Music >> Rameen Karbassioon: City Spotlight is supported by Consolidated Communications.
CCI is honored to salute the cities and their leaders in the area as well as providing TV, internet, and phone service to local homes and businesses.
We live where we work and are proud to support the communities we serve; more information available at consolidated.com.>> Rameen Karbassioon: Welcome to City Spotlight where we're focusing on east central Illinois communities.
And today we're talking about Shelbyville.
And with us today is the mayor of Shelbyville, Jeff Johnson.
>> Jeff Johnson: Hi, how are you?
>> Rameen Karbassioon: Thank you for being here.
Freddie Fry is the Shelby County tourism director, welcome.
>> Freddie Fry: Thank you.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: Thank you for both being here.
And before we get started with what's going on in Shelbyville, a little background information about both of you, Jeff please.
>> Jeff Johnson: Okay, I was born and raised in Shelbyville and after high school, I went to the University of Illinois, and whenever I graduated there I worked for Ford Credit and worked there for several years.
Went to Chicago and Saint Louis; I moved back to Shelbyville in the late '90s, and you know, Shelbyville was always home, I always loved it there.
And I moved back, I got involved in the city council in 2007.
I was elected street commissioner, and then I've been mayor for the last two years.
And you know, it's been a great time; I've enjoyed it.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: Excellent, well thank you for being here again.
>> Jeff Johnson: You bet.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: And Freddie, tell us a little bit about yourself.
>> Freddie Fry: Well, I'm not a native but I've been here long enough to have spent most of my adult life.
So, I moved here from southern Wisconsin, and I've been the director of tourism for 12 years.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: 12 years?
All right, so looking forward to hearing your comments as well.
>> Freddie Fry: Thanks.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: Jeff, you're a native, just like you said, of Shelbyville.
Prior to being mayor, you've grown up there, you've served on the city council for six years.
So, you've witnessed and seen the changes throughout time.
What are some things that have stood out to you that have changed over the years?
I know that could be a lot but what are some things that come to mind that have changed over time in Shelbyville?
>> Jeff Johnson: Over the last 50 years, two things that kind of really stick out.
Obviously, is Lake Shelbyville.
You know, Lake Shelbyville is a great-- a great recreational lake and it's really changed the city a lot.
And then, probably the second thing that stands out in my mind is the way that employment has changed.
We have three major employers that's in the city, and all three of them are relatively new.
Since I was a boy, they've all moved to town and have really grown.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: We'll talk more about those three major employers and Lake Shelbyville a little bit later in the program.
So, the past two years, you've been mayor.
>> Jeff Johnson: Right.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: What are some things that have transpired during your two years as mayor?
>> Jeff Johnson: During the last two years, we've really been working on some things that one, with businesses that I was talking about, that we've been able to have a lot of infrastructure improvement because of their growth.
And then really the other thing is the downtown area that with the General Daisy Trail, the bike trail, that is around the lake, that it's coming up and entering into the city now and we're doing some infrastructure improvements there.
And you know, we've got several other things that are going to be going on in the downtown area and it's going to make it a nice visit for, you know, everybody, for all of our visitors.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: Okay, look forward to hearing your comments about that in a little bit.
Let's start off with economic landscape and how would you describe it in Shelbyville right now?
>> Jeff Johnson: Right now, it's good.
You know, we end up-- I was referring to the three businesses that we have, one of them is International Paper, and International Paper's done a lot of investment in the city over the last few years, and it's really the one of the largest cup manufacturing plants that-- in the entire country, and they've been a great corporate citizen.
We have Software Solutions, and Software Solutions provides software to the agricultural industry.
As a matter of fact, the agvans program, which is the program that SSI has that they end up-- they provide software to 38 of the top 100 ag-retailers in the entire nation.
And so, they've been a real blessing to the city in providing good jobs.
And then we have IHI Turbo, and IHI Turbo, they produce turbo chargers and super chargers and they've been in the city since about the 1980s.
And they've just expanded, they built onto their building; they're hiring people, and we've got projects going on to help with the roads and the infrastructure around their plant.
And they're good citizens too, good corporate citizens.
They help us with our sister city program, which is a program in exchange with the Japanese city of Okwa Village.
And that's been great for everybody.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: And you told me before hand-- you told me about how some of the high school students in Shelbyville have been able to-- with this sister city program in Japan, have been able to go over to Japan.
Talk about those experiences and how long has that been going on?
>> Jeff Johnson: That's been going on almost since the beginning, since the 1980s.
And yeah, that every year the one the year that there's Japanese high school students that come and live with their American counterparts and we have city officials that come over and visit Shelbyville and get to see the central Illinois area.
And then the next year, we end up, we have people from Shelbyville that go over to Japan.
And it's, you know, really a great opportunity.
Last year, it was the first year as being mayor that we went over there and there was three students that went, and myself, and the water commissioner.
And we got to go over to Japan, and got to see the culture.
We got to visit with them and see how the Japanese cities were set up.
And then the kids, they stayed with their Japanese counterparts, and lived with them and saw what an average day in the school and an average day of living at-- pardon me, living at home was like.
>> Rameen Karbassion: And what's the name of the town in Japan?
>> Jeff Johnson: The town in Japan is Okwa Village.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: Okay, the obvious advantages are cultural experiences, so-- >> Jeff Johnson: Right.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: Do you want to elaborate a little bit on the positives that this brings for Shelbyville to have a sister city in Japan?
>> Jeff Johnson: Yeah, well the opportunity for the high school students to go to Japan, and see what it's like and they've always been great.
The Japanese hosts have always been great to us, and gives us a chance to see how things are done differently in other places of the world, get to broaden our horizons.
And I know that the students, whenever they come back, they're always talking about how great a time they had and how much they enjoyed it, and just getting to see how other people do things.
And so, it's interesting, too, to see the differences between their city government and our city government, what's expected in each, how each is funded, and how everything goes.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: Okay, let's move on to the downtown area, and I know there are some things that you're planning on working on here in the downtown that people will probably notice not this year, but next year in 2016.
>> Jeff Johnson: Yeah, we've ended up, over the last few years, in the downtown area; we've been trying to do some infrastructure improvements.
We've ended up, we've done some storm sewer improvements, and we're doing some of those through other parts of the town also.
We have a parking lot that we've recently expanded and re-did, and it makes it pretty nice.
And what we were doing there with the parking lot, is that the intentions, maybe not this summer, but the next summer, we're going to be making improvements along the main streets, the main thoroughfare.
And we're going to be putting in new lighting, we're going to be putting in new sidewalks, we're trying to look at some things that will make it comfortable for the people of Shelbyville and for visitors to come walk up and down the streets and see the businesses and just get a flavor of what Shelbyville's like.
So, whenever we do that, we know that there's going to be some parking that's temporarily relocated and so we're trying to make it easier for our businesses by expanding the parking lot elsewhere.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: And I'll have Freddie comment on this as well, streetscape?
Tell us what that is and what the impact will be for Shelbyville.
>> Freddie Fry: Well, I think it's not only beautifies it for your community, but I think visitors coming, it makes it a more welcoming place, and we have a little mini-park, has tables and benches, so while people are downtown, if they want to take a break, grab a snack or something to drink, they have a little rest bit, and maybe spend a little more time.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: Okay, and where did the idea for streetscape come about?
And what are you looking for to see what it can do?
>> Jeff Johnson: We ended up that we just wanted to go ahead and work in the downtown area, and try to make it more attractive for the visitors.
And then also, you know, that the idea is that as we do this and we make the infrastructure improvements that we also have a lot of businesses that are investing into their buildings and their properties.
And we just want to have a nice shopping experience for all of our visitors.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: Something to look forward too, also-- >> Jeff Johnson: Yeah, it's going to be nice.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: Excellent, and let's talk just a little bit about-- you wanted to talk a little bit about Eagle Creek Resort, what's going on there?
>> Jeff Johnson: Yeah, Eagle Creek Resort is on the lake and it ends up that it closed several years ago, and that there was a renewed push and Senator Rose has been great, and IDNR is looking at some of the options that are up there.
You know, we have millions of visitors that come to the lake every year, and they're looking for a resort facility to where they can come and spend the night and enjoy the pool and enjoy the lake and the swimming and the boating and everything that we have.
And that we're just trying to work with everybody to get it re-opened.
>> Freddie Fry: And as a conference center, I think they gave us the opportunity to extend our season.
They had a large green space facility, so you know, they were able to conferences and have groups in year-round.
And that's a big boost to, you know, step outside that summer season for being able to host people and seeing them in our communities.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: Let's move on to infrastructure and roads.
>> Jeff Johnson: Okay.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: Before we get into a few of the things that are going on.
Let's talk about how you're a TIF district, and how long it's been going on and the obvious impact it has on Shelbyville.
>> Jeff Johnson: Okay, the TIF district has been there for about eight years.
And it's been able to generate improvements.
We can offer incentives to the building owners in the area, and not only is that money being used to help them improve their buildings and the facade and to keep their buildings sound, but it's also good for Shelbyville because that money could also be used for the infrastructure improvements, and that we've been pretty successful, we've been pretty lucky to be able to get grants, and then be able to use the TIF money as the-- the match, the leverage to go ahead and make these improvements.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: And some of those improvements will be buildings, and I understand some will be getting a facelifts?
>> Jeff Johnson: Yeah, we sure are that some of those buildings are putting on new fronts or putting on awnings and doing painting and new windows and things like that.
And it works out good for all of us because, you know, it keeps the buildings looking nice and keeps them, you know, as an important part of the downtown area because seems like a lot of the downtown areas that they're-- they're aging and they're having issues, and we've been pretty fortunate in Shelbyville that way.
And we end up-- you know, we're not immune; we're just like everybody else.
There's a few empty buildings, but we've been fortunate that a lot of ours are still occupied and still have businesses in them.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: All right, you also previously talked about the parking lot improvements that are going to come about.
>> Jeff Johnson: Right.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: Along with streetscape, there's also a bridge that's going to be worked on in the next couple years?
>> Jeff Johnson: Yeah, there's a bridge, the Wood Street Bridge, that is an older bridge, and we've ended up-- we've got the financing secured on it and we're going to be replacing it in the next few years, too.
So, it's a bridge that goes over actually a railroad track, a railroad extension that services the south part of town.
So, we're looking forward to getting that replaced.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: And some storm sewer improvements as well?
>> Jeff Johnson: Right, we've been doing some storm improvements or storm sewer improvements not only in the downtown but there's some on the north end.
And as we've done things, as we've-- this later on-- we're going to be working on the General Daisy Trail as it goes through town, and we're going to be working on some storm sewers there and not only providing some of the, I guess, the drainage off of the road but also helping to spilt up some of these storm sewers from the sanitary sewers.
And we've done that in the north end and a couple places with road projects that we're working on those, and it's good improvement to the city.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: And the last thing as far as public works that we can talk about is the Chautauqua building.
Do either one of you want to chime in?
There's some interesting history you told me before we started taping.
>> Freddie Fry: Yeah, it's-- it's just post turn of the century building, and it was built to be a 5,000 person capacity auditorium.
So, and granted that was on bench seating.
But it's still a marvelous large structure with a stage.
It's got freezers by the local artist Robert Rutt, and it's seen a plethora of famous people that came to entertain, you know, from speakers, there were religious activities, there were also, you know, vaudeville acts, and bands that would come.
And it needs a lot of help and work is being done.
So, hopefully we can stabilize and learn to re-use it but then in the future maybe modernize a bit and bring some more activities.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: All right, another thing to look forward to.
>> Jeff Johnson: Yeah, it's a great building and whenever you-- whenever you drive by, you know, through the park and you look at it, and you don't really get a full appreciation until you go inside.
And it's, like Freddie was talking about, that, you know, in it's day, that they said that it seated 5,000 people.
I think that the interior span, if I remember right, is about 150 foot without any interior support.
And just to be able to see the way that it's built and the structure on the inside is amazing.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: Okay, so a project to look forward and see how that turns out.
I hope it turns out for the better.
>> Jeff Johnson: We're optimistic, we've ended up with the Chautauqua building that the-- that there's been some work done to stabilize it, there's going to be some roofing that we've already committed to that's going to be done this spring as soon as the weather breaks, and starting to get some shows and things that we're going to be having in there.
And so, we're looking forward to it being used and being, you know, a good entertainment venue for the residents and the visitors.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: Okay, let's move on to the schools in Shelbyville, the junior high got, recently, some modifications and the high school has some things that are going on as well.
>> Jeff Johnson: Yeah, the schools and the schools are a part of the city.
It's, you know, the kids are an important part of the future, they're the ones that's going to be taking care of this and going to keep the city moving forward.
And so, yeah, the junior high about two or three years ago, that there was millions invested in it to upgrade the heating and the air conditioning and the windows and the doors, and they've done a good job there.
And right now, the high school's going through some of the same renovations.
And I know that the school board and the administration there, that they're committed to keeping the schools, you know, top notch.
As a matter of fact, I know that the Bright Star award that they've won it several years in a row, which recognizes the schools that can not only that they meet academic standards but they do so in an efficient, cost-- you know, cost efficient manner.
And so, we're proud of the schools, and proud of what not only they do academically but athletically, too.
You know, it's a bunch of good kids in town.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: And these tough economic times in the state of Illinois, to be able to improve your schools, talk a little bit about being able to do that.
>> Jeff Johnson: Yeah, the school does real well in watching their spending, and also there was a group that got together and passed a sales tax increase that occurred a few years ago and that money can be used for the infrastructure improvements.
And you know really the people of Shelbyville, they end up-- they get together, they want to look for things to make the community better, they find their areas of interest and they work hard to do it and that's what happened with the schools is there was a group-- the population that wanted to improve it and worked with school boards and was able to get it passed.
And it's an investment in our future, so.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: All right, let's move on to Lake Shelbyville now.
>> Jeff Johnson: Okay.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: Okay, and Freddie, as Shelby County tourism director, how does Lake Shelbyville-- how much does it encompass what you do?
>> Freddie Fry: A great deal of it, I'm not only Shelby County tourism, I'm also a certified bureau with the state of Illinois for the Lake Shelbyville.
So, we are the Lake Shelbyville Area CVB, so we get that stuff to enjoy Illinois, also.
We're very fortunate to have this kind of attraction to bring visitors.
So, to have this kind of recreational resource in our background is huge.
And the core of engineers built a new project office, and visitor center also, so anybody coming to town has a lot of options to get information in their hands.
They also have really nice interpretative center where they have the history and they have some wildlife and so it's worth a tour if you're lucky enough you can see an eagle from their observation deck.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: And what would you say is the biggest impact that Lake Shelbyville has on-- maybe not just Shelbyville but the area, because it does cover-- it does kind of reach into two counties.
>> Freddie Fry: Right, for the residents and the communities, I think it's a great quality of life factor, not only for Shelbyville but in the region to have this kind of asset basically in your backyard that's yours for the taking.
I moved from southern Wisconsin where lakes are crowded and privatized, so that's-- to always have a piece of this lake, and even our visitors when they come, they're always-- their first impression is to look for the north shore or south shore drive and you have to explain, well we-- the roads weren't built after the lake, so it's not the same kind of thing.
But once they get out there and realize they-- it's their lake when they're here, that they're not sharing it with, you know, private homes or having to stay off private property that all the boundaries of the lake are for everyone's enjoyment.
I think they truly appreciate that.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: Now Jeff, being from Shelbyville, you told me you have some memories of when it was kind of being constructed.
>> Jeff Johnson: Right.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: What were some of those?
And what was your impressions of when the project was finally done and it opened?
>> Jeff Johnson: Yeah, growing up I was in grade school when they were building the lake.
And there was kind of a bluff that overlooks the river valley and you could go there and you could watch the construction.
And it just amazed me whenever you looked and how they rerouted the river while they were actually building the damn.
And then to see such a huge concrete damn being built there, such a huge structure, and it was-- it was fun and entertaining to watch and to go out there and see on a regular basis.
And then another memory, I guess, is the Finley Bridge that I remember my parents that, you know, we'd drive underneath there and we'd look up at the Finley Bridge that was over ahead, and I remember just thinking there's no way you're going to get this much water in this lake to come all the way up to here, but the core of engineers knew what they were doing, and it filled up.
And it was-- it was amazing just to be able to see it as I was growing up.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: Our time is moving quickly, so I'm going to kind of speed up a few of the questions here, but what would the-- what would you say the overall economic impact that Lake Shelbyville has on Shelbyville?
>> Jeff Johnson: It's so important to the city of Shelbyville.
We end up-- the visitors that come in the stores, the shopping we have downtown, the restaurants, and the gas stations.
Lake Shelbyville is a very important part of the city, and it can't be, you know, understated.
We always-- we want to develop more and that's what we're doing in the downtown area, we want to provide more shopping opportunities, but you know, it's been important to the city of Shelbyville.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: And Freddie, pretend like I've never been to Lake Shelbyville, what are some of the things that you can do at Lake Shelbyville?
>> Freddie Fry: You can hike, bike, boat, fish, swim, you can bring your camera, you can take a walk, you can pretty much do anything.
You can hold a reunion; we have pavilions.
There's workout areas along the paths so you can get a little exercise in.
It's a great place to come by yourself for some solitude or bring a group of friends.
Yeah, come on over and we'll show you around.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: Are there any other festivals that you wanted to bring about that happen annually in Shelbyville that you'd like to highlight a little bit?
>> Freddie Fry: Oh, sure, we have one coming up in-- our first one in April, which is a little project that was actually kicked off to get the communities around the lake working together through Heartland RC&D Spores and More; we have a little mushroom festival.
And on lakeshelbyville.com, there's a tab for the calendar, and anything we know of or anything that people let us know, we pretty much put on there.
So, of course, we'll have the traditional holiday activities with the fourth of July.
There's a big Chautauqua days festival, and also this year the fireworks are moving back over the lake.
So, the fireworks are a show, but also the boats that come down to watch them on the water are another show for the land lovers.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: Quickly, a favorite thing to do at Lake Shelbyville?
>> Jeff Johnson: I end up-- I do a lot of walking, and I'll go out on the General Daisy Trail and walk on it, and it's so nice and peaceful.
And actually, I believe it was in January, they had a night walk where they had luminaries along the General Daisy Trail and they had some in the trees, and they had a bonfire and hot chocolate at the end.
And there was a lot of people that I met that was from all over central Illinois that came to it.
And so, that's one the things that I do quite a bit.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: Do you have a favorite thing you like to do there?
>> Freddie Fry: I think when I get the chances to be on the water there's nothing to just be out there and just take a look around, or go for that, you know, sunny day boat ride.
But it's all-good, we're very lucky to have that much recreation at our fingertips, so.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: Last question, I'll have Freddie go first and then Jeff, strengths of Shelbyville moving forward?
>> Freddie Fry: It goes to resources, not only the lake, but our people, our communities, and so-- working together, and to have that ongoing recreational area so we can enjoy it and we can invite people to enjoy it for generations.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: And Jeff, what can Shelbyville build upon?
>> Jeff Johnson: We end up-- we do have a great base with the schools and with the businesses that we talked about, Lake Shelbyville obviously, and so the future actually looks pretty bright.
And you know, we'd be glad for anybody to come over and be a part of it, and if you'd like to open a business or move to Shelbyville.
There's a lot of people who've visited the lake over the years, and as they've retired or grown older, they've moved to Shelbyville, and so, you know, that's something.
And then, it's like Freddie said, really it's our people.
You know, on the council, it's kind of amazing that we don't have people that come to the city council and say that we want the city to do this.
They come to the city council and say, we want to do this, how can the city help?
And it truly is a team effort; we've got a lot of great people in town.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: I want to thank both of you for coming on City Spotlight; Jeff Johnson, the mayor of Shelbyville.
>> Jeff Johnson: Thank you.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: Freddie Fry, the Shelby County tourism director; appreciate your time here.
>> Freddie Fry: Thank you.
>> Jeff Johnson: Thank you, thanks for having us.
>> Rameen Karbassioon: Appreciate it; and now, let's take a look at some of the upcoming activities going on in Shelbyville.
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We live where we work and are proud to support the communities we serve; more information available at consolidated.com.
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