Thursday, February 10, 2011 - FORWARD – Page 3

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Ed/Glen Chamber guiding local businessesBy ANN NICCUManiccum@edwpub.net

The Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Chamber of Commerce will continue to help local busi-nesses in 2011.

Currently the chamber has more than 530 members, and it offers them a long list of benefits includ-ing opportunities to meet poten-tial customers, clients, vendors, etc. through networking events, to learn new skills through sup-plied education programs, to gain access to tools and events that help them market and promote their business and more.

In 2010, the chamber hosted 142 events including 34 ribbon cuttings, 23 Business After Hours and 113 committee meetings.

Incoming President Marc Voegele said the chamber has another full year of events and activities planned.

Voegele said the chamber already has a full schedule of Business After Hours for 2011 – just one of their more than a dozen types of networking events hosted throughout the year.

Voegele said the chamber will also continue to offer education programs in the new year, such as professional development series, seminars and workshops and round table dialogues.

The chamber is currently con-ducting an educational series that is open to both members and non-members.

The chamber has teamed up with the Department of Corporate and Community Learning at Lewis and Clark Community College to offer four professional education classes to everyone in the community this spring. The series, being labeled a “Technology Sampler,” is being sponsored by National Bank, Shell Community Federal Credit Union and TheBANK of Edwardsville.

The series has already com-pleted its first class “QuickBooks: Making the Most of Your Business,” but three classes remain: “QuickBooks: Building Powerful Reports for Managing Your Business” on Feb. 22; “Writing Effective Emails” on

March 29; and “Excel Formulas & Functions” on April 26.

Susan Young, will be teach-ing “QuickBooks: Building Powerful Reports for Managing Your Business.” In this class, Young will teach participants how to build powerful reports in QuickBooks.

Kathy Willis will teach the class "Writing Effective Emails." “Tired of your Emails being misunder-stood? Frustrated by others failing to respond to or act on them?” the program states. During the class, Willis will share how to improve online communications.

The last class, "Excel Formulas & Functions" will be taught by Dawn Zedolek. Zedolek will trouble shoot building formulas in Excel and share useful func-tions in the program.

All classes will be conducted on those set dates from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Room N4 110 at Lewis and Clark Community College’s

N.O. Nelson Campus, located at 600 Troy Road in Edwardsville.

The classes are open to every-one. Each class is $15 for cham-ber members and $20 for non-members, and every class also includes lunch.

Pre-registration is required for each class. The deadline to regis-ter for the next class "QuickBooks: Building Powerful Reports for Managing Your Business" is noon on Friday, Feb. 18 (call the cham-ber at 656-7600 to register).

The Ed/Glen Chamber of Commerce also has plans to con-tinue to help businesses with marketing by offering sponsor-ships and advertising opportuni-ties.

One of its newest programs “Shop Chamber” helps local businesses to lure customers during the holidays.

The chamber started the pro-gram during the last holiday sea-son to encourage residents to shop

chamber businesses by offering them a chance to win prizes.

Anyone who shopped at a par-ticipating chamber business was welcomed to enter into a draw-ing each week during the month of December, and all tickets were then pooled together for a final grand prize drawing the last week before Christmas.

More than 70 businesses par-ticipated in the event in 2009, and more than $4,000 in prizes were awarded including $1,000 cash to the grand prize winner – a gift provided by TheBANK of Edwardsville. All prizes were provided by participating busi-nesses.

In addition, Voegele said the organization plans to continue to host several community events: Mayor’s Breakfast, Fallfest and the Annual Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Halloween Parade (an annual event in downtown Edwardsville that draws nearly

25,000 spectators every year), as well as some of its fundrais-ers that are also fun commu-nity events and great opportuni-ties for networking, such as the chamber’s Annual Auction and Community Awards Dinner.

The Annual Auction/Dinner not only raises money for the chamber, but also is a special event that honors community leaders from both Edwardsville and Glen Carbon. This year the event will be on March 12 at SIUE.

Awards to be presented include: the Albert Cassens Award for Outstanding Community Achievement, Lifetime Achievement Award, Tallerico Leadership Award and Business of the Year Award.

In operation for nearly 90 years, the Ed/Glen Chamber of Commerce is one of the largest business associations in the area.

The organization was most recently ranked by St. Louis

Business Journal as one of the 10 largest chamber of commerce organizations in the St. Louis Region, and third in the metro-east.

The chamber is led by an exec-utive committee. 2011 Executive Committee Members are: President Marc Voegele, First Vice President Skip Sponeman, Second Vice President Paul Millard, Third President Emily Gates, Past President Jay Blanquart and Treasurer Josh Lowe (new); 2011 Board Of Directors: Mike Marshall, Lelan Olsen, Pat Slaughter, Len Scaturro, Todd Silvia, Mark Richardson, Joan Frey, David Toby, Gary Hoggatt, Jr., Danelle Brown, Kelly Wagner, Elizabeth Heil (new) and Cathy Hamilton (new); and Ex-Officio members: Mayor of the village of Glen Carbon Robert Jackstadt, Mayor of the city of Edwardsville Gary Niebur and Superintendent of District 7 Ed Hightower.

The chamber also offers its members the chance to serve on a wide variety of other com-mittees, such as Government Affairs, Finance, Education, Marketing and PR, Web site and Technology, Scholarship, and those that help plan events, such as the Annual Dinner and Auction, Golf Tournament and Halloween Parade.

In addition, the organization offers a Young Professionals Group. The group is open to pro-fessionals between the ages of 21 to 39, and it provides them with the opportunity to meet others, as well as gain leadership skills.

The Ed/Glen Chamber mission states, “Through commitment and involvement of its members, the Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Chamber of Commerce provides leadership for the benefit of the business community by promot-ing economic opportunities, advo-cating in the interests of business, providing members with educa-tion and resources, and encourag-ing mutual support.”

To learn more about the Ed/Glen Chamber or more about any of their upcoming events, visit their Web site at www.edg-lenchamber.com or call them at 656-7600.

By RACHEL DAVISrdavis.edwi@gmail.com

“Uptown Collinsville is the functional heart and soul of the city. Nowhere is this better reflected than in its architecture; a melting pot of styles from the time of the city’s incorporation in 1872, through the 19th and the 20th centuries. This area is rich in history, long-standing traditions, historic homes and buildings, distinc-tive neighborhoods, ethnic diversity and traditional buildings that preserve and maintain both the historic identity and culture of Collinsville. Given these sub-stantial assets, this area is experiencing increased development pressure, and is challenged to accommodate this growth while simultaneously preserving and maintaining its rich history and tradi-tions.”

So begins the Uptown Master Plan for the city of Collinsville. Written by city staff, the Uptown Master Plan addresses one of Collinsville’s greatest challenges: to develop the uptown area, make it competitive with surrounding communi-ties, without losing its historic charm and

unique character.Uptown Coordinator Leah Joyce says

the city’s making big strides toward that goal. She sees the uptown area mov-ing towards “a Main Street where there are places to go and things to see...res-taurants and entertainment.” City staff believe a vibrant uptown is a key ingre-dient to growing the economy and popu-lation of Collinsville.

The term “uptown” refers to the area between Clay and Church streets, from Aurora at the east to Combs at the west. The past few months have seen changes in this area which are in keeping with the major objectives of the Master Plan.

What are those objectives? Grow retail, provide entertainment and ame-nities, make uptown more accessible, and preserve historic features, to name a few. All these facets work together. Entertainment, amenities, and historic features draw more individuals to the area. More crowds mean a bigger market for the retail shops. And uptown must be accessible so these people will come in the first place.

All these things together make Collinsville a more attractive location to

potential residents and businesses.Joyce and the other members of the

Community Development Department have ushered in progress in each of these areas over the past year.

Retail Growth: A Stronger Economy“The economy is turning right now,

particularly in regards to retail, and we have some major retail development com-ing forth,” says Paul Mann, Community Development Director for the city.

In the past few months, the city’s main drag has seen the birth (or relocation) of new and popular restaurants, shops, and other businesses.

BFF Kids Clothing Boutique at 114 West Main St. just opened this January. It’s the only shop of its kind in Collinsville, and was started by owner Kelly Hollis to fill a specific niche.

Hollis, the mother of an 11-month-old and a 2-year-old, was frustrated by the lack of options for purchasing children’s supplies.

“While I was pregnant I found a lot of nice things on resale. With shopping resale, I found that this area doesn’t have a lot of that available,” Hollis says. “I would drive over to St. Louis look-

ing for nice new things for my kids, and I figured, this is silly! I live here in Collinsville.”

So Hollis started her own resale shop for kids’ clothes. The boutique features a mix of brand-new hand-made items and like-new items acquired on consignment. “We have all nice, clean, like-new items in here,” Hollis says. “It’s not a thrift store by any means.”

BFF opens at 10 a.m. weekday morn-ings, 9 a.m. on Saturday.

Another newcomer to Main Street is Teller’s Restaurant at 102 West Main. When it took over the former State Bank Building in September, it brought a new kind of class to the uptown – an upscale steak and pasta menu, bar, and late-night hours. Inside, a spacious room with ample seating greets visitors, overlooked by a wide staircase and elegant balcony seating.

Tellers is open from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

The former Glik’s building at 101 East Main is jumping with new activity. It now hosts one of Collinsville’s most popular restaurants, and future plans include a coffee house and community

art gallery.Bert’s Chuckwagon relocated to 101

East Main from its previous Clay Street location because of the expansion of Highway 159. Roger Conner, owner of Bert’s, is thrilled with his new place.

“It’s very nice. We have a lot more space,” Conner says. “Our seating went from about 50 to 100. My kitchen and my cooking area are bigger too, which will allow me to serve more food.”

He says that when Bert’s re-opened in their new space, the first three weeks were “out-the-door craziness” with resi-dents lining up to eat and celebrate the re-opening.

Conner’s son Joel Conner owns Generation T-shirts, also housed in the former Glik’s building, and runs Conner Photography from that location as well. The younger Conner and his wife Shannon plan to open a coffee shop in the front room of the building.

“There’s nothing like that in Collinsville,” Joel Conner says. “The closest thing there is Starbucks...but I’d rather go to someplace small, locally owned.”

See "GROWTH" on Page 5

For the Intelligencer

The Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Chamber of Commerce predicts even more growth in 2011 like the structural additions at Metro-East Lutheran High School in 2010. Pictured above is the groundbreaking at MELHS.

Collinsville has a "Master Plan" for growth in 2011

Continued from Page 3

The coffee shop will double as Gallery 101, a new art venue which seeks community engage-ment. The younger Conner is ada-mant that this art gallery will not be a professionals-only venue.

“We’ll have all local artists,” he says. “We are wanting to integrate with schools as much as we can...give them a place for students to do their graduating shows, things like that.”

Another transplant to Main Street is Italian grocer and deli Spiritos, which opened its doors at 228 West Main in late June, 2010, after moving from a spot on Vandalia road.

“They were going to be impact-ed by the 159 improvements,” Joyce says. “We wanted to devel-op that building (228 West Main) anyway.”

Joyce approached Spiritos with the idea of moving to Main, and Spiritos accepted.

“They moved there and they love it,” Joyce says. “And they renovated the building on their own.”

She says Spiritos is “experi-encing a significant increase in patronage in their new location due to increased accessibility and foot traffic from Main Street.”

Even businesses which have operated along Main Street for a long time are finding ways to increase their retail business. A1 Party and Wedding Rental at 112 West Main recently expanded in late 2010, tripling their floor space and allowing for a full offering of party supply sales and rentals.

A1 offers all the necessities for a party, from the nuts and bolts – tables, chairs, flatware – to frills and details like balloons, center-pieces, champagne, floral decora-tions and cake.

Store hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Historic Preservation: Save the Past, Plan for the FutureSaving historical architecture

and well-loved locations is high on the Uptown Master Plan’s list of priorities.

The Apex Building at 100 East Main was built in 1899 by the American Brewery Co. It was bought by a former Collinsville mayor Guy Kneedler in 1916 and became “The Kneedler Building” for awhile.

It’s housed everything from a saloon to a dentist’s shop, a drug store to a lawyer’s office. More recent tenants include the Mary Ann Shop, Kiddies Korner and Advertiser’s Press. It holds the distinction of being one of the first Collinsville buildings to install an elevator in 1948. It also boasts high quality architecture and brickwork.

Needless to say, Apex is a prime example of a historic building which gives Collinsville a unique character.

So when Apex fell into disrepair and became an environmental hazard, city staff did not immedi-ately reach for the wrecking ball. Instead, they formed a plan to save the building and encourage retail growth at the same time.

“Structurally the building is solid,” says Coordinator Joyce. “It’s just the environmental issues.”

Environmental issues like asbestos, animal remains, and animal waste, things which Joyce points out are “totally fixable” and not worth destroying a per-fectly good building.

The city bought Apex from its previous owner in September, 2010, including the two back buildings behind Apex. The building is being completely gutted, the two back buildings demolished. The whole project costs about $168,095.

Once the city abates all envi-ronmental hazards, it will turn Apex over to a developer who will finish the inside and lease the space to various tenants. The whole project should be finished by late March, 2011.

Ideally, Joyce says, the new space at Apex will feed into the growth of uptown retail. She says she’d like to see “high quality offices on the second floor, and hospitality or unique retail on the main floor.”

The drive for historic pres-ervation coupled with modern usage can also be seen in the Miner’s Institute Restoration Project, which began in 2010 and will stretch well into 2012 and beyond.

The project grew out of a prob-lem. In 2004, a historic structure report revealed that Miner’s had unmet ADA requirements, crowd capacity problems, heating, AC and electrical issues, and needed a “facelift” on the exterior. The city needed to update Miner’s, make it more useful, without los-ing the charm of its old-school architecture.

After deliberation, CARD bought the building and launched the huge task of restoration.

“From it's earliest days, the Miner's Institute was a cultural center,” says Elizabeth Davis, Marketing and Communications Coordinator for CARD. “Not only did miners from across the region come to the Institute for meet-ings and social gatherings, the building also drew nationwide performing acts to Collinsville. When the restoration/renovation project is complete the Collinsville Area Recreation District plans to revisit that part of the building's history.”

They started by working to pre-serve the historic exterior. Called Phase I, this initiative involved reconstructing the old windows, roof repairs, gutter/downspout repairs, replacing cracked brick-work, and repairing terra cotta – all with an eye for the original look and feel of the building.

Phase II, which is still in the design phase, is more complex. It involves an addition to Miner’s, to be built on the city-owned park-ing lot next to Dean’s Liquor. The addition will provide more space and house important equipment.

It will also match the exterior of the original. City staff will place high priority on making sure the new building doesn’t look ultra-modern compared to its dignified parent structure.

One advantage of the Miner’s Restoration is that it fulfills a third goal of the Uptown Master Plan; opportunities for entertainment.

Entertainment and Amenities: Making Uptown “The Place to Be”

When trying to grow an econo-my, business space and sales nich-es aren’t all that matters. After all, if a city doesn’t provide entertain-ment, activities, and amenities, potential consumers won’t be

there in the first place to frequent the stores. Part of the uptown plan’s strategy lies in giving peo-ple reasons to be in Collinsville, as opposed to traipsing across the river to St. Louis.

That’s where the second object of the Miner’s restoration comes in.

“The goal is for the Miner’s Institute to be a multi-disciplin-ary arts organization,” says Joyce. “To be a destination to see per-forming arts as well as...film, and a destination for meetings and events. They’re going to have events space so people can have receptions.”

“CARD's vision is that regional and national speakers, performers, and acts will bring their messages and shows to the Institute,” Davis says. “Of course, the building will also be available for local indi-viduals and civic organizations to utilize. The building will host plays, art exhibits, films, ceremo-nies, musical performances, meet-ings, etc. The Miner's Institute will once again be the cornerstone of Uptown Collinsville. It will bring visitors, stimulate the local economy, and continue alongside Cahokia Mounds and the Brook's Catsup Bottle as another example of the city's history.”

The addition to the building will provide rooms and kitchen space for such activities, though

CARD plans to utilize Miner’s for social functions even before the addition comes.

“CARD plans to use it before the addition is built,” said Director Mann. “They plan to utilize it for smaller venues until that addition comes.” That could be a couple of years, he says, and CARD wants to make the best use possible of the existing structure in the meantime.

Smaller, more regular events like artist shows at Gallery 101 and the Movies on Main series will also help the uptown area, as they provide a steady stream of activities in between the big shows and productions.

A big draw to uptown this year came in the form of free Wifi, courtesy of the city. This service is available from Seminary to Highway 159.

Collinsville Progress, the com-munity development and beau-tification arm of the Chamber of Commerce, helped get that initia-tive rolling.

It will certainly be a welcome addition to the atmosphere at Joel and Shannon Conner’s coffee shop this fall.

But not all community activi-ties can be held indoors. One of Collinsville’s biggest concerns is how to create more open space uptown. The feel of open space in a city encourages foot traf-

fic and visitors. So far, Uptown Collinsville has not implemented many public areas in the city lay-out.

A step in that direction came when the city opened Mutts on Main, a brand new dog park where city canines can play while their owners visit.

“It’s great, we have over 75 members now,” Joyce says. “We’ve had a very positive response. It probably helps that the park is free.”

Dog owners can use the park by becoming members, which requires a membership applica-tion and proof of dog vaccines.

The park is an 8,000 square-foot lot next to Herr Funeral Home, which generously leased the lawn to the city for a tiny cost. Dogs play in a grassy fenced area with toys and exercise equipment. Drinking fountains at human and pooch levels give animals and people alike a place to cool off and meet around the water cool-er, so to speak.

Accessibility: Easy Travel Through Town

The state of city roads is not always the first thing that springs to mind when you think of economic growth. But for the Community Development Department, it’s paramount. Difficult roadways mean people will avoid Collinsville instead of

driving through to see what it’s all about.

“A lot of people skirt Collinsville rather than having to deal with the traffic and with the dog-leg and so forth at rush hour,” says Director Mann.

With winding roads, a confus-ing one-way loop in the center of uptown, and the narrowing of Highway 159 through the city, motorists have reason to dread the rush hour.

That’s why the Highway 159 expansion project is so vital to the growth of the community.

IDOT has been at work on Highway 159 for about a decade. First they widened the segment of roadway between Fairview Heights and Collinsville, then the stretch between Maryville and Glen Carbon. Now it’s Collinsville’s turn.

The project has been broken down into three sections: south, central, and north.

South section includes the stretch of road just north of South Morrison to just north of Church Street. IDOT will widen the road to provide two through lanes in each direction, make intersec-tion improvements, and provide a center turn lane from South Morrison to Loop Street.

This part of the project has gone out for bid, and work is likely to begin this summer. IDOT asso-ciate Jeff Keirn estimated work would be complete by summer of 2012.

Center section reaches from north of Church Street to Johnson Street – the area which includes the one-way “dog leg” which twists around uptown. IDOT will replace this with a straightfoward four-lane highway, two lanes in each direction.

This will improve sight distance, reduce traffic problems, and keep motorists safer. Plus, says Mann, “It will allow for more parking and pedestrian spaces.” Three new parking lots will be built as part of this project.

The work for the central sec-tion should go out to bid this fall, with work to begin soon after. According to Keirn, it may be complete in late fall 2011.

The final north section is still in the planning phase. It would widen 159 to four lanes from Johnson Street to Wickliffe Street, and provide four lanes plus a center turn lane from Wickliffe to Kinloch.

One of the challenges of this section is the stretch of beauti-ful old homes along a portion of affected roadways. Because of the city’s insistence on protect-ing structures of historic value, the roadway in north section will jog slightly east to avoid bringing down any stately old homes to the west.

This part of the project is fund-ed by the FY 2011-2016 Highway Improvement Program. Designs are expected to be complete by summer.

Mann anticipates these improvements to make drivers more comfortable coming through Collinsville. “I expect them to use Collinsville more as a through-way, meaning it opens up a lot of opportunities.”

In short, Collinsville is pushing toward the future with enthu-siasm and hope for economic growth. Although things in town have been slow the last few years, and the Illinois economy at large has been abysmal, the Community Development Department knows that perseverance and planning are the key predictors of success.

“We’re planning now,” says Mann, “infrastructure and capital improvement programs, so when the economy does change and the housing industry does pick up again, we are prepared and ready.”

Thursday, February 10, 2011 - FORWARD – Page 5

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For the Intelligencer

The renovation of the old Ostle building to Spiritos, above, and the artists rendition of the final renovation of the APEX building are signs that Collinsville's "Master Plan" is working.

GROWTH