GPP 1.22.20

Page 1

GREENE PRAIRIE PRESS

75¢

-$18$5< – Vol. 151, No. 4 – &DUUROOWRQ ,OOLQRLV

INSIDE NEWS 2019 Year in review: Part I. See page A3

SCHOOL

Security measures coming to Greene County Courthouse By CARMEN ENSINGER Greene Prairie Press

T

CGS Students of month recognized. See page A6

SPORTS

he idea of making the Greene County Courthouse more secure is not something that just come up out of the blue – it is something that has been in the works for more than a decade. “There has been discussion over security within the courthouse for at least the past 10 years,� Greene County Sheriff Rob McMillen said. “Right after I took office in 2010, Judge Day and I had discussions about it, and he had some valid concerns, and I shared those concerns. However, the major obstacle that prevented us from putting that security plan in place back then

was the financing of the program.� The County runs on a very tight budget and there simply was no money to implement the program. “The County was in a position where they couldn’t add any more expenses and we just couldn’t figure out how to afford to put it in place,� McMillen said. “We could have done it, but it would have forced me to take a road deputy off the road and put into the courthouse which would have put Greene County with less protection, and fewer hours of service, and I wasn’t in favor of doing that. So we just kind of tabled it and would periodically bring it up for discussion, but it always circled back to finances.� Fast forward to 2019. “Judge Day called me, and we had another meeting, and he kind of expressed his desire to push this pro-

gram forward again,� McMillen said. “We talked about finances again, and he offered to pay for it through the Court Security Fund.� The Court Security Fund is made up of fees collected from court cases that are filed and go through the court system. An assessment is put on their fine for court costs, and part of those court costs go into the Court Security Fund. “Over the past 10 plus years, this fund has constantly had money going into it and nothing coming out, and now has around $100,000 in it,� McMillen said. “Judge Day said if we could get the County Board to pay for half the program that he would sign off on utilizing the Court Security Fund to pay the other half.� McMillen was tasked with coming up with some numbers as to the cost of implementing the program.

“I prepared one using a full-time deputy and another one using a parttime deputy five days a week during business hours,� he said. “Notably, the part-time deputy was considerably cheaper because we wouldn’t have to pay all the benefits of a full time deputy.� After looking over both proposals, it was decided to present the plan utilizing the part time deputy to the County Board. “Back in September we started having conversations with the Finance Committee and Judiciary Committee of the County Board getting some details to them,� McMillen said. “I prepared a security plan that showed how it would work and presented the budget to implement the plan.� (See, SECURITY, A2)

CSI presents at regional Tourism Summit GreenfieldNorthwestern falls to GriggsvillePerry 48-42 in Winchester Tournament. See page A9

ONLINE JUHHQHSUDLULHSUHVV FRP

WEEKEND WEATHER FRIDAY, JAN. 24

35 30 High

Low

SATURDAY, JAN. 25

35 27 High

Low

SUNDAY, JAN. 26

38 30 High

Low

Greene Prairie Press

&KXUFK $ &RXUW $ 2ELWXDULHV $ 2XU 7RZQ $ 1HZV $ 6FKRRO $ 6SRUWV $ 5HDO (VWDWH $ OBITUARIES IN THIS ISSUE: MCCAHERTY, STROWMATT

Š 2020

GREENE PRAIRIE PRESS All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

By CARMEN ENSINGER Greene Prairie Press The Carrollton Square Initiative (CSI) had the honor of presenting at the Great Rivers and Routes Tourism Summit held Thursday, Jan. 16 at the SIUE Campus. The CSI was formed two years ago and is dedicated to revitalizing the Carrollton Square and making Carrollton a place where people not only want to come visit and shop, but a place they want to live. Their association with the Great Rivers and Routes Tourism Bureau (GRRTB) began last year when Pat McGInnis, Interim Executive Director of the Lower Illinois River Valley Rural Prosperity Initiative invited Brett Stawar, President of the GRRTB, to come to one of the CSI public forums. “He was kind enough to come to one of our meetings and see what we were all about,� Pinkston said. “He must have seen something he liked, because he invited us to come here to speak and we are really excited about that.� The CSI joined the ranks of some much bigger players and were asked to speak during the “Game Changers� portion of the summit, which focused on projects in the area that will bring in money to the region and tourism; projects such as Alton Works and Plummer Family Park in Edwardsville. “We are inundated with the story about what is going on in

rural America,� Pinkston said. “There are those who would say, ‘Look, we need to just walk away from these small towns. Let them go, let them die. The best you can hope for is that maybe they could survive and slow some of the decline.’ “But if you are a game changer, you know that there is a different story about rural America. You know that many people across the country are looking for the lifestyle that is natural to a small town and that we are the place that can be a destination going forward.� Technology and other advances can make small towns restored, renewed and revitalized to become not only a destination for tourists, but a place that people want to live. “Our focus with the CSI is to address that opportunity to be able to take the values we have in a small town and add to it the amenities and opportunities you see in larger communities,� Pinkston said. “Really help our town not only survive but thrive and grow.� Pinkston said the idea came about from local business owners. “A little over two years ago a couple of the business folks that invested in our community came to me and said they had made an investment here and they wanted to see if they could extend that,� he (See, CSI, A2)

Carmen Ensinger/Greene Prairie Press

CSI consultant Pat Pinkston speaks before a group of more than 250 at SIUE in Edwardsville last week for the Great Rivers and Routes Tourism Summit. Pinkston talked about the decline in rural America and how the CSI hopes to reverse that trend in Carrollton.

Fire consumes Bev’s impacted heavily by fire home in Greenfield By CARMEN ENSINGER Greene Prairie Press For the second time in less than a week, the Greenfield Fire Department battled a major blaze in the city which destroyed the former bed and breakfast on Garfield Street. Last Sunday, the department battled a blaze at Friends and Family Diner which spread to the Fergurson Insurance Agency and Bev’s Baskets and

Bows Wedding Rental facility on the square. According to Assistant Fire Chief John Hardwick, Jr., the department was paged out to a house fire on 607 Garfield at approximately 10:45 p.m. Friday night. “When we arrived on the scene, we could see the glow from the flames on the third floor, which was the attic,� he (See, FIRE, A2)

Tourism Summit highlights economic impact on area By CARMEN ENSINGER Greene Prairie Press The Great Rivers and Routes Tourism Bureau (GRRTB) Summit Meeting held on Jan. 16 on the SIUE campus was historic in that it was the first time the meeting was held outside of Alton. Founded in 1985 and formerly known as the Alton

Regional Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, the name was changed in 2018 to Great Rivers and Routes Tourism Bureau to better align with the area it encompasses. The GRRTB is a destination marketing organization which represents Greene, Jersey, Calhoun, Madison, Macoupin (See, TOURISM, A3)

By CARMEN ENSINGER Greene Prairie Press Imagine being at home during the early morning hours, getting ready to head out and start the day and receiving a phone call that your business is on fire.

“Everything that was located in the back of my building was destroyed by the fire, including a lot of my wedding inventory.�

Bev Goode Bev’s Baskets and Bows owner That is what happened to Bev Goode, owner of Bev’s Baskets and Bows in Greenfield and Carrollton as well as a bridal rental shop on the square in Greenfield, during the early morning hours of Sunday, Jan. 12. “I had just gotten up when they called me and told me my business was on fire,â€? Goode said. “I was getting ready to go to Springfield to pick up some flowers but had to cancel my trip.â€? The fire started in the Friends and Family CafĂŠ, located behind Goode’s the rental shop. Goode rented the space from Randy Fergurson, owner of the Fergurson Insurance Agency, which also burned in the fire.

“From what I understand, the fire started in the cafĂŠ and spread to the west to our buildings,â€? Goode said. “Everything that was located in the back of my building was destroyed by the fire, including a lot of my wedding inventory.â€? Goode not only used the building to store her wedding inventory, but also used it to display various wedding themes. “We had it set up like a showroom to where the bride could come in and see what something looked like that they might want for their reception or wedding,â€? she said. “We had furniture, signs, arches, and it all burned up. What didn’t burn can’t be used because of the smoke damage.â€? Goode said everything she had stored in the back was a total loss. “I had dozens of totes full of silk flowers, flower arrangements, fabrics, greenery, string lights and other lighting sources and other items and they were completely destroyed,â€? she said. “I haven’t been able to get in there and see how far the fire traveled and how much is gone, because they thought the building wasn’t very safe to go into, and they really didn’t want me back in there.â€? The fire didn’t reach the front part of the building, which contained a lot of the glassware, and Goode said she hopes some of it will be able to be salvaged. “We were able to get some of it out, and right now, we are trying to see if it will clean up and be able to be used,â€? Goode said. “The ACTS building has several people working there working off (See, BEV'S, A4)

Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.