How proposed trail enhancements would transform the east bank of the Fox River in St. Charles

Walking along the trail on the west side of the Fox River south of Illinois Street in St. Charles used to be a messy affair.

You'd have to watch your step when heading north from Mount St. Mary Park past the Brownstone townhouses because the path was loaded with geese poop. But the riverbank was also unappealing. It was in essentially the same shape it was years ago when the Cable Piano Factory operated there before Howell Company bought it in 1937. By 1985, the building was converted to the Piano Factory Mall before it came down for the picturesque upgrade of the Brownstone development.

Ultimately, the path became one of the nicest in the city as organizations came together to create the Bob Leonard Walkway in honor of Leonard, a major supporter of Fox River enhancement. The planting of tall grasses took care of the geese problem, and new stone pavements, sculptures and a small plaza with benches were put in place.

It's a decent measuring stick for the River Corridor Foundation of St. Charles as it casts focus on the east side of the river in that same area.

As colder weather sets in, fewer people may use the walking trails, but it won't stop those envisioning the East Bank Enhancement Project, which will address a makeover of sorts for the bike and walking trail from Illinois Street south to the pedestrian bridge known as the Piano Factory bridge (originally built by Cable to allow its employees on the east side of the river to get to work by foot).

Basically, the plan calls for enhancing the natural limestone and adding landscaping to the riverbank, as well as creating two plazas that are essentially wider areas for bikers and walkers to maneuver.

Before we get too far in this update about a potential improvement to the riverbank and the trail, it should be noted the city doesn't have to pay for it. Grants from Walmart Foundation and Grand Victoria Riverboat Foundation have been secured and others are being targeted before project planners look to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Illinois Tourism and politicians who support walking and bike trails.

The corridor foundation hired a firm to create three preliminary concept plans, and the foundation accepted one. In addition, a planning committee of park district employees and former city council members approved it. The plan should be moving to the park board and city council in the near future, as well as helping provide more information to those in neighborhoods near the project.

"There would be a plaza at the north end of the project area, on the southwest corner of the intersection of Riverside Avenue and Illinois Street," said John Rabchuk of the Fox River Corridor Foundation.

At that area, the plan calls for two levels of the trail, one for resting and viewing the river and one for those who want to cross Illinois Street, Rabchuk noted.

"The other plaza would be where the Piano Factory bridge now makes a T into the Fox River trail (currently an asphalt path)," Rabchuk said. "You have to make a very sudden decision if someone else is there because it is a very narrow and hard T. A plaza there would create a lot more room for people."

As for an upper and lower trail, the lower would be wider, making it similar to the Bob Leonard Walkway on other side of the river. But it comes with a catch.

"To accommodate two trails, you would have to narrow Riverside Avenue for a stretch," Rabchuk explained. "Instead of 23 feet wide, we are suggesting it come down to 20 feet."

Rabchuk feels the change could slow down traffic in the area, especially if, or when, the proposed River Lofts building finds a home at Illinois and Riverside.

"There will be a lot more foot traffic," he said. "But, from the city's standpoint, there are some concerns because it is a main north-south transit for firetrucks coming out of the downtown fire station."

Still, the notion of a nicer east-side riverbank has a lot of appeal and would enhance the overall appearance of the downtown region.

It's all not to be confused with the corridor foundation's Active River Plan, a far more ambitious project that would essentially turn the Fox River in St. Charles into a tourist attraction and a joy for locals seeking recreational activities on and along the Fox.

That plan, Rabchuk notes, finds its future possibly resting on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' consideration of removing the St. Charles dam - and the accompanying debates prior to any action.

"A lot of people don't want the dams taken out because the river depth would go down and the St. Charles paddleboats would be gone, and any thought of power boating north of Pottawatomie Park would be gone," he said. "Those paying premium dollars for riverfront property would need really long docks to get to the water, I would think.

"From my perspective, our Active River Plan actually holds the water north of the railroad trestle to the same level it is today and accomplishes a lot, but not all, of the goals the corps wants in taking out the dam."

Much more on that later.

Better staying power?

The restaurant building at 842 N. Randall Road in Batavia, next to Sierra in the retail strip consumers enter off Fabyan Parkway, has housed a Smashburger and more recently Doc Watson's Smokehouse.

Work is underway to convert it to a Taco Dale restaurant, which some diners familiar with this operation in other cities claim is an excellent Mexican food spot.

Without any data to support this theory, the eyeball test tells me that Mexican restaurants in the Tri-Cities area, and likely most other towns, stay with us a long time. Even before places like Jose Maria's and Sergio's Cantina in Geneva closed, they had been around a long time.

There are several that have been with us for years - Pepe's, El Taco Grande and Taqueria El Sazon in Batavia, El Puente and Salsa Verde in St. Charles, and Bien Trucha, Altiro Latin Fusion and El Molcajete in Geneva.

Many others have been around for a shorter time, such as Los Burritos Mexicanos and La Mesa Modern Mexican in St. Charles, and fast-casual places like Taco Madre, Chipotle and Burrito Parilla. And it's likely I have missed a spot or two.

My point? I think Taco Dale could find a nice home here.

Beyond worthy of Wood

One of the best aspects of a community honoring a citizen of the year is learning about the vast contributions that person made with the intent of making that community a better place.

When Kristie Dienst was honored with Geneva's 2023 Wood Community Service Award last week, it was another case of admiring such devotion.

My wife and I are more familiar with Dienst from her support of Tri-City Family Services, but it is important to know her life has a foundation in music.

It was her father, Herb Granquist, who operated a music school on the east side of Geneva and eventually started the Granquist Music Festival, which Dienst continued with her family for years, as well as the Granquist Music Competition.

She's also left her mark with volunteer work for United Methodist Church of Geneva, where she was often seen during the church's years of providing the Third Tuesday suppers during economic downturns. Others that have benefited from her help include Geneva Garden Club, Geneva Beautification and Geneva Community Chest.

Even when all around us seems to be going sideways and we can't count on political leaders to keep us safe or tell it to us straight, we know everything will be OK if future generations continue to bring us people like Kristie Dienst and all of the others who earn top citizen honors. And, of course, that we continue to pay attention and admire what they've done for us.

A charitable notion

A comment often heard these days is that eating out has become far more expensive. Well, everything has and, over time, usually does.

But imagine those who really couldn't afford it. The answer is to make a nice gesture at this time of year and buy a meal for a needy family.

A social media post highlighted this sort of thing occurring at a restaurant in another state in which patrons can buy a meal in advance, get a ticket for that meal and pass it along to someone in need or to an agency that provides services for families facing health or financial setbacks.

One response online noted that Daddio's Diner in Batavia has such a program with its "pay it forward" board for buying a meal in advance.

I have to believe other restaurants have similar programs or ways to achieve the same result - giving others a chance to enjoy dining out when the pocketbook currently can't handle it.

dheun@sbcglobal.net