Peoria Heights seeks full-time firefighters

Providing a rare opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a new full-time fire department, the Village of Peoria Heights is putting out the call to fill three firefighter openings in the coming months.

Heights Fire Chief Dan Decker said that salaries will start at $65,000 annually with full benefits as the newly hired firefighters assume shifts of 24 hours on, 48 hours off. The career firefighters will be augmented by part-time firefighters paid on a stipend basis, additionally complemented by volunteers who for more than a century have formed the foundation of the Peoria Heights Fire Department. At least two local firefighters will be available to respond to emergencies on a 24-7 basis, said Decker.

Indeed, the Heights has a long and distinguished history of providing top-notch volunteer fire protection but times have changed with job and family pressures, making volunteer recruitment more difficult and prompting the Village Board to create a full-time department last year.

Applications and additional information about the positions are available now and can be found here.

The deadline for submissions is 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 10.

Beyond that, the timeline is as follows: A mandatory orientation meeting for all applicants will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday, July 20 at Peoria Heights Village Hall, 4901 N. Prospect Road. A written test will follow, to be administered starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday, July 27 at Peoria Heights Grade School, 500 E. Glen Ave. The interview process is scheduled for Aug. 12-23 at Village Hall. Finalists for the positions will be selected by Sept. 1. Offers of employment will then be made and the three firefighter positions should be filled in early October.

The hiring process has three components.

First, candidates must prove physical agility, showing a current CPAT card with ladder climb.

Second, the written exam will be weighted at 60 percent of a candidate’s overall score and cover listening comprehension, mathematics and reading comprehension. Standard & Associates practice tests and study guides are available for purchase online. The passing score is 70 percent.

Third, interviews are weighted at 40 percent and will be conducted by the Peoria Heights Police and Fire Commission.

In addition, preference points will be awarded for firefighting experience, military service, valid firefighting certifications including EMT training, and apprenticeships. Candidates up for consideration must undergo a thorough background investigation and pass a polygraph, medical and psychological examination.

“It’s the ground floor of what I think will be a good place to work,” said Decker, who touted the benefits of working at a busy department in an attractive and growing community. “Everybody wants to come to the Heights … Our job is to make it a safe place to be.”

Volunteers continue to be welcome.

“We have a rich history of volunteer firefighting and we are looking to build upon that success with permanent firefighters as our community grows,” said Police and Fire Commission member Jeff Shields.

For more information, contact Fire Chief Dan Decker at ddecker@peoriaheightsfire.org, 309-251-9174.

Enjoy Mother’s Day weekend at Heights Fine Art Fair

For the first time in its history, the Peoria Heights Fine Art Fair will take place over two days this coming Mother’s Day weekend.

Hosted by the Peoria Heights Arts Collaborative, the event will feature 44 artists across multiple genres who will be displaying their creations from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 11, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 12. This is a juried art fair with a top prize of $1,000.

The event also will feature live music over both days. Food will be provided by Tony’s on Wheels (Haddad’s restaurant) and Sweet Girls Treats.

Another significant change is the location, as the art fair is moving up the block on Prospect to the Tower Park area.

Prospect Avenue will be closed to through traffic between Kingman and Glen avenues starting first thing Saturday morning and will reopen at 6 p.m. Sunday. Barricades will be up and traffic will be rerouted.

Hope to see you there!

Spring Clean Up! - May 3rd & 4th

The Village of Peoria Heights will hold a two-day Community Cleanup on Friday and Saturday, May 3 & 4, at the Public Works Garage, 3838 N. Boulevard Ave. in Peoria Heights.

 

Dumpsters will be available on site from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on each of those days.

 

The Village is working closely with its waste hauler, G&O Disposal, to coordinate the cleanup, which is a preemptive move aimed at preventing the littering of local alleys with large items that are not eligible for curb pickup.

 

That said, the landfill will not be accepting everything. Not eligible for disposal are tires, appliances (dishwashers, humidifiers, laundry machines, air conditioners, refrigerators, water heaters, etc.), electronics (televisions, stereo equipment, computer monitors, keyboards, etc.), large batteries, hazardous waste including motor oils and wet paints, propane tanks and yard waste, among other items.

 

Residents are permitted to drop off one mattress and box spring.

Parking Forum to be held @ 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 8

The Village of Peoria Heights will host a forum to discuss downtown parking needs at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 8, at Village Hall, 4901 N. Prospect Road.

The availability and condition of public parking has been an issue in the Heights for many years, especially given the growing popularity of the community’s restaurant and entertainment row.

Interested stakeholders including downtown business owners and residents are encouraged to attend and provide their input to the Village Board. This is primarily a listening session, with public discussion to follow both at this forum and at future Village Board meetings.

Hope to see you there!

April Wrap-Up: A 2025 budget and more

After a couple of months of difficult cost-cutting decisions, the Peoria Heights Village Board unanimously adopted a balanced budget of nearly $5.8 million on April 16.

The Fiscal Year 2025 budget reflects an increase in operational spending of more than 18 percent over the budget adopted one year ago and of about 9 percent over estimated actual spending, with but a few days to go in Fiscal Year 2024.

Much of the jump was driven by the Village Board’s decision last December to transition from a volunteer to a paid fire department. After an initial budget proposal that projected a $1 million, year-to-year increase in fire protection spending alone, the Board scaled back on that and some other services to get expenditures more in line with anticipated revenues.

The Board also raised the cost on residents for garbage collection, which will go from $10 to $20 per month beginning May 1, with Trustee Matt Wigginton in opposition. Previously, the Village had subsidized half the actual cost of garbage pick-up.

However, with a so-called “structural deficit” – meaning that future projected revenues are not sufficient to keep up with current spending practices -- the Village must continue to monitor its checkbook closely if it wishes to refrain from imposing higher taxes or cutting services down the road.

“Our margins are very slim,” warned Village Administrator Dustin Sutton. “When I say ‘slim,’ I mean slim.”

That reality was a factor in the Board’s decision to reject, for the time being, a request from the Peoria Heights Chamber of Commerce for $20,000 to support upcoming festivals such as Taste of the Heights and Kris Kringle Market.

While there was some debate on that, and while there is a recognition that those events bring value to the Heights in terms of visibility and tax revenues, now is just not the time, trustees generally agreed.

While those circumstances could change as the year progresses, the Village may be able to squeeze out a few more dollars through a state grant and in-kind services such as police protection will again be provided, “I’m not interested in amending this budget,” said Trustee Brandon Wisenburg. “Next year could be a better year,” added Trustee Jennifer Reichert.

Mayor Michael Phelan cautioned that while it’s critical to keep an eye on the bottom line, it’s also important to continue “reinvesting in what our brand is,” which is part of the what the Chamber does. “Our brand is valuable.

The Chamber’s membership has grown to about 300 members and is hoping to become more self-sustaining by expanding its profit-making activities at local festivals and elevating its sponsorship opportunities, said Board Vice President Steven Cook.

The 2025 fiscal year begins on May 1.

In other action or discussion:

  • The Village Board approved a lease with Bradley University’s Turner Center for Entrepreneurship to run a commercial and training kitchen out of the Village-owned Pump House at 1201/1203 Kingman Ave.

Bradley will pay $6,000 annually in rent over a five-year term, with four option periods of five years each. Meanwhile, the Village Board approved the expenditure of up to $10,000 to bring the facility up to code for the kitchen operation – specifically the installation of a commercial-grade ventilation system -- which prompted some debate about the source of those dollars.

Community Development Director Wayne Aldrich said the funds would come out of the Business Development District program and not the Village’s operating budget, while noting that Bradley’s investment is considerable.

Turner Center Director Jim Foley called the initiative “a perfect fit” for Peoria Heights and its brand and said “the experience with the Village has been top-notch, and I mean that sincerely.

“This will add an important new resource to the entrepreneurship community. Food entrepreneurs need access to a licensed, shared commercial kitchen to help with their startup and growth journey,” he said. “I am excited we are working with Connie Randall, who recently retired from her catering company, A Matter of Taste. By combining her passion and expertise with the support services of the Turner Center, entrepreneurs working in our new shared kitchen have access to more than just a facility.  They have access to expertise and resources to help them succeed.”

  • The Village Board approved the expenditure of nearly $214,000 for a second phase of “ice pigging” to clear local water pipes of the corrosion and sedimentation that has collected inside them over many years.

Public Works Superintendent Chris Chandler said that American Pipeline Solutions would be “taking care of everything south of Lake (Avenue) in this round,” along with all water mains coming from Village wells to its treatment plant. The process will take place over two weeks mid-summer, much of it in the middle of the night so as to create as little disruption as possible.

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 last fall, and “we feel like it really did make quite an impact,” said Chandler. Specifically, ice pigging can ameliorate the brown water that sometimes pours from local taps, which can be caused by build-ups of manganese in the pipes.

  • The Board authorized the closure of Prospect Avenue between Marietta and Glen avenues from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 19 to accommodate the Taste of Peoria Heights festival.

Traffic will be redirected one block east during that time period.

The event has become increasingly popular, drawing approximately 6,000 people last year. Now in its fourth year, “it’s kind of turned into a well-oiled machine,” said Trustee Matt Wigginton.

  • The Board approved a one-year contract with Cardinal Infrastructure Services for $15,000 for federal lobbying services. Cardinal has been instrumental in helping the Village acquire government grants over the last couple of years amounting to millions of dollars for projects including the pending reconstruction of Illinois Route 29 and Prospect Road.