By now, everyone must know that the Jewel Food Store is closing. I actually hinted at this in a previous column entitled The Perfect Storm back in November of 2008 when I wrote “I have heard of three long standing Blue Island businesses that are relocating. They are not closing, but they are moving out of our city to greener pastures.” At the time, I did not feel it was my place to reveal who the businesses were, and at the time everyone was vehemently denying that the Jewel would close. Many people I knew had asked at the Jewel if they were closing and everyone in unison said “NO!” Even one of the managers said “If we were closing, I would know it, and I haven’t heard anything.” Must have been a big surprise to all concerned.
The thing that saddens me the most about all this is the loss of jobs and revenue to the city. Imagine the sales tax that is/was collected at the Jewel on a monthly, weekly, and even daily basis. Imagine the loss of jobs. Oh sure, Jewel says that everyone will be offered positions at other Jewels in the area, but there are some people who will be unable to take those positions. Then there is the question of “How will we know?” How will we know that all of these people have been rehired at other stores? Will they be rehired for the same hours? For the same positions? With the same seniority? How will we know for sure? Our city of Blue Island can ill afford to lose any of this.
I also recently heard that because Jewel owns the property, they may refuse to sell to another grocery store. Why should they? It is a competitive world out there, and if they can keep a competitor from opening in their place, then they probably will. Where does that leave us? There have been rumors about Walt’s, or Pete’s Market, or any number of other small chains being interested in the spot. But if Jewel does not sell to them, to protect their own interests, then Blue Island is left without a major grocery store.
Oh sure, we can drive to 119th Street and shop the Jewel there, or we can go to County Fair, but that will cost us extra in sales tax and that sales tax will not be returned to Blue Island. We will just be pumping more money out of our already beleaguered city.
Some people have blamed the mayor. Some people have accused him of keeping this information quiet until after the election. It’s really a moot point. This information was out there. A lot of people knew, and for various reasons, avoided making it public. Would it have looked bad to announce it before the election? Sure it would. Would it have changed your vote? (If you voted.) Probably not. The truth is, the mayor cannot stop a business from closing. If any given business decides to close its doors, the mayor by himself cannot reverse that decision.
It is only we, all of us, as a whole, that can determine the fate of our city. If we do not wholeheartedly support the businesses that remain, we can expect more to close.
Look for me with $5.00 in my hand, doing what I can.
Candace Carr
CARR home-garden-holiday
Friday, June 26, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
Let George Do It!
In George Boise’s last Reflections column, I noticed that he’s kind of taken over my job, encouraging people to spend their money in Blue Island. I think he did a much better job than I usually do, on top of it. People all over were asking me, “Did you read George’s column? It was hysterical! I never laughed so hard!” In general, I don’t think people laugh when they read my column, unless they’re laughing at me.
So this time, I’ve decided to take over George’s column, and talk about believing and faith. You see, no idea is ever going to work if you don’t have faith in it, and no plan is ever going to work if you don’t believe that your participation in it will make a difference.
Faith is defined as ‘the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.’ When I first came up with the $5.00 a day theory, I had complete confidence that it could and would work. I had faith! I believed wholeheartedly in a vision of Blue Island that was hoped for, but as yet unseen. I really thought that people would be willing to support this idea, because they too wanted to believe in a better city. I have to admit that later on, from time to time, my faith would falter. Was anyone listening? Did I still believe it could happen?
Faith is also demonstrated by continuing against the odds. I believed that even if it was just me, I could make a difference. I’ve turned down some pretty good deals, just so I could practice what I’ve been preaching. I’ve also caved in a few times, just so I could save a little money. What better test of faith than making a few mistakes here and there? I think George would refer to this as sin. If you get up, brush yourself off, ask for forgiveness, and try again, this is redemption. How am I doing, George?
In the meantime, I’ve heard some wild stories. People driving back to Blue Island on the fumes of a near empty gas tank, just to buy their gas here. People considering giving up their Costco memberships because Orland doesn’t need our tax money as much as Blue Island does. Even myself, looking for a new doctor, here in Blue Island, so that if I end up in the hospital, my insurance dollars will be supporting Metro South.
In a church, the following plea would be called an altar call, but in this column I’m just asking you examine your spending habits. If you think you’re too busy, if you think it’s going to take up too much of your time to help your own city by shopping here, if you are thinking “Let George do it” let me remind you that he already did, and he wrote about it, too. Belief is demonstrated by actions. It’s time for each of us to step up and support our business people, show a little faith in the vision of successful Blue Island, and spend our tax dollars here.
Candace Carr
CARR home-garden-holiday
So this time, I’ve decided to take over George’s column, and talk about believing and faith. You see, no idea is ever going to work if you don’t have faith in it, and no plan is ever going to work if you don’t believe that your participation in it will make a difference.
Faith is defined as ‘the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.’ When I first came up with the $5.00 a day theory, I had complete confidence that it could and would work. I had faith! I believed wholeheartedly in a vision of Blue Island that was hoped for, but as yet unseen. I really thought that people would be willing to support this idea, because they too wanted to believe in a better city. I have to admit that later on, from time to time, my faith would falter. Was anyone listening? Did I still believe it could happen?
Faith is also demonstrated by continuing against the odds. I believed that even if it was just me, I could make a difference. I’ve turned down some pretty good deals, just so I could practice what I’ve been preaching. I’ve also caved in a few times, just so I could save a little money. What better test of faith than making a few mistakes here and there? I think George would refer to this as sin. If you get up, brush yourself off, ask for forgiveness, and try again, this is redemption. How am I doing, George?
In the meantime, I’ve heard some wild stories. People driving back to Blue Island on the fumes of a near empty gas tank, just to buy their gas here. People considering giving up their Costco memberships because Orland doesn’t need our tax money as much as Blue Island does. Even myself, looking for a new doctor, here in Blue Island, so that if I end up in the hospital, my insurance dollars will be supporting Metro South.
In a church, the following plea would be called an altar call, but in this column I’m just asking you examine your spending habits. If you think you’re too busy, if you think it’s going to take up too much of your time to help your own city by shopping here, if you are thinking “Let George do it” let me remind you that he already did, and he wrote about it, too. Belief is demonstrated by actions. It’s time for each of us to step up and support our business people, show a little faith in the vision of successful Blue Island, and spend our tax dollars here.
Candace Carr
CARR home-garden-holiday
Monday, June 1, 2009
Back to Business
The election is over, and whether your man won or lost, it’s about time to get back to business! It seems that so many things have tied our little city in knots over the past 12 months. The St. Francis Hospital scare, gas prices over the summer, the stock market collapse, the housing market collapse, the presidential election, the mayoral election. Meanwhile, the businesses on Western, and all over Blue Island, struggle to survive until all these messes clear themselves up.
One thing that we all should have learned by now is that life goes on. The hospital was sold, gas prices are down, the stock market and housing markets are showing signs of recovery. People feared that if Obama was elected that there would be rioting in the streets. It didn’t happen. People were skittish about our mayoral election. What would happen? What would happen? Whether your man won or lost, life goes on. The business of being city continues, just as the business of being a country continues. We can’t just stop living because things aren’t great.
So the question becomes: What do we do now? It’s time to start pulling together as a community, and realize that we are all in this together. It’s time to look around and figure out what our part in this city should be. I have been a strong advocate of spending $5.00 a day in Blue Island for over a year now. Recently I have discovered that someone else has a better plan, and it is taking root around the country. It’s called the 3/50 Project and it was created by Cinda Baxter. Local affiliates of CBS, NBC, and ABC have picked up the story and started to give it coverage. Caroline Kennedy is endorsing the 3/50 Project.
Having been an independent stationery store owner for fourteen years, Cinda Baxter understood the pain felt by retailers when the economy sank and consumers held back. What began as an economic downturn in the autumn had become a psychological tsunami by March 1st.
What the country needed, in her opinion, was a meeting of the minds between two groups that held valuable stakes in the game—small business owners and members of their communities.
Enter The 3/50 Project.
With a tag line “Save your local economy three stores at a time,” the project’s goal is to promote shopping in locally owned businesses while thanking customers for the positive impact that decision has on a local economy.
“We ask consumers to think about which three stores they’d miss if they disappeared, then remind them to return there,” explains Baxter. “Shoppers have become so rooted in thinking about the essentials that they’ve forgotten about the little store on the corner whose owner remembers their name.”
“Fifty comes from the idea that if even half the employed population spent a mere $50 per month in locally owned retail stores, those purchases would generate more than $42.6 billion in revenue,” she continues. “That’s a huge impact for a relatively small investment.”
Which leads to a third number on the flyer, sixty-eight—the dollar amount that remains in a community’s economy for every $100 spent in locally owned stores. By contrast, only $43 per one hundred remains local when spent in national chains; little or no revenue results from online purchases.
“In essence, the whole thing boils down to: Pick 3, spend 50, save the economy. It’s really that simple.”
If you’d like to learn more about the 3/50 Project, go to http://www.the350project.net/
In the meantime, you’ll still find me on Western, spending my $5.00 a day in Blue Island.
One thing that we all should have learned by now is that life goes on. The hospital was sold, gas prices are down, the stock market and housing markets are showing signs of recovery. People feared that if Obama was elected that there would be rioting in the streets. It didn’t happen. People were skittish about our mayoral election. What would happen? What would happen? Whether your man won or lost, life goes on. The business of being city continues, just as the business of being a country continues. We can’t just stop living because things aren’t great.
So the question becomes: What do we do now? It’s time to start pulling together as a community, and realize that we are all in this together. It’s time to look around and figure out what our part in this city should be. I have been a strong advocate of spending $5.00 a day in Blue Island for over a year now. Recently I have discovered that someone else has a better plan, and it is taking root around the country. It’s called the 3/50 Project and it was created by Cinda Baxter. Local affiliates of CBS, NBC, and ABC have picked up the story and started to give it coverage. Caroline Kennedy is endorsing the 3/50 Project.
Having been an independent stationery store owner for fourteen years, Cinda Baxter understood the pain felt by retailers when the economy sank and consumers held back. What began as an economic downturn in the autumn had become a psychological tsunami by March 1st.
What the country needed, in her opinion, was a meeting of the minds between two groups that held valuable stakes in the game—small business owners and members of their communities.
Enter The 3/50 Project.
With a tag line “Save your local economy three stores at a time,” the project’s goal is to promote shopping in locally owned businesses while thanking customers for the positive impact that decision has on a local economy.
“We ask consumers to think about which three stores they’d miss if they disappeared, then remind them to return there,” explains Baxter. “Shoppers have become so rooted in thinking about the essentials that they’ve forgotten about the little store on the corner whose owner remembers their name.”
“Fifty comes from the idea that if even half the employed population spent a mere $50 per month in locally owned retail stores, those purchases would generate more than $42.6 billion in revenue,” she continues. “That’s a huge impact for a relatively small investment.”
Which leads to a third number on the flyer, sixty-eight—the dollar amount that remains in a community’s economy for every $100 spent in locally owned stores. By contrast, only $43 per one hundred remains local when spent in national chains; little or no revenue results from online purchases.
“In essence, the whole thing boils down to: Pick 3, spend 50, save the economy. It’s really that simple.”
If you’d like to learn more about the 3/50 Project, go to http://www.the350project.net/
In the meantime, you’ll still find me on Western, spending my $5.00 a day in Blue Island.
Friday, April 17, 2009
More Good News
Recently, on the Today Show (channel 5) there was a guest who urged people to shop locally. She actually said that there are better deals to be had from local merchants than from big boxes or internet sites. I hope someone beside myself was listening!
Here’s several reasons to spend your $5.00 in Blue Island:
1. Keep the Dollars in Our Local Economy
When you shop in our community you fund more services through sales tax, invest in neighborhood improvement, and promote community development.
2. Local Business Owners Invest in Community
Local businesses are owned by people who live in this community, are less likely to leave, and are more invested in the community’s future.
3. Support Community Businesses
The well-being of a community benefits when you shop locally. Our area businesses build strong neighborhoods by sustaining communities, contributing to local charities, supporting sports teams, festivals, service clubs, school activities and the list goes on.
4. It’s in Your BackyardWin – Win!
Reduce your environmental footprint and save money at the same time. Shopping in Blue Island means no need for long drives and traffic jams. You’re not burning fuel and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.
5. Consider What Our Retailers Are Facing
They purchased their stock six months ago hoping to sell it today for a profit, pay their employees, pay their taxes, heat and water, donate to charity, and hopefully pay themselves. Instead they are being asked to sell it for a loss.
6. More Jobs and Wages
Supporting our local merchants means more jobs and better wages for our community. These wages, in turn, are spent again in our community as employees purchase goods and services from local merchants.
7. Keep Our City Unique
We have a variety of unique specialty shops and products. These businesses are an integral part of the distinctive character of our community. By choosing to support local businesses you help maintain our diversity and distinct flavor.
8. Get Better Service
Our area merchants take pride in hiring the right people who are passionate about their products and services....let’s support them by shopping locally. And consider if you have a problem with the item you have purchased you can easily return it to a local merchant for service.
9. Lots of Great Products
With so many great stores, markets, and restaurants, the choices are many. There is a broad range of products available.
10. We love our Community – Let’s Keep our Money
HereWe can encourage local prosperity by keeping our hard earned dollars in our local economy.
Candace Carr
CARR home-garden-holiday
Here’s several reasons to spend your $5.00 in Blue Island:
1. Keep the Dollars in Our Local Economy
When you shop in our community you fund more services through sales tax, invest in neighborhood improvement, and promote community development.
2. Local Business Owners Invest in Community
Local businesses are owned by people who live in this community, are less likely to leave, and are more invested in the community’s future.
3. Support Community Businesses
The well-being of a community benefits when you shop locally. Our area businesses build strong neighborhoods by sustaining communities, contributing to local charities, supporting sports teams, festivals, service clubs, school activities and the list goes on.
4. It’s in Your BackyardWin – Win!
Reduce your environmental footprint and save money at the same time. Shopping in Blue Island means no need for long drives and traffic jams. You’re not burning fuel and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.
5. Consider What Our Retailers Are Facing
They purchased their stock six months ago hoping to sell it today for a profit, pay their employees, pay their taxes, heat and water, donate to charity, and hopefully pay themselves. Instead they are being asked to sell it for a loss.
6. More Jobs and Wages
Supporting our local merchants means more jobs and better wages for our community. These wages, in turn, are spent again in our community as employees purchase goods and services from local merchants.
7. Keep Our City Unique
We have a variety of unique specialty shops and products. These businesses are an integral part of the distinctive character of our community. By choosing to support local businesses you help maintain our diversity and distinct flavor.
8. Get Better Service
Our area merchants take pride in hiring the right people who are passionate about their products and services....let’s support them by shopping locally. And consider if you have a problem with the item you have purchased you can easily return it to a local merchant for service.
9. Lots of Great Products
With so many great stores, markets, and restaurants, the choices are many. There is a broad range of products available.
10. We love our Community – Let’s Keep our Money
HereWe can encourage local prosperity by keeping our hard earned dollars in our local economy.
Candace Carr
CARR home-garden-holiday
Friday, February 27, 2009
Signs of the Times
1) I found a silver certificate in my pocket
2) I passed up a pancake breakfast
3) Unemployment surges in Blue Island
A few weeks ago, I decided to visit Stefanelli’s for lunch. I remembered there being a five dollar bill in my coat pocket, and without checking for it, I took off down the street with visions of hot mostaccioli dancing in my head. I picked up my lunch, went to the counter to pay, pulled out the five dollar bill, and lo and behold, it was a silver certificate!
For any youngsters reading this, a silver certificate was a bill printed by the U.S. Treasury that was equal in value to the same amount of silver coinage. Thus, a five dollar silver certificate would be equal to five silver dollars. The most readily distinguishable feature of these bills was that the seal was printed in blue. They ceased production of these over forty years ago, and people used to save them because they would be worth something some day.
I think that whoever had this bill before me was saving it for that exact reason. However, with the economy being what it is, I imagine that people are starting to spend whatever bills and coins they have stashed away just to make ends meet. I don’t know how I came to possess this bill, and for a minute I wondered what it might be worth. Then, no doubt like its previous owner, I realized that in the condition it was in, it was probably worth about $5.50. I imagined the time and energy it would take to find someone willing to buy it, and in the end I just handed it to the cashier.
Not long ago, a member of a local church stopped in to sell me tickets to a pancake breakfast. I am well known for buying tickets to every pancake breakfast and spaghetti dinner in town. There’s nothing like getting a good meal and supporting a neighborhood group at the same time. This time I had to say no.
It is important for members of community churches, charities, and organizations to support local business. These are the people that you go to for donations, door prizes, and auction items. If you are not spending your money with the businesses that you go to for donations, the businesses will not be around to support you. Times are tough for everyone, so shop in Blue Island and identify yourself as a member of your church, charity, or organization. The group you save may be your own.
Lastly, we recently received a letter from the Paul Revere Primary & Intermediate School Parent Teacher Organization. According to the letter, 65% of their students’ parents are currently seeking employment. The unemployment rate in Illinois was recently reported at 7.6%. The general Chicago area is 6.5%. An unemployment rate of 65% among parents in Blue Island is frightening. The PTO is holding a job fair on February 13th, and they are expecting 250 prospective employees to attend.
All the more reason to spend your money here in Blue Island. According to the National Small Business Association, over 50% of working people are employed by small businesses. If you are working for a real estate office, a restaurant, a beauty parlor, a law office, a doctor’s office, an independent retailer, a small grocery store, or any number of other small businesses here in our city, it is in your best interest to shop here. The job you save may be your own.
It is only by small business owners, employees, and community groups alike banding together and committing themselves to patronizing Blue Island businesses that we as a community will be able to survive this economic downturn. Spend your money in Blue Island, the city you save may be your own.
Candace Carr
CARR home-garden-holiday
2) I passed up a pancake breakfast
3) Unemployment surges in Blue Island
A few weeks ago, I decided to visit Stefanelli’s for lunch. I remembered there being a five dollar bill in my coat pocket, and without checking for it, I took off down the street with visions of hot mostaccioli dancing in my head. I picked up my lunch, went to the counter to pay, pulled out the five dollar bill, and lo and behold, it was a silver certificate!
For any youngsters reading this, a silver certificate was a bill printed by the U.S. Treasury that was equal in value to the same amount of silver coinage. Thus, a five dollar silver certificate would be equal to five silver dollars. The most readily distinguishable feature of these bills was that the seal was printed in blue. They ceased production of these over forty years ago, and people used to save them because they would be worth something some day.
I think that whoever had this bill before me was saving it for that exact reason. However, with the economy being what it is, I imagine that people are starting to spend whatever bills and coins they have stashed away just to make ends meet. I don’t know how I came to possess this bill, and for a minute I wondered what it might be worth. Then, no doubt like its previous owner, I realized that in the condition it was in, it was probably worth about $5.50. I imagined the time and energy it would take to find someone willing to buy it, and in the end I just handed it to the cashier.
Not long ago, a member of a local church stopped in to sell me tickets to a pancake breakfast. I am well known for buying tickets to every pancake breakfast and spaghetti dinner in town. There’s nothing like getting a good meal and supporting a neighborhood group at the same time. This time I had to say no.
It is important for members of community churches, charities, and organizations to support local business. These are the people that you go to for donations, door prizes, and auction items. If you are not spending your money with the businesses that you go to for donations, the businesses will not be around to support you. Times are tough for everyone, so shop in Blue Island and identify yourself as a member of your church, charity, or organization. The group you save may be your own.
Lastly, we recently received a letter from the Paul Revere Primary & Intermediate School Parent Teacher Organization. According to the letter, 65% of their students’ parents are currently seeking employment. The unemployment rate in Illinois was recently reported at 7.6%. The general Chicago area is 6.5%. An unemployment rate of 65% among parents in Blue Island is frightening. The PTO is holding a job fair on February 13th, and they are expecting 250 prospective employees to attend.
All the more reason to spend your money here in Blue Island. According to the National Small Business Association, over 50% of working people are employed by small businesses. If you are working for a real estate office, a restaurant, a beauty parlor, a law office, a doctor’s office, an independent retailer, a small grocery store, or any number of other small businesses here in our city, it is in your best interest to shop here. The job you save may be your own.
It is only by small business owners, employees, and community groups alike banding together and committing themselves to patronizing Blue Island businesses that we as a community will be able to survive this economic downturn. Spend your money in Blue Island, the city you save may be your own.
Candace Carr
CARR home-garden-holiday
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Snowstorms and Partnersips
Quick recovery from a snowstorm requires a three way partnership. That partnership would be among the citizens, the Police Department, and the Department of Public Works. If everyone does their part the snow is quickly removed and we can all get on with our lives. At some point in time the City of Blue Island made plans for snow storms and snow removal. Many streets are marked with blue and white Snow Route signs. The signs warn that there is no parking after a snowfall of 2 inches or more until the snow is removed, and that violators will be towed.
The snowstorm that hit us on Thursday, December 18th was not a surprise. The weathermen had been forecasting it for two days, and originally it was predicted to begin about 2:00 p.m. on the 17th. I know that we all engage in wishful thinking. We hope that a storm will bypass us and we will not have to deal with it. However, on the morning of the 18th it was obvious that we had taken a direct hit. There was 4 to 6 inches of snow, encased in ice. This is when the snowstorm partnership broke down.
The general population made little attempt to move their cars or avoid parking on the snow routes. As of this writing (four days later) there are still cars plowed into place on residential snow routes around the city. People were parked up and down Western Avenue as if it were any other day. In front of our building there were at least two vehicles which were parked 5 feet from the curb because they either couldn’t see the curb or couldn’t get any closer. This put them partially in a traffic lane, which in and of itself would be deserving of a ticket. The vehicles remained there all day. This scenario was repeated up and down Western.
I can already hear business owners protesting that their customers have to park somewhere. How much better would it have been if those customers had waited for an hour or two until the streets were cleared? Many businesses still have lumpy snow in the street in front of their buildings. We have a 2 foot ice berm in the middle of the parking spots in front of our business. This is going to make it difficult and dangerous to park, not just for a day, but for several days to come. As for cars that remained parked on Western all day, I have to assume that these were business owners or employees. We should know better.
The Department of Public Works did what they could. The plows were out all day on the snow routes, plowing and spreading salt. But they can’t plow where cars are parked. I didn’t hear of one person being ticketed, much less being towed away.
As I write this it is 3 degrees below zero and the wind is howling. As a customer, I would not want to brave these temperatures just to be greeted with lumpy and icy parking spots. The partnership broke down, and the business district and sales tax revenue will pay the price until the next warm spell, which will be after Christmas at the earliest. Too late for any last minute Christmas shoppers. If it snows again on top this whole mess, things will just get worse. What were we thinking?
Spending my frozen $5.00 on Western.
Candace Carr
CARR home-garden-holiday
The snowstorm that hit us on Thursday, December 18th was not a surprise. The weathermen had been forecasting it for two days, and originally it was predicted to begin about 2:00 p.m. on the 17th. I know that we all engage in wishful thinking. We hope that a storm will bypass us and we will not have to deal with it. However, on the morning of the 18th it was obvious that we had taken a direct hit. There was 4 to 6 inches of snow, encased in ice. This is when the snowstorm partnership broke down.
The general population made little attempt to move their cars or avoid parking on the snow routes. As of this writing (four days later) there are still cars plowed into place on residential snow routes around the city. People were parked up and down Western Avenue as if it were any other day. In front of our building there were at least two vehicles which were parked 5 feet from the curb because they either couldn’t see the curb or couldn’t get any closer. This put them partially in a traffic lane, which in and of itself would be deserving of a ticket. The vehicles remained there all day. This scenario was repeated up and down Western.
I can already hear business owners protesting that their customers have to park somewhere. How much better would it have been if those customers had waited for an hour or two until the streets were cleared? Many businesses still have lumpy snow in the street in front of their buildings. We have a 2 foot ice berm in the middle of the parking spots in front of our business. This is going to make it difficult and dangerous to park, not just for a day, but for several days to come. As for cars that remained parked on Western all day, I have to assume that these were business owners or employees. We should know better.
The Department of Public Works did what they could. The plows were out all day on the snow routes, plowing and spreading salt. But they can’t plow where cars are parked. I didn’t hear of one person being ticketed, much less being towed away.
As I write this it is 3 degrees below zero and the wind is howling. As a customer, I would not want to brave these temperatures just to be greeted with lumpy and icy parking spots. The partnership broke down, and the business district and sales tax revenue will pay the price until the next warm spell, which will be after Christmas at the earliest. Too late for any last minute Christmas shoppers. If it snows again on top this whole mess, things will just get worse. What were we thinking?
Spending my frozen $5.00 on Western.
Candace Carr
CARR home-garden-holiday
Sunday, December 21, 2008
And the good news is...
I have to say that the city is currently doing what it can to help the remaining businesses in Blue Island. They have offered to run free commercials on the city’s cable station WDDE, and for a nominal fee you can be interviewed by Joe Gatrell and Lefty. This is the type of thing that can make a huge difference for any business. Believe it or not, after having our business in Blue Island for nearly eleven years, there are still residents who have no idea that we exist. They don’t come this way, they haven’t really noticed, or they don’t look at newspaper ads.
The Christmas parade was a huge success, thanks to Rita Pacyga, and unlike last year, the weather did not interfere. My apologies to everyone who worked on all the fabulous floats, but I thought that the Mexican horsemen, with their horses decked out in blankets of lights, stole the show. It was an eerie and wonderful sight to see lights prancing down the street in the darkness.
In a recent zoning meeting, the zoning committee gave a beleaguered Blue Island businessman the nod to have his building rezoned. As I mentioned in my previous article, commercial property tax has skyrocketed, forcing many small businesses to close their doors. A Blue Island resident, who I had not met before, addressed the committee, and eloquently explained that we cannot afford to lose another business. This move by the zoning committee may well save one of our most valuable assets uptown.
The last issue of the Forum reported that at the request of Mayor Peloquin, Tom Nagle of Robinson Engineering put together a package of infrastructure projects worth $38,000,000.00 to be presented to President Bush and President Elect Obama. Maybe the ushering in of the new administration will bring improvements to our worn out streets.
So here I am, ending the year feeling hopeful once again. Both personally and business wise I know we have a lot to be thankful for. Perhaps people will begin to understand that we’re all in this together. Like any other city, Blue Island will rise or fall according to the effort put forth by its citizens.
Spending my $5.00 and wishing you all a blessed holiday!
Candace Carr
CARR home-garden-holiday
The Christmas parade was a huge success, thanks to Rita Pacyga, and unlike last year, the weather did not interfere. My apologies to everyone who worked on all the fabulous floats, but I thought that the Mexican horsemen, with their horses decked out in blankets of lights, stole the show. It was an eerie and wonderful sight to see lights prancing down the street in the darkness.
In a recent zoning meeting, the zoning committee gave a beleaguered Blue Island businessman the nod to have his building rezoned. As I mentioned in my previous article, commercial property tax has skyrocketed, forcing many small businesses to close their doors. A Blue Island resident, who I had not met before, addressed the committee, and eloquently explained that we cannot afford to lose another business. This move by the zoning committee may well save one of our most valuable assets uptown.
The last issue of the Forum reported that at the request of Mayor Peloquin, Tom Nagle of Robinson Engineering put together a package of infrastructure projects worth $38,000,000.00 to be presented to President Bush and President Elect Obama. Maybe the ushering in of the new administration will bring improvements to our worn out streets.
So here I am, ending the year feeling hopeful once again. Both personally and business wise I know we have a lot to be thankful for. Perhaps people will begin to understand that we’re all in this together. Like any other city, Blue Island will rise or fall according to the effort put forth by its citizens.
Spending my $5.00 and wishing you all a blessed holiday!
Candace Carr
CARR home-garden-holiday
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