Elgin Illinois News

This blog has moved to Elginite.org

2008-06-13T00:20:00.000-07:00

The Elginite blog has moved to...

Elginite.org

Be sure to update your bookmarks!

Elginite.org

2006-09-17T18:37:00.000-07:00

OK, we haven't officially launched it yet, but you guys can get a sneak preview of the Elginite.org site. What I like about it is that it has a Elgin forum. We've created some categories, and if there are others we should add let us know. One of the categories is Neighborhoods, and we have forums under that for Downtown Elgin, the Far West Side, and so on. Hopefully that will help people share information about what's happening in their neighborhood.

In the process of migrating the archives in Blogger over to the blog on the Elginite.org site, we've inadvertently destroyed all of the old posts on this Blogger site, but they're available at Elginite.org. If you want to search for old posts and comments, you'll have to do it at Elginite.org

Hope you like the new site!

Webshots

2006-09-14T19:07:00.000-07:00

So it seems Flickr is not the only place to find pictures of Elgin.

by imritac

Lost Elgin

2006-09-13T10:58:00.000-07:00

Check out http://www.thereusedtobe.org/ to see pictures of buildings in Elgin, Illinois that have disappeared.

Elgin search terms from the AOL leak

2006-08-25T10:31:00.000-07:00

Dontdelete.com lets you peer into the search logs of 658,000 AOL subscribers, data that the giant ISP "inadvertently" leaked earlier this month. It highlights what little existing controls there are for what ought to be private information, guarded with a high level of security.

Fortunately, it's possible to use the data without infringing on anyone's privacy. You can type in a keyword on the Dontdelete.com site to see how many people used that term. You can do that without actually seeing what else they may have been looking at.

I typed in "elgin," because I was curious to see what Elgin-related search terms are being used. By number of queries, here are some of the top ones:

51 elgin community college
34 elgin watches
29 elgin pocket watches railroad
20 elgin courier
15 elgin crosswind options
14 elgin railroad pocket watches
13 elgin high school
12 elgin illinois
10 elgin il
10 elgin
8 elgin courier news
8 elgin crosswind
8 elgin condo for sale
8 elgin photos
8 elgin street sweeper repair help
8 elgin sweeper
7 elgin pocket watch
7 elgin mental health center
7 elgin sports complex
7 elgin crosswind sweeper
6 elgin casino
6 elgin symphony orchestra
6 elgin world time manual
6 elgin west
6 elginwatches
5 elgin wrist watch
5 elgin sweepers
5 elgin sweeper crosswind
5 elgin watch bands
5 elgin pocket watches
4 elgin crosswind retail prices
4 elgin clocks-7 jewels 8 day
4 elgin pocket watches railroad
4 elgin pocket watch co
4 elgin il police department
4 elgin watch co
3 elgin watch instructions
3 elgin watch manual
3 elgin high school elgin illinois
3 elgin national watch company
3 elgin illinois jobs
3 elgin river boat

So ECC is number one. I wouldn't have guessed it. The other interesting thing is that the Courier is high up on this list, while the Herald makes no appearance...

Crocker torn down for nothing?

2006-08-22T08:24:00.000-07:00

In late 2004, the developers of River Park Place were expecting to break ground on the eight-story, 60-unit condominium building planned for the northwest corner of Grove Avenue and Prairie Street by spring of the next year.

Twenty months later, the Crocker Theater, which formerly occupied a portion of the site, has been torn down, but construction still hasn't gotten under way. (Elgin Courier News 8/21/06)

Though they need only 5 more buyers to begin construction, it's been a long time since they announced that they needed only 5 more buyers. At this point--with the real estate market as it is--it seems that without major prodding from higher powers, this condo may never get built. If the Crocker was torn down in vain, I think there are going to be some angry voters come next election.

The longer this drags out the less likely it will ever get built, because the real estate market will get worse before it gets better. The council should keep that in mind. Afterall, it was less than three weeks ago that Centex pulled out of the Woodfield Gardens project in Rolling Meadows, citing a softening real estate market and increased building costs.

Eli & Josh at Schuba's

2006-08-18T16:18:00.000-07:00

Gathman recants

2006-08-13T19:51:00.000-07:00

I wrote that while, like most recent documentaries, the movie is one-sided and ax-grinding, something stinks here. Mechanical engineer Fred Yeck from Sleepy Hollow, who knew more about the experiment, tells us that what stinks is the movie's propagandistic failure to show the downside of the electric car. - Dave Gathman (Elgin Courier 8/13/06)

I'm glad Dave Gathman had the courage to set the record straight. I'm still waiting for him to do the same with regard to the other documentary he plugged, Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth.

Elgin Fine Arts & Ribs Festival

2006-08-13T19:49:00.000-07:00

The Elgin Fine Arts Festival is considering a new name.
The juried art show, which closed Sunday in downtown Elgin, hopes a new name will help draw more people to the event.
The name, said volunteer Jeanne Hebeisen, "should have universal appeal." (Elgin Courier 8/7/06)

Universal appeal? How about Elgin Rib Fest. Oh darn, Naperville got there first....

Actually it's a good idea for them to rename and rebrand it. But asking people to come up with a new name is probably not the best way to go about it. It's a major marketing problem. The question really is what the positioning for the festival should be, and that depends on a decent study of what's out there now and where there's a gap. Naperville's got the ribs, so Elgin has to come up with something else...but it has to be similarly universal in appeal and very specific so that something tantalizing immediately pops into mind.

This is one reason Brewfest has such great potential to be a much larger festival. But the way that it's currently organized keeps it small. The Rock makes money by holding the monopoly on food sales, but they would probably do even better if they rented out stalls to other restaurants and vendors. Brewfest wants to get big and they should let it grow.

But we were talking about the Fine Arts Festival...

Yenerich Farm

2006-08-13T19:48:00.000-07:00

After the presentation, Councilman Thomas Sandor suggested the development seemed to go a long way toward creating a second, separate city to the west — long a concern for critics of western growth. East-siders in particular have worried they will be left behind as the city's center of gravity shifts away from them.
"I think I've just seen the genesis of the city of West Elgin," he said, echoing comments made by Figueroa. (Elgin Courier 8/10/06)

I think the Yenerich Farm project is a good idea. Elgin is too large of a city to have just one center. This is how they should have handled the development of the other subdivisions. Master plan it and force the developers to work together. Lay out something that's rational, rather than a haphazard conglomeration of endless subdivisions.

24 hour city

2006-08-13T19:46:00.000-07:00

After the meeting, Mayor Ed Schock said he first heard complaints from residents about Tacos La Flor during last week's National Night Out festivities. He said he is taking the issue seriously.
If it chose, Schock said, the city could pass an ordinance that would limit the hours of restaurants such as Tacos La Flor. (Elgin Courier 8/11/06)

There goes the 24 hour city.

Actually, the best thing would probably be to encourage a "24 hour district" in the downtown. This is one of Christopher Alexander's patterns (#33):

Conflict
Most of the city's activities close down at night; those which stay open won't do much for the night life of the city unless they are together.
Resolution
Knit together shops, amusements, and services which are open at night, along with hotels, bars and all night diners to form centers of night life: well-lit, safe and lively places that increase the intensity of pedestrian activity at night by drawing all the people who are out at night to the same few spots in the town. Encourage these evening centers to distribute themselves evenly across the town. (source: A Pattern Language website)

Identifying and encouraging such a district in the downtown would also make it appear safer. Many of the people who go to downtown Elgin and think it's unsafe think that because the streets are empty. People everywhere are afraid of empty streets. Fill the streets with people! Designate a "24hr district" or a "nightlife district!"

Smoke-free movement gains some traction

2006-08-13T19:39:00.000-07:00

When Elaine Paul’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer six years ago, doctors asked Stella Paul if she smoked.
When the Elgin woman said no, doctors then asked what she did for a living.
“When my mother said she had been in the restaurant business all her life, they said, ‘Well, you’re a smoker,’ because there is a link between secondhand smoke and breast cancer,” Elaine said. (Daily Herald 8/13/06)

Good work, Daily Herald. Stories like this underline the fact that the smoke-free movement is not about smokers but the workers and other innocent bystanders who are exposed to secondhand smoke, which causes cancer.

“It isn’t as simple as saying, ‘Every public restaurant needs to go smoke-free,’æ” Schock said. “Like every community, we’ll have a list of exceptions.”
Schock said the most likely exception in Elgin would be the Grand Victoria Casino. (Daily Herald 8/13/06)

Exempting the casino would be problematic. The casino is obviously the largest employer of workers who are continually exposed to secondhand smoke. Exempting it would mean that 90% of the workers who suffer from secondhand smoke will receive no relief. If the choice is between money and human lives, we should expect the mayor to choose life.

I can see why he's worried, but I think he's overrating the risk to the casino's revenues. People go there TO GAMBLE, not to smoke. People go to restaurants TO EAT, not to smoke. People go to bars and clubs TO SOCIALIZE not smoke. I saw this first hand in New York City when the smoke free ordinance went into effect there and everybody was predicting a doom and gloom that never arrived.

The city will hold a hearing on August 30th. See the Smoke Free Elgin website for more details.

Elgin podcasts

2006-08-13T19:35:00.000-07:00

Check out ECN's podcasts.

Condo will exceed height of Tower Building

2006-08-09T16:50:00.000-07:00

Planning Commissioners Bennie Sowers and Bob Siljestrom voiced concerns about having the proposed 16-story Water Street Place building stand about nine feet taller than the 15-story Tower Building.

Sowers was the lone no-vote against the more than $50 million project to create a residential, retail and dining hub where the Gail Borden Library once stood. The city council awarded the design of the project to Ryan Companies and RSC Associates last spring...
As for the argument about keeping the building shorter than the Tower Building, Elgin Mayor Ed Schock said it’s not a good enough argument to hold the project back.
“There is nothing magic about the height of the tower,” he said. (source: Elgin Daily Herald 8/8/06)

I have to agree with the mayor in this case, because the new building will be a distance from the Tower Building. If it were next to it and exceeded its height then I think that would be a problem.

That doesn't mean I'm enthusiastic about tearing down the old GBL and eviscerating the Civic Center, an International Style gem of the suburbs, an AIA award winner, and Elgin's major accomplishment of the 1960's.

The rule of thumb in urban renewal and development is to build on the worst land not the best. Yet it appears we may be doing exactly the opposite.

Another great song

2006-08-09T16:44:00.000-07:00

Pretty Pathetic by the Smoking Popes. Live at Lollapalooza.

Megan

2006-08-09T16:39:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite Smoking Popes songs. Live at Lollapalooza.

Popes at Palooza

2006-08-07T10:28:00.000-07:00

I'm sad to have missed the Smoking Popes at Lollapalooza.

Chicagoans prized the reunited Smoking Popes, a local band that in the mid-1990’s came up with tuneful, sweet-natured punk-pop that now sounds like early emo. On Saturday the band had so many wistful postbreakup songs it could have been singing about its career rather than its romances. (New York Times 8/7/06)

Elgin's Josh Caterer is at center in the photo, flanked by his brothers Matt and Eli on left and right.

Picture by 5500.

Elgin survey results

2006-08-06T16:12:00.000-07:00

In all, 40 percent of the survey respondents from communities including Algonquin, Bartlett, East Dundee, West Dundee, Geneva, Hoffman Estates, Lake in the Hills and St. Charles gave the city an excellent or good impression.
Another 46 percent gave the city an overall “fair” rating.
In Olafson’s mind, that means indifference, and that’s the group the city must strive to put in the good and excellent categories. (Elgin Daily Herald 8/6/06)

40 + 46 = 86% of respondents viewed Elgin as excellent, good or fair. Yet the Herald runs as its front page headline "Elgin finds reputation impedes it: Survey says many of its neighbors content to see The City to Watch from afar." What's that all about? And did they ever think what the impact of their ill-chosen headline would be on public perception? Ever heard of the marketing adage "Perception is truth?"

In any case, 14% negative reviews is not bad. If they're aiming for a 100% positive impression of Elgin, it's simply unrealistic. Most of their survey respondents come from homogenous communities that don't value the same things we value in Elgin. They drive to the casino and see blacks and Mexicans walking around National Street and that makes them feel unsafe. That's their problem not ours.

Despite the overall fair to positive impression, 81% of survey respondents said they feel downtown Elgin is not safe. I don't think there's any basis for this in crime statistics. I don't have figures for downtown, but look at Elgin's overall crime stats on Wikipedia. After Naperville, Elgin has the best numbers. Elgin's property crime index is at 52. Compare this with Rockford's 155, Joliet's 128, Waukegan's 125, or Peoria's whopping 169. Elgin's personal crime index is at 72. Again compare to Peoria at 174 or Rockford at 140. Only Naperville is safer than Elgin (If you were wondering about Chicago, it comes in at a horrendous 358 for personal crime and 173 for property crime). Elgin is not, as one survey respondent said, "a small city with big city problems." Truth be told, Elgin is among the safest cities for its size in America. In fact, Elgin is among the safest cities PERIOD. That's why our index numbers are below 100, the national average.

My recommendation to city officials: consistently and continually point out that Elgin is the second safest city in Illinois. Obviously the fine print will say "among cities of comparable size." But second is good. If you can't be number one, be number two. There's room in the mind for number two. An occasional full-page ad in area newspapers should get the message across.

Saving and reusing barns

2006-08-06T15:03:00.000-07:00

This Mennonite Church in Schaumburg presents a fine example of barn reuse (picture courtesy of Springsun). Check out the July issue of Architectural Record to see some barns that have been converted into homes.

Earn your raise by...blogging

2006-08-01T21:23:00.000-07:00

CHIEF executives are inclined to avoid activities generally deemed to be high-risk: Sky diving. Cliff jumping. Motorcycle racing. And blogging...

In an exhortatory piece, “If You Want to Lead, Blog,” published in The Harvard Business Review last year, Mr. Schwartz predicted that “having a blog is not going to be a matter of choice, any more than having e-mail is today.”
“My No. 1 job is to be a communicator,” Mr. Schwartz told me last week. “I don’t understand how a C.E.O. would not blog if committed to open communication.” (New York Times 7/30/06)

Open communication. We can use more of that in Elgin, can't we?

Raises all around

2006-08-01T21:09:00.000-07:00

In her Sunday editorial, Chris Bailey slammed the council's decision to issue across the board pay hikes:

But no, governments must buy their employees’ affections, apparently. Though it guarantees no pay will ever be enough, they must assure pay catches up with salaries in surrounding communities. So said Councilman Bob Gilliam as the city council handed City Manager Femi Folarin an 8.8-percent raise last week. That action came just a couple of weeks after it doubled its own pay and just weeks before it will give raises to Service Employees International Union workers. A raise for all non-union employees will follow a study that will undoubtedly show how underpaid they all are compared to somebody else. (Elgin Daily Herald 7/30/06)

Expanding salaries and expanding headcount. Oh lovely.

City slow to clean up

2006-08-01T21:04:00.000-07:00

It would seem at first glance a delicious irony that a city that just passed an ordinance allowing residents to be fined without notice for litter and debris cannot seem to pick up its own trash in a timely fashion...
We're talking, of course, about the mounds of dead branches, leaves and debris that has accumulated on the tree banks in Elgin for the past few weeks from the thunderstorm of July 17...
The indifference and ineptitude of the city in the removal of this debris is staggering.
One might remember that Chicago's inability to clear its streets after a great snow in the late 1970s cost Mayor Mike Bilandic his job. History may indeed repeat itself.
(Elgin Courier News 8/1/06)

Picture courtesy of Campemmaus.

Check out some Flickr pools

2006-08-01T20:55:00.000-07:00

If you haven't already explored them, you'll find pictures of Elgin in:

One of James Jordan's many great pictures of Elgin:

Kane County Fair

2006-07-21T21:22:00.000-07:00

Lots of barnyard animals at the 138th Kane County Fair. Enjoy this wholesome American institution while it lasts. Eventually--and especially if Elgin's Far West strategy stimulates growth along 47--Kane County may become like Cook County, agriculture will disappear and there will be no fair. Hopefully not in my lifetime...

If you missed the fireworks

2006-07-16T20:49:00.000-07:00

July 4 fireworks at the Elgin Sports Complex. Thanks to EshelmanK.

Stowell-Peddy Park or Oldfield Park?

2006-07-16T20:19:00.000-07:00

South Elgin is considering whether to rename the park in the Thornwood neighborhood to reflect a slice of the village’s agricultural roots.

Apparently “The 10-acre Park in the Thornwood Subdivision” isn’t cutting it and officials say a new name should celebrate the history of the area, which is near the Corron Elementary School.

The village board this month could consider a resolution to rename the park to the Stowell-Peddy Park, in honor of two longtime South Elgin families who owned the land. (Elgin Daily Herald 7/16/06)

Unless the two South Elgin families donated the land I think it would make more sense to honor South Elgin's greatest athlete, Brian Oldfield.

BRIAN OLDFIELD threw far...really, really far! He was the first man to throw 73', 74', and 75' in the Shot Put. he held the American and World records. He was a Munich Olympian and a National Champion Brian competitor in the World's Strongest Man and Superstars Competition. He graced the cover of Sports Illustrated. (Source: John Powell Associates)

He apparently wasn't a perfect human being, but perhaps it's better to name it after him than the people who sold them the land.

The Chicago Tribune featured Mr. Oldfield in a story just a couple of days ago.

Oldfield was a freaky combination of strength, speed and shrewd intelligence who burst out of Elgin to revolutionize his sport, perfecting a twisting windup that let him hurl a 16-pound iron ball farther than anyone on Earth.

Lusty, profane and rebellious, he became one of the memorable characters of the swinging 1970s, sparring with Muhammad Ali, trading barbs with Don Rickles and reveling in tales of the "sado numbers" he inflicted on biker gangs.

"When God invented man, he wanted him to look like me," he was said to have bragged in 1975. (Chicago Tribune 7/13/06)

Walton Island (?)

2006-07-15T12:18:00.000-07:00

Reservations about the home grants program

2006-07-13T21:46:00.000-07:00

According to the proposed changes, the city may increase the $1,000 it gives those who remove chain-link fences as well as cover a percentage of the cost up to $3,000 or $4,000 to replace the fence with a different material. (Elgin Daily Herald 7/7/06)

Overall, I think the home grants program is a good idea. My only reservation about the fencing program is that it treats all fencing besides chain-link as equal in all parts of the city. I may be wrong. I haven't actually looked at the code, but based on what the newspapers reported, it doesn't discriminate between historic districts vs. non-historic districts or between spaced picket fences and stockade type fences (no spaces). I don't think this "one size fits all" approach is what we really want. The truth is that all types of fencing are only situationally appropriate.

I would have preferred rules that took into account the architectural style of the home/neighborhood: In the historic districts, subsidies only for spaced picket fences. In the mid-century (ranch-type) subdivisions, a smaller subsidy and only for solid-type fences. Etc.

What to do with the YMCA site

2006-07-13T21:36:00.000-07:00

Park supporters have argued that children who live near the old Y site are cut off from nearby Gifford and Lords parks by busy Chicago and Liberty streets. They have said a park would benefit the neighborhood's underprivileged children who lack other recreational opportunities...

Housing proponents point out that the city is improving the open area beside Channing Memorial Elementary School, just south of Chicago, and say upscale homes will boost property values more than a park could. (Elgin Courier News 7/9/06)

It's just a 3 acre site. I have to doubt that an experienced developer would build an upscale project there without enormous subsidies from the city. You just have to look at Wellington. "Build it and they will come" has not worked--not yet at least. From all appearances, Wellington is still vacant except for one unit, purchased through a sweetheart deal.

I'm skeptical that upscale homes can be sold there, and I'm skeptical that they will boost property values more than a park would. A nearby park is a significant amenity. What good does it do to have an upscale home nearby?

Elgin Academy wants $700K for theater

2006-07-13T21:29:00.000-07:00

Under the plan, Elgin would foot a portion of the cost for the 43,115-square-foot building slated for the corner of Kimball and Dundee avenues.
In return, Elgin would get the mid-size theater many residents have been pressuring city leaders to build. (Elgin Daily Herald 7/13/06)

Just wondering, who's been pressuring the city to build a theater? It's sad if we're going to build a theater now. You know, after we've torn down the Crocker? My opinion? No new theater without new theater groups.

Use what we have. If any theaters are needed, they should be converted from old buildings. Think black box.

BSF purchased by Cook County Forest Preserves

2006-07-13T21:18:00.000-07:00

Cook County Forest Preserves is the new owner of Bluff Spring Fen. Congratulations?

The district Tuesday approved obtaining the 163-acre parcel for a mere $350,000 — and even that money will come from a private grant.
The jewel of the fen is the Bluff Spring Nature Preserve, an 87-acre portion where much restoration work has already been done. (Elgin Daily Herald 7/13/06)

This probably means easier access to the fen, perhaps via Gifford Road. I don't think the Friends like the idea of easier access, but if it means the rest of the area gets cleaned up, it won't be so bad. You can still spot a car submerged in one of the quarry ponds. Hopefully that's the first thing they drag out of there.

I think BSF is now the westernmost property owned by Cook County Forest Preserves.

Lovely girls - 4th of July parade

2006-07-07T20:23:00.000-07:00

More pictures by dulosis.

Pregame Strategy

2006-07-07T20:21:00.000-07:00

More pictures from playball.

BMX @ The Hill

2006-07-07T02:08:00.000-07:00

Silicon Valley around here?

2006-07-07T02:00:00.000-07:00

Some bloggers and pundits spent May-June discussing ideas of how a region can become a Silicon Somewhere. Could it apply to Elgin? Food for thought:

How to be Silicon Valley - Paul Graham
The Next Silicon Valley (parts 1, 2, 3) - Joel Kotkin
How to Kick Silicon Valley's Butt - Guy Kawasaki

Something to look at

2006-07-07T01:54:00.000-07:00

The new Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, designed by Jean Nouvel. Picture courtesy of The New York Times:

The site is a Modernist heaven on a former industrial strip along the riverfront. Just next to the complex is a grain elevator, similar to those that Le Corbusier once lauded as the American equivalent of the Parthenon, the "magnificent first fruits of a new age." An electric generating plant looms across the river; to the north, water rushes through a series of locks beneath an industrial bridge.
Like so many cities, of course, Minneapolis has gradually undergone an economic transformation. Most of the city's old flour mills were shut down long ago. The concrete grain elevator alongside the theater complex has been preserved as a historic monument, and a nearby row of warehouses has been converted into co-ops. Mr. Nouvel's design takes its initial cues from the city's early history. The complex's scale fits nicely with the structure next door. The boxy, piled-up forms echo the electric power plant across the street, anchoring the theater in the city's early industrial ethos rather than in the shopping centers and office towers downtown. (New York Times 7/4/06)

Thoughts on a cell phone ban

2006-07-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

The funny thing about the cell phone studies is that they don't seem to explain why the rate of car accidents haven't exploded since cell phone usage became widespread. I guess the studies may be biased or otherwise designed poorly. One explanation for the results of their study could be that the subjects were asked to talk for lengths of time that do not correspond to the typical pattern.

The reason drunks get into accidents is that once they're drunk they're going to stay drunk for a while, probably the whole duration of their trip in the car. Drivers on cell phones, on the other hand, may talk for just a few minutes. So the amount of time during which they are distracted, as a percent of their total driving time, may be relatively small and may not pose as serious a threat to traffic safety as it may otherwise seem.

Cell phone ban

2006-06-30T17:14:00.000-07:00

Remember this? Here's some food for thought:

Drivers using hands-free phones were no better than those with the handheld variety, confirming previous studies...When using cell phones, drivers had slower reaction times and more accidents, and they drove inconsistently, sometimes approaching other cars and then falling back, he said.

When talking on the phone, the drivers had three accidents, but when they were drunk, they had none. The drivers also had no accidents when they were sober and not using phones.

Besides New Jersey, the only states to ban driving while talking on a handheld cell phone are Connecticut and New York. Washington and some other communities have also banned it, including Conshohocken and West Conshohocken. A statewide ban passed the Pennsylvania Senate this week, sponsored by Sen. Joe Conti (R., Bucks), but a House bill has not been approved. (Philadelphia Inquirer 6/30/06)

Should Elgin start discussing a cell phone ban?

Rubella, again

2006-06-28T07:28:00.000-07:00

Here's an absolutely horrible version of the Smoking Pope's Rubella.

The Tribune printed a story over the weekend:

Concurrent with the migration to the Web of professional video...there has been a nuclear explosion in the field of amateur video. The gatekeeper used to be "America's Funniest Home Videos," ...but now the gates are wide open.

YouTube, the leader in an increasingly crowded genre, claims 50,000 videos are uploaded to its site daily... (Chicago Tribune 6/25/06)

The great thing about YouTube is that they make it very easy to embed the video in a web page or blog, as I'm sure you've noticed. Google Video also has some support for this now, but it seems like YouTube has more users and more videos.

Hey, if you don't like this guy's version of Rubella, make your own.

An Elgin smoking ban?

2006-06-28T07:26:00.000-07:00

Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona declared today that the evidence is now "indisputable" that secondhand smoke is an "alarming" public health hazard, and warned that measures like no-smoking sections don't provide adequate protection. (New York Times 6/27/06)

Smoke is a genuine health hazard, especially for the waitresses and others who are exposed for hours at a time, five or more days a week. I think there must be a way to implement a smoking ban in Elgin that would satisfy most people. One idea would be to ban smoking in restaurants only, exempting bars--temporarily, at least.

If downtown restaurants want to be exempted, perhaps they can also be exempted. My guess, however, is that there will be as many new customers as a result of a smoking ban as there are lost customers. Some people who now don't dine out because they are sensitive to smoke or don't want to be around it, will now be able to dine out. I also think that the number of people who absolutely have to smoke in a restaurant is very small. Most smokers can wait until after the meal to step outside for a smoke.

Subsidies for replacing chain link fencing

2006-06-26T17:59:00.000-07:00

Here's a great idea:

Residents would get bigger grants to remove chain-link fences from their property, professional rehabbers would become eligible to receive money to fix up historic homes, and there would be no limit on the number of these and other similar grants that residents could receive at one time, under changes to several existing programs the city is planning to adopt soon...

Officials think chain-link fences are ugly and they had hoped to persuade people to start removing them. But they found takers for just $9,000 worth of grants.

The program offers residents up to $1,000, unless they have corner lots, in which case they can get up to $2,000...Mayor Ed Schock said he thinks the grants should be doubled. Most people who have a fence want one, he said, and the current amounts aren't enough to cover both removal and replacement. (Elgin Courier News 6/26/06)

I've thought for some time that the city should subsidize the cost of replacing chain link fencing with picket-type fencing in historic districts. I do think subsidies should be limited to the historic districts. Chain link is in itself not ugly--and is actually I think preferable for certain home styles, but it's not appropriate for the historic districts, where it clashes with the victorians.

Speaking of the Smoking Popes

2006-06-26T17:58:00.000-07:00

Time to stop being a nuisance

2006-06-25T20:30:00.000-07:00

The council passed the new nuisance law.

Beginning Saturday, the city’s code department will issue $50 tickets for violations on the spot...The fine will continue if the problem persists for three days, bringing the total to $150. The fee then will jump to $300 by the 10th day and the city will turn the case to a court to collect the fines. (Daily Herald 6/25/06)

What was the old law?

Right now, the city’s code department issues warnings for various violations that give property owners about 30 days to comply. If the violation is not addressed within that time, code officers issue $25 citations, which very seldom are enforced, oftentimes remaining on the city’s books until they are paid when a real estate transfer is made. (Daily Herald 6/25/06)

This legislation might have been premature. As a Courier story last week illustrated, the city itself commits code violations. It would probably have been better to strengthen the existing code--by raising the fine to a collectible amount, for example, and by enforcing it. The old law seemed simpler--two trips for the inspector within a month--and yet went unenforced. This new law seems more complicated; an inspector would have to visit a property three times within 10 days before the fine jumps to $300 and goes to collection.

But since the city itself has plenty of property in different states of neglect or even blight, it's probably better if the city focuses first on doing its part. And only after all the property under its control is in good shape, should it crack down on residents' property. I think that the way people treat their property is in part influenced by their perception of the surrounding environment.
There are major and minor streets in Elgin with large potholes, well overdue for repairs and repaving--typically in the neighborhoods where nuisance violations are likely to be reported. There are cracked sidewalks and curbs. When the streets are smooth, and the curbs and the sidewalks look nice, I think we'll be surprised at how well people take care of their yards.

Unfortunately, I suspect that much of the money required for such repairs is being diverted to the far west side, where new roads, fire stations, etc. must be built. According to the Herald, the city has only now increased the impact fees it charges developers, raising it to $24,000 (up from $18,000) for a four-bedroom house. This is a substantial increase, but still well below what some neighboring communities charge. Carpentersville charges $39,000. Yes, Carpentersville sells at a premium over Elgin! It must be because of that famous line in the Smoking Popes song "You Spoke to Me:"

I drove all the way from Carpentersville
To see you here tonight
And it was worth it
You didn't play my favorite song
But that's all right
I love the new stuff too
I'm just glad I got to see you

Alas, how much better Brewfest would have been had the Smoking Popes or some lesser but nevertheless real rock bands been on the stage, rather than only cover bands. It was still fun, but it would have been better. I guess since we're worth $15,000 less than C-ville, we shouldn't ask for too much. Anyway...

I guess I'll have a few more things to say about Brewfest later this week.

And don't forget, you have til Saturday to stop being a nuisance! So drag that ratty sofa off your porch, get on your knees and finger out the weeds, sharpen that hand mower you inherited from grandpa last fall (and never got around to using), roll that hunk of rusted steel you call an automobile off your front lawn and back into the garage, and above all, grab the phone and rat on your neighbor if come Saturday, junk still festoons his yard. Have fun!

Mission video

2006-06-16T14:31:00.000-07:00

I suppose this is a typical night at The Mission, downtown Elgin.

Brewfest needs Elgin music

2006-06-15T13:31:00.000-07:00

The 11th annual Brewfest starts at happy hour tomorrow and runs through midnight Saturday. At 10,000 celebrants, this is probably Elgin's biggest festival. Brewfest would be an ideal place to showcase Elgin's music heritage and its music scene, but unfortunately the organizers only booked cover bands this year. Hopefully future years will be different. If you want to hear some of the great music being produced by Elgin bands, tell the Prairie Rock (847-622-8888). You can also use their website.

Third Floor revisited

2006-06-15T13:28:00.000-07:00

Third Floor veteran Matt Vecchio and his group the x-mashers (Plastik Explosives) returns to Elgin this weekend, joining the City of E's very own The Brokedowns and others for a Clearwater show Saturday night. Also look out for x-Apocalypse Hoboken Mexican Cheerleader.

Say goodbye to your ash trees

2006-06-14T13:42:00.000-07:00

The little green devil has arrived...

State officials said Tuesday that the dreaded emerald ash borer had been found recently in six trees in The Windings of Ferson Creek, a heavily wooded St. Charles subdivision.
"For the past two years, we have been preparing for this day ... hoping it wouldn't come," said Chuck Hartke, director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture, about the pest's appearance. "But it is here today. We must act quickly to contain and eradicate the emerald ash borer."
Officials said prompt action is necessary because the beetle's presence in Illinois threatens the state's more than 110 million ash trees. (source: Elgin Courier News 06/14/06)

This is likely to be as devastating as Dutch elm disease.

[The emerald ash borer] was accidentally imported to North America from China in the 1990s and has since destroyed more than six million ash trees in southeastern Michigan. (source: Wikipedia)

Reckless drivers on cell phones

2006-06-14T13:37:00.000-07:00

The same day I asked if the Elgin City Council should start discussing a cell phone ban, this happened:

A car flipped on its roof Monday in Elgin when its driver tried picking up the cell phone she’d dropped in the car...She’d been talking into a cell phone while she drove but dropped it, and when she tried to pick it up, she lost control of the car, ran into the curb and the car flipped over. (source: Daily Herald 6/13/06)

And it sounds like she wasn't even charged with reckless driving.

An Elgin commercial

2006-06-12T17:24:00.000-07:00

Elgin to crack down on nuisances?

2006-06-12T17:04:00.000-07:00

Attention local property owners: City officials are sick and tired of people who don't cut their grass, leave couches on their porches, park in their yards and work on their cars outdoors.

And they say they're not going to take it anymore.

Starting July 1, inspectors would stop issuing warnings for so-called "nuisance code violations" and start issuing $50 fines on the spot. Residents who don't correct the problem that day would draw additional $50 fines for up to two more days. After 10 days, if the issue remains unresolved, the total fine would double to $300.

Under existing rules, nuisance violators are given a grace period of at least three days to take action, with fines coming only if they fail to do so. (source: Elgin Courier 6/11/06)

Interesting...didn't see noise pollution on the list though.

Also, I don't know if obesity and dangerous driving are nuisances, but I wonder if they've considered a cell phone ban? Or a fat tax?

Should Elgin go smoke-free?

2006-06-12T17:02:00.000-07:00

Representatives of both sides of the issue presented studies during Thursday’s meeting supporting their opinions about how a ban would affect them. Some say businesses go under in smoke-free communities, and others say business improves.

Representatives of Paul’s Restaurant on McLean Boulevard said their business goes up on the days when they don’t allow smoking inside. But bowling alleys say banning smoking would harm their business.

Board of Health members are asking residents to write letters and contact city council members with their opinions on the issue. He believes if Elgin goes smoke-free, it would inspire surrounding communities to follow. (souce: Daily Herald 6/10/06)

What do you think? Should Elgin ban smoking in all public places? Just restaurants?

A new Elginite Flickrite

2006-06-11T16:52:00.000-07:00

Say hello to PlayBall. Check out the Elgin v. Larkin pics.

From The Onion, all the great stuff that's happened in Elgin

2006-06-11T09:52:00.000-07:00

Check it out:

The inside of a 1936 Elgin

2006-06-11T09:51:00.000-07:00

Damming the Fox

2006-06-09T14:25:00.000-07:00

The consensus is dams can be dangerous and bad for the environment, but some communities are dead set against demolishing them because they're as much a part of daily life as schools, stores and other local institutions.

The latter is precisely the case in Yorkville, where Illinois officials last week announced the start of a long-planned $2.7 million project to rebuild the Glen D. Palmer dam. The announcement came just five days after three men drowned at the base of the 530-foot-wide structure. (source: Chicago Sun Times 6/5/06)

At least 16 people have died at this Yorkville dam since it was constructed in 1960 as part of the ill-conceived and ill-starred Stratton Project, which would have subordinated all interests to that of pleasure craft owners (the idea was to make the Fox River navigable by pleasure craft from the Chain of Lakes to the Illinois River).

The Friends of the Fox River organization weighs in on the plan to rebuild the dam:

Local public opinion seems to have played an overly important part in deciding to rebuild the dam. While it’s important to solicit local input on the fate of the dam, that input should have been balanced by soliciting input from other stakeholders in the Fox River watershed as every resident within the watershed is impacted by factors affecting the health of the river. The dam is owned by the IDNR Office of Water Resources, not the City of Yorkville and as such is state property. We, as citizens of the Fox River watershed and the State of Illinois, rely on the IDNR to make sound decisions for all of us in regard to protecting our resources. When they bend to local public pressure, as they appear to have done in this case, we should hold them accountable. We, as taxpayers, are being asked to foot the bill to rebuild a dam that is detrimental to our natural resources in deference to the opinions of a committee representing only one community. (source: Tom Schrader, Friends of the Fox River 6/4/06)

The recent drownings are unlikely to prevent the rebuilding of the Glen Palmer dam, but it may energize the anti-dam movement. The task that lies ahead for the Friends of the Fox is to educate and convince the people of the Fox Valley that these dams are indeed harmful and that the benefits of a free-flowing river outweigh the aesthetic benefits of a dam. This ought to be one of the primary goals--if not the primary goal--of their organization.

This isn't an easy task by any means and will require careful planning and at least 5-10 years of regular educational programming, such as public lectures, before a sufficiently large base of support can be built. My guess is that currently in any Fox Valley community dam supporters outnumber dam opponents by a hefty margin, probably 2-1. Moving this ratio to 1-1 will have to precede any serious attempt to remove a dam. I really doubt the IDNR would do anything that a local community would oppose. But if the community is split evenly between those in favor and against, then local politicians and the governor's office will be neutralized, and the IDNR can act.

How about a little Slapstick?

2006-06-08T19:06:00.000-07:00

Sound quality isn't great, but it's the real thing...

Sherman moves to Randall

2006-06-08T15:03:00.000-07:00

Nearly 14 months after Sherman Hospital announced it wanted to make a $310 million move to Elgin's growing west side, state regulators Wednesday approved the plan in about 10 minutes.

Members of the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board voted unanimously to allow Sherman to relocate from 934 Center St. to the intersection of Big Timber and Randall roads. (source: Elgin Courier News 6/08/06)

The Courier says 3,000 jobs will be created, presumably both construction-related and medical staff--and presumably including existing staff. The Tribune says the old east-side site will be converted into, "24-hour urgent care center, with doctors' offices, outpatient facilities and labs." (source: Chicago Tribune 6/8/06)

I'm sure these east-side plans are made in good faith, but of course once the new west-side campus is built, it becomes much easier to close all facilities on the east side. If the east campus becomes a big money-loser, I doubt they will subsidize it for more than a few years before quietly closing their doors and saying, "We did our best!" I could be wrong.

In any case, a major hospital expansion--no matter where it's located--will create more jobs and serve more people and must be welcomed.

Elginite.org

2006-06-01T17:04:00.000-07:00

At least one reader is still there. That's good news. Actually, despite no posts in May, The Elginite blog still got almost 600 page loads and more than 400 unique visitors. It's not much, but better than I expected.

Here's the really good news:

Our fundraising goals have been met. An anonymous donor stepped in with a generous gift right after fundraising month "closed." With this support we will be able to launch Elginite.org this summer, and maintain the site for at least one year. Hopefully by that time advertising revenues will make the idea of a fundraising month obsolete. Cross your fingers.

In the meanwhile, feel free to email suggestions on what you'd like to see included in elginite.org. Better yet, respond with a comment to this post so others can see and comment on your suggestion.

SETI

2006-06-01T11:35:00.000-07:00

Hello? Anybody there?

Signing off

2006-05-01T15:24:00.000-07:00

Fundraising Month yielded $5. Many thanks to cedarwaxwing. Google Adsense clickthroughs have improved somewhat since I changed the number of ads from one to several. Total Adsense earnings have reached $3. So we've got $8 towards the goal of $170. Looks like it may be a while before we can launch Elginite.org.

I've decided to take a break from blogging. This break will last at least through May. In the meanwhile you may still want to visit the blog to view news or classifieds, which I've configured to display directly on the site. I suppose there's a possibility that a substitute blogger will post to the Elginite in my place, but nobody has expressed interest yet. Contact me if you want to do it.

I uploaded a bunch of pictures to Flickr today, and have hit my limit for the month of May, so don't expect any more pictures this month either.

See you in June--perhaps!

Seed Wiki for community collaboration

2006-04-30T19:53:00.000-07:00

You've probably used Wikipedia. If so, you probably know that a wiki is a website that anybody on the web can edit. If you don't like something about a Wikipedia article, you can click the edit button and make your changes.

So why am I talking about a wiki? The whole idea of a wiki is collaboration. And in a community like Elgin there are plenty of opportunities for collaboration. You or a community group can use a wiki to share and refine ideas, to organize and to mobilize.

For this purpose, I think you may want to go with Seed Wiki. It's free and easy to use--you don't even need to sign up (unless you want to create a new wiki). To get you started, I've created a couple of "skeleton" wikis:

If you have anything to contribute or say about these "projects," just click the edit button, and do your thing.

Elgin bands plan album releases

2006-04-30T19:48:00.000-07:00

At least three Elgin bands are preparing to release albums in the coming months:

dormLife opened at the Smoking Popes concert that I attended at Clearwater. Their music has an all-American, corn-fed, Midwestern, apple-pie-kind-of sound (what does that mean???). What I mean is that it would make a great soundtrack for the Abercrombie & Fitch subculture, because ANF is what I think of when I listen to dormLife. It's very good music, especially if you like acoustic rock. I think they're better than their friends, The Academy Is. dormLife's sophomore album is expected in June or July.

Scheflo is blessed with a vocalist who at times looks like Scarlet Johanson. Check out the video for Don't You Want This if you don't believe me. Scheflo recorded their debut EP at Gravity Studios with producer Mike Hari(Fall Out Boy), and expect to release it "soon."

Showoff has been around. They were signed to Madonna's Maverick Records years ago, broke up, went into the wilderness, and are now back and based in Elgin. This pop punk outfit's big hit from back in the day was Falling Star. Their new EP, Waiting For You, will be released May 16th and presale will begin May 4th.

Fox River Rowing Club

2006-04-30T19:45:00.000-07:00

The Crystal Lake Rowing Club website lists a Fox Valley Rowing Club based in Elgin. Does anybody know anything about this?

I've never seen so much as a scull on the Fox River. I would be really surprised to see a rowing crew. Some rivers are very pleasant to row on. Unfortunately, because of what we have done to it, the Fox is more smelly lagoon than river, especially north of Kimball Street. I seriously hesitate to call it a river.

I would heartily endorse the candidacy of anyone running for the legislature if he/she will agree to pursue state funding for removal of all useless dams on the Fox River. The Fox is the most heavily dammed river in Illinois. Removing this cancer should be our priority.

Elgin has best Wikipedia article

2006-04-30T19:35:00.000-07:00

I do have to say that out of all the Wikipedia articles on Illinois cities of comparable size (Aurora, Peoria, Joliet, Waukegan, Rockford, Naperville, etc.), Elgin's is the best. The layout is better. The content is of higher quality. It's something you should be proud of. I think it really says great things about the people of Elgin.

To all of you who clicked the edit button and helped make it so, Go ahead and pat yourself on the back.

Introducing CACE - Contemporary Arts Center Elgin

2006-04-28T16:46:00.000-07:00

Right now my favorite half-baked idea is the Contemporary Arts Center Elgin (CACE).

Obviously CACE is a play on case, since the complex is the old Illinois Watch Case Company factory, otherwise known as the watch case factory (though these days usually referred to as the Simpson Electric building). Since we destroyed the watch factory, we should try to preserve this complex, since it too is a part of the same Watch City heritage. When I say preserve, I mean preserve, not refurbish into luxury condos. I think it's important that it retain its industrial-age ambience.

So what is CACE and what is the model for it? CACE, as I see it, would be the midwest's premier contemporary art museum. It may include artists' residences, studios, galleries, museum, and businesses that are in the new media, communications or other art-related or creative industries. At 250,000 square feet, it would probably be the largest contemporary art museum in the Midwest. The problem with Chicago's MCA is that it's too pretty. It works for modern art, but isn't ideal for contemporary art, which demands a grittier venue and much larger spaces.

The model for CACE is Mass MoCA, the nation's largest contemporary art museum (300,000 square feet, I think). Mass MoCA is new (opened 1999) and very successful. It certainly makes me want to visit North Adams!

In 1986, just a year after Sprague's closing, the business and political leaders of North Adams were seeking ways to creatively re-use the vast Sprague complex. Williams College Museum of Art director Thomas Krens, who would later become Director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, was looking for space to exhibit large works of contemporary art that would not fit in conventional museum galleries. When Mayor John Barrett III suggested the vast Marshall Street complex as a possible exhibition site, the idea of creating a contemporary arts center in North Adams began to take shape.

Joseph C. Thompson, Krens' colleague at the Williams College Museum of Art, was named founding director of MASS MoCA and spearheaded the project's launch. Thompson led the campaign to build political and community support for the proposed institution, which would serve as a platform for the creation and presentation of contemporary art, and develop links to the region's myriad cultural institutions. The Massachusetts legislature announced its support for the project in 1988. Subsequent economic upheaval in Massachusetts threatened the project, but broad-based support from the community and the private sector, which pledged more than $8 million, ensured that it continued to move forward.

The feasibility study for MASS MoCA was led by renowned architects Simeon Bruner of Bruner/ Cott & Associates, Frank Gehry, Robert Venturi, and David Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. Bruner/Cott was named project architect in 1992 and, in 1995, the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based firm completed the master plan and final designs. They proposed exploiting the unparalleled scale and versatility of the complex's industrial spaces, while establishing a dialogue between the facility's past and the new life it would have as the country's largest center for contemporary visual and performing arts.

As designs for the complex developed, so did the articulation of MASS MoCA's mission. Originally conceived as an institution for the display of contemporary visual arts, MASS MoCA evolved, under Thompson's leadership, into a center that would both present and catalyze the creation of works that chart new creative territory. MASS MoCA celebrated its opening in 1999, marking the site's launch into its third century and the continuation of a long history of innovation and experimentation. (source: Mass MoCA website)

The establishment of CACE would require a similar level of effort, buy-in and participation as was required for the establishment of Mass MoCA. Ideally, the City of Elgin, Kane County, and the State of Illinois would all share in the initial funding along with private and corporate donors. However, the City of Elgin could probably finance the project on its own. Art faculty from Chicago-area colleges would need to be involved. NENA and other neighborhood groups would need to be on board.

It's a lot of work, but it will save the complex from destruction or debasement. And of course it would generate a tremendous amount of buzz for Elgin. Elgin would become a serious cultural center. Artists would move in. Since it's a contemporary art museum, it would generate a lot of positive externalities or side effects. Artists would want to be nearby. People or businesses that follow artists would establish themselves in Elgin. Elgin would suddenly become an attractive place for creative businesses to locate.

What do you think would have a greater impact on Elgin, CACE or a new concert hall? I think CACE would have a bigger impact, because the concert hall is for an orchestra that already exists. The ESO is already here and whatever extra benefits from having a new concert hall are likely to be marginal, especially since in all likelihood they will choose a ho-hum design by a third-rate architect.

In my view, CACE would be a better investment. For one thing, it would be cheaper to "construct." It doesn't need to be fancy, especially since the idea is to preserve its industrial-age atmosphere. The other thing--the bigger thing--is that it would extend Elgin's cultural dimensions into the realm of visual art. It's great that we have an orchestra, but we also need an art museum, and here's a way to do it.

I think a contemporary art museum has greater potential for generating positive externalities than any other kind of art museum. The fact that the art on display is by living artists makes it much more likely that living artists will inhabit the community. When artists inhabit a community, positive things happen: Galleries open, followed by restaurants and stores, and so on. Artistic types--creative people--would love Elgin's historic districts with its gorgeous Victorians and the downtown with its unique mix of old commercial, industrial and religious buildings. They would be excited by the ethnic and socio-economic diversity that characterizes Elgin. CACE will bring them here.

If we want Elgin to be a creative city, a vital and thriving community we can all be proud of, I think this is an option we're obligated to explore.

A Pattern Language for Elgin

2006-04-28T16:44:00.000-07:00

Jane Jacobs influenced my thinking about cities, and so did Christopher Alexander. His classic book A Pattern Language describes altogether 253 patterns for constructing spaces, from the scale of a small house to a large city.

Some of Alexander's ideas are utopian, but let me list some of the patterns that may work in Elgin (if you want to see all of Alexander's patterns, click here).

The patterns are identified by their number in the book.

8. Mosaic of subcultures (not ghettoes, not ethnocentric, smaller and separated by non-residential)
9. Scattered work (work places intermixed with residential)
12. Community of 7000
13. Subculture boundary (physical boundaries between subcultures, 200' wide)
14. Identifiable neighborhood (<300>100' apart)
59. Quiet backs (Elgin's High Line, er, Low Line!)

104. Site repair (always build on worst land, not best)
105. South facing outdoors
106. Positive outdoor space( vs. negative space left over by buildings, somewhat enclosed/convex)
108. Connected buildings (no space between them)
110. Main entrance (bold, visible, stands out in front of building)
111. Half-hidden garden (needs some privacy, half hidden/half exposed)
112. Entrance transition (not directly off street)
114. Hierarchy of open space (garden rooms that look into larger rooms or views)
119. Arcades (covered walkways at edge of buildings)
121. Path shape (should bulge in middle, taper off, invite stay)
122. Building fronts (no setbacks, right up to street)
125. Stair seats (missing at the GBL)
126. Something roughly in the middle (every square needs a focal point not in exact middle) [by Al's?]

140. Private terrace on the street
158. Open stairs (outdoor)
160. Building edge (must be useable, e.g. "bench" edge at CU)
162. North face (build a cascade on north side, eg. car port, so no long shadow is cast over ground)
166. Gallery surround (porch/balconies)
167. Six-foot balcony (less than that will go unused, set some of it recessed into building)
168. Connection to the earth (terraces, paths etc; should be unclear where building ends and land begins)
169. Terraced slope
171. Tree places (must create spaces, either alone or in combo with buildings, trees, bushes, etc)
173. Garden wall
174. Trellised walk
177. Vegetable garden (including community garden, build small shed)

231. Dormer windows (in roof)
241. Seat spots (good placement is better than good construction)
242. Front door bench
243. Sitting wall
244. Canvas roofs
245. Raised flowers (along buildings protects them from street-level traffic, etc)
247. Paving with cracks between stones (no mortar)
252. Pools of light (not uniform illumination; pools with dark spaces between)

There you have it, some of the patterns we can use to make Elgin a better place. I cut and paste this from my notes. Forgive any parenthetical comments that don't make sense! If you want more details, get the book or ask the GBL to order a copy.

Before Meetup.com, there was the Elgin Salon

2006-04-28T16:43:00.000-07:00

I'm continually surprised by the great things Elginites have done. I don't even know how I came across this, but sometime in the past few weeks, I stumbled upon the website of something called the Elgin Salon.

The Elgin Salon is an intimate gathering of people from throughout Chicagoland who regularly converge in Elgin to talk about philosophy and the such--especially from a left-leaning perspective. It's not a forum for chitchat or networking.

In March, 1998, we began collecting as many bright, curious, open-minded, maybe slightly eccentric, occasionally intense, inventive, unconventional thinkers and doers as we could find. People for whom TV and an occasional beer with friends-from-work were not enough. Interesting people who enjoy the society of other interesting people. People who possess and appreciate wit and imagination. Philosopher-daredevils. Cool, self-invented people up for doing something extraordinary, maybe even a little far out. (source: Elgin Salon website)

What's the difference between a club and a salon? Clubs are more closed; they have members. Salons are in principle open to anybody, though they may still need to "apply" to the host to be invited. Clubs typically have dues. Salons do not. Clubs typically have some obligations of membership. Salons do not. Salons are primarily about ideas.

A salon is an intimate forum for thoughtful and respectul discussion of ideas.

Especially since Meetup.com will charge fees as of May 1 6--and nobody's going to use it anymore, salons can be Elgin's way of localizing the meetup phenomenon. Salon is a more elegant term than meetup, don't you think? Other places have meetups and Elgin has salons. How civilized!

Just a few salon ideas to get you started:

Tech
Web
Classical music
Area music
Visual/performing art
Preservation
Downtown revitalization
Politics
Conservative politics
Liberal politics
Conservation/environment

And maybe for Elgin-related issues...an Elginite salon?

Towards an Elgin music revival

2006-04-28T16:40:00.000-07:00

Right now, despite its enviable punk music heritage, Elgin's music scene is in hibernation. Elgin bands perform in Dundee, Dekalb, Chicago, Barrington, Arlington Heights--just about everywhere except Elgin! Exactly why, I can't tell you. But I think the Taliban atmosphere has something to do with it. Here's what John Emerson--good friend of all Elgin bands--had to say:

There weren't a lot of articles on the Third Floor. Back then, the Elgin punk scene was flourishing, but underground. Brian [Peterson] tried to avoid anything that would get any mainstream publicity because, no matter how "positive" the slant of the story, Elgin's blue-nosed puritans would have been horrified that there was something fun for kids to do in their town... that wasn't heavily chaperoned! ...and wasn't sponsored by the Parks and Recreation Department, one of the high schools or a church! What is this world coming to?

Music is a crucial part of the creative urban fabric. A music scene generates all sorts of economic activity. A successful venue can encourage entrepreneurs to open other venues nearby. Pretty soon, you have an entertainment district. Restaurants or pizzerias open to take advantage of the fact that people want to eat before or after they go to a show. Corner stores open, because people tend to want to buy something before or after a show--potato chips perhaps or bottled water. These corner stores then become an amenity for people living in the downtown. Other shops open to take advantage of the traffic. More people move in. Recording studios open. Record stores open. Book stores carry CDs produced by local bands. Web developers build multimedia websites for the bands or other sites that use their music. Designers create logos, branding and design t-shirts.

How much economic activity can come from a music scene? WSM-AM 650 started broadcasting Grand Ole Opry in 1925. Now Nashville is home to the largest songwriting community in the world (20,000 people). Music Row in Nashville is home to hundreds of music publishers and record labels, and the neighboring Berry Hill district has hundreds of recording studios.

Of course Elgin isn't going to be Nashville, but it can create enough of a music industry that will provide economic opportunities, enhance the quality of life, revitalize downtown, and give people pride in E town. I've mentioned Bellingham, Washington before. There's no reason we can't be like Bellingham, with all its live music venues and recording studios.

Elgin bands have historically done very well, rising to national, even international prominence. Slapstick is widely considered one of the three greatest ska punk bands of all time. Ex-Slapstick band The Lawrence Arms is touring some 20 European cities right now. Every teenager in the country has at least heard of the Alkaline Trio, if they're not actually familiar with the music, which gets regular airtime on MTV. Alkaline Trio started when Matt Skiba met Dan Andriano (ex-Slapstick and St. Ed alumnus) at an Elgin concert. The Smoking Popes, of course, are luminaries in the punk rock firmament. And Colossal, Elgin's reigning band, has been hailed by every able-bodied punk critic in America and Canada.

The Academy Is, a Hoffman Estates band, got signed to Fallout Boy's label (Fallout Boy is a Wilmette band), and is now huge. They're bigger than the Strokes, something I can barely believe. The Academy Is used to play Clearwater with all the other Elgin-area bands. And in fact, most of them were there on Monday when Elgin-based dormLife headlined a show that included several area bands, booked by Elgin-based DECAL Productions. The Academy Is will resume their national tour in late May.

When their peers have met with success, and when they have such illustrious predecessors like Slapstick, you can't accuse our bands of harboring unrealistic hopes and dreams. They deserve our support. When they meet with success it gives us--especially our teens--something to be proud of. I can't tell you how many amazed responses I've gotten when I tell people how rich Elgin's music heritage actually is.

Elgin once had a thriving music scene, centered on the Third Floor. We held the pearl in our hands, and let it fall. As a result, the Fireside Bowl came to national prominence, while the Third Floor became an obscure legend. Let's not repeat that mistake. When we get somebody like Brian Peterson--who organized the Third Floor and the Fireside Bowl, we have to work to keep him. When I see what the Taliban clique is doing to David Shelton, it makes me cringe, because sooner or later, enough will be enough, and we'll lose him too.

Despite the fact that Elgin's music scene is in hibernation, I can think of at least two record labels based in Elgin, a company that arranges logistics for touring bands, a booking company and a company that provides lighting systems for concerts. Imagine how many music-related businesses there would be if there was a thriving music scene! And of course the restaurants would benefit; of course cafes would benefit; of course the downtown shops would benefit.

A music scene would be a huge plus for Elgin, and the only thing holding it back is the Taliban clique.

Colossal, for those who need the introduction

2006-04-28T16:38:00.000-07:00

If you didn't already know, Elgin's premier band is Colossal. They've received unanimous praise from critics, have been described as one of Chicago's most promising bands, and have toured with Alkaline Trio--an Elgin band that made it into the big leagues.

Colossal's music has a chiming, brilliantine beauty. As far as rock music goes, I think it's extraordinary. I'm not being partisan--afterall, there are a dozen other Elgin bands to plug. I say this because their music amazes me.

Colossal has accomplished the rare feat of creating a unique sound, one that has been described as lounge punk. It's a sophisticated sound characterized by an intricate texture of arpeggiated chords, challenging vocals, unusual intervals and metric innovation--this must be Elliot Carter's favorite punk band. Pat Ford is a fine singer with a good voice and outstanding intonation. His baritone is a refreshing change from the typical tenor voice.

Colossal, like other Elgin bands treat the drums as an instrument--all too many bands out there think the drum is a metronome, and it sounds great. Could this style of drumming be a part of Elgin's "audio fingerprint" or "sound identity"--the music that characterizes a place--that Richard Florida describes? But perhaps it's all because Octopodic Rob is the greatest drummer in the Land of Lincoln and drums or has drummed for all of the great Elgin bands...

Colossal has an impressive pedigree descending directly from not just Elgin's legendary Slapstick--through Rob Kellenberger, but the Smoking Popes as well--through Eli Caterer. Slapstick and the Smoking Popes were arguably the greatest bands to emerge from the Elgin-area music scene, and Colossal descends from both. Without doubt, Colossal now holds the sceptre and wears the crown. These are the kings of E town.

The Mission's significance

2006-04-28T16:36:00.000-07:00

From what I understand, all-ages venues are important because local music scenes are driven by teenagers. New bands tend to be made up of teenagers, and their audiences are likewise dominated by teenagers. Teenagers don't have a lot of money to spend on tickets, so prices need to be low (around $6). But for the venue, it's hard to make a profit on $6 ticket prices--afterall the band, the booking company and everybody else will want to get paid. If the venue can't sell alcohol to some people in the audience--in other words if it were all teens, they probably couldn't make a profit. This is how I understand it. Tell me if I'm wrong.

The Mission, from what I understand, doesn't book rock bands--it has DJs, but similar economics are at work. And nightlife entrepreneurs would be looking at the Mission as a bellwether of sorts, since it mixes teens and adults. Can you open and operate an all-ages venue in Elgin? Can a place like Dundee's Clearwater Theater, which mixes teens and adults, operate in Elgin without unwarranted interference from city authorities? Right now the signs are not good.

Entrepreneurs will assume that if the Mission can't operate without city harassment, then a place like Clearwater can't either. Yet a place like Clearwater, where local bands can play to an appreciative hometown audience, is exactly what Elgin needs in order to effect the revival of its legendary music scene.

Interesting take on bike lanes

2006-04-28T16:33:00.000-07:00

My personal opinion is that bicycle lanes are an expensive solution to a negligible problem. Many believe that such lanes make cycling safer because that magic paint stripe somehow reduces the risk of being hit from behind. But that risk is very, very low to begin with. If I recall right, less than 8% of all cycling fatalities involve being hit from behind, and the majority of those happen after dark to cyclists without lights or reflectors. Intersections account for roughly two-thirds of fatalities, yet bike lanes make intersections and crossing movements more complicated. Finally, the build-it-and-they-will-come argument is not supported by facts. We've spent ever-increasing amounts on facilities like bike lanes (but also including linear parks and other cycling amenities) yet the number of cyclists has remained relatively flat (when bicycle sales figures are used as an estimate of the numbers of new cyclists). (source: CycleDog blog)

Why don't we have angled parking?

2006-04-28T16:32:00.000-07:00

Lane widths in downtowns and on commercial streets need only be 8-10 feet, rather than the standard 12-plus feet. This means that many commercial streets are wide enough to accommodate angled parking in some sections. Angled parking can fit almost 50 percent more cars than parallel parking, and it calms traffic, creating a safer environment that’s more conducive to pedestrian use. (source: Historic Dundee blog)

For a long time now, I've wondered if this option was ever explored for downtown Elgin. I for one prefer angled parking, because parallel parking when there's traffic makes me very anxious--I'm not used to city life. I think I would definitely be more inclined to stop and park in the downtown if there was angled parking in front of downtown stores and restaurants. I think it would also make for a nicer walking atmosphere, since the parked cars would create more of a buffer between the sidewalk and the street.

I think for the most part, sidewalks in the downtown are wide enough to accomodate angled parking. Look at Grove Street for example, pictured below.

Downtown parking has always been an issue. No matter how many parking decks are built, nothing can compare with parking in front of your destination. If angled parking provides 50% more parking, it's something to consider.

Randolph & Halstead, Chicago

2006-04-28T16:31:00.000-07:00

This is what State Street between Highland and Chicago needs. Trees!

Mission Bay Multisport

2006-04-28T16:30:00.000-07:00

Mission Bay Multisport's store in Elgin has consistently been ranked the #1 triathlon shop in Chicago, and is sometimes said to be best tri shop in the Midwest.

About 5 years ago, they opened a store in Chicago. I visited last week.

Nice to have them around in Elgin.

Elgin's highflyer - Middleby

2006-04-28T16:28:00.000-07:00

You might have read a couple days ago about the big contract Elgin-based Middleby signed with Papa John's Pizza. You might remember too that in 2005, Middleby attained the #10 ranking on the Forbes Magazine's 2005 Best Small Companies list.

There aren't a lot of publicly-traded companies in Elgin. Middleby is one of them, and without a doubt, Middleby is the top performer. In fact, it's probably the best performing stock of any company in Illinois. In the past 5 years, their stock has risen 25-fold. That's right, 25-fold!

Elgin on MySpace

2006-04-28T16:23:00.000-07:00

Is it time for the ESO and other Elgin groups to get on MySpace?

The Elginite's MySpace friends are all Elgin bands. Check it out.

Cupertino vs. Elgin

2006-04-28T16:21:00.000-07:00

Check this out. Wish it were Ed Zander and the Elgin City Council.

SMOKIN!

2006-04-28T10:32:00.000-07:00

I've watched the Smoking Popes Live at Metro DVD maybe three times (some tracks appear on the DVD but not the CD), and I think I've converted several people into Smoking Popes fans. I can't stop listening to the CD. If you're unfamiliar with punk music, this is a good place to start! The punk tent is a big one; this happens to be pop punk, which means it's easy to listen to, which is why their music has such tremendous commercial appeal.

Frankly, I'm amazed by the Smoking Popes. Their lyrics rake the heart; their beat can wake the dead. Even if they become deaf to their muse and write nothing more--which I doubt, their place is assured in the pantheon of punk rock.

God bless the Smoking Popes.

Elgin Taliban make comeback

2006-04-27T18:26:00.000-07:00

Elgin City Councilman Juan Figueroa accused his fellow council members of acting like moral police Wednesday when they voted to reinstate a time limit on an Elgin night club’s permit to mix teens with a 21 and older crowd...

“It’s not a moral issue,” Rodgers responded. “I would not want my daughter or my nephew to go there with those pictures. To me, it was inappropriate, those teens were half naked, 80 percent naked.”

In March 2005, the council agreed to let the dance club open two weeknights instead of one, extend its hours until 3 a.m. on weeknights, and allow those 21 and older to drink in a separate part of the building during the young adult nights. They also put a time limit on the Young Adult Night permit, requiring a return to the city council for review after a year...
“If only symbolic, it’s important to point out that this is not something readily and easily granted,” Schock said. “It sends a message that the liquor commission is keeping a close eye and making sure the owner exercises every available caution. (source: Daily Herald 4/27/06)

No, Mr. Mayor, the message it sends loud and clear is that the 24-hr downtown thing was a lie. It sends the message that Elgin is run by a Taliban clique, and that nightlife is not welcome. I can't imagine any entrepreneur taking the risk of opening in downtown Elgin.

Gilliam, Schock, Walters and Rodgers voted against a vital downtown. They voted against Elgin.

Elgin Lyceum

2006-04-27T18:25:00.000-07:00

This building for chamber music PLEASE!

Some thoughts on downtown housing

2006-04-27T18:24:00.000-07:00

At some point we'll get diminishing returns to how much we invest in downtown housing. It may be that only a few people are needed to live in a downtown. I've never seen anything in the literature that sets a specfic density requirement. Generally speaking, when urbanists and new urbanists speak of putting people in the downtown, they meant converting the upper stories of existing buildings into residential lofts, apartments or condos. They didn't mean go out and tear down landmarks and replace them with condos--especially if the condos break the 4-story limit (a rule established by Christopher Alexander, whose work I will discuss at a later point).

On the contrary, they recognize that historic buildings are what endow a place with character--are what in fact make it a place and not just a dot on a map. Historic doesn't necessarily mean ornate temples, Victorians, Gothic or Neoclassical mansions and cathedrals. It means everything that came before. Some of these buildings may not be "pretty" to the average person, yet if they possess an aesthetic unity, to a discerning eye are often beautiful. Much industrial-age architecture is like this. This is one reason such buildings are so favored by the artistic community not only for living in but as spaces for the creation and exhibition of contemporary art.

For the anti-immigrant, words to ponder...

2006-04-27T18:23:00.000-07:00

We have no reason to mistrust our world, for it is not against us. Has it terrors, they are our terrors; has it abysses, those abysses belong to us; are dangers at hand, we must try to love them. And if only we arrange our life according to that principle which counsels us that we must always hold to the difficult, then that which now still seems to us the most alien will become what we most trust and find most faithful. How should we be able to forget those ancient myths about dragons that at the last moment turn into princesses; perhaps all the dragons of our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us once beautiful and brave. Perhaps everything terrible is in its deepest being something helpless that wants help from us.

-Rainer Maria Rilke, Stephen Mitchell tr.

ESO's immigration program

2006-04-27T18:20:00.000-07:00

This month, Elgin Symphony Orchestra will kicks off “In Search of the American Dream,” a monthlong celebration of concerts and humanities programs exploring immigration and the American experience. (source: Daily Herald 4/27/06)

It's good for the ESO to remind us that we are a nation of immigrants. I still can't get over Mike Bailey's late-January editorial in which he seems to blame immigrants and the poor for companies like Spiess leaving the downtown:

The influx of lower-income residents and immigrants brought the need for expansive social services, charities and agencies to serve them, which in turn attracted more of the same. Low-income housing generated the need for even more such housing.
Quality department stores left, to be replaced by seedy strip malls, bargain stores and resale shops. As the unskilled labor pool here grew, so did the concentration of businesses requiring such help. (source: Elgin Courier Jan. '06)

The closing of stores downtown has nothing to do with immigrants or poor people. Stores moved out of downtowns because downtowns were not suited for the automobile--there wasn't ample parking, easy access, visibility, etc. Blaming immigrants for what the automobile wrought is just unfair.

As for strip malls, stores move out of these for different reasons. Here are a couple--I'm sure there are others:

They change formats (e.g., from Wal-Mart to Super Wal-Mart) and realize that it's cheaper to build a new building than to modify, expand or refurbish the old one.
Supermarkets and big box retailers realize that if they close down to refurbish, their customers will go to their competitors and never come back. It's better to build a new building elsewhere and then close the old store only when the new store has opened.

What this means is that the strip malls and buildings built for big box stores will always become "seedy" at some point. Other, more affluent communities also have these "seedy" old strip malls. Drive down Randall Road to St. Charles if you don't believe me.

If you understand this, you can appreciate the positive that comes when an immigrant converts one of these worn-out stores or strip malls and puts something vital in its place. The Elgin Fruit Market on Summit is a fine example. Jewel-Osco moved out of this site a long time ago, because their format changed--they wanted a new building. They weren't running away from poor people!

But once Jewel left, the building became "seedy." Eventually, Sears Hardware moved in, and then it became Sears Outlet. But until the Elgin Fruit Market came, it wasn't very pleasant to look at or visit. Elgin Fruit Market, a supermarket probably owned by immigrants and catering to immigrants, did great work there, and nobody paid attention. I can't recall a single newspaper article that brought to attention the fact that they recently completed a successful and major expansion.

We need to give credit when credit is due. And we need to stop blaming immigrants for all of Elgin's problems.

Reality of Festival Park

2006-04-27T18:19:00.000-07:00

The reality of Festival Park is that you can have only a limited number of festivals, because it's surrounded by homes. That's the downside of putting residential there. You have to worry about the future of Brewfest now that people will be living all around it. Which is too bad because despite little or no promotion Brewfest is probably the most successful Elgin festival.

Festival Park is not like Grant Park or Millenium Park in Chicago, which are surrounded by commercial buildings. You can have a Lollapalooza there every weekend and nobody will wince. But Elgin planners built a "festival" park surrounded by residential homes. These residents will quickly tire of festivals, especially if it involves a lot of traffic and/or music. Ironically, the more successful the festival, the more annoyed the neighbors will be. That's just a prediction. I could be wrong--I often am.

My guess though is that festival park won't actually lead to more or bigger festivals. And that's too bad, because there are a lot of music festivals that would be fun to have in Elgin. ....

world music festival
punk music festival
chicago indie music festival
unsigned festival (unsigned chicagoland bands)
chamber music festival
new music festival (avante garde composers)

How would neighbors feel about music festivals every other weekend or whatever? Yeah...This is why I question the wisdom of building $5M latrines and such which will be in use rarely...

Festival Park - diminishing returns illustrated

2006-04-27T18:18:00.000-07:00

I made this diagram a few months ago to illustrate the concept of diminishing returns as applied to Festival Park. I never got around to posting it. Diminishing returns is a basic concept in economics. The idea is that the first million dollars you spend will have the most impact, and then each additional million gives you less and less. At some point, it's no longer worth putting money into a project because the return on your investment is so little.

My thought is that Festival Park is good enough and the extra $5M or whatever they're spending is at the point in the project where the return is not worth the investment.

Give a hearty welcome to Blue Egg Communications

2006-04-27T18:17:00.000-07:00

In recent weeks, Blue Egg Communications moved into the Burritt Building in downtown Elgin. This might be the first web developer to move into the Burritt Building since rule29 ignominiously defected to Geneva.

How the Crocker could have been saved

2006-04-27T18:15:00.000-07:00

Footfalls echo in the memory
Down the passage which we did not take
Towards the door we never opened
Into the rose-garden - T.S. Eliot

The below picture diagrams how the River Park Place condominium did not require the destruction of the landmark Crocker Theater. The condominium's footprint could have been moved south, and Dupage Street could have been extended to enable access to the riverside parking lot.

Extending Dupage Street would have required the destruction of this building, which is far more dispensible than the landmark Crocker.

And it would have been a perfect chance to get rid of this nasty, nasty, Jack-the-Ripper corridor.

But somehow our councilmen thought the Crocker was a blight, not this.

Move the watch factory train station

2006-04-27T18:14:00.000-07:00

Elgin spent money and energy trying to restore a former train depot at National and Wellington because it was the destination for workers at the Elgin National Watch Factory, a building demolished 30 years ago and commemorated by an obscure plaque hidden at the entrance of the discount shipping center that replaced it. (source: Elgin Courier 4/23/06)

Mike Bailey's editorial brings up a good point. It would be better to move the old watch factory's train depot to a more favorable location where it can get a new life as a refreshment, ticket, newspaper, or concession stand or something along those lines. Even if it's open only part of the year to sell ice cream or something, it would be nice. Festival park might be a good location.

The building is very small and should be easy to lift up off its foundations, placed on a truck bed and hauled down the street. That may also open up the possibility of developing the old site.

Yeah, that's another one of my half-baked ideas.

I don't mind putting half-baked ideas out there. I do half the baking. You can do the other half. Isn't that the promise of the Internet? To get ideas out there, and people talking about ideas, and together baking something better than what one person could have baked on their own? With some luck, someone with a social-entrepreneurial bent will pick up on one idea and run with it. If I put out ten half-baked ideas and one actually leads to some concrete positive change for the city and people of Elgin, that would make all this worthwhile.

Too many posts for one day

2006-04-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

Now that was a real blogathon. I spent the whole evening catching up...somewhat. Three more blogathons and I'll have a clean slate.

Trivia -- where was this photo taken?

2006-04-26T19:39:00.000-07:00

Somebody likes the GBL

2006-04-26T19:38:00.000-07:00

At the next tour stop, the Gail Borden Public Library, several Chicago residents said the 2003 building was enough to tempt them into moving to Elgin.
"I think this is the most beautiful library — even more than the Harold Washington library" in downtown Chicago, said Hyde Park resident Rosalie Fruchter.
"It is a gracious, elegant building, with all the curves and places to plop down and read," she said. (source: Elgin Courier 4/25/06)

I'm glad somebody likes the building. I would have preferred a building that broke new ground, that put Elgin on the map. Something like the library Rem Koolhass designed for Seattle or the one David Chipperfield designed for Des Moines. If Elgin wants to be recognized as a cultural center, it has to take risks in new architecture, not go for the least-common-denominator building that offends nobody and inspires nobody.

Buildings like Calatrava's expansion in Milwaukee or the Guggenheim Bilbao were big risks, hated by some people, but ultimately huge successes that catalyzed urban renewal.

The Harold Washington Library was a terrible mistake. It's probably the worst public building built in Chicago in the past few decades, a great betrayal of Chicago's great architectural tradition. A building that succeeds neither as a modern building nor as pastiche.

But ignore the Harold Washington Library, because Chicago has amazing architecture. And if Elgin is to be truly Illinois's second city, then it must aggressively work towards assembling a collection of fine architecture. Columbus's example should be instructive.

Elgin's unnatural approach to downtown revitalization

2006-04-26T19:37:00.001-07:00

Drawn by affordable rents, layers of history and quirky architecture that lends itself to eye-catching show space, art dealers are increasingly opening galleries on the South and Near West Sides, clustering into art districts and tapping the disposable income flowing into gentrifying neighborhoods.

Like the artists before them, many of the gallery owners are urban pioneers who arrived before a wave of residential construction and have helped breathe new life into decaying neighborhoods. Others set up shop later, attracted by what they described as the "raw energy" of an up-and-coming area...

The pattern itself is not new: Artists move into a down-and-out area, spark a cultural revival and are joined by galleries, restaurants, cafes, newcomers and niche shops. Real estate prices soar, and artists, even art dealers, are pushed out. They then migrate to areas with skimpier rents. (source: Chicago Tribune 4/7/06)

It's a good reminder of how things normally work and shows how unnatural, expensive and risky Elgin's approach to downtown redevelopment is. Will it work?

Beats me. But there are ways for us to reduce the risk. More on that later.

Campton to sue over Stony Creek

2006-04-26T19:37:00.000-07:00

Campton Township trustees voted 4-0 Tuesday to sue Elgin over annexation and zoning of the 932-home plan...

Township officials would not say on what grounds they plan to sue their northern neighbor, but warned they’re not bluffing and will do so in coming weeks.
“The township understands the weightiness of this issue,” township attorney John Noble said. “We’re ready to take it through completely.” (source: Daily Herald 4/26/06)

Good idea. I've thought all along that if they lock it up in litigation, there's a good chance Stony Creek will never get built, assuming the real estate cycle does what cycles do...

If the Campton folks want support in Elgin, they will need to present a palatable alternative to large-lot homes. The Corron-Meissner Savannah is just waiting to be proposed.

Concert hall study - what's taking so long?

2006-04-26T19:36:00.000-07:00

They were supposed to be finished in February. If you were wondering, the concert hall that seemed to impress the city council the most was the Schuster center in Dayton, which is unfortunate, because if they hire Cesar Pelli I won't support the project. Then again, I probably won't support it anyway. With the Centre bleeding red like a stuck pig, I don't think Elgin can afford the risk of undertaking any project on the scale proposed.

Enough "Schock and awe" already

2006-04-26T19:34:00.000-07:00

But you can't save everything, so the general rule should be that we should only preserve things that have a use...
To that end, it follows that it is a silly waste of public money to save largely useless items like the Lindbergh School on Shoe Factory Road and the Meadowdale Raceway tower at Raceway Woods in Carpentersville, among others....
You see, that's why we have museums. We put old things in there so we can go look at them and if they are too big to fit in the museum, we take pictures so we can see what it once looked like without wasting time, effort and money better spent on the here and now...

And worse, we use public funds to do that, thereby forcing every taxpayer to share in someone's private obsession. (source: Elgin Courier 4/23/06)

I don't know about the Lindbergh School or the Raceway Silo, the two structures with which Mike Bailey's editorial is primarily concerned. I don't think I've seen them and can't comment on them.

I do think he is mistaken in saying that historic preservation should be just a private obligation, and that only buildings "with uses" should be preserved.

The Parthenon became "useless" 2,000 years ago. Thank Zeus that Mike Bailey wasn't around then to salvage the marble for a more useful building! Not every city can have a Parthenon or a Hagia Sofia or a Chartres Cathedral, but every city must have some kind of monument, something it can call its own. Such landmarks are what give people a sense of place and pride of place. Mr. Bailey may think otherwise, but condos or shopping malls can never replace the churchs, the barns and old homes built by our fathers and hallowed by time.

One man may own the First Universalist Church building, for example--the bricks may belong to him, the title in his name. But its presence belongs to all of us. It is our history, Elgin's history. It's our heritage. And who would sell that away so cheaply?

City of Elgin has a lot of new employees

2006-04-26T19:33:00.001-07:00

There was some discussion of iron grates over the windows on the Fulton Street Parking Deck. The parking deck is about as ugly as can be. Iron grates would be lipstick on a pig. The best option is to plant as much creeper (or ivy) as possible, and soak it with Miracle Gro. Hopefully that will hide the building

But the best part of the article was in the last few paragraphs:

Also at Wednesday's meeting, council members are scheduled to take up a proposal to spend up to $21,000 to offer all 1,100 full-time, part-time and seasonal city employees tickets to a Kane County Cougars minor-league baseball game and a picnic dinner.
The last time the city held such an event was 2002.
"We have a lot of new employees," said city spokeswoman Sue Olafson. "We need to show appreciation." (source: Elgin Courier 4/25/06)

They have a lot of new employees. I wonder why. The city will soon represent half of Elgin's GDP. I flipped through their Parks & Recreation catalog the other day. Am I the only one amazed at how many businesses the city has gotten itself into? I mean they're in the preschool business for goshsakes!

Where will it end?

"Social order" gone awry

2006-04-26T19:33:00.000-07:00

But nothing deflates a thriving club scene like repeated unheralded visits by a local constabulary intent on upholding "social order." ...The raids often last far beyond the 1 or 2 a.m. closing hours. They have rarely netted any violators.
But these attempts to regulate Thai teenagers' behavior have severely limited the nocturnal activities of over-20 clubbers and have of course been devastating for the clubs they frequent. Ministry of Sound, Tantra and Mystique have closed, and 87 is dead. Only Q Bar and Bed Supperclub remain active, and David Jacobson, co-owner of Q Bar, says that they survive partly because no new international investors will risk coming onto such an unpredictable club scene to provide competition. "Bangkok is a dead town," he said. "It was one of the most fun places in Asia." (source: New York Times 3/1/06)

Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the man behind this "social order" campaign, was recently evicted from office through a "people power" movement. Might the same happen to councilmen who cater to Elgin's Taliban clique?

Topinka leading Blagboy

2006-04-26T19:32:00.000-07:00

April 24, 2006--In the race for Illinois Governor, Republican State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka now leads Democratic Governor Rod R. Blagojevich 44% to 38%. In March, Topinka led 43% to 41%. (source: Rasmussen Reports)

I'm glad Topinka won the primary, because somehow I doubt that any of the others would have been able to best Blagojevich. But the amazing thing is that the nation's apparent disenchantment with the GOP has not affected this race. Either people really hate Blagojevich or the GOP is not drawing as much flack as one would have expected--in Illinois at least.

That doesn't mean Billie Roth can get away with not having a website...

Nice school building

2006-04-26T19:31:00.000-07:00

This is Townline Elementary School in Vernon Hills. Why doesn't U-46 build schools like this?

Portman building goes up in Schaumburg

2006-04-26T19:29:00.001-07:00

If you travel I-90 at all, you've noticed the convention center that's gone up in Schaumburg. I was really surprised to discover that this is a John Portman project. I guess the notorious RenCen developer is still popular.

The hotel and convention center consists of a 500-room hotel, a 100,000-square foot (9,300 sm) exhibit hall, a 28,000-square foot (2,600 sm) ballroom, plus junior ballrooms and meeting rooms. The convention center is designed to allow for an expansion of the exhibit space by approximately 150,000 square feet (14,000 sm). The project is enhanced by a 2,400-seat performing arts theater, providing an exceptional entertainment venue for hotel guests and the residents of the greater metropolitan area. (source: Portman web site)

The 2,400-seat theater is interesting. So is the new 11,000-seat Sears Centre Arena. I wonder what impact these new projects will have on Elgin.

At 18,500 seats, Allstate Arena is a larger venue in a different class, but is still likely to lose a lot of business to the Sears Arena. But for Elgin, the Sears Arena might actually be positive if it brings 11,000 people per concert/event. The city will have to figure out how it will bring these people across I-90 and into downtown Elgin. Elgin could be the biggest winner in this bargain. Hoffman shells out the money for the project, and hopefully Elgin collects on the traffic.