October 20, 2008
Daily Illini
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Chinese Goose may get a plaque at Broadway Bridge
Whenever people strolled over Broadway Bridge at Crystal Lake Park, they would see a familiar face greeting the visitors by turning somersaults in the pond.
The park’s familiar Chinese Goose, who was released into the wild by its owner 18 years ago, died last spring, and the Urbana City Council will now consider paying the goose homage with a plaque near its habitat.
The goose lived in harmony among the Canadian geese community. Despite the seasonal changes, this goose made the pond its permanent home and struggled year after year to adapt to Urbana’s cold weather.
“He was a very long-time resident of the park who went through year after year of hardship,” said Roseanne Meccoli, coordinator of relations at the Wildlife Medical Clinic at the University. She said she first identified the goose’s origin using a bird book. “Several devoted people took care of him. It warms your heart to see people care.”
This particular goose was unique for its white feathers and orange beak and feet. He made a lasting impression for several Urbana residents who felt his life was meaningful and heart warming to the people who visited the pond.
His death in April devastated several Urbana residents, who asked the city council to commemorate the goose with a lasting memorial.
The council will decide whether or not to grant permission to install a bronze plaque on Broadway Bridge at Monday’s meeting.
Urbana resident George Boyd proposed a resolution to install a bronze plaque in memory of this Chinese Goose that passed away of old age.
This would not cost the city any money since Boyd said he is willing to cover the expenses. The installation of the plaque would take place in spring 2009. because Boyd said the concrete on the bridge would be cold, and the epoxy cement wouldn’t tear properly in the winter.
“At this point, we’re in front of the official council meeting,” Boyd said. “(If the resolution passes), I have to get together with the committee and make sure the wording on the plaque is appropriate.”
The plaque would appear on the west side of Broadway Bridge, which is the closest landmark to the east island on the pond where the Chinese Goose spent most of its life.
During the goose’s lifetime, Urbana resident Sherry Slade said she consistently watched over the bird she appropriately named Goose. She developed a close relationship with Goose, making sure it preened itself and had access to food and water all year round.
“I looked after the goose for 20 years,” Slade said. “I knew age was creeping in on him. I noticed his eyes were dimming. When I called him, he wouldn’t hear me until I got closer.”
When the geese at Crystal Lake Park migrated southward during the winters, Goose had to adapt to the weather change in Urbana. If the pond froze, he had to find an alternative source of water.
“It was heart rending to see him stay when everyone else flew south,” said Meccoli,
The Chinese Goose knew how to make smart decisions when it came to survival. The saline, a shallow water body running from the water treatment plant to underneath Broadway Bridge, is what kept the goose alive during the cold winters.
Boyd called the goose Chongqing (or romanized as Chungking), which was the temporary Nationalist capital name of China that lasted throughout World War II.
“Chongqing would walk over the frozen pond to the saline and go down the bank in the winter because he knew there was a continuous flowing water supply,” Boyd said.
The water treatment plant dispenses heat as it purifies its water from the saline. This heat prevents the saline from freezing during the winters.
“I’d go as far down as Armory by Ambucs Park down to the banks of the saline,” Slade said. “I had to use a rope to get down and pull myself up. I knew his habits, and he knew I’d be there.”
During the goose’s lifetime, he had a Canadian mate named Patience who bore mixed offspring.
Several years ago, the Wildlife Medical Clinic treated the Chinese Goose with antibiotics after a fishing hook got caught in its foot. Fishing hooks have always been a threat to the geese’s natural habitat, but Slade said it was a blessing that the goose lived a full lifespan and died of natural causes.
December 5, 2008
Daily Illini
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Urbana’s Cunningham Avenue receives innovative, cost-effective upgrades
The Urbana City Council approved Monday night the final revisions to the Cunningham Avenue Beautification Project report presented by Urbana redevelopment specialist Ryan Brault. The goal of the project is to redevelop the Cunningham Avenue corridor, a vital highway entrance into Urbana, to attract visitors and businesses into its neighborhood.
A major discussion topic remains up in the air on whether Urbana should install the modern roundabout system on the intersection of Country Club Road/Perkins Road and Cunningham Ave. Brault said the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) rejected the idea because there are no modern roundabouts in east central Illinois. Urbana drivers may be unfamiliar with the usage of roundabouts, which foresees more disasters. But if used correctly, there will be a 90 percent reduction in fatalities.
University Professor Emeritus Gary Cziko gave a presentation that highlighted the major benefits of the roundabouts and their usages in European countries and even some states in the U.S.
He said roundabouts can handle larger volumes of traffic than traditional stop sign or signal-controlled intersections. The Washington State Department of Transportation reported that, since no signals are required to operate a roundabout, $5,000 in electricity will be saved per year in maintenance cost. He added that the raised center island provides an area for vegetation and art to flourish, giving the roundabout a true natural and attractive appearance.
“As an attractive, economic and sustainable addition to the corridor, I think you can educate people about [roundabouts],” Cziko said.
IDOT wrote to Public Works Director Bill Gray in a memo and mentioned that a two-lane roundabout on a road that averages more than 22,000 vehicles should not be the public’s first experience with a modern roundabout. One of the priorities in the Cunningham Avenue Beautification project is to emphasize safety for cyclists and pedestrians. By implementing a modern roundabout, IDOT wrote that pedestrians may struggle to identify when to cross the street as they approach a roundabout.
Ward 4 Alderman Brandon Bowersox disagreed with IDOT’s conservative method of thinking.
“Roundabouts have been proven to be safer,” Bowersox said. “It at least deserves a fair consideration.”
Adding attention-grabbing aesthetics on the highway was another concern for the district. In a memo to Gray, IDOT wrote that every effort should be made to avoid distracting interstate traffic and that IDOT cannot support the placement of large sculptures that will distract high-speed travelers on I-74.
“I’m very disappointed with IDOT’s reactions,” said Ward 1 Alderman Charlie Smyth. “We have very good consultants. There are lots of communities who’ve done art on the corridors. We need to be in a position to go further with the project.”
Ward 5 Alderman Dennis Roberts said improving the appearance of the corridor will make it more appealing, especially with the emergence of new businesses.
“All we’re doing is changing the aesthetics,” said Ward 3 Alderman Robert Lewis. “We’re just behind the times. We need to push the conservative engineers.”
The Cunningham Avenue Beautification Project is ready to be evaluated in its engineering phase. The money generated from the Tax Increment Financing, 4 Plan and possible federal grants are the main sources of funding for the project, estimated to cost between $6.5 and $8 million, Brault said.
“[The project] will be likely done in phases where there will be large investments along the corridor,” Brault said. “There’s also a chance for federal grants to implement these changes since it’s a U.S. route.”
Brault added that people who want to start businesses to help generate TIF money will have priority over other locations to start the redevelopment in their area.
Despite the economic recession, Ward 7 Alderwoman Lynne Barnes is optimistic about the future path that this project will take Urbana.
“[This project] gives us a vision as to what to work for,” Barnes said. “We need hope for the future. It doesn’t mean we’ll stop having ideas and vision because we’re in a now identified [economic] recession.”
December 9, 2008
Daily Illini
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Urbana council supports Employee Free Choice Act
The Urbana City Council Monday night forwarded a resolution supporting the Employee Free Choice Act, which passed with a 4-3 vote.
Ward 1 Alderman Charlie Smyth proposed the resolution emphasizing the necessity of the city to take a stand on the federal issue regarding employers violating the rights of workers and implement an Act that would protect and encourage unions.
“We’ve discussed federal and state issues in the city council before,” Smyth said. “They say all politics are local. The only way we’ll solve the political issues is to create a level playing field.”
Ward 5 Alderman Dennis Roberts broke the tie when he voted in favor of the resolution. He said if the city is going to adopt this Employee Free Choice Act, it would be a good debate to have in the city council than to affect the national scene.
“We could have lots of discussions here to show our politicians what we support,” Roberts said.
Several concerned Urbana residents spoke in favor of Smyth’s proposed resolution. Their main concern was the companies’ manipulative and intimidating tactics that prevented workers from circulating authorization cards to elect on whether to have unions.
Urbana resident Michael Lehman said the U.S. has one of the weakest labor laws, which can only lead to corruption in companies.
“Companies deny breaking laws and are rarely liable,” said Lehman. “Workers need to have a good, strong voice.”
When workers at Lehman’s job tried to elect for a union, Lehman said the company threatened to take its business elsewhere and hired consultants to come in and advise the workers about how bad of an idea unions were. He added that instead of having a transportation department, the company brought in an outfit called Brisk Transportation from Texas to deal with people’s union problems. In the end, workers lost in their efforts to elect a union, and there were about 140 people laid off.
Urbana resident Joe Furtrelle said these outside consultants were contractors who wouldn’t negotiate with the workers and discouraged the idea of forming unions.
“The company is willing to pay the extra cost to create an environment without unions because they don’t want to negotiate in good faith and instead operate with impunity,” said Futrelle. “The gap between the rich and poor and the CEO pay is out of proportion. I can’t imagine how we can sustain an economy if nobody at the bottom can pay for the industries’ [products].”
Smyth asked the council to strongly consider the resolution, especially because the Employee Free Choice Act is supported by President-elect Barack Obama and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin.
Urbana resident Ricky Baldwin said whereas unions prevent workers from being fired without a legitimate reason, workers who don’t have unions are subject to unexpectedly being laid off.
“If you don’t have a union, you could be fired anytime for any reason,” said Baldwin. “You could work somewhere for 15 years and all of a sudden get a new manager. If [the manager] doesn’t like the color of your socks, [the manager] can fire you without recourse.
“There’s enormous pressure on Congress from employers from places like Wal-Mart who doesn’t want to see this pass,” Baldwin said.