Boil order is in effect for residents in the 5300-5500 blocks of Humboldt Ave

Boil order is in effect for residents in the 5300-5500 blocks of Humboldt Ave due to a water main break. Temporary disruptions in water service may occur while the water main is being repaired. Please consult the Boil Order Guidelines PDF for best practices to use during a boil order. Residents will be notified when the boil order has been lifted.

 

Neighboring areas may experience discolored water. There are no health or safety hazards with this condition. Do not do laundry while water is discolored to avoid any staining. Flushing water lines will help to clear out the discolored water.

 

If you have any questions, please call:

309-686-2375.

click here for more info

Request for Proposal - 1201/1203 E Kingman Ave "Pump House"

VILLAGE OF PEORIA HEIGHTS, ILLINOIS

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

LEASE OF 1201/1203 EAST KINGMAN AVENUE

“PUMP HOUSE”

PEORIA HEIGHTS, ILLINOIS

Village of Peoria Heights
4901 N. Prospect Road, Peoria Heights, IL 61616

1. INVITATION - The Village of Peoria Heights (“Village”), requests proposals from prospective tenants who are interested in leasing, certain real estate located within the Redevelopment Project Area for the Peoria Heights Tax Increment Financing District 3, commonly known as 1201/1203 East Kingman Ave., Peoria Heights, Illinois, consisting of the former pump house building, garage and the water tank located upon the property. The Village will consider tenant uses including retail, office or other uses allowed by the current zoning classification (B-2, General Retail Business) and appropriate with the surrounding neighborhood.

2. PROPERTY DESCRIPTION – The property is owned by the Village of Peoria Heights and was originally constructed as a pump house for the village water distribution system. The pumphouse is no longer in use and the property has been renovated for retail or other uses. The property includes three (3) structures, the pump house building, the garage (renovated for retail use), and the water storage tank (not renovated). Said real estate is legally described as follows (the “Subject Property”): Part of the Northwest ¼ of Section 22, Township 9, Range 8 East including all of the public park commonly known as Harriet Park and depicted on the Plat of Prospect Heights recorded in Plat Book C, page 59 and lying Easterly of Park Place and Southwesterly of Euclid Avenue and Northerly of Kingman Avenue and also including that portion of Park Place that was vacated by Ordinance dated August 7, 1934 and recorded in Miscellaneous Book 458 at page 587; situate, lying and being in the County of Peoria and State of Illinois. Property ID#: Part of 14-22-183-002 Common Address: 1201/1203 East Kingman Ave., Peoria Heights, Illinois.

3. PARKING – There is no designated or on-site parking associated with the property. On-street parking is available as well as public parking on the Village Hall parking lot located south of the property location.

4. TIF AND BDD – The property is located in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District 3 and Business Development District (BDD)#1. Financial assistance may be available for eligible improvements using TIF or BDD funding subject to the negotiated lease agreement and approval by the Village Board. For more information on TIF/BDD please visit the Peoria Heights website at peoriaheights.org .

5. PROPERTY TOURS – To schedule a tour of the property please contact: Sarah Witbracht Administrative Assistant Phone (309) 686-2385 Sarah.Witbracht@peoriaheights.org

6. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS - All interested parties should submit proposals to:

Wayne Aldrich, Community Development Director 4901 N. Prospect Road
Peoria Heights, IL
61616

waldrich@f-w.com


Proposals will be received until 1:00 p.m., local time, Wednesday, January 31, 2024
Late submissions will not be considered. Electronic submissions will be allowed to Mr. Aldrich at the email above with a copy to Sarah Witbracht at Sarah.Witbracht@peoriaheights.org Proposals should identify the terms and conditions of the proposed lease of the Subject Property, any TIF or BDD incentives sought by the developer, the proposed use(s) of the Subject Property by the tenant, and information as to the anticipated sales taxes and property taxes that will be generated.

7. SELECTION - The Village may request additional information beyond the submitted proposal. The Village will select the proposal which the Village determines to be in the best interest of the Village. The Village reserves the right to base the decision on the entirety of the information provided, any additional requested information, and the sole judgment of Village officials as to the best use of the property. The Village of Peoria Heights anticipates the approval of a lease agreement to the selected proposer. Within 60 days of selection. In the event that mutually acceptable terms cannot be reached within a reasonable period of time, the Village reserves the right to undertake negotiations with the next most advantageous proposer without starting a new selection process. The Village of Peoria Heights reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, waive minor informalities, and to negotiate and approve a lease and/or redevelopment agreement. The Village of Peoria Heights will not discriminate against any interested developer on the grounds of race, religion, creed, color, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, or national origin in the selection process.

8. QUESTIONS - All questions or comments must be submitted in writing to:

Wayne Aldrich, Community Development Director by email: waldrich@f-w.com

Questions must be received by 5:00 P.M. on January 24, 2024.

Heights News - December 2023 Roundup

Village Board moves forward on paid firefighters

The Peoria Heights Village Board committed to the expenditure of just over $454,000 to be put toward the hiring of new firefighters at its Dec. 19 meeting.

The unanimous vote came after a long discussion and presentation from Fire Chief Dan Decker, who laid out a plan for future staffing as the Heights transitions from a volunteer department to a hybrid model including firefighters who will be compensated for their efforts.

“Even though it’s not my job to figure out how to pay for this, I don’t envy you,” Decker told trustees before indicating that volunteers will remain a critical component of the Village’s firefighting efforts. The department has about 20 volunteers now, a number which Decker would like to double, as at present “there are times when no one is available.

“It’s going to become a bigger problem in the future” given the time demands on modern families, added Decker. “Many volunteer fire departments are struggling, not just us.”

To confront that reality, Village administration is seeking to employ paid staff to cover the community on a daily basis, as around the clock as possible. “My goal is to make sure no truck goes out the door with less than two people,” said Decker, who wants to work toward National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) staffing guidelines that seek a 9-minute response time to 90 percent of structural fires. “If money was no object,” it would be four people per vehicle, Decker said.    

For now, Village administration is recommending the expenditure of $454,316, which does not include the chief’s $120,000 salary or the pay of the current assistant chief. Potentially, that could go toward employing an anticipated three full-time and five part-time firefighters. The annual cost including benefits for an entry-level, full-time firefighter is likely to top $92,000, said Village Administrator Dustin Sutton.

“This current budget, we can afford this,” said Sutton. “I think we have a lot of young talent in the volunteers. I think this model can work.”

Several trustees voiced reservations about a lack of detailed, all-in cost information, including for long-term pension liabilities, training, infrastructure and equipment maintenance.

“I am concerned that if we grow too quickly … we’ll find ourselves in a situation that will be difficult to afford,” said Trustee Brandon Wisenburg. “Baby steps.”

“I see this as a launching pad to much more expense … that I’m afraid at some point will become unsustainable,” added Trustee Beth Khazzam.

Trustee Matt Wigginton was critical of the process, suggesting that the board should have had more advance notice for such a large expenditure. “I think this sets a bad precedent,” he said.    

Nonetheless, amid other expressed concerns about board micromanagement and delaying a decision to the point of losing quality candidates to other municipalities, a vote to defer the motion until next month failed and the measure to allocate the money to begin the hiring process prevailed.

“We’re taking a leap of faith,” acknowledged Trustee Jennifer Reichert, though trustees were assured that most of this spending will occur in the 2025 fiscal year that begins May 1, 2024, as it could take four months or more for these hires to happen.

Given the other options that were once on the table for fire service in the Heights, including contracting with the City of Peoria, this $454,000 is “in a very fair ballpark,” said Trustee Sarah DeVore.

“I think we do get a better product when we do it in-house,” concluded Wisenburg.

In other action or discussion:

  • The Village Board effectively ended its lease arrangement with KDB Group for the historic Pump House property at 1201/1203 Kingman Ave., in the shadow of Tower Park.

With a sublease for the property, which had previously housed a popcorn and candy shop, falling through, KDB had asked for a deferral. Instead, the board heeded the advice of Wisenburg, who had indicated it was time to “put this behind us” after months of contention between the two parties over the future of the property.

Village officials say they now intend to issue a request for proposals (RFP) on the property from potential developers, which could include KDB Group.

  • The Board voted to make changes in the water service billing process. One would give residents an e-billing option as opposed to paper billing, while the other would permit residents to request a meter reading by a third party at their own expense, to be reimbursed by the Village if the meter is, in fact, in error.

The Village is still gathering data to determine whether to proceed with monthly water billing instead of the quarterly system that exists now.

  • Applications are now closed for the Healthy Homes grant program, with about 40 Heights homeowners putting in for federal financial assistance with various home repairs and improvements. Income eligibility and home inspections will follow, with the Village hoping to whittle that list to about 15 homes.

  • The Board approved a new policy for Liquor Commission hearings, which will now be recorded to provide a reference point for local decision-makers trying to resolve allegations of alcohol sale infractions. Where an underage purchase, for example, was once handled by the state, increasingly those enforcement matters are being pushed back to municipalities. This brings the Village more in line with that reality, said Wigginton.

Heights News - 2024 Levy

Steady as she goes regarding Heights property taxes

The Peoria Heights Village Board has adopted a levy that will keep property tax revenues and bills fundamentally flat for 2023-24.

At its meeting on Dec. 5, the Board unanimously levied a total of $1,052,090, compared to the $1,050,429 of the year before. The levy is split almost evenly between the Peoria Heights Library, at $533,570, and Village government itself, at $518,520. Most of the latter, $450,000, goes to pensions for police, though that number will rise in the coming years as the Village adds full-time firefighters.

The Village’s portion of the levy remains unchanged from the previous year. The initial request from Village administration came in almost $26,000 higher, but several trustees expressed an interest in maintaining their multi-year string of holding the line or decreasing property taxes paid to the Village by local residents and businesses.

Village government represents a relatively small percentage of a local resident’s overall real estate tax bill, with sales taxes accounting for the Village’s largest source of revenue by a large margin. The Village’s total budget is about $4.9 million annually.

Library Director Shawn Edwards said his levy was up just slightly, helped along by a sizeable donation of more than $316,000 this past year from the estate of Rudolf Habben, “the largest donation we’ve ever had at the library, period.” In the future, however, “I don’t know if that’s going to be the case,” said Edwards. “We’re talking about construction, remodeling,” specifically regarding the library’s roof.

Virtually all of the library’s revenues come from property taxes, though the system is seeking to offset some of its costs through grants, said Edwards

November Wrap-Up: Some Wet News and More

The Peoria Heights Village Board approved a 10 percent increase in water rates at its Nov. 21 meeting.

The rate hike is necessary to address decades of deferred maintenance to the water system by previous administrations. The Village’s water infrastructure – essentially the underground pipes that carry water to homes and businesses, the pumping equipment necessary to get it there and the holding tanks that store it -- now needs tens of millions of dollars in reinvestment including full replacement in some instances. Meanwhile, the Heights is trying to ready itself for the likelihood of more stringent government mandates that will require the removal of microplastics and other contaminants from the water supply.

The Village also is exploring the option of selling the water system to a private company such as Illinois American Water Co. Whatever decision is made, to keep the water system in public hands or sell it or something in between, this will be the first of multiple water rate increases in the coming years.    

The Village Board approved the rate increase by a 5-1 vote, with Trustee Matt Wigginton in dissent.

In other water-related news, the Village’s Public Works Department in conjunction with private contractor American Pipeline Solutions began the process known as “ice pigging” to address the corrosion and sedimentation that has occurred inside those pipes over many years, at a cost of about $190,000. The process involves injecting an icy salt slurry into the underground pipes, which then forces out the sludge that has accumulated.

About 25 percent of the Village got the ice pigging treatment, mostly in the Montclair and Toledo area neighborhoods. It is hoped that the method will reduce the number of complaints regarding brown water pouring out of local taps, which can be caused by build-ups of magnesium, an ongoing problem in the Village.

“It seems to be very effective,” said Public Works Superintendent Chris Chandler.

The Village also learned from its water consultant, Missouri-based Woodard & Curran, that it has received a $789,000 grant from the state to begin removing lead service lines. Technically, the money is a loan, but in this case that loan comes with 100 percent forgiveness. Lead is a toxic substance with a litany of health consequences including diminished brain development in children. In addition, the Village is currently upgrading its water treatment operations at a cost of about $150,000.

Finally, the Village Board is debating whether to go from quarterly to monthly water billing after a request from a resident. With some 2,500 bills going out at a time, the primary factors are postage and staff costs.

November was a busy month in the Heights. In other news:

  • The Village Board moved to establish two public comment periods at its meetings, one at the beginning to address agenda-only items, another at the end for commentary on other Village issues.

  • The Board renewed its waste hauling contract with G&O Disposal, which has a small increase to compensate for jumps in fuel, landfill and wage costs.

  • The Board retained the services of Washington, D.C.-based Cardinal Infrastructure to continue providing government consulting services to the Village at a cost of $15,000 over six months. Cardinal specializes in transportation, infrastructure and economic development projects and has been of significant help to the village in securing federal dollars for various projects.

  • The Board learned through state Sen. David Koehler’s office that it has been awarded a $50,000 grant for local infrastructure priorities through capital appropriations legislation signed by Gov. JB Pritzker.

  • The Board is putting together a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) Selection Committee to review bids from engineering firms regarding work on the future redesign/reconstruction of Prospect Road, for which the Village received a $2 million federal grant earlier this year, accompanied by a $500,000 local match for Phase 1 design and engineering work.

  • The Board selected a contractor, Hutchison Engineering of Peoria, to oversee roadway and traffic signal work at Paris and Central avenues and War Memorial to accommodate the arrival of a Beck’s Oil service station, car wash and convenience market, now under construction.

  • The Board established the dates for the 2024 Peoria Heights Fine Art Fair, which will be held May 11-12 in Tower Park. The popular fair is going to two days this coming year.