City asked to loan caboose for restoration project

The city of Vandalia is being asked to OK a loan, but the group making the request isn’t asking for money. It wants a local landmark.
William Howard told the Vandalia City Council that Vandalia Railroad Museum Foundation has been established, and that the foundation’s first project would be restoring and relocating Vandalia’s Little Red Caboose.
“I’m here tonight to put before the council a proposition to enter into a long-term agreement with you,” said Howard, a registered agent for the newly formed foundation.
“Believe it or not, you have a very historic caboose there,” he said. “There’s not many left … less than five.
“Most of them have fallen by the wayside, and we can’t wait much longer, because it’s starting to get in sad shape,” Howard said.
“We’re trying to save it from being cut up for scrap is what we’re trying to do,” Howard said.
He told alderman that foundation members “would like to restore it to its original 1941 grandeur, caboose red, standard Illinois Central wood-finish doors, unpainted, and letter it in the appropriate-style lettering … and put it on display in a place of prominence, like maybe a park.”
Mayor Rick Gottman turned the matter over the council’s building and grounds committee, with the committee to work with the city’s legal counsel, Ryan Connor, and City Administrator LaTisha Paslay in putting together an agreement in time for action at the council’s June 5 meeting.
Howard said that the foundation has held preliminary discussions with Vandalia Park District officials about putting the caboose in a park, but that there has not been any agreement on doing that.
Alderman Ken Hubler suggested the grounds of the Tourist Information Center at Kennedy Boulevard and Veterans Avenue. “We have a lot of land there and it’s right by Interstate (70),” he said.
Gottman said he’s in favor of loaning the caboose to the foundation for its restoration. “I think it would be very worthwhile doing – it’s a tourist attraction.”
B. John Clark also supports the project.
Clark and his brother, Neil, were instrumental in bringing the caboose while they were owners of the local radio station.
“I rode it into town – I would really like to see it (restored),” Clark said.
The foundation’s plan, Howard said, includes completing the exterior restoration of the caboose at its current location, the city parking lot at the southwest corner of Fifth and Johnson streets. “It will just take a lot of elbow grease and a lot of volunteer time,” he said, adding that the interior restoration would be undertaken next spring after it is moved.
Also at Monday’s meeting:
• Gottman said that while city tourism duties have been tied to the position of director of economic development, he would like to see those separated out, because of the city’s focus on tourism.
“We need to sit down and talk about what we want tourism to be,” he said.
Tourism is the state’s second-largest industry, with overnight stays being a major tourism revenue source. Getting those overnight stays, Gottman said, “is time-consuming.”
• The council approved the low bid of $298 per month on a lease for a 2017 Jeep Patriot Sport from Hosick Motors in Vandalia.
• The council approved the transfer of Vandalia Lake lot no. 125 from Scott Workman of Vandalia to Cory Willms of Brownstown.
• The council approved an ordinance amendment stipulating that a building permit cannot be issued to a roofing contractor unless the contractor has provided proof of licensure as a roofing contractor by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation and insurance certification as requested by the city’s building inspector.
Under city ordinance, the owner of a home can work on his or her own roof, but that person still has to get a building permit.
Alderman Dorothy Crawford wanted to waive that stipulation, but Alderman Andy Lester didn’t agree, saying that even he, as a building contractor, was required to get a building permit to build his own house.
The ordinance amendment passed in a 6-2 vote, with Lester, Clark, Mike Hobler, Joel Rebbe, Ken Hubler and Steve Barker voting for it and Crawford and Stunkel casting dissenting votes.
• The council observed a moment of silence for longtime business owner Patsy Schutz, owner of Burtschi Brothers Co.