Elgin officials vow to better State-National intersection
A neighborhood-initiated tour of the intersection of State and National streets has caught the attention of city officials, who are vowing increased scrutiny and clean-up of the area.
City Council members David Kaptain and Juan Figueroa, who attended the walk Nov. 2, were planning to tour the area again Nov. 9 with Elgin City Manager Femi Folarin and representatives of the city's code department. Kaptain said he was somewhat familiar with the poor image of the intersection but the walk forced him to take a closer look.
"The neighborhood group (the South West Area Neighbors, or SWAN) brought this intersection to our attention," he said. "It has been area that has been neglected for a long time."
An estimated 25 people joined Kaptain, Figueroa and members of SWAN on the Nov. 2 tour. The group started at Ryerson Park and visited three businesses, including Papa Smoke at 269 S. State St., Ozzie's Smoke Shop at 11 National St., and LaGloria's at 315 Hendee St. They also walked past the Lao Video & Gift Shop at 20 National St., Pay Day Loans at 268 S. State St., and several vacant and rundown residential properties. They concluded their walk at the former Stout-Madison Funeral Home at 252 S. State St.
The funeral home, purchased by Protecta Home Loans and vacant for years, according to neighbors, has broken windows in the back and a boarded-up front door with a see-through gap spanning several inches.
Charlene Eckols-Slighting, the president of SWAN, organized the Nov. 2 walk in response to neighbors' concerns about the smoke shops and what they perceived as a poor image of the intersection.
The National and State streets corridor is only two blocks from the Grand Victoria Casino and the newly renovated, multi-million-dollar Festival Park along the riverfront.
Banners reading "City of Elgin Year of the Neighborhood" are displayed on lamp posts near the intersection.
Kaptain said that neighbors were concerned about Papa Smoke at 269 S. State, which displays a variety of pipes, cigars and tobacco that it sells. Signs were also posted that no one under the age of 18 could purchase items in the store.
"The neighborhood may not like this kind of business, but it seems to operate under the law," he said. "I'm not sure what they can do about that."
The other smoke shop on National Street was another matter, according to Kaptain.
Owner Todd "Ozzie" LaMere, who said he opened the shop in April this year, greeted the 25 tour-goers with a billiard stick in his hands. LaMere's shop also included a dart board, pool table and soda machine; messages and artwork covered the walls.
He was evasive about why he had so little tobacco in his shop, according to Kaptain.
"He was very confrontational with us and that was bothersome to me," said Kaptain.
LaMere also posted a sign in his front window with the message, "We support neighborhood cleanup." Although LaMere had replaced the message with another by Thursday of last week, he claimed he used his snowblower to clean away slush and debris on National Street last winter.
"I cleared away snow up and down here," he said. "The city wasn't doing anything."
Kaptain said he was hopeful the city could crack down on business owners with outstanding code violations and encouraged them to participate in the city's facade rebate program.
The program allows business owners to receive a rebate on improvements to their storefronts -- many of which date to the turn of the century.
Kaptain also encouraged SWAN to work with the residential property owners on National Street to apply for several grants, including one for the removal of chain-link fences, and another for taking off substitute siding.
"I think SWAN is the best group possible to educate these people on the value of the programs and to encourage them to apply," he said.
Figueroa said SWAN was also instrumental in alerting the city of needed upgrades on Walnut Avenue and other nearby residential streets.
"This is a major entryway into the city and we should clean it up," he said.