Community News
40 Turn Out for Community Funding Forum
Tom Becker, representing the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, urged more than 40 people attending a Community Funding Forum on Wednesday night in Benld to focus on community development as an avenue toward economic development. The forum was sponsored by the Macoupin County Mayors Association and Macoupin Economic Development Partnership. The purpose, according to Courtney Wood, MEPD, was to bring community leaders and small business owners together with representatives of public agencies and institutions equipped to help with funding issues for various projects.
In addition to DCEO, other agencies represented included the Department of Natural Resources, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Illinois Department of Transportation and Illinois Arts Council, Representatives from First National Bank and United Community Bank also were on hand, along with representatives from Ameren, West Central Development Commission, Frank Bertetti Benld Public Library and PGAV Planners.
Becker cited the Build Benld program as an example of how local community efforts can spark economic development. “We talk about community development and economic development as if they are two different things,” Becker said. But, he pointed, community development can take place even in tough economic times, fueled by volunteer efforts and donations. The resulting improvements in the quality of life then stimulates economic development.
Community development, Becker said, involves building and improving parks and other public facilities, improvements to a community’s infrastructure, beautification and other efforts to improve the quality of life in a community. Economic development’s focus is on attracting new residents and new businesses. As such, it requires greater financial commitments, and the outcome of economic development efforts can be contingent upon current market trends and fluctuations in the national economy. “Community development is more independent from the economy,” Becker said. “Community development and economic development efforts feed off each other and they propel each other.”
A common pitfall among those responsible economic development if to focus too much on attracting new businesses at the expense of community development. “It’s more cost effective to focus on the businesses and resources you already have in place,” he said. In lieu of tackling a project to build a new factory, he suggested, it might be more practical to pursue a housing rehabilitation project. “If you make the town better for the people who already live here, then your residents become your biggest cheerleaders,” Becker said. Local residents visiting other towns are likely to tell friends and family members how their own community differs from the one they are visiting.
Becker set three priorities for community leaders involved in community/economic development. The first priority, he said, is to create a plan that clearly defines what the community wants to accomplish and how those goals can be reached. A critical step in the planning stage, he said, is to perform a community assessment gauging the community’s strengths and weaknesses. “Build on the good,” he advised. “Don’t get bogged down with the negatives.”
The Build Benld Committee engaged in such a community assessment early on in its formation. “Build Benld is a great example for other communities to follow,” he said. The development plan created by Build Benld, he noted, is easy to read and understand, and it;s posted on the internet so anyone can review it.
His second priority is to build “organizational cooperation” enlisting civic groups and church groups to work on community improvement projects. “Not everyone will be onboard,” he said. But a community group like Build Benld can build upon its successes to attract more supporters. “As Build Benld gains traction, you’ll see politicians coming on board.”
Third, he said, community development groups have to find or create a funding mechanism. One possibility, he said, is to create a Community Foundation, similar to the many educational foundations that currently supplement the efforts of local school systems. “It creates a mechanism for people to share their wealth with the community,” he said. “We see this in school districts all the time; communities need to do the same thing.”
The final component, Becker said, is leadership. “Someone or even several people have to champion the effort,” he said. “You have to find leaders who are willing to be public about their support.” One of the most difficult aspects of leadership, he said, is for current leaders to consciously groom the next generation of leaders to maintain sustainability of the community development efforts. He urged those attending the meeting to get involved in community development and economic development activities in their communities. “You can have a long-standing impact on your community if you get involved,” he said.
Following Becker’s keynote address, representatives from each of the participating agencies briefly described the types of financial programs they offer communities and, in some cases, small businesses.
- Brian Ury of First National Bank compared the business leaders and entrepreneurs in attendance with golfers on a golf course. “You are the ones on the green hitting the shots,” he said. “As your bank, we are like your caddy. We help you with the next shot, and give you an iron or a driver. We ask a lot of questions because we need to identify what the next shot should be, and how to help you take it.”
- Christine Steelman of the Illinois Arts Council noted that arts grants to individuals, schools and communities can spark economic activity by attracting art patrons to galleries, art shows or performances of community theater groups.
- Macoupin County Chief Financial Officer Gabe Springer briefly described the county’s revolving economic development loan fund, and how it can help small businesses bridge the gap between available resources and traditional forms of financing.
- Carol Kulek with DCEO spoke about the agencies Energy Efficiency program, which pays rebates to public entities for implementing energy conservation measures.
- Jeff Graham with Ameren described a similar program run by the utility, but directed at small businesses and homeowners.
“I think it went well,” Wood said of the gathering after the meeting. “People said the Funding Forum was so beneficial last year, we decided to do it again this year and to add a small business component. We thought this would be a perfect fit for that, and I think it was utilized tonight.” The purpose of the event, she said, was to let community leaders and small business owners learn about financial programs that are available to them. While those attending may not access funding resources immediately, Wood said the Funding Forum gave them to tools for finding financing for future projects. “Down the road, these people will know where to go for help,” she said. “They have a starting point.”
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Dana Carr Skinner, 52, of Gillespie has announced her candidacy for Macoupin County Circuit Clerk. She will be on the November 5, 2024, General Election ballot.
Dana, a lifelong Macoupin County resident was born and raised in Wilsonville by her
parents, Barb and Van Baker. She graduated Gillespie High School in 1990 and attended SIUE
before starting her family. She has raised eight children all of whom graduated college or attended trade school. Dana is married to Todd Skinner.
Dana is currently a public servant, serving the people of Illinois as a paralegal. She has
over 25 years legal experience with 15 of those years being directly in the courtroom. She has
worked in law firms that practiced in all areas of the law from probate, family, civil, traffic,
criminal and real estate. After working several years in the legal field, Dana went back to college and obtained a paralegal degree.
Dana is running for Circuit Clerk because, “It is time for me give back to my community
and the residents of Macoupin County. Lee Byots Ross has done an amazing job as our current Circuit Clerk and I want to continue the work that she has accomplished. My adult life has been focused on my family and my children, and they are now grown. My focus now, would be to demonstrate to the residents of Macoupin County that I can and will do an excellent job as
Circuit Clerk,” Dana said.
The Circuit Clerk is responsible for establishing, maintaining and keeping all records of
the court, as well as several administrative, financial and public services.
“There are employees in the office now that have worked there a number of years, and I will be committed to them and their opinions, as well as the people the Macoupin County. I will learn from the current employees if I am elected in November and I believe that I have the experience, the knowledge and the work ethic that would make me an asset to the Circuit Clerks Office’s team,” Dana said.
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United Mineworkers of America President Cecil Roberts will commemorate the 125th anniversary of Union Miners’ Cemetery in Mt. Olive on October 13. Ceremonies begin at noon with a short historical parade, Roberts, IL AFL-CIO President Tim Drea, and frequent labor music.
Afterward, a meal will be provided as the labor music continues. The event is free and open to the public. A portable chair is recommended.
The cemetery is located on near 5536 Mt. Olive Road in Mt. Olive and can be found by following North Lake Street.
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Background of Union Miners Cemetery by the Mother Jones Museum:
The Union Miners Cemetery is in Mt. Olive, a small mining-town that was once the center of a rebellious group of miners who helped to secure Illinois as the solid rock for the United Mine Workers Union. Today thousands of visitors come each year to pay their respects to the memory to Mother Jones and the spirit that guided her and the founders of the labor movement in the United States. They reflect about the connections between the past and the present.
The cemetery was established in 1899, when commemorations of the miners killed in the 1898 “Virden riot” became controversial in the Mt. Olive cemetery where they were originally buried.
The bodies of the Virden “martyrs” were re-interred in a cemetery established as the Union Miners Cemetery by the Mt. Olive United Mine Workers local. Commemorations of these events in the following years contributed to a generation of activism in the Illinois coal fields.
They did this by claiming the kind of memorial space that was denied in other places, such as Haymarket, where police often disrupted commemorations. This built a sense of connection between past and present in the area, and made it clear that ordinary workers had changed the course of history. The role of the ordinary worker came into focus. Mt. Olive was one of the few places in the country where labor history was taught before the 1970s.
This is a unique place in the history of the labor movement; it was the only union-owned cemetery in the country. This is a place with a monument to Mother Jones, but it also evokes the power and potential of the labor movement. It is a place of reflection and remembering, of thinking of the labor movement’s roots. It is a shrine not only to Jones but to the sacrifices that connected human rights and labor rights, a place where people wonder when and why labor lost power.
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When I decided to write this article, my original intent was to find out when they removed the rails down the middle of Macoupin Street, but I thought I might research when the railroads came and went in Gillespie. So here is a brief history!
In the 1850’s, railroads were becoming more important to the US for both transportation of people and goods. Chicago was the hub of railroad traffic in the west and cities throughout Illinois were vying to have railroads come through their section of the state. Having a railroad meant prosperity and growth. Towns would grow with increased population. The key question was where are the railroads going to go? Influence by key political people throughout the state was important.
Prominent people in the US and central Illinois like Judge Joseph Gillespie, William Mattoon, Electus B Litchfield and Robert Rantoul (Massachusetts senator) and others help bring the railroad south.
The move south was brought about by the chartering of the Terre-Haute & Alton Railroad in January 1851 out of Mattoon, Illinois. It was to extend south to Alton because legislators wanted Alton to compete with St. Louis in the growth of the area. The work was started in 1852 to originally go 172 miles. It was completed in March 1856. Extensions were created from Alton to Belleville and eventually to St. Louis. By 1857 the route was completed and a railroad went through Gillespie. The St. Louis connection was helped by the building of the Eads Bridge in 1874.
In June 1867, the Terre-Haute Alton Railroad was leased to the Indianapolis & St Louis Railroad but went into foreclosure in 1882 and sold to the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad (known as the Big Four). This railroad came under control of Vanderbilt and the NY Central Railroad system.
The Terre-Haute Alton Railroad/Big Four Railroad came to Gillespie on an east west route. It passed through Gillespie today in the land next to the Civic Center, crossing Macoupin Street next to Subway. The Big Four Terminal was just off Macoupin Street where the Civic Center is located. There were additional terminals in Hornsby and Dorchester.
A 2nd railroad will add additional prosperity to Gillespie. The Illinois Traction System was a brainchild of William B. McKinley (not the president). He had a vision to create an electric railroad empire that covered at its peak 550 miles of rail.
The Traction system started in connecting Danville and Champaign in 1901-02, then to Decatur to Springfield in 1904. He also completed the route from Springfield to Granite City going through Gillespie and Benld in 1904. This Interurban as most people called it was a passenger service. It would eventually connect to Peoria by 1907 and St Louis by 1910. It was also possible to go to Chicago by connecting with other railroads. The Illinois Traction Terminal was on the corner of Macoupin and Spruce Streets where United Community Bank is located and at one time did have a small spur to the east.
Everyone associates the growth of Gillespie-Benld and the surrounding area to the coal mines, but the railroad also played a key part in the growth of the area.
You might wonder why main street is so wide compared to other towns’ business districts? Gillespie was unique by having the Interurban rail down the center of Macoupin Street but also the Big Four crisscrossed near Walnut Street. The town has to be one of the few towns in Illinois to have that unique situation.
In the early days, the crisscross intersection was controlled by only railroad signs. The “Stop, Look and Listen” slogan did not stop accidents at the crossing. Eventually, a crossing watchman was hired to control the car and pedestrian traffic at the intersection of the two railroad lines. It was also not unusual for a parked car to back into the Interurban in the business district.
These two railroads went north-south and east-west throughout town until the Interurban ceased to operate. The last Interurban use was on March 3, 1956. The rail line was eventually taken over by other railroads and would only be used for freight transportation, especially by Norfolk Western and other railroad lines. The rail line did have a brief arrangement to transport coal from Monterrey Coal Junction to Edwardsville in 1970, but the last use of the old Interurban Line for freight use occurred on August 20, 1970.
The eventual decline of the railroads in Gillespie coincides with the decline of the coal mines. Railroads were being transformed from coal to diesel and coal use immediately declined.
The Big Four stopped operating on December 17, 1964. Slowly they started to remove the tracks between Litchfield and Bethalto. Illinois maps show Big Four railroad tracks in 1965, but they are gone by 1967.
Now to the original premise of the article, when were the railroad tracks removed down the middle of Macoupin Street? My sources throughout town were varying, I got all kinds of guesses. I narrowed it down by my own memory. It was there in 1972 when I started teaching but then all of a sudden it was gone. I searched newspapers in the fall of 1972, then 1973 and I found it in 1974.
In January of 1974, the city decided to do something about the water lines in the business district. There was a conversation in late February to remove the tracks, but when will they do it? At the same time there was discussion about the sewer lines where the tracks are located. So, the city decided to it all at the same time, remove the tracks, and do water and sewer lines. By early April 1974, the tracks are gone and by early May, the downtown was a mess because of the water main project. After the downtown removal of tracks, the city eventually moved further north and south on Macoupin to remove the remaining tracks.
So, what proved to be a simple search gave you, the readers, a history of the railroads in Gillespie. Stop by the library and see the assorted railroad pictures and if you have anything railroad-related or an interesting picture involving the railroad such as an accident involving the railroads. I would like to see them.
