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Upcoming MBBA Events
Next Monthly
Membership Meeting
Thursday, October 8
7:30 am
Red Cross Building
1045 Outer Park Drive
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Missed the meeting? Here's the scoop!
After a summer break, our September meeting was filled with news & information
on events on the Boulevard & in Springfield
- here's a summary. Thanks to Michelle
Higginbotham for writing this month's eNews.
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MBBA Member Survey 2009Please consider taking 5 minutes to complete our
online member survey. The information you provide will be used to help the MBBA
better serve you. Your answers will be used by the Association for future
planning and possibly for marketing. You will not be identified individually
and your information will not be sold or shared. Link to survey on www.shoponmacarthur.com
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Great Turnout for
First Back to School Block Party
Nearly 400 neighbors and families attended the
first ever Back to School Block Party on MacArthur, co-hosted in the Baskin
Robbins and Peases parking lots. Other MacArthur businesses including Luers,
Don Smith Paint, Town & Country Bank, Family Video, and Chuck E. Cheese, participated
with many games and prizes for kids. The Springfield Fire Department and Animal
Protective League also had representatives on hand. A big thank you to Beth and
Becky from Peases who played a key role in organizing the event!
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Regional Planning
Commission
Issues RFP for MacArthur Study
Thanks to the $95,000 grant that
Congressman Shimkus helped secure to conduct a study for redeveloping the
MacArthur corridor, the Springfield Sangamon County Regional Planning
Commission was able to issue an RFP which is now posted on their website.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is the granting agency,
and HUD requires a bidding process for the selection of a consultant. The
Regional Planning Commission will hold a pre-proposal meeting on Sept. 15 for
firms interested in making submissions, and a committee has been assembled to
review the submissions.
The MBBA sends a big thank you to
County Board Member Jen Dillman for her efforts to secure the $95,000 grant for
the study.
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High Speed Rail and Expanded Freight Proposal
For nearly a decade, high
speed passenger rail service throughout the Midwest
has been considered, and Senator Durbin has been a strong supporter of
this idea. However, due to the high cost of the initial infrastructure
investment, it was never a serious possibility until President Obama included
$8 billion for upgrading rail lines in the economic stimulus package passed
earlier this year, most of which was earmarked for "shovel ready" projects.
Union Pacific is now hoping to receive more than 2 billion dollars in stimulus
funds to construct an additional rail line between Chicago
and St. Louis
that would have the capacity to handle HSR as well as additional freight
trains, which would represent most of the increase in traffic. While
Springfield only represents 4.4 miles of the total 300 mile project, the
decision of where to locate this primary rail line will be a critical issue
that affects our city (positively or negatively) for years to come.
A more
in-depth explanation of the issue is available on our website. (On our Initiatives and Resources web page,
there are 2 links, one for the report and one for the Regional Planning
Commission's reports.)
The Regional Planning Commission has also put together a
series of very informative reports regarding the proposed mitigation
(overpasses and closings) and other impacts of the current proposal. These
reports can be found on their website.
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Welcome Two New Businesses!
Two
businesses have recently relocated to MacArthur, and we encourage you to make
them feel welcome and patronize their businesses as you are able.
Sterling
Tax Service is owned by Karen and Jaime Kincaid and was previous located at
MacArthur and Edwards in the Engels on Edwards building. Sterling Tax Service
is now located at 1700 S. MacArthur, on the south side of the Baskin Robbins
building. The business has extensively remodeled the space formerly occupied by
Kitty Hawk Travel and hopes to open as soon as next week. Phone number is
522-1313.
C.T. Adams Pest Control recently moved into the
building at 1425 S. MacArthur, after previously operating as a home-based
business. C.T. Adams Pest Control is owned by
Charles Adams and his son, Charles Adams II. They are a fourth generation
family-owned business serving both commercial and residential customers.
Charles states that they choose the MacArthur location because they have many
customers, including their current landlord, who live in the area. The office
number is 544-2122.
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Have You Seen...
the new outdoor patio at Ross Isaac restaurant?
Kudos to Sean Keely and his staff for turning a piece of asphalt into a festive
garden atmosphere. Just one more example of the great urban redevelopment
opportunities available on MacArthur! The patio is even heated, so stop by one
evening for a drink or appetizer after work and check it out.
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