Hall of Fame
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Huge thanks to the Moving Pillsbury Forward working group!
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Kudos to Chris Richmond and the grassroots “Moving Pillsbury Forward” (MPF) working group! MPF is a group of community volunteers focusing on understanding the challenges and issues related to the Pillsbury property. They are working hard to get everyone together to get the facts out, dispel misinformation, evaluate reasonable options, and work together to move…
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ICON CleanUp – 6th from Stanford to S Grand Ave – Wed 9/25 5:30pm
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In preparation for the Route 66 Mother Road Festival! Join Springfield ICON in cleaning up a major city thoroughfare – 6th from Stanford to S Grand Ave on Wednesday September 25. Meet in the lot on the southeast corner of 6th and Stanford, north side of railroad tracks (Harvard Park has a garden there) at…
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ICON CleanUp – Ash from 11th to Southeast High School – Sat 8/31 7:30am
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Join Springfield ICON in cleaning up a major city thoroughfare – Ash Street from 11th to Southeast High School (Taylor Ave) on Saturday August 31. Meet in the large parking lot across the street from First Church of the Brethern at 2115 Yale Blvd, Springfield, IL 62703 at 7:30 am. Five ICON supporters cleaned up…
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State Fair 9th Street Cleanup – August 7, 5pm
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Springfield ICON will organize a street cleanup on the first day of the Illinois State Fair – Wednesday, August 7. In honor of the fair, this cleanup will be dubbed “Trash on a Stick”. Volunteers will meet to organize in the parking lot of Noonan’s Hardware, corner of 8th and North Grand Ave. East at…
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Park District to apply for Grant to improve Iles Park – meeting Thursday, July 18, 5:30pm
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The Springfield Park District will be applying for an OSLAD (Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development) grant to further develop Iles Park. The Park District will host a public meeting on Thursday July 18 at 5:30pm to inform the public of our intentions, share our plan and solicit feedback. This is the only item on…
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Yard Waste – support proposed new process
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City Council Passes Yard Waste Reform Tuesday, April 16! Ten ICON members attended and six spoke at City council. Alderman Theilen added an addendum to increase Waste & Recycling fee by $1.50 to pay for all-summer yard waste WITHOUT yard waste stickers! Springfield City Council will consider a proposal to ELIMINATE YARD WASTE STICKERS and provide…
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FOIA and Investigative Reporting – with Bruce Rushton
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in Hall of FameIn the podcast on March 23, 2019, Dan Noll talks with Bruce Rushton from the Illinois Times about government transparency and “Welcome to the Hotel Springfield” (Illinois Times 3/21/2019) in this podcast from Jim Ackerman Law Offices on WMAY.
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Springfield Vacant Lots for Sale by City – deadline 3pm on 2/21/2019!
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Download the RFP as a pdf with all properties and conditions… Over the past 5 years, the City of Springfield has been aggressively targeting blight and deterioration in the City’s older neighborhoods through demolition of vacant buildings with significant code violations. To date, the City has demolished nearly 430 buildings. The City has developed a…
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Kudos to the Chamber & The Springfield Project for adaptive reuse of downtown church
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in Hall of FameWe applaud The Chamber, The Springfield Project and the Economic Growth Corporation of Rock Island for the soon-to-come “Centre @ 501”, which will house the Chamber and apartments downtown at 5th and Capitol Avenue. An excerpt from the SJ-R: “Hembrough said project developers used “all sorts of tools to make this thing work,” including historic…
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Thanks to City Council and the Mayor for Denying Zoning Changes at Previous Bally Vaughn Apartments
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Springfield ICON lauds the City Council and the Mayor for rejecting the zoning petition for the previous Bally Vaughn Apartments property. We sincerely appreciate their support of neighboring property owners. Their vote protects property values and quality of life for those residents and the school children who walk through this neighborhood to 4 neighborhood schools.…
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Cities that Succeed
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in Hall of FameThanks to Jill for forwarding this article, which I’ve extracted and summarized here. Read the full story at https://www.fastcompany.com/40561035/when-cities-are-as-creative-and-collaborative-as-startups Read about Cities of Service… When Cities Are As Creative And Collaborative As Startups 04.20.2018 Cities of Service Many cities are very much like a legacy company—rich in history and earned reputation, but sometimes a little…
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Support Small Development!
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in Hall of FameWondering what you can do to foster positive development within your neighborhood? Last week, Springfield neighborhood leaders attended an Incremental Development Workshop in Peoria, and ICON’s Monday night meeting featured highlights from that workshop. Ideas for action you can take today: Say thank you to people who are doing small-scale development in your neighborhood! That…
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Kudos to those who “Shop Local” – it’s good for the local economy & local government!
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in Hall of FameWith city sales tax revenues expected to continue to decline, we urge you to shop local so your sales taxes and the other money generated stays within the local economy. We offer our thanks to those who do, as well as to those Illinois residents who pay the sales tax on their annual income tax…
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New Community Garden at 2nd and Allen
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in Hall of FameBig thanks to attorney Mark Lee and property owner Pete Giacomini for creating a new community garden at Second and Allen streets behind the law office. Click photos to make bigger. Read more at SJ-R.com…
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Kudos to the Villas at Vinegar Hill by Springfield Housing Authority
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in Hall of FameA ribbon cutting and tours of the new Villas at Vinegar Hill at 401 W Allen St, Springfield, IL, 62704 on Tuesday, June 13. The development replaced the John Sankey Hi-Rise towers, which were demolished in October 2013. The development provides affordable senior housing: 92 fully accessible 1 and 2 bedroom units. Spacious, nicely decorated, convenient…
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Rianne Hawkins: Governments should not keep constituents in the dark
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in Hall of FameThanks to Rianne Hawkins for the letter to the editor in the SJ-R on May 5, 2017. Rianne writes, “…local government works best when the people it serves are actively involved… it is absolutely essential that we do everythign we can to foster civic engagement. Instead of limiting the ways in which people are notified…
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Springfield Household Hazardous Waste Collection September 16, 2017, 8am-11pm
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Hazardous Waste drop off event is scheduled for Saturday, September 16th from 8am-1pm at Illinois State Fairgrounds. Participants will enter through Gate 11 and go to Lot 21.
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ICON says goodbye to Ward 6 Alderman Cory Jobe
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Members of Springfield ICON said goodbye to Ward 6 Alderman Cory Jobe at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. Carol Kneedler, ICON Chair, and member of the Iles Park Neighborhood Association thanked Cory for his work for neighborhood and and his willingness to take the lead for positive change for all our city, noting Cory’s efforts…
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Springfield Household Hazardous Waste Collection Sat, Nov 5, 8am-noon
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SEE ACCEPTABLE / UNACCEPTABLE ITEMS BELOW! Springfield residents only – must bring photo ID! IL State Fairgrounds – enter Gate 11 from Sangamon Avenue. Items will be removed at fair parking lot 21. Cars will exit at Gate 7. Plan to go early. Before you go, consider asking your nearby neighbors, especially elderly or disabled,…
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Kudos to city of Champaign / Urbana for hosting 2016 RNNC
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Kudos to the city of Champaign / Urbana for hosting and being involved with the Regional Neighborhood Network Conference 2016! This conference, taking place on September 29 – October 1, 2016, is a three‐day event hosted by one of 24 Midwestern cities. It’s a place where community leaders, volunteers, corporations, local government agencies, and businesses gather to…