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Fritzen And McBride Exit Town Council; Members Approve Hotel and Apartment Complex

Breanna Grow
/
WGLT
The Normal Town council bid members Jeff Fritzen and R.C. McBride farewell following their regular meeting Monday night.

After sitting side-by-side on the dais for four years, Normal Town Council members Jeff Fritzen and R.C. McBride exited the council chambers together for the last time as elected officials Monday night.

Fritzen chose not to run for re-election in the April 2 municipal elections, ending his collective 32-year tenure since 1983. McBride lost his seat while seeking a second term.

The council formally bid the two farewell following Monday’s meeting.

Fritzen joked that he was happy to have McBride on his left—both physically and politically. The two said while didn’t always see eye-to-eye, their time spent serving on the council together revealed all they had in common.

McBride called Fritzen a “role model.”

“In a point in our country’s history where so many are so angry about so much, so much of the time ... we need more Jeff Fritzens,” said McBride, who is also GLT's general manager.

The pair took the opportunity to offer advice to returning and incoming council members.

Fritzen said the last two municipal elections in Bloomington-Normal “have gone a direction I hoped they would never go.” He expressed disappointment that the nonpartisan elections have in his estimation become increasingly partisan.

“In today’s environment, people make up their own facts, and nobody checks them,” he said, attributing much of the changing political environment to the rise of social media.

“Traditional media have lost the space they once occupied, which I think was a noble space, and they make a noble attempt today, but they can’t be heard over the din of the social media ... it’s not helpful; it’s reckless,” he said.

Having served under four mayors and with 20 council members, Fritzen said he hopes the council can maintain the ability to “reason through things,” and “disagree without being disagreeable.”

He also said he wants to see the town’s tradition of careful planning continue.

“You don’t understand how quickly a community can go the other direction if you don’t keep pushing forward,” he said.

McBride said he thinks too many in the community “take what we have for granted,” adding not enough of the community is thinking decades ahead when it comes to the town’s future.

“We can’t do that; we always need to be working forward,” he said.

McBride also congratulated Stan Nord and Karyn Smith for their victories in the municipal elections.

“Just remember, you’re going to make some folks upset no matter what you do,” he offered.

He also cautioned against divisive rhetoric.

“When you turn your government, our government, into ‘they,’ as in, ‘They’ve done this, they’ve done that,’ it only distances you from your civic duty,” he said.

In other business, council members unanimously approved final development plans for a hotel and an apartment complex in north Normal, along with other land use agreements.

Steve Horve Builders plans to build a Hilton H-2 Hotel on a piece of land just under 3 acres on Bradford Lane at the Constitution Trail Centre.

Normal Mayor Chris Koos refuted talk of the developer receiving town incentives.

“At no time during the process ... has staff or this council had any interest in providing incentives for that property,” he said. “This is a purely clean, private development.”

Construction on an 85-unit apartment complex at nearby McKnight Street will also continue, now with plans to include a swimming pool.

The Park at Constitution Trail Centre will include 13 residential buildings surrounding a central pool and green space.

The council approved the original development plan for the project in October without the swimming pool.

The council also gave the College Plaza developer the go-ahead on plans to add a building on the west side of the parking lot, and reconfigure the lot with additional signage for improved traffic flow.

Staff say while adding the planned 4,000 square foot building will eliminate about 15 parking spaces, parking is already underutilized at the site.

The developer plans to add signs encouraging drivers to use Patriot Drive to exit the lot onto Susan Drive, decreasing traffic at the College Avenue exit.

Staff said the tenant of the new building will be “food-based,” but that the developer won’t publicly name the tenant yet.

Finally, the council voted 5-2 to approve an amended annexation agreement for the Blackstone Trails Subdivision, moving forward with plans to build a fire station at 1438 Hershey Road.

Council members Scott Preston and Kathleen Lorenz maintained opposition to the project, citing concerns from site neighbors about increased noise, lights and traffic the station will cause.

Town corporation counsel Brian Day said the town has not selected a closing date for the property’s sale pending council approval of the amended agreement.

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Breanna Grow is a correspondent for GLT. She joined the station in September 2018.
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