AMVETS Blog

St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-01T16:39:00.000-08:00

Get ready for another wild time at Amvets this St. Patrick's Day. As always the Post will open early for the parade (not sure of exact time) and will be serving corned beef and cabbage. This year the holiday falls on a Tuesday so plan to take off work and enjoy the day with friends at the Amvets. The always popular St. Patrick's themed aluminum bottles of beer will also be served the 17th.

Amvets will start selling Irish green t-shirts, long-sleeved shirts, and zip up hooded sweatshirts on or about the 12th of March. Be sure to buy one for the parade.

Amvets New Years Party

2009-01-02T10:12:00.000-08:00

Baskets Handed Out in Bitter Cold

2008-12-24T07:32:00.000-08:00

It was the coldest day of the year but that did not prevent volunteers from continuing the Amvets tradition of handing out baskets last Sunday. The post handed out 48 baskets most of which went to families of service members overseas. We were also able to give over 100 children $15 gift cards to Toys R Us. I want to thank everyone that contributed their time and/or money this year to continue this great tradition. Merry Christmas!

Christmas Basket Update

2008-12-10T11:51:00.000-08:00

As a reminder, the post will be handing out Christmas baskets from 9:00 a.m. till noon on Sunday, December 21. I will be posting a sign-up sheet at the bar for volunteers and volunteers with trucks to help transport the food from Cub Food on Knoxville to the post. I am only looking for five trucks to meet at Cub no later than 7:00 a.m. on the 21st. All other volunteers need to be at the post by 7:15 to help put the baskets together. I look forward to seeing you there.

So far we have raised $2,000 for the baskets with help from the following sponsors:

Peoria Jaycees

Retired Firefighters

Ladies Auxiliary

Abraham Amusement

The Voelker Family

Bob and Nancy Cone

Dale Jennings

Jerry McGowan

Stacy Bowman

We can still use more donations as the baskets will cost close to $5,000. Donations can be made at the post. Please make checks payable to AMVETS. Thank you.

Joe Sharpe

Finance Officer

AMVETS Accepts Female Associates!

2008-12-10T11:38:00.000-08:00

It's about time. The post voted to allow women to become associates if they do not qualify to be a member or part of the Auxiliary. The female applicant would need a member sponsor, just as any other associate is required to have. The associate applications are located behind the bar. Please help to spread the word so we can start accepting new female associates.

Joe Sharpe
Finance Officer

Council Votes Against Historic Designation

2008-12-01T11:56:00.000-08:00

Last Tuesday night the Peoria city council voted 9-1, in favor of not designating the building as a historical landmark.

Now what? The post is currently waiting for the church to resume negotiations. This is expected to happen before the next Amvets meeting, on Monday Dec. 8.

What about the Penguin? The Penguin still has a 'for sale' sign in front of the building. It is rumored that the owner of the Penguin is still willing to sell to the Amvets. The post will, presumably, try to resume negotiations with the Penguin once the church's intentions are better known.

Joe Sharpe

Finance Officer

City Council to Vote on Tuesday

2008-11-24T07:45:00.000-08:00

Finally, the city council will vote on whether the AMVETS building will become historic. The council meeting will take place at 6:15 p.m. If your not planning on going to city hall, consider coming down to AMVETS to watch on TV while enjoying an adult beverage. The council agenda and documents about the AMVETS can be found at http://www.ci.peoria.il.us/officials/clerk/Agenda/PublishedMeetings.htm.

What does this vote mean? Well, if the council votes to make the building historical, there is no chance that the church (once prospective buyer) will ever want to resume negotiations to purchase the building. I would like to try to make the best of a historic designation by finding grants available specifically for historic buildings. I do know grants for such buildings are available but not to what extent. There is also the slight possibility that we find a new buyer that does not want to demolish the building.

If the council votes to not make it historic, no one is sure of what will happen. The church may want to resume negotiations early next year. The owner of the Penguin may or may not want to deal with us again. Assuming that the original parties are still willing to buy/sell, it cannot be assumed that it will be at previous dollar amounts. We may search for another buyer and/or new building to move to. The post will have to get another 2/3 membership vote if the parties involved (church and Penguin) or the dollar amount changes. It may be hard to get another 2/3 vote to move, gauging from peoples frustrations related to the most recent deal or lack thereof.

This vote does not seal our fate one way or the other. There is much more to be done if we move or if we stay.

Joe Sharpe
Finance Officer

Chirstmas Baskets

2008-11-18T07:46:00.000-08:00

Applications to nominate someone to receive a Christmas Basket are available at the bar. If you know a veteran in need this holiday season please come down and fill out an application for him or her. Families of service members deployed are also great candidates to receive baskets.

We are taking donations to help cover the costs of the baskets this year. If you want to donate please either contact me (309-251-5455) or there will be a place at the bar in which to leave your donations. I encourage our members to also seek donations from the community. I am not too proud to beg for veterans' families, so I will bug you if I see you. Along with the Christmas Baskets I would like to be able to give Toys R Us gift cards to families with children. This will allow for the parents to buy gifts for their children that might not otherwise be purchased.

We will be putting baskets together and handing them out on Sunday December 21, starting at 9 a.m.

Joe Sharpe
Finance Officer

Commission: AMVETS Building a Landmark

2008-11-13T06:54:00.001-08:00

This blog's title was taken from the Journal Star. Here is the link to the article: http://www.pjstar.com/homepage/x1196575700/AMVETS-building-ruled-a-landmark.

On October 30th the church terminated the contract to buy the post. Yesterday the Historic Presevation Commission deemed the building worthy to be landmarked. The City Council will vote on the matter on Nov. 25th according to the Journal Star article.

I originally did not want to move but after the post voted to do so I was on board to make the best of it. We, as the AMVETS, now must realize there is no contract with the church. We can keep hope alive that the church will buy the building (if the city council votes against historic preservation) forever. How long are we going to let this drag on? How long is it going to take before the owner of the Penguin finds another buyer? If the Penguin does find another buyer the post will have to find another building, have another 2/3 majority vote to move, with advance notice given to the members. Think of the progress we can make to improve our club now.

A major reason for the move is not having an elevator. Ever since I started coming down to the AMVETS I was told that to have functions open to the public we must have an ADA compliant elevator. I even voted to spend $250,000 to put in a new elevator. We do not need a new elevator. I finally took the time to call the city to find out the facts. Currently we are grandfathered in to not have an ADA compliant elevator for public events. However, to maintain our grandfathered status, renovations to the building over a 30 month period cannot exceed $100,000 This fits into a "one floor at a time" approach. This is how a Peoria building inspector interpreted the law. I am currently waiting to hear back from a gentlemen in Springfield that handles this type of issue specifically. Please view the code http://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admincode/071/071004000F05100R.html paragraph B6.

I have taken a plumber and a union carpenter/contractor to look at the third floor. The plumber was impressed with the newer copper water lines and suggested new toilets, bathroom fixtures, and an additional toilet to the men's room. The carpenter suggested laminate flooring and paint for the walls. I did not receive a written quote from either, but the carpenter believed that if we spent over $15,000 on paint and flooring materials we would be wasting out money.

High utilities are another supposed reason to move. So far this year our average CILCO bill has been under $2,000. The roof was cited as another reason to move. I have been on the roof and, although I'm not a roofer its condition looks excellent. The point is that we can easily spend less than $100,000 in order to start renting out the third floor ballroom.

Fixing one floor at a time is not enough by itself. We must hire someone able to maintain and actively promote the building to its fullest potential. I think Liz has taught us that one motivated employee can make a huge difference to the club. I am referring to the dramatic increase in daytime business. Linda currently cannot take on further responsibility required to fill this needed position.

I thank everyone that has put time into the move and I share your frustration caused by recent events. It is now time to move on and not let our fate rest in the hands of others.

Joe Sharpe
Finance Officer

Halloween Party a Success!

2008-11-03T13:11:00.000-08:00

The Halloween Party was a great time! Troy, one of our bartenders, won first place in the costume contest. He's the tall one in the picture on the AMVETS website. I have not seen that many people at AMVETS on a Friday night in the last two years. I would like to thank Mike Milligan for organizing the party and preparing the chili and dogs. I also want to thank our judges Carol, Meridith, and Judy. They made the contest really fun.

I was a little disappointed to see no Veterans in costume (myself included). Only associates dressed up. Next year I'll be sure to be in costume and encourage others to do so as well.

Start getting excited for Veterans' Day! The post will open early for the parade.

AMVETS in the News

2008-10-27T13:10:00.000-07:00

If you have been on vacation or hiding under a rock for the past couple of weeks, then you've missed a lot. Peoria's Historic Preservation Commission voted unanimously to hold a public hearing on whether or not to make the current AMVETS building historic. This public hearing is scheduled for Nov. 12 at 8:30 A.M. in room 400 of City Hall. The commission will hear anyone that wishes to speak at the hearing for up to five minutes. The Journal Star article on the matter can be viewed here: http://www.pjstar.com/news/x76323024/AMVETS-building-may-get-landmark-status

My understanding of this process is that the commission will conduct the public hearing and either recommend to the city council that the building receive historic designation or not. The city council will then vote on the matter. The date for this vote is not yet known for sure.

This obviously has repercussions for the sale and purchase we have planned. The church has made it known that they will not buy our building if it receives a historic designation.

Leave a comment with your thoughts. Just click "comments" below.

Joe

Lunch

2008-10-20T12:21:00.000-07:00

I feel that Liz has been doing a fantastic job with lunches at the bar. The word is starting to spread and it is apparent that more and more lunches are being served. This is the third week of lunch specials and I look forward to it continuing. Great job Liz!

If you have been down to the club for lunch lately leave a comment. How was the food? Will you come back for lunch? What has been your favorite special? Did you notice more lunches being served than usual? etc.

Joe

Purpose of this Blog

2008-10-17T15:05:00.000-07:00

Friends

I was asked by Mitch, our commander, to start a Commander's Blog in order to better inform our members, auxiliary, and associates of what is going on at AmVets. Mitch and I will try our best to keep updating the blog for your benefit. Your comments and suggestions about all things AmVets are welcomed and encouraged. Your comments will also help us gauge how the membership feels on issues affecting the post.

What's going on at the Post?
Our Halloween party, organized by Mike Milligan, is coming up on the 31st with live music from Billy Who, chili dogs, and a pumpkin and costume contest. The Auxillary has done an excellent job of decorating the club and we would like to see a good turnout. It starts around 6:30. I'll see you there.

Joe
Finance Officer