Drop in a question of your very own BY CLICKING HERE or by emailing Kathy Reiser at mailbag@news-gazette.com.
A little of everything in this week’s Mailbag: When Pekara expects to move back to downtown Champaign … when Parkland College’s Commercial Driver’s License training program will be offered again … a new (and better) pothole-patching technology in Urbana … when the Illini Union’s cupola clock will be working again … and how residents can find details about utility work that’s coming soon to their neighborhood.
“There’s a lone power-generating windmill on the east side of the CN tracks in Champaign; it’s even with about the 2100 block of South Neil Street. Who owns that windmill, and why is there just one?”
The windmill is owned by Ameren Illinois, according to company spokesperson Karly Combest. It’s “part of the Technology Application Center, where we offer on-grid testing services for entities who wish to develop new products, services or business models using smart grid technologies such as automation, remote control, information processing, distributed resources and two-way communications.”
Also part of the property is Ameren’s microgrid, one of only a few in the world capable of electrically disconnecting from the power grid and continuing to serve customers using power generated by its distributed energy resources – its solar panels and the windmill.
The properties are adjacent to the UI Research Park, but Combest says the TAC is fully owned by Ameren Illinois. “We have partnered with the UI on research projects in the past (but) we no longer have a location at the research park.”
“Big fan of Pekara and am eager to see their new location open downtown. Any estimate on opening day? And is the Prospect at Springfield location going away for sure?”
Co-owner Lauren Brokish said “we’re all so excited for the new space. It is going to be amazing! We are targeting Oct. 1 for opening” adjacent to Martinelli’s Market, another business owned by Lauren and Jeffrey Brokish at 500 N. Walnut in Champaign. The build-out of the new space is well underway.
As for Pekara’s current location at Prospect and Springfield, “yes it is closing, but I hear word that another very wonderful local business may be moving in behind us.”
Parkland College has discontinued its CDL training partnership with 160 Driving Academy, but officials say a new partnership will be announced soon. The CDL program has been in high demand
“I see the Parkland College CDL program has gone away. The 160 Academy used to offer this through Parkland. What happened, and do they plan to offer it again?”
Parkland’s contract with 160 Driving Academy concluded at the end of June, according to Stephanie Stuart, Parkland’s VP for strategic partnerships and workforce innovation.
“We are in the process of selecting a vendor for Commercial Driver’s License training services moving forward, which is in its final stages. We anticipate taking a contract to the board of trustees in September, with training slated to being soon thereafter.
“Licensed CDL drivers remain in great demand within our region, so we look forward to continuing to meet this need for the community. Stay tuned for more information as we get into the fall semester,” Stuart said.
“What happened to all of the late Shozo Sato’s paintings that were formerly on exhibit at the Krannert Art Museum? I’m hoping he willed his collection to the University.”
Japan House staff had this to say via email: “Regarding Shozo Sato’s paintings – some of those that were showcased were accessioned into Krannert Art Museum’s permanent collection, some went to private collectors, and some were returned to (the late) Professor Sato’s own collection.” Sato sensei died in May 2025.
“Looks like the small commercial buildings in the 600 block of South First Street in Champaign are vacant — or soon may be. Any idea what’s planned for these properties?”
The single-story buildings are on two parcels of land that add up to a less than a quarter-acre, and they were sold in March to DHH, LLC, an affiliate of The University Group. Dan Hamelberg, company chairman, told me they “will be developing an apartment project at 602 First St. with a construction start later this fall and occupancy scheduled for August ’27.”
“Overgrown brush completely obscures the view at the NW corner of eastbound James near William Street. This is near Westview School, an accident waiting to happen. Can the city do something about this?”
Champaign Public Works spokesperson Kris Koester said his office reported it to the appropriate department – Neighborhood Services – which has an open case for it. As of Wednesday morning, the overgrown brush had not been trimmed.
“I noticed new curbs, ramps, etc. on all four corners of the intersection of Walnut and Columbia downtown. Were the old ones crumbling, or was there some other problem/issue that needed to be solved?”
Champaign Public Works spokesperson Kris Koester says the corners were largely unimproved; curbs and ramps “were non-existent in some sense, but it’s all part of the larger Infrastructure Maintenance Project work that was addressed in CB 2026-071.”
Specifically, the improvements “include new traffic signals, curb bump-outs, ADA-accessible ramps, and pavement resurfacing through the intersection.” A curb bump-out is a traffic-calming design that widens the cross street’s sidewalk zone into the roadway, effectively narrowing the street. It allows pedestrians to safely step past the line of parked cars to see oncoming traffic, and lets drivers see pedestrians much sooner.
Temporary traffic signals are included to coordinate with the upcoming Downtown Plaza Project; they will help handle additional traffic flows detouring around the site, the project description said.
“Now that the roof work on the Illini Union’s north building is essentially done, will the clock in the iconic cupola be repaired so that it keeps accurate time again?”
Illini Union spokesperson Erik Riha said the north cupola clock should start running again within a couple of months. He said some unique drive-shaft parts must be replaced. They have been ordered and are scheduled to arrive in September, with installation shortly thereafter.
“I live in Urbana and I’ve noticed that the city is using a new material to fill and smooth the roads around town. It seems to work better than the mounds of loose, sticky tar blobs that get thrown around when they’re driven on.”
That may be a Mailbag first: a reader sending fan mail about a city’s excellent pothole-patching efforts.
“The Urbana Public Works spray patch injection truck provides faster, safer and more cost-effective street repairs and is used alongside traditional hot-mix asphalt pothole repair methods,” said Public Works Director Vince Gustafson.
Operated by a single worker from inside the cab, this specialized vehicle cleans, seals and fills road damage in minutes using a heated asphalt emulsion and aggregate. The result is “a durable, long-lasting repair,” he said.
Urbana Public Works also uses an asphalt dump trailer “hot box” as specialized equipment to help crews patching potholes in the city. “Hot-mix asphalt is typically the better choice for structural or full-depth repairs.”
“Right next to the new Illini Hall construction site, and across Wright Street from the Altgeld Hall construction site, the Arcade Building also has chain-link fencing around it. What is being done there?”
The Student Services Arcade Building, which houses the UI’s Career Center and the Office of Student Financial Aid, is getting a new roof and some other needed upgrades, according to Facilities & Services spokesperson Steve Breitwieser.
“The majority of the roofing on the east side of the facility is expected to be upgraded by mid-August, with work on the west side scheduled for completion by the end of the month.”
The project also includes masonry improvements to the building parapets. Flashing and associated metalwork will be completed as the final steps following installation of the new roof.
The offices within the building are open during their typical hours, Breitwieser said. “To assist with pedestrian access to the facility’s south entrance, a temporary accessible walkway has been installed off John Street, between the Turner Student Services Building and the construction site at the former Illini Hall location. The east entrance to the Student Services Arcade Building is also open from Wright Street.”
Visitors who look above that east entrance will see the name BRADLEY carved in stone. According to the UI Histories website, the Bradley Arcade originated as a shopping center sometime prior to the Great Depression, possibly around 1912. It was built and managed by William R. Bradley, a well-known local confectioner and entrepreneur.
At its commercial height, it contained such things as a barber shop, a clothier, a men-only cigar lounge, a restaurant and a bowling alley. By 1927 it had become an annex to the Illini Union that was (mostly) housed in the YMCA building. The Depression forced many of the shops out of business. In 1932, the Arcade became the home of the Illini Union Bookstore, and in 1938 the University purchased the 24,600-square-foot building outright for a cost of $80,000.
By 1941, the Arcade was being considered as a potential new home for WILL Radio; “it was beaten out by the Women’s Building,” per the UI Histories website. For years, the University’s Visual Aids Service was located on the second floor; that office lent “thousands of motion pictures and slides to schools and organizations throughout the state” every year. By 1952, the University leased space in the building to various commercial entities such as restaurants. It was renamed the Student Services Arcade Building in 1998.
“JULIE markings were made in my backyard and then my neighbor’s yard, but I’m not having any work done. Is there a way I can look up what kind of work is to be completed on/near my property?”
Kevin Chmura, a spokesperson for the Joint Utilities Locating Information for Excavators service, said each year, JULIE receives and processes more than 1.6 million locate requests from professional excavators and homeowners throughout Illinois. (JULIE does not serve the City of Chicago, which has its own utility-marking service.)
He provided a link the general information the reader (and others) may find useful when markings are made on or near their property: illinois1call.com/dig-safe-illinois-landing/
“To address a common misconception, please note that JULIE personnel do not mark or locate any underground utility lines. We are a notification service. We receive the request and send the information to the appropriate member utilities. It is their responsibility to locate and mark their lines – and in this case to inform the reader about when they are on the property, if needed.” Often, those markings are made by third-party contractors engaged by the utilities.
Chmura said here’s no publicly available database people can consult to find out what utilities will be working in their neighborhood. Instead, he suggested the reader who posed the question contact JULIE’s local damage-prevention manager and provide their address.
Roger Watwood is the damage-prevention manager who mainly covers the Champaign-Urbana area and southern Illinois. He can do a search and provide more information about markings the reader had not personally requested. Watwood may be contacted by phone at 217-299-5977, or via email at rwatwood@julie1call.com.
“Alway contact JULIE before digging in Illinois,” Chmura advises. “Our notification center is open 24/7/365. Your readers can simply call either 8-1-1 or 800-892-0123 or enter your own online locate request at JULIEbeforeyoudig.com. This is a free service.”
