Please vote now to fund Heights’ accessible playground project

For the second consecutive year, Peoria Heights’ Together We Play Park proposal is a finalist for the Build Peoria grant that would go toward construction of a truly accessible-to-all playground in Tower Park.

The winner is chosen by popular vote, so Heights residents who would like to see this park built are encouraged to do so now by going to the Build Peoria website to weigh in. The deadline to do so is Tuesday, May 31. You can read about the finalists here.

Last year, the playground finished a close second in balloting for the program, which provides up to $50,000 toward construction. Build Peoria is a non- profit organization dedicated to “unite thecommunity through their love of the Peoria area to physically build Peoria into a better place and leave a legacy for future generations.”

Few projects fit that description better than the

“Together We Play Accessible Playground” proposal, which has students at St. Thomas Catholic School in Peoria Heights partnering

with Advocates for Access to construct a playground at Tower Park that would be accessible to children of all abilities.

The concept was born out of a pre-COVID era FIRST LEGO League Challenge, an international competition that asks teams of fourth through eighth graders to identify a real-world challenge and come up with a solution. Students at St. Thomas discovered that the Peoria area has more than 14,000 residents living with disabilities who could benefit from having a park that would be more accessible to them. That includes not only children who would play at the park but the parents and grandparents who might have disabilities and would bring them there.

The St. Thomas team led by then-eighth grader Katie Kube – now a high schooler – addressed the Heights Village Board in December 2020 and received permission to begin raising
funds to renovate

the existing playground at Tower Park. Out of that came the Together We Play effort, the partnership with Advocates for Access in Peoria Heights and the effort to begin raising funds.

The students have put together a budget for the park of about $125,000, which they hope to raise through donations and grants like this one. The playground would have a slightly larger footprint than the current one. If funding in excess of the goal is achieved, priority would be given to additions to the plan that would be likely to increase engagement among those with hearing, walking and/or sight impairments.

Meanwhile, the effort has made significant progress in the last few months, with the Village soliciting requests for proposals and hoping to break ground later this summer.

In the words of the Together We Play team, “If we don’t get to meet children in wheelchairs, or kids with impairments, then we will never learn how to act around them.”

In short, an “inclusive playgrounds help lay the groundwork for a truly inclusive society.”

Again, the voting closes at midnight Tuesday, May 31. The winner will be announced June 3.

“This is an extremely worthwhile project, the
kids have demonstrated a real need, and we at
the Village support it 100 percent,” said Mayor Michael Phelan. “We hope our residents get behind it, starting with this very simple process of casting an online vote.”

Heights farmers market debuts this week

There’s a new kid on the block in the central Illinois farmers market scene.

Peoria Heights will bring back its farmers market after a long absence, with 20-30 vendors setting up shop on the historic Pabst Brewery grounds, 4541 N. Prospect Road, starting on Thursday, May 26, and continuing every Thursday thereafter – 19 Thursdays in all -- through Sept. 29.

The markets will run between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. and feature a variety of growers, makers, food and drink proprietors, live music, the Heights pedal bus, etc. There will be an emphasis on local involvement from those small businesses that have brick-and-mortar operations nearby.

Spaces also will be reserved for local and area not-for-profits looking to bring attention and resources to their causes, and the market will provide opportunities to donate to the Heights’ two food pantries at St. Thomas Catholic Church and Peoria Heights Congregational Church, as well as local school service organizations.   

Once a month, the markets will sport a theme. There will be a Meet Your Heroes Thursday featuring first responders, for example. Another market may showcase school mascots. Organizers also would like to take advantage of the space the site offers with, for example, a disc golf table that allows visitors to try out its wares.

The dynamic duo behind the Heights market consists of real estate broker Julie Bielfeldt and Samantha Hutchison, the owner of Bear’s Bites, a dog and cat food operation. They faced multiple challenges in launching.

First, it had been seven years since the Heights had last hosted a market, that one at Heritage Square, and the organizers needed to gauge whether there was still an interest and a willingness to get behind it. “I’m like, ‘It’s time. Let’s bring it back,’” said Bielfeldt, adding that the enthusiastic response of Village Hall allayed those concerns.

Second, they needed a location. Bielfeldt believed the “perfect” spot was the parking lot behind the Pabst facility. She made her pitch and found a receptive audience in the building’s owner, KDB Group, whose CEO Greg Birkland made the property available.

Finally, they didn’t want to compete with other farmers markets, so they inquired as to whether conflicts could be avoided.   

Junction City agreed to move its event to Tuesdays, with Keller Station on Wednesday, the Heights on Thursdays, and Peoria’s RiverFront Market on Saturdays.

“Now you can buy fresh, buy local throughout the entire week,” said Bielfeldt, who didn’t have to be sold on the value of that. She likened it to “a string of pearls.”

Indeed, when you factor in the distance most food travels before it ends up on a grocery store shelf and ultimately on a plate at home – it tends to be about 1,500 miles in the United States -- the resulting nutrition loss, and the supply chain snarls that have exacerbated all of that, it made Bielfeldt wonder why there aren’t more farmers markets.

“Living in the Midwest, we are so close to our food source,” she said. “We are sitting in the best spot in the country.”

Meanwhile, the opportunity to promote community, socialization, the outdoors made the whole thing a no-brainer, she and Hutchison said.

“There’s an intimacy to a farmers market,” said Bielfeldt. “It’s about relationships. Everybody’s got each other’s back. That’s community to me.

“Hopefully, people will stay and enjoy the Village. They’ll walk around and eat and shop … The Village is not franchise row. We are Mom & Pop shops. I want to be very respectful of what we have here.”

While a number of vendors already have signed on, the Heights is looking for high-quality, non-duplicative operations. “It’s more important to us to have local, homemade, handmade,” said Hutchison. The cost to reserve a full-season spot is $150, for a single market $10.

“No pun intended, there has been an organic nature to pulling this together. It has just been a pleasure,” added Bielfeldt. “There are some things that just seem right, and this is one of them.

“The Heights has had its successes. We just want to build on that.”

Peoria Heights to honor former educator Roger Bergia

The Village of Peoria Heights will hold a press availability at 4 p.m. Tuesday, May 17 at the corner of Prospect and Glen avenues, where a street dedication ceremony will take place to honor the memory of longtime Peoria Heights Schools Superintendent Roger Bergia.

Glen Avenue remains Glen Avenue, but now it will also carry a sign reading “Honorary Roger Bergia Way,” which will be installed at that Tuesday event.

Bergia spent his entire career in District 325 schools, a remarkable 52 years in all. Even after he “retired,” he continued to work in the district as its part-time treasurer. He also mentored countless students over the decades, which he did all the way up to his death in late March of this year.

There were few stauncher advocates for the Village of Peoria Heights and its regional independence than Bergia, who also became the community’s unofficial historian.

“Few citizens in the history of Peoria Heights have left a more indelible local mark,” said Peoria Heights Mayor Michael Phelan. “That is why we are honoring him in this way.”

Peoria Heights Fine Art Fair is back and better than ever

Building upon the huge success of last year’s effort, the Peoria Heights Fine Art Fair returns to the Village’s Downtown on Saturday, May 14, with a record 70-plus artists operating in a wide variety of mediums.

The 2022 Fair, sponsored by the Peoria Heights Arts Collaborative, kicks off at 9a.m. and runs until 5 p.m.

While the Fair boasts of its diverse array of local and regional artists, there also will be representation from coast to coast and from the American Southwest – specifically Texas and New Mexico – this year.

Barb Milaccio and Theresa McDade co-chair the event, and they have been heartened by the Fair’s public embrace. They hope to top last year’s record of more than 3,000 visitors.

Helping that goal along will be more space to move about, as the Fair has been extended another full block along Prospect Road – which will be closed to traffic -- from Glen to Kelly Avenue. Entrance to the Fair is free, as is parking, which is available at a number of nearby spots.

New this year are an Eats and Drinks area, sponsored by Bond Eye Associates, featuring Clink Bar and food trucks from Grill ‘Em All and Cheese Nuts. There also will be a Children’s Activity Area in front of the Pabst building, sponsored by Big Picture Initiative. Finally, Random Strangers

and Sarah Marie Dillard (of Sarah and the Underground) will be performing on the balcony of AppsCo, just above Ipava State Bank at 4606 N. Prospect Road.

Again, each of the artists will be donating one piece of their work, available for sale through a silent auction at the main tent at Prospect and Duryea,

with the proceeds going to support future fairs.

While there will be plenty of activity for every taste, as always, the centerpiece is the art itself, which runs the gamut – ceramics, sculpture, drawing, painting, jewelry, glass, metal, fiber and textiles, photography, mixed media, printmaking, woodworking, etc. The prices also tend to be more accessible than at some art fairs, ranging from $30 to upwards of $1,000.

Meanwhile, the Fair is a juried event and there will be a best of show, with cash prizes of $1,000 (Tower Award), $500 (Grandview Award), $250 (Blue Ribbon Award) and $100 (Rutherford Award).

What sets this fair apart is the casual vibe of Peoria Heights’ popular Downtown, with its easy walkability, Restaurant Row and variety of shops.

“The anticipation of art patrons supporting local artists, restaurants and businesses is so fulfilling,” said Milaccio. “Our artists will delight fairgoers with a new array of works created during the pandemic.”

“I cannot wait,” added McDade. “The weather forecast is looking fantastic.”

“We welcome visitors every day to the Village of Peoria Heights but this is one of those events that really helps put us on the map,” said Peoria Heights Mayor Michael Phelan. “I invite everyone to come out and have a really good time.”

The Peoria Heights Arts Collaborative promotes the development, establishment and expansion of the arts in Peoria Heights by uniting with local artists, organizations, businesses and individuals to support and present ongoing art events, opportunities and education.

Follow the organization at:

https://www.peoriaheightsarts.com

Request For Proposals - “TOGETHER WE PLAY” Accessible Playground Project

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

VILLAGE OF PEORIA HEIGHTS

“TOGETHER WE PLAY”
ACCESSIBLE PLAYGROUND PROJECT

The Village of Peoria Heights, Illinois is soliciting proposals for the design and installation of playground equipment for the “Together We Play” accessible playground at Tower Park in Peoria Heights, Illinois (the “Project”). Submissions will be received at the Village Hall office at 4901 N. Prospect Road, Peoria Heights, IL 61616 until 5:00 P.M. local time on May 26, 2022.

The Project consists of two parts: (1) design of playground equipment, and (2) furnishing and installation of new playground equipment, fixtures and surface materials.

The Request for Proposals (RFP) may be obtained by contacting Wayne Aldrich, Community Development Director, at (309) 686-2385 or waldrich@f-w.com. The Project Documents will be distributed electronically. The bidder will be responsible for making hard copies of the Project documents.

All questions shall be directed to Wayne Aldrich at waldrich@f-w.com and received no later than May 19, 2022 at 5:00pm. All questions shall be promptly answered by issuing addenda.

Proposers must be experienced in the design and installation of playground equipment of the type identified in the Project Documents.

Compliance with the Employment of Illinois Workers on Public Works Act (30 ILCS 570/0.01 et seq.) and the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act (820 ILCS 130/0.01 et seq.) will be required for this Contract.

The Village of Peoria Heights reserves the right to reject any and all proposals or to waive any informalities in proposals, should the Village of Peoria Heights deem it to be in the public interest to do so.

This selection will be based on the Best Value to the Village and its partners. Proposals will be selected not only by price, but also by thoroughness of proposal, timeline, quality of service, past experience with installation of the same products, quality of equipment, services offered and warranties, as judged solely by the Village of Peoria Heights.

Zoning Board of Appeals will meet Monday, May 16, 2022

The Peoria Heights Zoning Board of Appeals will meet Monday, May 16, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. at Village Hall, 4901 N. Prospect Road, Peoria Heights, Illinois.  


The purpose of the meeting is to consider the following requests:

  1. Variance application filed by Jessica and Phil Ramsay seeking approval of a variance to allow the construction of a garage located on the rear one-third of the property and closer than 3 feet from the west property line as required by Section 10-7B-5(B) of the Village Code; the construction of a 6-foot privacy fence less than 10 feet from east property line on a corner lot as required by Section 10-4-7(D)(1)(b) of the Village Code; and the construction of a pool less than 5 feet from the rear and west lot lines and less than 5 feet to the nearest structure as required by Section 10-4-8(B) of the Village Code on the property located at 741 East Lake Avenue, Peoria Heights, Illinois 61616 (PIN No. 14-22-354-023), which property is currently zoned R-2 (R-2 (Medium Density Residential District).

  1. Amendment to Title 10 of the Village Code Pertaining to Uses Authorized in the I-1 Industrial District, Establishing Automotive Uses as Special Uses, Non-Conforming Uses, and Other Miscellaneous Provisions.

Additional documents and information are available at the Village Administrator's Office in Village Hall and/or by calling 686-2385.

Village Board appoints new trustee, changes meeting schedule

Mark Gauf has been appointed to the Peoria Heights Village Board. He succeeds Dave Marfell, who recently tendered his resignation after relocating outside the Village. 


Gauf, 64, will serve for the next year, at which point an election will be held -- in April 2023 -- to fill the seat for the remainder of Marfell’s original four-year term, set to end in 2025. 


Gauf is a lifelong resident of Peoria Heights whose family “was in the Heights since there was a Heights.” He attended Peoria Heights High School, where he was a member of the first four-year graduating class in 1975.  


Gauf worked in Public Works for the Village for 42 years, retiring in 2019. He has been very active in the community, serving for 12 years on the District 325 School Board, in addition to being Scoutmaster at Peoria Heights Troop 21 and a youth football, baseball and volleyball coach. 


He and his wife of 42 years, Margaret, reside at N. 5124 Montclair Ave. They are the parents of two adult sons, Scott and Greg, and the grandparents of Amelia and Caleb. 


Gauf said his Public Works experience could be an asset to the Village Board, particularly given the current review of the Heights Water Department and its needs. 


“It’s tough for a small community to keep their feet under them and keep the budget under control,” he said. “The Village is on track financially and I hope we can continue that.

“We have a lot of opportunities in front of us.” 


In other recent action:

  • The Board adopted the Village’s 2023 budget, which anticipates spending just over $4.6 million. Budgets also were approved for the Village Water Department and the Library at nearly $1.28 million and $532,000, respectively. The budgets are balanced.


  • Starting in May, the Village Board will be meeting twice a month – on the first and third Tuesdays -- rather than three times, starting at 5:30 p.m. instead of 6 p.m.


In addition, trustees will be permitted to attend those meetings and to vote remotely, a carryover from COVID, under the strict conditions of a sickness or otherwise disabling circumstance, a conflicting employment obligation, or a family or other personal emergency.  


The measure passed 4-1, with Trustee Brandon Wisenburg in the minority. 


“This normalizes remote attendance forever,” he said. “Citizens didn’t elect us not to be here ... It sets a really bad precedent.”


Mayor Michael Phelan indicated that while he doesn’t necessarily disagree with Wisenburg, “I’m not going to permit people to abuse this.” Meanwhile, this will permit the Village to conduct the public’s business in a timely fashion when unusual circumstances pop up, said the mayor, adding that he was confident in the board’s current makeup and the responsibility its members have shown to the tasks at hand.


Should any of that change, the board can rescind the policy at any time. 


  • The Board approved a street sealcoating contract with R.A. Cullinan & Son for nearly $175,000 and a spray patching contract with D&D Pavement Solutions for just over $45,000. The Board also authorized the expenditure of almost $32,000 for beginning engineering and design work for the curb-to-curb milling and overlay of Forest Park Drive. It has been approximately 20 years since that was last done.

Employment Opportunity - Public Works Summer Assistant

JOB TITLE: Public Works Summer Assistant DEPARTMENT: Public Works

REPORTS TO: Village Administrator or designee(s)

Under the general supervision of Public Works, the summer assistant will provide general labor assistance to maintain a neat and orderly appearance in the Village of Peoria Heights. The Village of Peoria Heights is dedicated to providing quality, personalized service and a superior quality of life to its residents, and Public Works is integral to maintaining public spaces and public infrastructure. This position provides support to Public Works in their duties.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Demonstrate ability to work independently with minimum supervision.

• Perform all assigned duties while following safety and best practices.

• Mowing and weeding and general landscaping.

• Collect and assist in waste disposal and recycling.

• Receive and follow directions in a constantly changing environment.

• Willingness to work in adverse weather conditions.

• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds.

• Asphalt paving under the direction of Street Supervisor or his designee(s).

• Performs light maintenance and repair work to public spaces.

• Demonstrate ability to maintain effective working relationships and professionalism with staff, elected officials and the general public.

• Other related work as necessary or assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:

• Excellent communication skills.

• Proven problem-solving abilities.

• Detail oriented.

• Any combination of education, training, and experience, which provides the required knowledge, skills, and ability to perform the essential functions of the job.

LICENSES OR CERTIFICATES REQUIRED:

• Valid State Driver’s License..

click here for application