An eyesore on one of Pekin's major streets remains in the city's crosshairs.
During a short discussion Monday at the end of a city council meeting, City Manager John Dossey and City Attorney Jim Vasselli described the city's efforts to seek foreclosure in Tazewell County Court on the property at 2801 Court St. that formerly was the site of a Motel 6 and McCritter's Bar & Grill.
Both businesses closed in 2022.
The most recent court hearing on the foreclosure took place last week.
The property is in the heart of one of Pekin's major business districts and next door to the Pekin Insurance headquarters that would be enticements for a building owner or developer.
Instead, "The property is a danger to the community," Dossey said Monday, referring to the deteriorating building and security concerns at the site despite being enclosed by fencing provided by the property owners at the request of the city.
Offers by the property owners to refurbish the site have fallen on deaf ears at the city because of a lack of trust and communication, according to Dossey and Vasselli.
"We've been playing this game with them for years," Dossey said. "We're done. We need to foreclose, tear down the building, and hopefully find a developer for the site."
"We have no faith that if we accept their offer, they'll take care of the building," Vasselli said.
Fateh Gold LCC is listed in the August 2024 foreclosing filing as the owner of the property. A July 2023 Tazewell County real estate transaction shows Concorde Hotel LLC sold the property to Fateh Gold for $450,000.
Deadlines extended for $25 million Epic Pharma Solutions development
Epic Pharma Solutions, which plans to build a medical equipment facility on a 66-acre parcel off Hanna Drive in the Riverway Business Park in Pekin, was granted 90-day development deadline extensions Monday by the council.
Josh Wray, Pekin's economic development director, said Epic needs the additional time because it will be working with a design-build contractor over the next two months to bring Phase 1 of the project back to the planned $25 million investment level.
Initial bids for Phase 1 came in higher than expected because of new tariffs and market uncertainty, Wray said.
Wray assured council members that Epic's commitment to the project and Pekin have not changed.
The extended deadlines are for site plan approval (September to December), obtaining the first building permit (March 2026 to June 2026) and obtaining a certificate of occupancy (March 2028 to June 2028).
Council's vote was unanimous for the extensions.
Council narrowly approves $25,000 partnership with Discover Peoria
In other action Monday:
- Council approved by a 4-3 vote the city's continued partnership with the Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, also known as Discover Peoria, at the $25,000 annual level for marketing and tourism services. A $25,000 funding request from Discover Peoria brought to the previous council was voted down earlier this year. Council members Jake Fletcher, Rick Hilst and Dave Nutter cast the no votes Monday.
- Council approved by a 4-3 vote the re-appointments of Karen Hohimer as mayor pro-tem and John Abel as first alternate mayor pro-tem. Fletcher, Hilst and Nutter cast the no votes.
- Council approved by a 6-1 vote lowering the annual refuse hauler license fee from $1,000 to $500. The fee was raised last year from $250 to $1,000. The fee was lowered because earlier this year the Illinois Department of Revenue ruled that Dumpster rentals are subject to state and local taxes. Hilst cast the no vote on lowering the fee.
- Council approved by a 6-1 vote awarding a $913,000 contract to low bidder Brandt Construction Company of Farmington to install above-ground, double-wall fuel storage tanks at the Pekin Municipal Airport. A separate bidding process will be used to hire a contractor to remove the existing underground single-wall tanks, which are about 60 years old and were last relined about 30 years ago. The cost for removal of the tanks is an estimated $45,000. A lone bid of $1.28 million for the full tank removal and installation project was rejected by the city in November because it was too costly. The city received an $800,000 Rebuild Illinois Act grant in 2020 to help cover the project cost. "We worked some magic and got this done," said Airport Manager Mike Cruse. Hilst cast the no vote for the installation work.
- Council unanimously approved a lease agreement with Alder Energy of Charleston, S.C., to construct a community solar project at the Pekin Municipal Airport. The airport will earn up to $60,000 per year from the lease. It currently is receiving about $4,200 annually from an agricultural lease. The airport also will receive a 50% discount from Alder on electricity costs. After construction of the solar project begins, the airport will receive $2,000 per acre annually from Alder, with a 2% annual increase. Pekin residents can subscribe to Alder and receive an estimated 10% discount on their electricity bill.
- Council unanimously approved spending a maximum $25,000 so Bishop Brothers of Peoria, a sub-contractor hired by River City Demolition of Peoria, can make repairs to a home at 909 Court Street that was damaged by River City during the demolition of an attached structure. City Manager John Dossey said the city has not paid River City for its previous work and several council members said they want River City to pay for the repairs, not Pekin taxpayers.
- Council unanimously approved adding an AI Era Plan to the Pekin Police Department's 10-year contract with Axon Enterprise of Scottsdale, Ariz., which provides technology products for law enforcement. The annual cost of approximately $50,000 for the plan will save the city more than $1.5 million over the course of the contract. Under the plan, the Police Department will have access to current and future Axon artificial intelligence tools.
- Council unanimously approved spending $24,925 to upfit the interior of a vehicle that formerly was used for the transportation and distribution of illegal drugs and awarded to the city in legal proceedings. The vehicle will be used by the Police Department to conduct surveillance in narcotics investigations. Storm Off-Road of Morton, which submitted the lowest of three quotes, will do the upfitting work. Money seized during narcotics investigations will pay for the work.
- Council unanimously approved the purchase of a LifePak cardiac monitor for the Pekin Fire Department from Stryker Corp., of Portage, Mich., through the Savvik consortium bidding group for $53,668. The monitor being taken off-line for the new one will be traded in for $3,500.
- Council unanimously approved the city's annual funding agreement with the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission, which provides funding for area road projects. The TCRPC recently approving funding for an upcoming Broadway Street road project and is seeking funding for the planned Veterans Road extension. Pekin's funding share with the TCRPC this year is $17,655. "Of all the decisions we make here, this one gives us the most bang for the buck," Abel said.
- Council unanimously approved making a final payment of $16,000 to Hawkins Inc., of Roseville, Minn., for polymer for the Waste Water Treatment Plant. A new vendor will provide polymer for a lower cost than Hawkins.
- Council unanimously approved the purchase of $23,308 of monitoring software for the city's Information Technology Department.
