Kathy's #Mailbag, June 7, 2024 (2024)

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Why we’ve seen so many military planes overhead in recent days … who will own grant-funded school buses that may be coming to Urbana … improvements to West Side Park in Champaign … and the origin of the Kingshighway Bridge on the UI campus. (Yeah, we didn’t know there was such a thing, either.)

In an early March edition of the Mailbag, we shared the history of the Carriage Center auto-dealer complex in Champaign — and we mentioned that a new grocery store was planned to anchor the 6-acre parcel of land just to the north of the “big three” car dealerships. Those plans were announced in 1965, and a brand-new Kroger supermarket opened there in 1973.

While the supermarket at 1807 S. Neil St. only lasted until 1982, several other businesses have filled the space since then. City directories tell us a Big Lots was located there in the late 1980s, followed by Good Vibes for about 10 years in the ’90s and early 2000s. Anyone remember Car Wars?

The Wright Financial Group/Northwestern Mutual, Strategic Employee Benefits Services, McClure Financial Group/Northwestern Mutual, and Mettler Physical Therapy were among the businesses there through the mid-2010s.

In 2017, the fraternal organization Moose International bought the property to redevelop it as a Lodgic Everyday Community — the first in the nation.

It seemed like a can’t-miss concept: a space that would meet work- and family-related needs and foster a sense of community among young business professionals. Moose International soon replicated it in Louisville, Ky., and Madison, Wis.

The original Lodgic included a restaurant and café, childcare facility and flexible coworking space that would engage “the next generation of families and individuals with whom we have had limited success in attracting as members” of more traditional Moose lodges and chapters, the organization said.

In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and changed the trajectory of many businesses. The property was listed for sale in February 2023. The other locations in Louisville and Madison also closed.

But the concept didn’t die — at least not in Champaign. Todd and Nolan Atkins bought the property last fall, and reopened it as Lodgic Coworking early this year.

According to the new lodgic.work website, “Lodgic Coworking provides a work environment that is designed to accommodate today’s small businesses and freelancers without all the overhead costs associated with a typical office. We offer flexible, affordable 30-day memberships to suit every need from open desks to private offices available from 1 to 6 people.”

Pursuit Fitness also rents space there, and Napoli’s Italian Restaurant occupies the northeast corner of the building, according to Brenda Stout, Lodgic Coworking’s member engagement coordinator.

Oh, and good news for coffee and pastry lovers: “We're anticipating the opening of BakeLab Patisserie & Café this month, and we're still looking for a daycare provider” to operate in the building.

“We live near West Side Park in Champaign and are curious about the extensive concrete work going on there. What are they doing?”

Sarah Sandquist, executive director of the Champaign Park District, said the park is undergoing a significant upgrade to its sidewalk infrastructure. According to a CPD press release, the project is aimed at enhancing accessibility for all users and “will introduce strategically placed passing nodes along the expansive path system.

“Scheduled for completion by the end of June, this initiative will also involve the replacement of select sidewalk panels, necessitating temporary closures within the park. During construction, access to the playground will be redirected to the south gate, ensuring minimal disruption to recreational activities. While West Side Park remains open throughout the improvement process, patrons are urged to exercise caution and patience during their visits.”

“I saw this Kingshighway Bridge sign on a walking path over the Boneyard Creek on the UI’s Engineering Campus. What’s the story behind it?”

The sign seems … well, a little out-of-place on a pedestrian bridge in the middle of campus. Kingshighway is a street name many of us associate with St. Louis, Mo.

But the sign is legit, and it’s there for a reason. UI Facilities & Services’ Steve Breitwieser says it is intended to remind service vehicle operators making equipment and material deliveries to nearby buildings that the bridge is for pedestrian access only and is weight-limited.

“The name refers to when a road between what is now Engineering Hall and the Materials Science and Engineering Building was once called ‘Kingshighway Drive.’ Over the years, that street configuration was transformed into a pedestrian area through various facility redevelopment projects and continued infrastructure improvements to the Boneyard Creek,” Breitwieser said.

“I see Urbana School District 116 just got a USEPA grant to buy 15 ‘clean,’ eco-friendly school buses. That’s great! Will these buses belong to the school district? I seem to recall that a third-party company provides D-116’s bus service….”

Indeed, “we contract out with First Student for our yellow bus services,” said district spokesperson Katherine Tellez. She said First Student submitted the grant applicationon behalf of USD116.

“While we were awarded the grant, the district must first complete a financial analysis to see if this is financially feasible. This plan would need to be approved by the Board of Education before moving forward. Since we do not have an approvedplan for this yet, we are not able to provide any additional information at this time.”

So … no word yet on whether the school district or First Student would own the new grant-funded buses. Tellez said there are three years left on the district’s bus-service contract with First Student.

“Seems we've seen a lot of fighter jets and other military aircraft flying in and out of Willard Airport in recent days. Why the sudden increase in military flights here?”

I thought perhaps it had to do with a seasonal reduction in local air traffic between semesters, but Flightstar’s Will Moser said “the higher number of military aircraft that have stopped for fuel or performed approaches does not correlate with anything that we know of.”

Among the aircraft local folks have spotted lately were a C-17 Globemaster cargo plane, a KC-135 aerial refueling tanker, two F18s on a cross-country training flight, a C-17 practicing approaches, a T-38 practicing approaches, and four more F18s on a cross-country training flight.

For aircraft fans who may have missed seeing some of them, Moser has posted photos and a video on Flightstar’s Facebook page. “I tend to only post the ones that are really big or make a lot of noise,” he said.

“The slot on the remaining mail drop box at the Mattis Avenue P.O. is still too high-up for drivers in sedans. More often than not, some of the mail I try to put in the slot ends up on the ground.”

For months now, readers — men, women, older, middle-aged — have been noting accessibility issues with the Mattis Avenue drop box(es). USPS spokesperson Tim Norman told us in January that the Champaign Postmaster “has looked into this situation and is in the process of moving the boxes closer to the curb to make it easier for customers to reach from a vehicle.” One of the blue drop boxes has since been removed.

In response to this most recent reader question, Norman said “unfortunately, if the box is moved closer to the curb, the chute could hang out into the drive lane and have potential for larger vehicles scraping their vehicle against the snorkel.”

Snorkel? Sure enough, the Postal Service defines a “snorkel collection box receptacle” as a USPS collection box that is placed at the curbside and is fitted with a chute to receive mail deposited by motorists.

Norman said USPS Area maintenance staff are looking for a mail drop box that would work better for all customers at the Mattis Avenue location.

“Wednesday’s story about changes coming to Prospect Avenue didn’t address another question.
 Are we any further along on extending Prospect past Curtis Road? I’ve not heard anything about that lately.”

Savoy Village Administrator Christopher Walton says there are no current discussions regarding the extension of Prospect Avenue in Savoy.

Prospect Avenue ends at Curtis Road, and picks up again for about 0.2 mile between the Savoy Recreation Center and Church Street. Between Curtis Road and the Rec Center is an approximately 0.8-mile stretch of the Harold E. Ruppel Memorial Bike Path. To the east of the bike path, south of Curtis Road, is a residential subdivision. To its west is farm ground that belongs to two different landowners.

“The property-in-question is currently being successfully farmed. However, any discussion on a potential extension of Prospect would be purely dependent on, and initiated by, the property owners’ desire to develop their land,” Walton said.

"Convenient Care at Christie on Windsor in Champaign is temporarily closed for remodeling. When will they reopen, and will patients see any big changes when they do?"

Melissa Tepovich, Christie Clinic’s marketing manager, said the renovations started June 1 and will wrap up by the middle of the month. The changes are expected to improve patient flow and the patient experience.

“The renovations include new flooring, paint and lighting throughout, one new exam room, and converting the now-unused lobby into a provider office. Curbside check-in at the Convenient Care located at Christie Clinic in Champaign on Windsor will continue to be available when the renovations are complete and Convenient Care reopens,” she said.

Meantime, patients needing care can visit Convenient Care at Christie Clinic in Urbana (with curbside check-in), or schedule an appointment with their primary care provider. Christie has increased the number of exam rooms and staff for Convenient Care at the Urbana location while renovations continue in Champaign.

“Who maintains the grounds at the Champaign County Courthouse? The grass is midcalf in height, the sidewalk and bricks are weedy, mulch is piled in heaps and the decorative planters are crumbling.”

We turned to County Executive Steve Summers for an answer, and he said “after I received your Mailbag question, my Facilities Director and I drove by the Courthouse. The spaces around the parking lot have been treated with a preemergent herbicide, and it was determined that we needed additional mulch. Once that is delivered, the mulch that's ‘piled in heaps’ will be covering those areas by the sidewalk/parking lot.

“The sidewalks are maintained by the City of Urbana, not the county. Due to an ongoing construction project at the Courthouse parking lot, some adjacent areas haven't been accessible to mow — other than during the weekends. The County has a lawn service that applies weed control and fertilizer. They've also been doing some dirt work/grading and seeding.”

Summers said improvements in the grounds’ appearance “should be noticeable in the future. As to the planters, I walked around the courthouse over lunch today and saw no issues of that nature.”

“What’s up with the local radio ad that tells motorists not to engage with Chicago-area drivers who are exhibiting road rage, or they risk being shot? Yikes!”

The ad doesn’t mince words: “Listen! Road rage is escalating on Chicago’s expressways. Road-rage drivers are using guns to shoot at other drivers. So when driving, be aware … and If you encounter road rage, don’t engage.” As jarring as the message may be, that’s sound advice in larger downstate communities, too.

The radio spots are sponsored by the Illinois State Police, in cooperation with the Illinois Broadcasters Association and its member stations. So … why are we hearing them locally?

WDWS-WHMS-WKIO station manager Grant Thompson told me “all members of the Illinois Broadcasters Association commit to running a certain amount of inventory throughout the year on behalf of the IBA. The IBA in turn gets funding from these organizations for airing the messages.”

“A few days ago, I saw several ‘20-mph School Zones’ signals flashing in Champaign, even though school is out. Are they malfunctioning?”

The issue probably has resolved itself by now. Kris Koester with Champaign Public Works said his department schedules the signals at the beginning of the school year, based on the school calendar.

“Because we only program them once a year, we also build in a few snow days, just in case they're needed. Their run should end this week. The additional regulation on the signs also say ‘on school days, when children are present.’”

“When approaching Anthony Drive on Walters Drive, it is hard to see traffic on Anthony approaching from the left. In addition to three big trees alongside Anthony, the Salt and Light sign obscures the view. I love what the ministry does in and for our community, but would they consider moving their sign to provide a better sightline?”

I got in touch with Lisa Sheltra, Salt & Light’s director of community engagement, and she relayed the reader’s question to Executive Director Nathan Montgomery. She told me he is “considering next steps.”

“The Champaign County Sheriff’s Office recently asked the public’s help in solving a burglary at 1327 Savoy Plaza Lane. The suspects stole 'numerous items from the store,' but the report didn’t say what kinds of items were taken. Mightn’t making those details available to the public help solve the crime?”

The original post on the CCSO Facebook account was headlined “can you help ID burglary suspects?” “So, the purpose of the post is to help us ID those in the pictures, as mentioned,” said Champaign County Sheriff Dustin Heuerman. Doesn’t sound as if officials think knowing what was stolen would necessarily help members of the public identify the people who stole … whatever it was.