Kathy's #Mailbag, Dec. 1, 2023

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Mailbag readers are an observant lot. This week, we answer questions about a recent name change at driver-services facilities, some city code violations at a former restaurant building, a "mystery shelter" in Urbana, and why blue reflectors are placed on the posts of some Stop signs but not others.

Now & Then: Sammy's Pancake House

If you're an alum of Parkland College, you've probably ventured into the building at 1206 N. Mattis Avenue in Champaign at least once or twice. It's been the home of Sammy's Pancake House for more than 15 years now — and before that, it was a succession of eateries and even a bookstore.

When the nearby Parkland campus was fairly new, in the 1970s and into the '80s, it was Lum's Restaurant. Lum's also had an Urbana location, on University Avenue. The chain went bankrupt in 1982.

An old city directory lists The Mill restaurant at the Mattis Avenue address in 1984, but it apparently didn't last too long. Follett's (Parkland) College Bookstore was there in the mid- to late-1980s and early '90s.

Parkland alumni may have fonder memories of the next tenant, Phoney Mahoney's Somewhat Authentic Irish restaurant, in the mid- to late '90s. Two of Phoney Mahoney's specialties? Pizzas and "calzoneys," of course. Readers who commented on this week's Now & Then Facebook post fondly remembered Phoney's Friday fish frys, as well.

Hot Wok was in the space from about 2000 until 2006.

Sammy Garduno moved his pancake house from its original Champaign location to the North Mattis Avenue site in 2007. He added on to the building to provide more seating capacity in 2017.

Pedestrian-auto accident near Central High School

"I heard that a Central High School student was struck by a car and sustained minor injuries while crossing a street near the school a few weeks ago. Is that true? If so, is the City of Champaign considering any changes for the street network around the school to minimize the likelihood of future accidents involving pedestrians?"

Lt. Kurt Buckley, the Champaign Police Department's district commander in the area that includes Central High School, provided this information via spokesperson Joe Lamberson:

"Champaign Police were called to the intersection of University Avenue and Lynn Street at 7:52 a.m. on November 9, 2023, for a report of a crash involving a vehicle and a pedestrian. On-scene, officers found a juvenile subject in a crosswalk had been struck by a vehicle at a low rate of speed. The pedestrian had signs of minor injury and was transported to an area hospital, out of an abundance of caution, where she was treated and released. The driver was issued a citation for Failure to Yield to a Pedestrian in a Crosswalk."

As for potential changes to traffic patterns or control devices in that area ... Champaign Public Works' Kris Koester said "the new designed plan to allow parking on both sides of the street was done to improve traffic safety, with cars needing to slow down. The current configuration of the streets around Central was done with involvement of the school district and the city."

Specifically, a traffic-impact study was prepared and reviewed by the city's Engineering Division as part of the approval process for the Central High expansion project(s), according to Bruce Knight, the city's director of planning and development. He said all of the traffic control and circulation around Central is based on the recommendations of that study.

"In reality, neither students or drivers can be counted on to act within the rules so it in an imperfect science at best."

Driver Services Facilities now "DMVs"

"In 2019, Tom Kacich answered a question about the fact that Illinois does not have anything named a 'DMV.' I was on the Secretary of State's website recently and now see references to 'DMV' all over the place! Has something changed — other than the politician holding the office?"

It certainly seems so. Shortly after the reader sent me this question, I got my own license-sticker renewal reminder ... and it came from the Illinois DMV. One might think that's an acronym for Department of Motor Vehicles, as it is in some other states. But that's not what Leen Yassine, deputy press secretary for Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, told me in an email:

"DMV is the accurate acronym for our facilities because it represents the Driver and Motor Vehicle Services provided by DMV facilities throughout the state. When a customer visits a DMV, they can get service for a driver's license, ID card or motor vehicle need — title, license plate, license plate sticker renewal, etc.

"Utilizing the Secretary of State's office — or even the acronym SOS — would be too broad to describe a DMV facility location because of the office's variety of programs and services. The Secretary of State's office features departments that are described according to the services they provide. For instance, Business Services, Archives and the State Library are all described independently and not just labeled Office of the Secretary of State."

City code violations at former O'Charley's

"What is the deal with the old O'Charley's Restaurant building on Town Center Boulevard in Champaign? For the past 6 weeks the fire alarm has been going off nonstop and it appears someone is living in the back of the building. I reached out to the Fire Department and Neighborhood Services, and they said they're aware of the issues but it's up to the owner to correct them."

"The Fire Department has been attempting to make contact with the building owner or a representative to discuss the status of the fire alarm system," said CFD spokesperson Randy Smith. "The fire department has responded for an activated fire alarm, however was not able to identify a reason for that activation."

Tim Spear, the city's code-compliance officer, said the Neighborhood Services Department had received a complaint about this, "and we do have an open case for the refuse/tarps on the property. An inspector issued a 10-day violation notice on Nov. 28 with a follow-up date of Dec. 8. It is the responsibility of the property owner to address issues at their property."

If the owner does not correct code violations in a timely way, the city does have the ability to correct them and charge the owner for the costs incurred, plus an administrative fee. The inspector will follow up on Dec. 8. If any refuse remains, a contractor will be hired to remove the refuse.

"In addition, we asked Street Outreach from Strides Shelter to reach out to the person or persons staying there to offer resources. The Street Outreach staff has made contact with the people staying there. After seeing a copy of the notice posted on the property, one of the people staying at the property contacted our department and stated that they will have everything removed."

Spear said he's sorry that, when the reader reported the issues, they may have gotten the impression that Neighborhood Services could not address them. "Our customer service model is to check out all concerns and respond to the person with the concern to let them know (the) outcome if they request to be contacted. I will discuss this with our staff to make sure we are living up to this standard."

Spear reminds readers that complaints may be sent directly to the Neighborhood Services Department via online form, by calling (217) 403-7070, or by sending an e-mail to neighborhoodservices@champaignil.gov.

Brick shelter on Main Street in Urbana

"What is the history behind that open-air brick shelter on the south side of Main Street near the county complex, west of Bartell Road in Urbana? Was it once an Interurban stop on the Urbana-to-Danville line?"

Indeed it was. Champaign County History Museum president T.J. Blakeman referred me to Dale Jenkins, who literally wrote the book on the Illinois Traction System interurban rail network that connected Danville and Champaign-Urbana with cities including Bloomington, Decatur, Springfield, Peoria and even St. Louis. Jenkins says the substantial shelter on Main Street was built in 1904 as the station that served the Champaign County Poor Farm.

County Executive Steve Summers tells me the "poorhouse" predated the first Champaign County nursing home at that location. The shelter has sustained some damage in recent months, and Summers says the county plans to re-roof the structure and do some modest repairs and tuckpointing.

Blakeman reminded us that the elaborate exhibit on William B. McKinley's Illinois Traction System, "the Road of Good Service," is still on display at the museum's Cattle Bank building in downtown Champaign. It will be retired sometime in 2024. And if you can't make it to the museum in person, the online version is the next-best thing, at champaigncountyhistory.org.

Blue reflectors on Stop sign post

"Two blue reflectors are attached to the post/stem of the Stop sign on the NW corner of Elmwood and Springfield. Is that a City of Champaign indicator for something?"

The reflectors are used as an indicator — but not necessarily by the City of Champaign. IDOT engineer Kensil Garnett said the blue reflectors make the Stop sign post more visible. "This practice is primarily used in rural areas of state highways and is a supplemental practice that helps the maintenance staff to be able to assure the presence of the stop signs for approaching traffic during nighttime sign reviews.

"It also assists with the locating of intersections during times of poor visibility due to fog, rain or snow. While it is not the intent to place them at every urban stop sign, they have been added by our staff for our use in some darker corridors."

Donations of used luggage

"Do any local charities or other organizations accept used luggage that is clean and in good condition?"

We found two by the time this week's column went to press: Salt & Light Ministries and empty tomb.

Lisa Sheltra, director of community engagement with Salt & Light, tells us "We definitely do accept gently used luggage as a donation at Salt & Light. It can be dropped off at our donation drive-throughs at either location, 1819 South Philo in Urbana or 1512 West Anthony Drive in Champaign. Our open hours are Monday through Saturday, 9am-8pm, and the Urbana location is also open on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m."

Sylvia Ronsvalle with empty tomb said "Good, clean, unlocked luggage with working closers is appreciated by those who stop by. Things are shared free in Jesus' name. Donation hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m." The empty tomb donation center is at 301 N. Fourth Street in Champaign.

Of course, "clean" means clean enough that the donor would be happy to use the bag as-is. And for wheeled bags, all of the wheels should be attached and in good working order.

Status of 'enclaves' in Champaign

"A while back, an article on Champaign City Council redistricting showed a map with several 'enclaves' — areas surrounded by Champaign, but not part of the city. Do these areas enjoy city services? What is their tax status? Why hasn't Champaign annexed them?"

City of Champaign Planning and Development Director Bruce Knight said a 1992 intergovernmental agreement among Champaign, Urbana, Savoy, Champaign County and the Urbana Champaign Sanitary District provided a means to "compel annexation of development occurring on our fringe. The 1992 agreement established a requirement that new development provide for annexation before they could get sanitary sewer service."

Most of the enclaves were developed prior to that agreement. And state law says that a municipality cannot involuntarily annex a fully surrounded area unless it is less than 60 acres. (Incidentally, the county GIS database shows the Kraft-Heinz plant property at the corner of Bradley and Mattis Avenues is 94 acres.)

As a result of the state law, "the legal status of these areas is that they are in unincorporated Champaign County and do not pay property taxes to the city, and they mostly don't receive city services," Knight said. "The exception to that is that some of these areas have negotiated fire service contracts with the City of Champaign, which they pay for based on a formula established in the City Code."

Overdrawing on the aquifer?

"A question on the Teays Aquifer: I have heard that we are overdrawing on it and are actually drawing water back from downstream west. Is that true?"

We posed the question to Walt Kelly, head of the Groundwater Science Section at the UI's Illinois State Water Survey. He teamed up with his hydrogeologist colleague Dan Hadley to come up with the best answer:

"This was a difficult question, in that we're not sure what the person is actually trying to get at. The Teays River was a pre-glacial river flowing from east — the ancient Appalachians in West Virginia — to the west into Illinois, where we know it as the Mahomet. During glacial times the river valley filled in with sediments including sands and gravels.

"Although the Teays and Mahomet aquifers represent a single ancient river valley, they are not well connected near the Indiana-Illinois border. And thus on a regional scale we considered them separate aquifers; this may not be the case on a local scale, but there hasn't been extensive geologic mapping at the state line."

Kelly and Hadley said the valley fill in this region is predominantly clay-rich tills, and well productivity is low. Thus, any pumping that takes place in Indiana has little effect in Illinois, and vice-versa. "So if the question is about withdrawals from the Teays Aquifer, there will likely be no discernable impacts in Illinois."

Hadley recently did some research on this question because there are some potential new large groundwater demands in western Indiana. He found there would be no issues in Illinois. If the question is actually about the Mahomet, they said there is some truth to the reader's statement about groundwater water moving back "upgradient."

"The Illinois American (Water Co.) production wells that produce drinking water for the greater Champaign-Urbana region have formed a cone of depression, which is a drop in groundwater levels that has the shape of an inverted cone and develops around any well from which water is being withdrawn. Water is pulled in from all directions, including groundwater that would normally be moving downgradient from this area to the southwest. With the current demands on the Mahomet, we are not concerned that the aquifer is being overdrawn."