Danville City Council hears support for abortion clinic

Apr. 6—DANVILLE — Danville resident and retired health care employee Karen Schildt told the Danville City Council Tuesday night that not all residents are against an abortion clinic proposed in the city.

Schildt said she's in support of the proposed clinic at 600 N. Logan Ave., the former Dillman Eye Care Associates property.

She said she's lived in Danville since 1971, raised both of her children here and retired here. She worked at Lakeview Hospital for 16 years and Carle Clinic in Danville for 25 years as a women's health nurse practitioner and certified nurse midwife.

"It's distressing to watch Danville become such a desert for women's health care. It's even more distressing to watch Danville become a hostile environment to women," Schildt said.

"The opposition group doesn't speak for everyone in Danville and I'm here to show that you know there is another side to this issue," she said.

Schildt said, "For those seeking sanctuary city status, I would say how about a sanctuary city for people of color, for people who are marginalized by housing or food insufficiency, how about a sanctuary city for LGBTQ people, how about for the mentally ill, how about a sanctuary city for women."

Schildt said she wasn't there to debate abortion as a procedure; she was at the council meeting to advocate for safe health care for the women of Vermilion County and their sisters in Indiana.

Several audience members clapped at Schildt's remarks.

In other audience comments, the council heard from former alderman Lloyd Randle regarding a formal letter to begin a dialogue on a framework to review traffic and pedestrian study.

Randle said he's requesting a formal process to review data as reported to the Illinois Department of Transportation by the city, that should include other record sources, concerning a possible racial bias in the disparity of traffic and pedestrian stops.

Randle said this is an opportunity for transparency and to build public trust. Without the facts, a fair and accurate assessment of the realities around this issue can't be made, he said.

This isn't a new issue. He previously brought this up in 2020.

He asked aldermen to seek feedback from their constituents about the issue and how traffic and pedestrian stops affect them.

In other discussions, Mayor Rickey Williams Jr. told the aldermen to expect a redevelopment agreement to go to the Public Works Committee next week for the northwest corner of Vermilion and Fairchild streets for a new Jimmy John's and Sonic Drive In.

"I'm proud that it's finally coming together," Williams said of development at that corner. "It's something that's really exciting for Danville."

Also Tuesday, the council approved:

* Purchasing a Ferrara Igniter Custom Pumper Apparatus for $792,238 through authorized dealer A.E.C. Fire & Safety. The total is from a bid of $776,704 and $15,534.08 from pre-build estimate of 2%. Funds will come from American Rescue Plan Act funding and the city's general fund.

* Authorizing a contract for dedicated fiber internet connection and fiber ethernet network services.

* Amending language changes in Chapter 111 of city code regarding ambulances.

* Disposing phone equipment, 60 Apple iPhones that have been replaced and are no longer used by the city, for a buy back value of $11,400 by recycling them through Lynx Buyback of Florida.

* Purchasing two police vehicles for $98,138.50, not including special emergency equipment up-fitting, from Andy Mohr Ford of Plainfield, Ind.

* Approving a retirement plan consulting program agreement and authorizing an agreement to add a 457(b) Roth provision to the nationwide deferred compensation plan.

* Authorizing the creation of Fund 605 as an Opioid Settlement Fund.

* Amending city code pertaining to compensation of municipal employees for an updated wage chart.

* Enacting and adopting supplement to the code of ordinances.