Lt. Col. Lawrence. W. Hallstrom (right), Pekin Community High School JROTC senior Army instructor, introduced Cadet Kelsie Taylor (left) and Cadet Victoria Lodge, who were awarded Army ROTC National High School scholarships. (Photo courtesy of Pekin Community High School JROTC)

EAST PEORIA

Residents in 2066 will get glimpse of life in 2016

A bit of local history will be safely tucked into a time capsule that will be buried May 21, with the intention of remaining underground for 50 years.

A ceremony dedicating the cornerstone at East Peoria City Hall and placing the time capsule will occur at 1 p.m. May 21 at city hall, 401 W. Washington St. The ceremony will be conducted by the Grand Lodge Masons of Illinois.

The time capsule will contain an 8-inch diameter PVC pipe, which will hold the items. It will be sealed and then placed into a 10-inch diameter, 42-inch long PVC pipe. That pipe will have instructions indicating which end to cut when the capsule is opened in 2066. The capsule will then be placed in the ground and encased in concrete. A medallion will be set in concrete about four feet from the city hall cornerstone so people will know where to dig in 2066.

Items for the container are being obtained by a time capsule committee comprised of City of East Peoria and Fondulac District Library employees, and officials from the East Peoria Historical Society and Hilton Masonic Lodge 1143.The items are on display at the library in the meantime.

The time capsule will be painted and those attending the ceremony, which is open to the public, will be invited to sign it.

Because of the ceremony, Richland Street will be closed from Spinder Drive to the roundabout from 8 a.m. to approximately 2 p.m. The exit from the Target store onto Clock Tower Drive will be blocked.

PEKIN

JROTC cadets get scholarships

Two Pekin Community High School seniors have been awarded Army ROTC National High School scholarships. The winners are JROTC cadets Kelsie Taylor and Victoria Lodge.

The Army ROTC National High School Scholarship program is based on a student’s academic achievements and physical abilities.

Taylor, who transferred to PCHS from Delavan, entered the JROTC program in her senior year. Lodge joined in her freshman year at PCHS. Taylor will attend the University of Florida and plans to major in math. Lodge will attend Illinois State University and plans to become a physical therapist.

Both will be commissioned second lieutenants after their college careers.

City’s website to be redesigned

A company that focuses on creating websites for municipal governments will redesign the city of Pekin’s site. The Pekin City Council has hired Revize of Troy, Mich., for a fee of $28,700 to build the site, a project the company says will take about 20 weeks.

The new website will make it easier for residents to pay bills online and find information regarding the city’s businesses, which are some of the complaints of the current website. The site also is outdated, and has logistical problems for users and city staff members who update information online. Through the new website, the city will have the opportunity to stream city council meetings online.

The agreement includes an additional $5,900 to maintain the site for each of the contract’s four years. Col.

MORTON

New business leader comes from Pekin

A former economic development leader in Pekin is now the new executive of the Morton Chamber of Commerce and Morton Economic Development Council.

Leigh Ann Brown started working on her new duties earlier this month. She will work with both organizations to improve the business climate in the community.

Brown served as the economic development and tourism director for the City of Pekin for the past six years. There, her job was to create and foster economic development, administered both tax increment financing (TIF) districts and enterprise zones and enhance tourism. Two years before that, she was the executive director of Pekin Main Street, a non-profit group with a mission of historic preservation and revitalization. Under her leadership, focused downtown TIF redevelopment occurred with public-private partnerships. In addition, Brown brought a focus on workforce development and formed new public forum groups, which brought local, regional, state and federal opportunities to local businesses and entities.

–Tazewell County News Briefs–