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Traci Heffelbower
Site of Green Mill Village
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October Edition Clark County UpdateCasey Part of a 17-year effort to create a community and economic development position in Casey, Traci Heffelbower began her 11 month, Peace Corps Fellows internship on September 2, 2008. Casey Industries, Inc., Casey Chamber of Commerce and the City of Casey joined together in the Casey Liaison Steering (CLS) Committee to formulate a temporary position for their vision of a "point person" to organize and coordinate efforts for development. These three institutions identified the challenges facing the community through a visioning session with Tiffany Macke, University of Illinois Extension Program Manager in Community and Economic Development for Clark County. These varied entities with differing interests have invested in the Peace Corps Fellow as a neutral party to move Casey forward by identifying areas for improvement and acting on these areas through planning initiatives, seeking funding and filtering information to relevant parties. The committee recognizes this effort as the first step in an ongoing process of meeting the challenges of a fast-paced global society. Through the detailed reporting required of the intern, the CLS committee hopes to justify and create a permanent community and economic development position to continue development efforts after the internship is complete. Traci is originally from Hastings, MI. She completed her Bachelor of Arts degree from Michigan State University in 2001. She then worked for two years in Missoula, MT where her interests shifted to natural resource management and volunteerism, volunteering for the Sierra Club and the Montana Natural History Center. Deciding that volunteering was more rewarding, Traci then signed on as a Natural Resource Management Volunteer for the Peace Corps in Bolivia. She worked at 13,000 feet above sea level in the Andes Mountains of Corque, Bolivia for a two year term becoming fluent in Spanish and a touch of an ancient language, Aymara. After completing her term, she moved back to Michigan to work at Rifle River State Recreation Area as an environmental educator. She continued to work in environmental education and interpretation for the next two years as a Student Conservation Association Intern at White Sands National Monument in New Mexico, an Outdoor Experiential Educator at Blue Ridge Outdoor Education Center in Georgia and as a Bilingual Park Ranger at Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. In 2007, Traci decided to pursue a Master of Science degree in Recreation, Park and Tourism Administration and Community Economic Development as a Peace Corps Fellow at Western Illinois University in Macomb. Part of the fellowship is a partnership with the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs, AmeriCorps and rural Illinois communities which creates a mutually beneficial situation in which the community receives an educated intern for 11 months and the Peace Corps Fellow applies his/her Peace Corps experience and education at WIU to receive additional domestic experience in a community. The internship is used as a thesis. Traci resides in Casey with her boyfriend, Trevor, and is completing the internship requirement for her degree where she is again happy to be working in a small community with rewarding work. To contact Traci either visit her office in Casey City Hall at 108 E Main, call her at (217)932-4074 or email her at tsheffelbower@mchsi.com.
Douglas County Update Arcola September was a busy month in Arcola. September 5-7 saw the 38th Annual Edition of the Broom Corn Festival. The Monahan brothers including Tim, Pat, Joe and Jim were recognized as grand marshals this year for their work in the community. In addition, Feutz Contractors from Paris, IL have begun work on the construction of the Green Mill Village. Green Mill Village (GMV) is scheduled to open in 2010 and will include a lodge/conference center, spa, restaurants, retail center and adventure center - powered by wind turbines and solar power. It is an unprecedented Midwestern sustainable project, from both an environmental and economic standpoint. Located in the heart of Illinois Amish country, the Green Mill Village site is in the center of a triangle formed by the three major cities of St. Louis, Indianapolis and Chicago, and just over two hours from each. The conference center, lodge and spa facility will be designed with a 1940s era theme, reminding visitors of a simpler time with a slower pace. The conference center will accommodate meetings for 500 people with a staff trained to support "green" meetings. Green Mill Village will emphasize key elements of responsible tourism, which include not only environmental considerations but also respect and appreciation for different cultures and ensuring that the local people benefit economically from tourism activities. The Official Groundbreaking Ceremony will take place on October 30th. It will be much more than turning dirt with shovels as much of the initial development work has been completed. Announcements about future developments will come from four speakers: Dr. Charles Page, project engineer and LEED planner; Bob McElwee, developer/owner; Arcola city officials, Larry Ferguson, Mayor and Bill Wagoner, City Administrator."The event is invitation only." Visit their Web site at www.greenmillvillage.com for details on the Groundbreaking Ceremony and to learn about upcoming projects at Green Mill Village.
Coles County Update Mattoon Turnkey Project Converts Lake Land College to First Self-Sustaining Campus in Illinois Not accepting "No" for an answer, the innovative leaders of Lake Land College sought out to become Illinois' first self-sustaining college campus by 2012. After much searching, they were led to Control Technology and Solutions (CTS) of St. Louis, Missouri to fulfill their carbon-reducing vision. Lake Land College took the opportunity presented by aging infrastructure to make environmentally smart decisions as original equipment and systems neared the end of their useful life. The college's effort to become self-sustaining was shaped by three primary goals: 1. Reduce energy consumption, counteract rising energy demand, and upgrade heating, cooling, lighting and controls campus-wide. 2. Modernize aging facilities without disrupting college operations. 3. Model best practices and serve as a laboratory for the college's new renewable energy curriculum, preparing students for the rapid growth in "green jobs" projected for Illinois. Guided by the LLC team, CTS developed a four-phase, five-year plan totaling $20 million. At the completion of 2012, CTS' work will save approximately 850,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity - for a carbon reduction of 556 metric tons annually - and nearly 70,000 therms of natural gas each year. Phase I of the project was completed during the 2008 summer break and included installation of the central plant's 12-inch diameter heat pump diversification loop, running 3,000 feet around the circle-shaped campus perimeter. The loop allows for load diversification and provides flexibility for locating future well fields. The closed loop geothermal heat pump system works by piping water deep into the earth via wells that capture the earth's heat in winter and dissipate heat in summer. The loop then re-circulates water to the campus-wide perimeter loop. The geothermal system alone will cut energy demands by more than 42,000 therms of natural gas, or 40 percent, and reduce electricity use by at least 580,000 kWh. Every kWh saved reduces carbon production by 1.34 pounds. At project completion, the goal is for the system to supply 100 percent of the campus' heating and cooling. The geothermal system offers the added advantage of a long life with reduced equipment maintenance costs. In Phase I, CTS also installed the first of three geothermal well fields - 140 wells, situated 20 feet apart and reaching 350 feet deep - to generate 1,200 tons - or 75 percent - of the required condenser capacity. For extreme conditions, an existing cooling tower and two existing high efficiency boilers will be available for supplementary needs. Future phases will expand the number of geothermal wells and upgrade all campus buildings and connect them to the geothermal loop. CTS has also installed 10 rooftop solar panels to power the closed loop solar domestic water heating system atop of the Field House. One small tank, located inside to eliminate freezing risk, now works in tandem with a small heat exchanger to transfer heat from the glycol-infused solar system to the domestic hot water system. Two 250-gallon storage tanks hold the solar-heated water for the high-demand uses of the Field House. CTS also modernized original systems and finishes by:
CTS also installed a new five-inch geothermal system loop and related equipment in both the Field House and the Vo-Tech Building to begin harvesting the geothermal system's production. Asbestos abatement and modernization work was completed in the Vo-Tech Building. The Field House gym and classrooms and the Vo-Tech Building gained cooling systems with the renovations without any rise in carbon-producing energy demand. The final third of CTS' solution - wind power - uses rights under federal law to generate electricity for lights and HVAC systems to offset electricity that would otherwise be purchased from the local utility at retail pricing. CTS proposed a wind turbine solution that operates at wind speeds averaging 12.5 to 14.5 miles per hour (mph) typical to the Mattoon, Ill. region. Wind turbines traditionally require average wind speeds of 14.5 mph or more, but CTS' design taps lower wind speeds for reliable electricity production. About 80 percent of the United States experiences average wind speeds in the same range as Mattoon. Located adjacent to the campus' West Building, the first 100-kilowatt wind turbine will generate electricity for the college campus. For more information on Lake Land College visit their website.
Business Solutions Center Hires Thurman as Counselor The recently created Business Solutions Center partnership has hired Stan Thurman, a former area business owner, as its first counselor. Thurman, a longtime area business owner and two-year volunteer SCORE counselor, will provide free and confidential business counseling and business classes to aspiring entrepreneurs, nonprofits, students, farmers and inventors, as well as existing business owners in a designated eight-county region. The BSC will serve Clark, Cumberland, Coles, Douglas, Edgar, Effingham, Moultrie and Shelby counties. Thurman's main office is at the Crossroads Workforce Investment Board office located at 80 Broadway Ave. in Mattoon. He also will have satellite offices in Effingham, Paris and Charleston. "I am very excited about this new project. For more than 21 years these communities were incredibly supportive of not only my former business, but of me personally," Thurman said. Thurman opened his business with 18 existing accounts in 1984 and by 1996 had grown it to more than 600 accounts with annual sales well in excess of $1 million. Prior to becoming a business owner, Thurman was an operations manager/program director at two radio stations for seven years. The BSC partnership announced its formation in July and its mission is to provide early entrepreneurship education and business support services to entrepreneurs and existing businesses with the expressed goal of nurturing business growth in the region. "Although the BSC is being privately capitalized, it is still an affiliate member of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity's Entrepreneurship Network and Anyone interested in contacting Thurman to set up an appointment or to get more information on the services being offered may call him at 581-2913, or email swthurman@eiu.edu.
Local Economic Developer Recognized The Illinois Development Council (IDC) recently named Angela Griffin, of Mattoon,
the organization's 2008 Distinguished Economic Developer of the Year. "Angela's commitment to economic development spans nearly 20 years and can be seen in successful projects which she has helped to bring to fruition, creating thousands of jobs and millions of dollars of investment across the state," said outgoing IDC Board Chairman Janet Mathis, of The Development Consortium. "She has carried her experiences as a statewide project manager for the
Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity on to leading a successful regional economic development partnership in Coles County. Angela's prowess in bringing all of the right people, resources and programs together were evident as she led Mattoon and Coles County in landing the "big
one"- the $1.2 billion FutureGen coal-fired, zero emissions power generation facility. Even set-backs at the federal government level have not deterred her enthusiasm for the project and can-do attitude which has kept momentum for FutureGen alive in the community. I can think of no one as well deserving
of this award - one in which peers from across the state recognize one of their own for their accomplishments." Griffin is the President of Coles Together, a not-for-profit economic development organization based in Mattoon. She is the administrator for the Coles County Enterprise Zone and serves on the boards of the Coles County Community Development Corporation, the Eastern Illinois Railroad Company, the Salvation Army, the Illinois Development Council, and is actively involved in ECIDC. The Illinois Development Council is an association of economic development professionals and allies. These individuals are employed by municipalities; not-for-profit economic development councils or community development corporations; utilities; railroads; planning commissions; and other partners interested in retaining and growing businesses in Illinois. Members of the organization participate in mutually beneficial public policy, marketing and educational efforts.
ECIDC Update I am happy to announce that the long awaited revealing of the new ECIDC website is here. Please visit the website to check out all of the new features! Planning still continues for the East Central Open Retreat taking place at Allerton Park on October 22-23. We have a group of 25 participants ready to begin this intense strategy session. Those planning to participate are: Kyle Gill City of Mattoon Angela Griffin Coles Together Theresa Binion Village of Arthur Visitor's Center Trisha Mason East Central Illinois Development Corporation Steph McMahon Sullivan Chamber and Economic Development Paul Faraci Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity Pam Crisman Lake Land College Jeanne Dau Business Solutions Center Bill Steichmann East Central Illinois Development Corporation Joedy Hightower Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation Charles Lane Shelby County Economic Development Steve Warren Ameren Jim McShane Crossroads Workforce Investment Board Dave Arseneau Eastern Illinois University Traci Heffelbower Casey Community & Development Carl Walworth Journal Gazette/Times Courier Rebecca Ingram First Christian Church Mike Damler Tuscola Economic Development Inc. Dr. David Lett Pana Community School District #8 Diane Rieck Express Employment Professionals Dr. Jim Hull Lake Land College Jason Wrone Open Prairie Norma Calvert City of Martinsville Paul Ruff City of Paris Annie Hernandez Lumpkin Family Foundation The retreat will be led by Ed Morrison and facilitated by Tiffany Macke, Program Director for Economic and Community Development for U of I Extension Clark County, and Brian Moody, Executive Director of Tuscola Economic Development Inc. We will report the results of the retreat soon after its completion and plan to reconvene again in January to begin our quarterly meetings. These meetings will be used to evaluate the course of action taken toward plan completion and to generate the next steps. All who wish to participate in shaping this plan for the future will be invited to join the group at this time. This retreat was made possible through a partnership between: ECIDC, Agracel, DCEO, Coles Together, Ameren, Shelby Electric Cooperative, Lake Land College, Tuscola Economic Development Inc., Effingham County Community Foundation, Mattoon Area Community Foundation, Crossroads Workforce Centers - Olney, Centralia, Mattoon, & Effingham and Mattoon Area Industrial Development. If you have any questions regarding ECIDC, the upcoming events or joining the organization please contact Trisha Mason at (217) 238-8233 or by email.
ECIDC Upcoming Events... October 22-23 East Central Open Retreat at Allerton Park, Monticello, Illinois November 13th 11 a.m. ECIDC Board Meeting Stay in the Loop... If you have received this e-newsletter from a friend and wish to subscribe, visit our website and enter your email address for it to be delivered straight to your inbox!
East Central Illinois Development Corporation (ECIDC) was established in 1984 to assist economic development in a nine county region consisting of Christian, Clark, Coles, Cumberland, Douglas, Edgar, Effingham, Moultrie and Shelby counties. ECIDC was one of the first regional economic development organizations in the state and has continued to assist in meeting the economic development needs of east central Illinois. |
