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JERSEY COUNTY JOURNAL Grafton tables discussion on guest house limitation
JERSEYVILLE, IL 62052
VOL. 17, NO. 34 - 75¢
AUGUST 21, 2019
INSIDE NEWS
Cancer vigil held at First Baptist Church. See page A2 Businesses give to little libraries in big way. See page B3
FRIENDS & NEIGHBORS
Fesslers celebrate 60 years. See page A8
By JARAD JARMON Jersey County Journal Grafton will not be imposing a limitation on the number of guest houses on Main Street anytime soon. The Grafton City Council addressed the proposition at their Aug. 20 meeting, and the idea left the aldermen, or at least the vocal members, split. There was no scheduled vote on the matter, but aldermen and many in the audience were not keen on the idea, and the issue was left moot for now. “For the time being, I think that it will be dead in the water,” said Grafton Mayor Rick Eberlin. Alderwoman Mary Lillesve, who advocated for a limitation on guest houses on the cities main drag, said she would investigate the proposition. The inception of a potential check on the number of these
guest houses was in the interest of sustainability and leaving room for retail growth, according to advocates on and off the council including Lillesve and Eberlin. Lillesve and Eberlin spoke of balanced business as a centerpiece to their reasoning for the idea. “Without balance, I think we lose our community,” Lillesve said. “I don’t want to shut anyone out.” “I don’t think anybody that spoke tonight is against guest houses per se,” Eberlin said. Eberlin said it is about sustaining the city for the long haul. When it comes to Main Street, a main drag in the city, Eberlin saw a particular need to diversify the offerings outside of Main Street. “The feedback that we get, the feedback that people have made was there has got to be more to do, especially for families,” he said of Main Street.
Opponents of the proposition, including Alderman Jim Spencer and Alderman Peter Allen, did not believe that restricting one industry will equate to another taking its place like retail.
“For the time being, I think that it will be dead in the water,”
Rick Eberlin Grafton Mayor “I believe retail, the market will find itself,” Allen said. “I understand the desire and need for retail, but I don’t think you can fake it—even incentivizing it.” Incentives to drive retail into the community was mentioned as a solution instead
of a limitation. In either case, Allen and Spencer stressed the market should decide. Eberlin argued this was not an issue of stifling the market, but understanding that the community needs to be balanced. “I am a capitalist, through and through,” “My initial response was I can’t mandate what is done with their own personal property, but at the same time, I do not think everybody is aware of the community as a whole and what the needs are.” Spencer said there isn’t a line of retailers unable to come to the area. “For the audience and the council members that believe we need more retail space and businesses to round out what Grafton has to offer, I offer a simple solution: You can purchase these properties. They may become available due to the recent flood.
Then, turn them into retail space and businesses,” Spencer said. “They will have the same opportunity as any person who wants to purchase and turn those properties into guest houses.” Eberlin noted other cities have adopted similar limitations on select businesses like guesthouses and bars to ensure balance in their cities. He added there are examples of those that don’t adopt these measures and suffer down the line because of it. Residents in the audience chimed in, though, and said this is not the right time to be talking about this pointing to the deficit the city has found itself in after mitigating and recovering from flood damage. “We need every tax dollar we can get in this town,” said Jeneane DeSherlia, Grafton (See, LIMITATION, A2)
SPORTS Southwestern Birds JFL clashes with Gillespie in Week 2 action. See page A7
WEEKEND WEATHER FRIDAY, AUG. 16
84 69 High
Low
SATURDAY, AUG. 17
90 72 High
Low
SUNDAY, AUG. 18
90 71 High
Low
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TOP STORIES ONLINE Aug. 14 - Aug. 21 1. Developing business park named state "Super Site" 2. Block near East Elementary school to be closed 3. County flood damage assessments to start soon 4. Joe Page Bridge is open
INDEX Court . . . . . . . . . B4, B7 Editorial . . . . . . . . . .A4 News . .A2-3, A5-6, B3, B7 Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . A5 Our Town. . . . . . . . . .B4 Public Notice . . . . . B6-7 School . . . . . . . . . . . .A6 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . .A7 OBITUARIES: BLACKORBY, BILLINGS, GIMLIN, LAMBETH, PRUITT, ROSENTHAL.
New legislation makes hunter safety classes a possibility By JARAD JARMON Jersey County Journal Recent legislation could open up the possibility of hunting education classes in schools, and local districts are looking into if the area would want and benefit from an introduction to these courses. A bipartisan-backed law passed last month gives Illinois public schools the option of offering hunter safety education for course credit, and districts like Jersey Community District No. 100 are excited by the idea. Brad Tuttle, Jersey Community Superintendent, saw this as a move in the right direction. “What a great opportunity for us to help our community get these safety courses to our kids at young ages,” Tuttle said. Implementation of hunting safety education classes in Jersey is on hold as logistical details are hammered out at the state level. Tuttle said several factors will weigh on the introduction of these types of classes in the school district, one being financial support. “We just are patiently waiting what the parameters (might be), and if there is going to be any funding to help us get it done,” Tuttle said. Tuttle was positive toward the introduction of these classes to Jersey Community schools but stressed they needed to know more details before
“We just are patiently waiting what the parameters (might be) and if there is going to be any funding to help us get it done.”
Brad Tuttle Jersey Community Superintendent outright green-lighting the safety course. “We still want to more about how it is going to happen, when it is going to happen and if there is going to be any funding to help us with it,” Tuttle said. Discussions around guns, however they are used, can be controversial for some, especially if it relates to schools, but Tuttle said this was a matter of safety education more than it is a matter surrounding guns. “This is a safety course,” Tuttle said. “If we can help people understand how to be safe in this, they can determine whether they are actually going to do it or not. It is never going to change that the schools are no place for guns. The schools are a great place (See, HUNTER SAFETY, A2)
Local woman dies in single vehicle accident By KYLE CUNNINGHAM Jersey County Journal Baylee Rose Pruitt, 20, of Jerseyville was pronounced dead at 6:16 a.m. Aug. 17 after a single vehicle crash that occurred On Route 67 and Davis
Lane in Godfrey. According to the Madison County Sheriff’s Department, the vehicle was traveling northbound on 67 when it left the road for an unknown reason. Pruitt overcorrected, subsequently causing the vehicle to roll multiple times.
Jarad Jarmon/ Jersey County Journal
STUDENTS
ARE BACK TO BUSTLIN’
A mass of students get books and other supplies Friday from their lockers at Jerseyville East Elementary School. The school year started in the Jersey Community School District late last week.
Unit 100 approves bid for district office roof replacement By KYLE CUNNINGHAM Jersey County Journal During the Aug. 15 Jersey Unit 100 school board meeting, the board passed a motion to accept a low bid by Kehrer Brothers Construction of Albers, IL. According to board President Greg Brown, the replacement of the roof is something that has needed to be addressed immediately. “It’s been in bad shape for quite some time. The northeast corner of the roof is actually coming off of the trusses,” Brown said. The district originally put the job out for bidding a year ago, but decid-
ed not to act on the project due to the importance of other improvements that were of higher concern. “We wanted to take care of the buildings with students and staff first, so we kind of put this on the back burner,” he said. In other news, the board accepted the resignations of Dakota Keller, part-time Pre-K/part B-3, effective immediately, Lauren Claytor, Paraprofessional, West Elementary School, effective Aug. 2, 2019 and Zoe Chin, National Honor Society Sponsor, effective immediately. (See, BID, A2)
Jarad Jarmon/Jersey County Journal JERSEY COUNTY
JOURNAL
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SEWER WORK ON STATE STREET Jerseyville crews worked on updating a section of a main sewer line Thursday. They tore into the road to repair service lines coming off of the main line on State Street near Hardee’s. These are lines that lead to residents. Earlier that day, a specialty company, VisuSewer, placed new lining in the sewer main at this location. This sewer lining project took place at several sites across the city. This work was done by the end of the week last week.