Champaign Candidates on City Infrastructure

This question was created by journalists and community members during the Democracy in CU: Let’s talk solutions to community violence event on March 14th.

What are your top priorities for infrastructure investment, and what areas of the city will you target? Will you prioritize investment in lighting and green spaces? Please also describe your plan to fund these projects.

MAYOR

Deborah Feinen:

Council has approved the Neil Street Corridor Plan. This plan includes a more attractive, unique entryway into Champaign and the North Side. The planned improvements will upgrade the route for walkers, bikers and bus riders and make the corridor more attractive to business and residential investment. We have also approved the Downtown Plaza plan. This plan adds green space, gathering space, performance space and more to downtown. The Plaza plan is divided into stages so it can be funded over time. At this time, we are hopeful the Plaza will receive grant funding and City investment will be matching funds.

Council has approved the Bristol Park re-development plan (which includes goals for minority contractors). This re-development will impact this area as will the Park District’s Martens Center that will be located at 1501 N Market Street. The funding for Bristol comes from several sources but the City has already budgeted for our portion of the investment.

We have approved a TIFF District that over time should help with re-development in North Champaign. Funds for investment will come from TIFF increment as redevelopment occurs.

Council has approved a plan to begin acquiring properties for the Garden Hills drainage project.

This project includes a detention basin, storm sewer, street and lighting improvements which are all designed to address flooding problems in the Garden Hills neighborhood. The approved plan includes landscaping amenities and provides for a park like green space in the neighborhood. Thus, the drainage improvements are really a full-scale neighborhood improvement project. Funds will come from the Storm Water Utility Fee that was increased by Council with set increases occurring over time to pay for storm water improvement projects.

Council approves a 10- year capitol improvement plan and that plan includes roads and bridges that will be improved. I also want to be sure to mention the I 57-I-74 interchange. Also, I supported the increase in the Hotel Motel tax with a portion of the increase going to fund improvements to arterial roads.

CITY COUNCIL

Tom Bruno:

Our long-term capital investment plan addresses storm-water detention improvements for the next 30 years. Our plan for a Downtown Plaza will create a public space that will add to our vibrant Downtown.

Andrew James Christensen:

I am most urgently interested in pursuing infrastructure improvements that have a direct positive impact on neighborhood safety. These include providing sidewalks, street lights, and traffic infrastructure that can reduce automobile speeds in residential neighborhoods. They also include aggressively pursuing stormwater mitigation infrastructure, assistive funds for home improvement to reduce flooding, and maintenance of natural barriers like rain gardens and permeable land. These public works projects are not cheap, and I would hope to leverage a combination of funding sources including federal and state grants and the tax funds allocated to public works projects. I would also eagerly pursue proactive financial planning for major stormwater infrastructure as the Illinois State Climatologist Office predicts that climate change will bring more record-breaking precipitation in the coming decades.

I would also love to see infrastructure grown around community health, including accessible urban green spaces, walking and bike paths, and development of multimodal public transit like the dockless bike program. These are attractive projects for public-private partnership in funding. I would support these efforts through intergovernmental cooperation, contributory zoning policies, and working with citizens to prepare initiatives for the city’s deliberation.

Matthew Gladney:

Infrastructure has loomed large as a priority for me, and the city is working diligently to push forward on its infrastructure improvement. One of the things we have done during the past four years is increase our hotel/motel tax in order for it to help fund the backlog of street repairs. We are in the midst of the West Washington Watershed project, and plans are underway for the Garden Hills Drainage project, though I would like for its timeline to be brought up sooner. I am definitely a fan of green space. An investment in lighting (and it isn't clear if the question refers to street lighting, or something else, but I will go with street lighting) is something I would support, provided we are to fund it accordingly. It's worth noting that, in talking with various neighborhood groups over the years, some areas without street lighting most certainly want it, while other areas have said they do not.

William Kyles:

Addressing drainage has been and will continue to be a top priority. We have done that through the collection of a stormwater fee. Recently, we just approved the first phase of the Garden Hills project. I would continue to advocate to expedite this project, as it would address green space, sidewalks and lighting.

Along with drainage projects, I would continue to look at projects that help us maintain or improve our infrastructure throughout our city.

Pattsi Petrie:

have worked on stormwater management and flooding issues since 2008. Because we are built on a swamp, these remain issues for many areas of the community. The John Street Watershed project not only was a success, though not a 100%, but also the model for east and west Washington and Glenn Park. The next projects are the University Ave. area of west Washington, Garden Hills, and Bristol Park. Garden Hills and Bristol include lights and sidewalks. The community needs these projects equally on the public works timeline. The stormwater projects are funded through the annual stormwater fee. Even though the fee generates funds, there is so much work to do it will take decades to address the whole city. At the time of the JSW project, we wrote a grant and got ARRA, federal, shovel-ready, infrastructure monies, to pay for a  major part of the project. Right now, unfortunately, there is little talk on the federal level to offer funding for public works projects.

A less expensive alternative or addition to the above are means to hold water on a site rather than facilitating run off into the infrastructure. This is being accomplished in many communities successful across the USA. This is usually referred to a green infrastructure. In other words, when permeable surfaces become impermeable, the watershed off the site can be no greater so means must be part of construction to hold the water on the site.

The city of Champaign projects an image of being a walkable community. This is good for health and many other reasons. To accomplish this goal, there is a need to do some cost shifting to improve the 6 safety of walking surfaces, including lighting sidewalks, not just streets.  

Jon Paul Youakim:

The most obvious priorities in Champaign are addressing drainage by investing in storm water infrastructure particularly in North Champaign in areas such as Garden Hills and there are also other areas that need attention as well. I’m grateful that we increased the storm water fee in order to move up the timeline for drainage improvements in Garden Hills, but we need to continue searching for ways to accelerate the timeline so neighbors aren’t waiting decades for improvements. I think in the immediate future we should discuss lighting options with Ameren for temporary street lighting while Garden Hills is going through their neighborhood improvement project. Garden Hills improvements while mainly addressing drainage will also be providing a green space and building sidewalks in the neighborhood as well.

NOTE: We reached out to Azark Cobbs, Kenton Elmore and Michael LaDue and received no or incomplete responses.