West Peoria News for September
By Sharon McBride | 13th September 2008
The West Peoria Neighborhood Watch will host National Night Out on Friday, September 5, 2008 from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at the Franciscan Recreation Complex. Activities will include a dunk tank, canine demonstration, bicycle rodeo (kids bring your bikes), bicycle drawing, Kids I.D. Program, Eclectic LR Band, Flynn’s Irish Dancers, hot dogs, snow-cones and more.
West Peoria Fire Department will celebrate Family Day on September 28th from noon until 3:00 p.m. at the fire station located at 406 N. Waverly Avenue. A full slate of activities for all ages is planned for the day including fire truck rides, photos of children in fire gear, bake sale and other educational activities. Mark your calendar and plan on attending.
The West Peoria Fire Department will begin charging for ambulance calls beginning October 1st pending completion of billing procedures. A combination of factors leads to the decision by the Fire Protection District Board of Trustees. The rising costs of medical equipment, supplies, and operating costs figured into the decision. “In order to maintain the high quality of service to West Peorians, we unfortunately found it necessary to begin charging for ambulance calls,” stated Fire Chief Robert Stecher. “The ambulance service has dramatically changed over the last thirty plus years. There have been many life-saving medical and technological advances and we’ve been able to keep pace, but equipping and maintaining an ambulance today is far more costly.” Another change is each volunteer will be paid a nominal amount per call. This is a deviation from past practices but has been necessitated by the changing dynamics in EMS services locally. “We are one of the last area departments to offer a free ambulance service,” Stecher said. “We found ourselves training emergency medical technicians only to lose them to area ambulance services and other departments that pay their crews. We want to continue to provide the high quality of service at the most affordable means we can, but we cannot continue to do so if we are a training ground for paid services. We anticipate the charges to be less than what Advanced Medical Transport charges,” Stecher stated, “and we are normally much quicker in our response because the ambulance is right here rather than summoning an outside agency to respond to our call.” The free ambulance service was added to the fire department in 1975 to be able to quickly respond to West Peoria residents in emergency situations. Until the change to a fee structure, the ambulance has been funded through tax dollars, memorials and donations as well as fundraisers. Switching to a user-fee structure will free up a portion of the other funding sources to address the fire department’s budgetary needs as well as the ambulance. For more information, please feel free to contact Chief Robert Stecher at the West Peoria Fire Department’s non-emergency number: 674-6615.
West Peoria residents were recently awarded scholarships to Peoria Notre Dame High School. The Father Fitzgerald Endowment awards full scholarships to Notre Dame High School to the top two girls and two boys of each graduating class of St. Marks Grade School. Recipients for the 2008 graduating class are: Hannah Dohm, daughter of LeRoy and Cindy Dohm and Lauren Schaumburg, daughter of Scott and Anne Schaumburg of West Peoria. The winning boys are: Danny Osmulski, son of Brian Osmulski of Peoria and Heather Osmulski of West Peoria and Joe Hoerdeman, son of Jeff and Annette Hoerdeman of Peoria. Sincere best wishes are extended to these four fine youths for their future endeavors.
The September West Peoria Neighborhood Watch meeting will be Thursday, September 18, 2008 at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall. Deputy Chris Watkins will give an update on criminal activity in the area. The West Peoria Residents’ Association will follow by meeting at 6:30 p.m. The guest speaker will be Joan Krupa, State Representative candidate. The public is invited.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008, the West Peoria Residents’ Association will host Candidates Night from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at Cross Baptist Church on Heading Avenue. Invited candidates are: Federal: U.S. Senate: Dick Durbin (D), Steve Sauerberg (R), Cathleen Cummings (G),U.S. Congress: Colleen Callahan (D), Aaron Schock (R), Sheldon Schafer (G), State: House of Representatives: Jehan Gordon (D), Joan Krupa (R); Local: County Coroner: Steve Schmidt (D) Johanna Innersol (R), States Attorney: Kevin Lyons (D) Darin LaHood (R). The Public is invited and encouraged to attend. Candidate forums allow voters to see the various candidates and how they respond to public input and questions as well as hear their presentations.
The test area for curbside garbage pickup will begin soon. Residents will receive a letter from Waste Management regarding the starting date of August 25th through November 21st. This test is being done to promote a cleaner and safer community, as well as more efficient service. The areas chosen for the test are the alleys between Ayres Avenue and Callender Avenue and between Callender Avenue and Kellogg Avenue.
The deadline to have your sidewalk petitions returned to City Hall for work to be considered in 2009 is September 30, 2008. The City of West Peoria helps fund this program. Please call the City of West Peoria or check the city website for program guidelines and to obtain a petition.
Need to clean out the basement or attic and want a little money for it? You can rent a table at the Franciscan Recreation Complex community indoor/outdoor garage sale on Saturday, September 13. The sales starts at 8:00 a.m. Contact the FRC or the Glen Oak Pavilion by Wednesday, September 10 to reserve your table.
If you have a swimming pool, temporary or permanent, you will need a permit and a fence. If you do not have a permit or a fence you could be subject to a fine. Cost for this one time only permit is $25.00. The fence must be at least 42 inches in height. Building a fence, a shed, new porch or deck, installing a new driveway? A Permit from the City is needed for these projects. The City also has a Paint Reimbursement Program for residential property owners who wish to do exterior painting. Applications and guidelines for Permits and the Paint Program are available at City Hall or on the City Website. www.cityofwestpeoria.com Cost for most Permits is $25.00. There is no charge for the Paint Program.
Residents are advised that all road improvements, such as seal coating, are impossible to reschedule and will proceed as planned, regardless of planned garage sales. Please check with City Hall about road projects before scheduling a garage sale.
If you wish to inform the Code Enforcement Office of a violation please contact Mr. Sullivan at City Hall: Ph. 674-1993 or email at: code-zoning@cityofwestpeoria.com
Remember, if it poops, you scoop! Please be courteous to your fellow residents and pick up your dog’s waste. Keep your alleyway clean. Be sure to mow or trim the alleyway and place your trash in a can with a tight fitting lid to deter rodents and other animals.
The City Code Enforcement Officer and a P.A.W.S. Officer will be inspecting your neighborhood in the future. They will survey the neighborhood, issue violations and fines if necessary, provide resources, and be available to answer any questions.
If residents have any questions regarding any of the above information, they may call City Hall at: 674-1993 or email: office@cityofwestpeoria.com
The West Peoria Lions Club is sponsoring a bus trip on Sunday, September 7th to Catfish Bend Casino with the proceeds being given to the Peoria Blind People’s Center. The bus will leave Haddad’s at 7:00 a.m. Coffee and danish will be served on the bus and door prizes will be awarded. There will also be raffles on this day of fun. People going will get $10 on a player’s card and $2.00 off the cost of the buffet all for only $25.00. Call 673-6207early if you are interested as seating is limited.
American flags need to be displayed properly. If you have a flag that is worn and needs to be replaced, please do so. Call Bob DeSutter, 674-6668, and the Boy Scouts will dispose of these flags properly.