You Gotta Climb!

To get to the top, you gotta climb from the bottom. Here's the "early" line on Elburn's priority goals for 2006.

First, we have to shift our focus from water to waste water. Our waste water treatment plant was an award winning facility when it was first constructed. In 2006, our treatment plant needs a little "love." We have begun some of our work there already, but next year we really need to commit to return our waste water treatment plant to "tip-top" shape.

Second, we must begin to address our municipal space problems. Soon, our village board will vote on a lease agreement to rent the main floor of the American Legion Community Center for the next three years. This is a great fit for both organizations. The Legion has been gracious with their lease terms, and we greatly appreciate their willingness to create a new synergy on Main Street. We initially intend to conduct our special census out of this facility. Then, eventually, we hope to move the village building and permit department there as well.

Our third organizational goal in 2006 will be to work with the alphabet soup of corporate and government entities that can help us bring a train whistle quiet zone back to Elburn. This is no small task, as inter-agency cooperation will be required from the UP, FRA, ICC, IDOT, and Metra. The Federal regulations allow four-quadrant gate systems, but the UP doesn't want them on the west line. Metra has offered us a photo-enforcement alternative, but the FRA hasn't approved that as a sole supplemental safety measure. You get my drift. Regardless, 2006 is the year we need to make some serious headway on solving this annoying "quality of life" issue once and for all.

Finally, next year should be the year that Elburn and several of our municipal neighbors get very active negotiating formalized boundary agreements. Four of our neighbors have expressed an interest in talking with us regarding this excellent planning tool to control growth. But, you can't rush these agreements. People need time to get comfortable with the ramifications.

Please keep in mind that the boundary agreements themselves are not a panacea. And, the greatest threat to Elburn has not come from municipalities that deal with growth issues every day. Rather, the greatest threat to Elburn has come from a citizen group attempting to incorporate a town right on top of us.

So, there you have it. In 2006, Elburn will make upgrades to our waste water treatment plant, we will expand municipal functions into a leased facilty, we will intensify our efforts to establish a railroad quiet zone and we will get going on boundary agreements. You gotta keep climbing!

The photograph asssociated with this blog is the summit of Sulphur Mountain just outside Banff, Alberta. Click here for the Banff Gondola website and live webcam.