Illinois Central College will remain at its Pekin campus while the community college sorts through options for the site’s future and expands marketing to nearby communities and attract Tazewell County high school students.

WASHINGTON

Habitat for Humanity house to be built

Washington will get its first Habitat for Humanity house next year, thanks to Habitat for Humanity Greater Peoria Area.

The house will sit on a now-vacant lot at 301 Lynnhaven Drive, which had been owned by the city. Habitat for Humanity was the high bidder at $11,500.

St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Washington will work with Habitat for Humanity on the project. The church raised the needed $50,000 in pledges, and church members will provide labor.

The house that previously was at 301 Lynnhaven sat empty for three years after its owner died in June 2013. The city had the structure declared abandoned this year after none of the deceased owner’s family members expressed an interest in buying the home. Then the city obtained it through a judicial deed, and had it demolished in August.

The former structure was a little more than 1,000 square feet including a garage. The new one will be 1,200 square feet with three bedrooms and a full basement. Construction is expected to begin in May and take about 14 to 18 weeks to complete.

PEKIN

ICC to stay in Pekin while looking to its future

Illinois Central College (ICC) will remain at its Pekin campus while the community college sorts through options for the site’s future.

The city of Pekin recently agreed to waive rent at the site, an industrial park along Illinois Route 29 near the federal prison, for the current fiscal year. With no rent payments, costs for the site almost break even, college officials say.

The community college is looking at ways to improve marketing of the Pekin campus to nearby communities and continue increases in Tazewell County high schools’ enrollment in Early College, or dual-credit, courses.

Kids’ camp offered during winter break

Pekin Park District’s Winter Break Camps offer a place for children, from kindergarten age to 13 years old, to play while they are out of school for winter break.

Children get to spend their days out of doors enjoying the best that nature has to offer. They enjoy crafts, field trips, nature hikes, playing outdoors (weather permitting) and seasonal activities when available, such as ice skating and sledding. The fee covers field trips, breakfast and snacks, but children are asked to bring a sack lunch. Register by calling (309) 347-7275.

Camp time and dates are 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Dec. 28- 30 and Jan. 2-3.  The fees are $34 per day or $120 for five days. Non-residents are charged an additional $3 per day.

For more information regarding registration or park district programs, call (309) 347-7275 or visit www.pekinparkdistrict.org.

MORTON

Water survey mailed to residents

Morton water customers are receiving a survey in the mail, required by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. The survey, conducted every two years, asks questions about a municipality’s cross connection control program, which are put into place to protect drinking water. 

Morton officials ask residents to follow the survey’s directions and complete and return the form immediately after receiving it. The survey can be returned for free via online, fax, email or surface mail.

The contractor hired to implement and oversee Morton’s program is Aqua Backflow from Elgin. The company specializes in cross connection control program management.  All surveys should be returned to the company, not Morton. Any residents who have or require backflow protection, may be notified for compliance (testing, repairs, or installations) by Aqua Backflow. Contact Aqua Backflow at (847) 742-2296 or info@AquaBackflow.com with any questions.

STATE

Literary magazine available free on the web

Ten new short stories by Illinois, Midwestern and other writers are featured in the 2016 edition of Downstate Story, Peoria’s only literary magazine for fiction. Downstate Story is on the web at www.downstatestory.com

The Illinois writers in this issue are Pepper Bauer of Mapleton; Susan Duke of East Peoria; Daniel Botkin of East Peoria; Connie Cook Smith of Canton; Jim Courter of Macomb; Marie Anderson of LaGrange; Grazina Smith of Chicago; James Chnura of Oak Park; and Kent McDaniel of Chicago. The work of Matt LeShay of Culebra, Puerto Rico, is also in the issue.

These outstanding writers include several with long lists of publications in other literary magazines, and some have written books.

Published by Downstate Story, Inc., an Illinois not-for-profit corporation, the annual publication aims to present original fiction by Illinois writers and writers with ties to Illinois and the Midwest as a quality alternative to today’s mass-market publishing.

The web edition is free, but readers are asked for donations to help defray publishing costs. All writers are paid for their work. Downstate Story’s Facebook page can be accessed at www.Facebook.com/downstatestory.

–Tazewell County News Briefs–