Geneva considers bed-and-breakfast locale

A few comments made at a recent candidates forum in Geneva indicated some residents feel a current bed-and-breakfast proposal near the downtown business district is a bad idea.

I can’t count myself among those who feel that way.

Linda Lydon is proposing a four-bedroom setup in the two-story 1840s home on the northwest corner of Peyton and North First streets, meaning the inn would be along Route 31 about two blocks north of West State Street.

The plan commission voted 8-1 in favor of this proposal with several conditions that must be agreed upon before it reaches the city council. Even though the conditions and zoning questions must be dealt with, on face value, this appears to be a good spot for such a business.

There is a lot of talk about thinking outside of the box these days to revive downtown businesses. Granted, Geneva is not hurting like other municipalities, so maybe it’s not as critical. But bed-and-breakfast operations are attractive to travelers to use when they want to feel like they are at home, possibly because they intend to stay in town for a few days and, hopefully, spend a lot of money.

It’s not far from Wheeler Park either, so visitors could leave the car behind and enjoy a nice stroll through town or a park.

Rainy day coffeeThere was no doubt that Dennis Walker was going to have a popular little coffee shop when he opened Arcedium at First and Indiana streets in St. Charles nearly two years ago.

But I figured it would be better suited to warmer weather #8212; as bikers, runners and walkers from nearby Mount St. Mary Park would potentially stop by.

But a visit during last Sunday#146;s rainy morning proved that theory wrong. The place was packed on a dreary day.

And it was nice to bump into St. Charles architect Mike Dixon on his last day in town before heading to the Ukraine for his 27-month Peace Corps mission, which has been detailed in previous columns.

Putting up a fightLee Bender of South Elgin has been on a mission to stem the effects of his Parkinson#146;s disease with rigorous exercise and a strict diet since he was first diagnosed in 2003 with the devastating neurological disease.

He#146;s taking his fight to a new level by organizing a support group for Parkinson#146;s sufferers, starting from 5 to 8 p.m. April 20 and continuing the third Wednesday of each month at the Heritage Woods of South Elgin Assisted Living Facility on McLean Boulevard.

Information about these sessions can be directed to Lee at (847) 717-4960, or by e-mailing llbl2001@yahoo.com, or lee@leebender.org.

Turn out the lightsWhoever designates the annual Earth Hour should try to make sure that all of the NCAA basketball tournament games are completed by then. Otherwise, it#146;s hard to imagine any TVs would be turned off in man caves as part of this hour of global conservation.

So, at least cut back on the lights. If you weren#146;t aware, turn off lights in your house for an hour, starting at 8:30 p.m. Saturday.

dheun@sbcglobal.net