48-34 lead until West’s Sluder’s deuce cut the Ironmen lead to 12, 48-36, prompting West’s Hafermann to call time with 5:41 left in the contest. Coming out of timeout, NCHS got a trey from Starkey and a deuce from Roman increasing NCHS’ lead, 52-36. Camp buried a three-pointer with 2:41 left in the game cutting the Ironmen lead to 13, 52-39, prompting NCHS Head Coach Dave Witzig to call timeout with 2:41 left in the game.

A trey from Moore with 2:07 left cut NCHS’ lead to 10, 42-32 but that close score was quickly erased by four Wildcats fouls which sent Roman, Niekamp, and Brent to the free throw line in succession resulting in the trio going a combined 4-for-8 from the free throw line, putting NCHS up, 56-42, with 56 seconds left in the game prompting Normal West to call timeout. Coming out of timeout, West’s Moore went to the free throw line, having been fouled by NCHS’ Roman, and sank two free throws, reducing NCHS’ lead to 56-44.

A foul committed by West’s Moore was whistled by officials for fouling NCHS’ Brent, who sank 1-of-2 at the free throw line, increasing NCHS’ lead, 57-44, with 48.4 seconds left. Camp hit a trey with 35 seconds remaining, cutting the Ironmen’s lead to 57-47. But another foul called against West’s Sluder sent Brent back to the free throw line where he went 2-for-2 in shots resulting in the eventual final score.

Starkey scored 19 points on the night courtesy of five 3-pointers while Roman added 18 points for NCHS. Teammate Jaheem Webber added 12 points, along with 11 rebounds and blocking four Wildcats shots. Camp led Normal West in double-figures with 17 points followed by Moore’s 11.

“This was a great high school basketball game and I thought our guys played with a lot of poise,” NCHS’ Witzig said afterward. “We needed to get off to a good start like that,” adding his team has had their struggles during the first quarter in a number of games this season. He said he thought his team provided a good defensive effort against the Wildcats compared to the Wildcats scoring 78 points in a win Feb. 14 over Bloomington High.

Witzig said the Ironmen being able go get the 13 point lead on the Wildcats was the difference for his team in the contest, and then seeing his team hold on to that advantage for the rest of the contest. Normal West’s Hafermann said playing a team which scores that many points in the opening stanza “is something that’s difficult to overcome.”

About defending against the 17-14 Wildcats, Witzig said, “You can’t let up for a second because once you do, they’re going to knock out points. Coach Hafermann runs a great offense.”

Witzig said the game “was our best game of the year,” and quickly pivoted to the fact that Illinois High School Association playoffs start for his team this week bringing “a whole new season.” For Witzig’s troops, the playoffs began with a road game against United Township at a Regional playoff at Pekin on Wednesday night.

NCHS’ Roman missed the first meeting of the season between the Ironmen and the Wildcats in November because of a broken right hand. Even though the contest was against the Ironmen’s closest rival, the 6 foot-4 junior guard admitted the team “wanted to come in and treat it like any other game. I definitely think we played harder on defense.” He said the uptick in defense was evident in there being more conversation between Ironmen players while on defense.

Having gotten the win, NCHS’ Starkey told reporters afterward “Going into the postseason with this momentum is going to be fun. We knew West was a good team and we had to come out swinging, and we did, and we held on ‘til the end.”

Missed defensive assignments for his team, paired with Starkey’s performance added to the Wildcats’ frustrations as the game continued, Normal West’s Hafermann explained. Regional play for teams began Wednesday and knowing that led Hafermann to say his team can remind themselves they are both Intercity Tourney and Big 12 Conference champs and “would learn from this loss and hopefully, it’ll help us as we make a push here deep into the postseason.”

NORMAL – By a 6-1 vote, members of Normal-based Unit 5 School Board approved the district continuing its current E-Learning program which the district uses when classes can’t be held in person. Board Member Dr. Kelly Pyle cast the lone opposing vote on the measure. Had the measure failed, the e-Learning program would have ended at the end of the current school year. The vote took place during the Board’s Feb. 15 regularly-scheduled meeting, held in the auditorium at Normal Community West High School.

The e-Learning program began in March 2020, when districts found it necessary to close schools as a precaution during the COVID pandemic, and continued until the end of that school year. Curt Richardson, attorney for the school district, told Board members that in December 2020, Board members voted to extend the e-Learning Program to continue beyond COVID, for a period of three years.

As a result, the e-Learning program was set to expire at the end of the current school year. He added e-Learning days could be used by the district in place of days where students couldn’t physically attend classes, such as snow days. Richardson told Board members e-Learning days are only to use for up to five days each school year.

During a hearing on e-Learning which preceded the meeting, parent Amanda Ray addressed Board members explaining she hoped Board members would vote against any e-learning proposal. Ray quoted an article from a website called e-Learning Industry, an on-line platform for E-Learning, saying E-Learning can be “highly effective for students who are mature, self-disciplined, and organized.” She added, however, that there are some kids who do not fit that description.

District Superintendent Dr. Kristen Weikle, responding to a question from Dr. Pyle, explained no lunches would be provided to students during days when e-Learning would be applied by the district because no staff would be available for creating and distributing lunches. She added there also would be no way to distribute food to students in such circumstances.

Having heard what parents told Board members about how e-Learning presented issues for their families, Dr. Pyle explained after the meeting that parents who may not have had the proper equipment to help their children and or more than one child to assist being able to learn at home is a burden to some parents. “I think it’s better to just put the kids in the classroom, extend the school day, have them have the interactions with their teachers and peers,” she said.

“If we’ve learned anything from COVID, it’s that e-Learning was a struggle from a lot of families, so I’m ready to put that behind us and prefer in-person learning,” Dr. Pyle added after the session. She said she believes in-person learning “is best for our students and best for our teachers.”

Unit 5 will continue to use the e-Learning program with a modification that it will only be used for up to five days per school year. All students in Unit 5 have been provided with electronic devices, which they take home with them. The district, in a partnership with area internet providers, provides internet access to income-eligible families free of charge.

April Referendum Previewed For Board: Marty Hickman, Unit 5’s Chief Financial Officer, gave board members information concerning questions the district has received from the public regarding district finances as the district’s upcoming referendum is slated for April 4’s election.

Hickman explained Unit 5 has $70 million in the working cash fund, with the bulk of that money for the district coming from the working cash bond sale approved in fiscal 2022 which covered the district’s deficit over three years, Hickman said. He added the district will apply the money toward around $45 million to covering the deficit, $5 million on the bond revenue being put toward school buses. Board members heard from Jennifer Currier from PMA Financial, which has, in the past, has helped Unit 5 with issuing of bonds and other financial matters since 2006. Currier has given two presentations from the firm to Board members. She cautioned Board member that the use of working cash bonds long term, as related to current interest costs, is not a good idea.

Public Comment Concerning District’s Deficit: Mark Adams II, a candidate for Unit 5 Board in the April 4 election, said the district’s earned assessed valuation may increase over time but will not, he explained, increase to take care of the district’s current $12 million deficit. He added he believes the district will only receive $1.5 million from the area’s Tax Increment Funding, or TIF districts which include Uptown and Rivian Automotive. “As a community, it is time to stop borrowing and step up,” he said, adding that if the referendum fails, it would be akin to “punting” the deficit rather than handling it.

Alex Williams spoke about public sessions which have been held concerning the deficit, but specifically said he was concerned about misinformation which he said has been circulating concerning the referendum. “I must admit I don’t know what to do about the issue of misinformation, but what I can do is encourage parents and community members to get the facts,” he told Board members. He added, “Additional funding is critical if we want a strong district moving forward. It will be a tragedy if drastic cuts have to be made.”

Board Gets Early Look At Summer Session Programming: Board members heard from District Assistant Superintendent Michelle Lamboley concerning plans for this year’s summer school session. She explained students attending summer session are identified through specific criteria who demonstrate the most need. She explained students eligible for summer school in grades Pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade and students participating in the District’s Extended School Year Program, for students with disabilities, will be notified by March. High school students needing to take summer courses will be notified by the district in May.

NCHS Teacher Ricardo King Named Bilingual Educator Of The Year: Ricardo “Ricky” King, a foreign language teacher at Normal Community High School, was recognized by Board members at the meeting for being named 2023 Bilingual Teacher of the Year by Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). “It’s really cool to be the recipient of this award knowing how many bilingual teachers there are in the State of Illinois,” King told Board members. He said although his grandfather and father spoke Spanish primarily, with that language coming to him while he was a student in school.

“This is an amazing honor that I am receiving from the State of Illinois and from the State Board of Education, King said. “But I want it not to be a reflection of me but to be a reflection of our amazing and diverse students that we have at NCHS,” said King, who is in his third year as a teacher, all three within Unit 5.

“Those Who Excel” Award Winners Highlight District “Good News”: Dr. Weikle announced to attendees the names of nine individuals and two groups of people who are being recognized as “Those Who Excel” Award honorees. A total of nine educators and two groups representing the district’s two high schools were being recognized with “Those Who Excel” Awards by Illinois State Board of Education.

Teachers receiving recognition for Meritorious Service (and the schools where they teach) are: Janel Sebeny (Kingsley Junior High School); Jill Garneau (Prairieland Elementary); Catherine Unsbee (Normal Community West High School), and Dave Johnson, Principal (Normal Community West High School). Erin O’Grady, administrator for Brigham Early Learning, and Jennifer Giermann, student support personnel at Normal Community High School, each received Special Recognition for work they performs in their respective positions.

ISBE also recognized Charlie Jobson with a Those Who Excel Community Excellence Award for his serving as a volunteer at Colene Hoose Elementary School. Joseph Hinderliter, a custodian at Carlock Elementary School, was honored with an educational support personnel excellence award. Kylie Musslewhite, a special education teacher at Northpoint Elementary, was recognized by ISBE with an excellence award as an early career educator.

ISBE has sponsored Those Who Excel Award since 1970, in an effort to honor individuals who make significant contributions to public and nonpublic elementary and secondary schools. Awards are presented in five categories: School administrator, student support personnel, educational service personnel, community volunteer and teams.

NORMAL – Normal Town Council members rejected proposed plans for what would become the Town’s second cannabis retailer, with public commentors who addressed Council voicing their objections based on potential issues centering on costs involved with the business and potential crime issues. Council members held their regularly scheduled meeting in Council Chambers on the fourth floor of Uptown Station Monday night.

Council members rejected an ordinance granting a Special Use Permit for a business which would sell adult-use Cannabis at 106 Mall Dr. Had Council members approved the ordinance, a new business selling adult-user cannabis would have been allowed to operate in a building located at 106 Mall Drive, north of the Shoppes at College Hills. The building had previously been home to Mandarin Garden, a Chinese restaurant. Medical marijuana has been legal in Illinois since 2013, and in November 2019, the Town of Normal voted approving an ordinance for cannabis-related businesses, including adult-use cannabis dispensaries. Those businesses are zoned as B-1 General Business. Council Member Chemberly Cummings cast the lone supporting vote on the measure at the meeting.

Greg Troemel, director of inspections for the Town, cannabis still is a relatively new business territory for the community, but the town follows state laws in terms of a dispensary’s proximity to schools, churches and residential areas. He said the town is already familiar with the traffic patterns there because it’s an established retail/commercial area.

During the meeting’s public comments segment, 19 people addressed Council members on the matter. Of the 19, three of them represented the prospective business. John Croft led off, telling Council members he wondered if Council members had considered impending costs schools marijuana would create, and in doing his own research, noted “that crime increases.” He also said cannabis has “some affect on the development on the brain.” He added the intersection where the business is located “is already pretty hazardous” and such a business would “damage other businesses in that area….Vote against it, please.”

“This small business is going to be very beneficial to our area,” resident Sue Kelley. There was also support shown for High Haven, as Kelley explained High Haven is a company led by women, including Mahja Sulemanjee-Bortocek, the chief executive officer for the venture, who have studied health care and law regarding the matter. She said the business has a license with the State of Illinois but it’s due to expire March 19. She said the business would need either to renew or get an extension of the license from the State to have the business continue operations.

But resident Jill Lehman asked Council members to consider another area for a business like this because people she identified as “young workers” like her young adult children, frequent that area. She said the area is congested causing teenagers who work in the area to park vehicles in Von Maur department store’s parking lot and then walk to their jobs in the area. She asked Council members if there were a way to “improve the traffic flow of the businesses that are already there,” and also asked that another location be considered for the business.

In reference to the traffic flow in that area, resident Gabe Judd said he had contacted managers at the Chick-Fil-A restaurant in that area and was informed that, on average, a total of 1,700 teens stop at that restaurant on a weekly basis.

Council Member Kathleen Lorenz suggested perhaps Council members hold a work session concerning such businesses adding she was concerned the ordinance the Town passed in 2019 for cannabis-oriented businesses “is now subject to a different set of rules from the State. As a result, she said, she believed Town rules concerning cannabis “deserved a re-look” from that governing body.

After the meeting, Sulemanjee-Bortocek said her organization was “displeased” regarding the Council vote. “We’ve done a lot of work with the community and with the City Council and with the Zoning Board of Appeals to try to get a favorable position.” She also said she wondered if, with some Council members facing an election in the spring, if that may have had a role in Council members’ decision.

Normal already has one marijuana-related business called Beyond/Hello, located at 501 Northtown Road. It opened seven years ago in Normal. The Normal location is one of two locations, the other being located on Veterans Parkway in Bloomington.

Council Approves Special Use Permit Related To Sorority Site Redevelopment: Council members unanimously approved a special use permit for Zeta Tau Alpha sorority, 411 N. School St. Having had Council approval, the sorority will be able to redevelop the site with an updated structure in time for when they will try to meet increase housing demands and recruit new members. The new structure is replacing a similarly sized structure and identical use. First used in 1976, the building has received two amendments to its permit, in 1977 and again in 1997 for upgrades to the building, including a 20 foot by 20 foot storage room.

Liquor Commission Approves Two License Applications: Acting in their capacity as members of Normal Local Liquor Commission, Council members unanimously approved two license applications from companies seeking to open liquor-related businesses in Normal. The first license application came from Payaa Two, LLC doing business as Pizza Payaa Uptown, 107 E. Beaufort St. The owners sought and were granted a Class D license (all liquor – on premises consumption).

Commission members also approved a liquor license for JS Quick Liquor, Inc., doing business as Budget Liquor, 200 S. Linden St., granting the business a Class A liquor license (all liquor – off premises consumption — packaged). The reason for issuing this license was because the business had recently changed owners.

Omnibus Agenda Items Approved By Council included:

• Approval of minutes from the public hearing meeting of Jan. 17, 2023.

• Approval of minutes from the regular Council meeting of Jan. 17, 2023.

• Approval of minutes from the budget work session special meeting of Jan. 24, 2023.

• Report to receive and file Town of Normal expenditures for payment as of Feb. 1, 2023.

• A resolution to accept bids and authorize a contract with J. Spencer Construction of Normal, Ill. for the Normal Police Department interior renovations project in the amount of $89,645.

• A resolution to award the bid for Apple St., Morgan St., Livingston Dr., and Kingsley Ave. water main improvement project to Bloomington-based Stark Excavating, Inc. at a total cost of $862,000.

• A resolution to award the bid for the Grandview Drive water main replacement project to Excavating, Inc. at a total cost of $1,270,900.

• A resolution authorizing the execution of an agreement with Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) for milling and resurfacing of Veterans Parkway from Clearwater Ave. in Bloomington to Old Route 66 in Normal with a not-to-exceed cost estimated at $33,925.

• A resolution to approve executive session minutes; To release executive session minutes from June 19, 2017; Feb. 18, 2019; Apr. 15, 2019; and Sept. 9, 2022; and retain confidentiality for executive session minutes from June 9, 2021 and June 6, 2022.