ABOVE: Vermilion Housing Authority Executive Director Jaclyn Vinson questions transparency of city officials.
Tuesday night’s Danville City Council Public Works Committee meeting evolved into a debate about not just COVID relief spending, but overall Council procedure.
To begin with, the full Council is not voting on the APRA COVID relief allocations until next week. But when non-ARPA money was approved for the purchase of four properties around Garfield Park, Vermilion Housing Authority Executive Director Jaclyn Vinson said THAT indicated that the decision on ARPA funds for the Garfield Park expansion and renovation had already been made. Mayor Rickey Williams, Jr says; no, that was part of something already initiated.
AUDIO: A year or more ago I gave Logan Cronk, our Community Development Administrator, a directive to try to aquire properties on the perimeter of Garfield Park, Meade Park, and Carver Park; so that we could make those parks whole, provide clear line of sight, eliminate blight, and improve public safety.
Vinson, however, saw it differently.
AUDIO: The purchase of property tonight to support Garfield Park, when the vote is not cast until next week, is not transparent. It’s not bringing people to the table. It’s showing us that the decision is already made, however the city wants to present it.
Meanwhile, the committee heard presentations about trail plans; including a complicated proposal involving connections from Logan, to the Ellsworth Park Riverfront, to south of Main Street and much more; from the Farnsworth Group. But former City Engineer David Schnelle stated, wait a minute, this has all been talked about before.
AUDIO: No that we just have previous plans, it’s just those plans have not been read. We have failed to implement some of the key findings in those plans, and now we’re restudying the same thing that’s already on the shelf. Not only is that a waste of money, it also tells the people and the stakeholders that participated in the development of those plans that their opinion wasn’t valued.
But current City Engineer Sam Cole stated; yes, things mentioned in previous strategic plans were applied to Danville today, and influenced the Farnsworth Group Plan.
AUDIO: The strategic plans from years ago; they had numerous community surveys and community input, there were University of Illinois students that had ideas. We looked at all of those ideas, and we looked at what’s going on in Danville, and what to we think the decision is for making Danville an outdoor recreational hub. And how do we bring those together.
LEFT: Former Danville Public Works Director Doug Ahrens prepares to question City Council committee. RIGHT: Public Works Committee Chair Michael Puhr responds to a question; with Mayor Rickey Williams, Jr on the left, and Alderman Mike O’Kane on the right.
Former Public Works Director Doug Ahrens made many points in addressing the committee, including saying that more community input, and more time is needed, in finalizing the APRA- COVID relief plan, especially when it comes to water recreation for children.
AUDIO: I’m still thinking the same, that the citizens deserve options to choose from, as well as the Council does. Nothing was presented from a perspective of having multiple spray parks that serve neighborhoods. That’s what the kids need. They can’t get to the pool. They don’t have transportation, they don’t have the funds to pay the fee to get in, and they don’t necessarily have adults that can be there to chaperone them.
To those saying there’s more time to consider ARPA options, Cole says; sure, the end of 2024 is the deadline for money being allocated. But although that seems like a way’s away, lots of things need to still be allocated once the plan is approved.
AUDIO: And they have to be studied and designed and permitted and all of these things; so, to get the projects selected, designed, and bid out.
The full Danville City Council is scheduled to vote on the ARPA plan next Tuesday.
