Herald and Review from Decatur, Illinois • Page 3

CORRECTION: Most of the boa-ramps will be open. Four of the six ramps at Faries Pari will be closed. 7-3-88. n-i I Herald iieview" nniinniiaDns Decatur, Illinois, Saturday, July 2, 1988 Page A3 nm Jill. I nM.L.jym.i Ej- Central Board to consider landfill Photo by Herb Siodounik Robert Caraker shows his mother Linde and sister Valerie his trapunto design, a type of raised embroidery.

FaiDir -excises inra8lhieirg ou doesn't like doing everything he's told to do. "When it comes to sewing, yes, I wasn't born to sew." Todd Yokley, another 16-year-old Stephen Decatur student, said he thinks the warm-up exercises that begin the workday have helped him. Todd has a mild case of cerebral palsy, and the physical activity has helped his back. Besides making the youths feel good about themselves, the program teaches iractical job skills, Powell said. They earn how to behave in job interviews, how to fill out applications, how to talk to a boss and how to finish a task.

"It's not like how to build a house or how to make a hamburger. It's more like how to be a good employee," Powell said. But, she noted, "If someone on the job at McDonald's wanted a hamburger, you have to respond now. The same thing applies here. If I tell someone to sew on a costume, I expect them to respond.

"The positive reinforcement they get isn't necessarily superficial. They have to perform to get that reinforcement." said. The youths have been working 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. five days a week, designing artwork, building sets, designing costumes, and learning dance steps, songs and acts.

They got to show off their work to parents and other spectators at an open house Friday morning at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1360 W. Main St. A dance rehearsal to the song "Hey, Hey We're the Monkees" showed slow but steady progress. Dancers snapped their fingers and learned to step on the counts "one" and "five," but one dancer complained about another: "They're taking big steps." The instructor advised, "Smaller steps, Doris, think small." The seven-week program will end with the show at 7:30 p.m. July 28 in the Decatur Civic Center theater.

It will be a spoof on television, "TV or not TV." R.C., a Stephen Decatur High School student with reading problems, said the program doesn't seem like work. "Mostly it's like going to a playground." But it's like most jobs in that he UPDATE Illinois Boat ramps closed Most Lake Decatur boat ramps will remain closed during the Fourth of July weekend because of low water, according to Decatur Park District officials. The only ramps open to the public are the two northernmost ramps. Prairie Pride Chorus to sing at festival SPRINGFIELD The Prairie Pride Chorus will perform at Lin-colnfest The chorus, formerly called the Decatur chapter of Sweet Adeline, will sing tonight. It and other Sweet Adeline chapters from Central Illinois will sing as part of the Capitol Centennial Ceremony.

The ceremony begins at 6:30 p.m. on the east side of the Capitol. Senior citizen issues to be discussed A free informational meeting on issues vital to senior citizens will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Hall, 3390 N. Woodford St Sponsored by the Central Illinois Committee for Social Security and Medicare, the meeting will concern the new federal health bill, Social Security issues, Medicare's criteria and rules, and will give information on 53 companies' nursing home insurance policies.

Jewel stores sponsor fund-raiser The Senior Citizens Nutrition Program in Decatur will benefit from fund-raising at Jewel Food Stores. Jewel is donating 5 percent of total purchases July 11-13 to the organization to be used to provide meals to low-income elderly and minority groups in Decatur and surrounding areas. Tax and Osco merchandise are excluded. Those who want to help the Senior Citizens Nutrition Program by shop- ping at Jewel on those dates will need a shop and share identification card. Cards can be obtained from Gwen Karr, nutrition director, at 428-4148 to obtain a card before shopping.

Flute program to be featured at library Performances of jazz and classi- cal works for the flute will sound in the Decatur Public Library auditorium Wednesday. Carol Ballinger, Mary Ellegood and Lara Askill will be featured at the "books-between-bites" program at noon, along with Chris Sparks on piano. Ballinger, assistant city librarian, will review "Music Talks: Conversations With Musicians" by Helen Epstein. Coffee and refreshments will be served. The public is invited to bring a sack lunch.

Conservation district meeting rescheduled The July meeting of the Macon County Conservation District board has been rescheduled. The regular monthly meeting will be held at 7 p.m. July 13 in the Rock Springs Center Auditorium. The meeting originally was scheduled for July 11. Steakhouse to open in August By STEVE CAHALAN Herald Review Farm Business Writer Michael's Steakhouse is expected to open in late August in the former Ponde-rosa Steak House at ,2981 N.

Main a spokesman said Friday. Customers will select and cook their own steak at a large charcoal grill, Decatur developer Jack Wyse said. The restaurant will be like an Alexander's Steakhouse, a Central Illinois chain, and will have 50 to 55 employees, he said. The restaurant is expected to begin accepting job applications about Aug. 1.

Workmen have been ripping out partitions and doing other demolition work inside the former Ponderosa, which closed in June 1985. Wyse said thenew restaurant will open after major interior and exterior remodeling. Remodeling contracts will be awarded in about 10 days. Wyse said he is coordinating the Michael's Steakhouse project, but is not an owner. The restaurant will be the first owned by Michael's Steakhouse a new Decatur-based company of Central Illinois investors, Wyse said.

Names of the investors will be announced later, he said. The number of investors isn't finaL Some of the investors already are in the restaurant business, Wyse said. Michael's Steakhouse Inc. plans to build several steakhouses. The restaurant probably will charge $11.95 for a dinner of steak or fish with toast, baked potatoes and unlimited salad bar, Wyse said.

Lobster also will be available at market price. A comparable steak dinner at other Decatur restaurants would cost $16 to $25, said. By DAWN MORVILLE Herald Review Government Writer A resolution supporting expansion of the Macon County landfill will be considered despite questions about its legality. The county board siting approval committee made that decision Thursday. It will make a recommendation to the full board Wednesday whether to grant the landfill expansion.

The county board is expected to vote on the landfill expansion July 12. At issue is a resolution passed earlier this week by the Macon County Regional Planning Commission. It recommended the county board approve expansion of the landfill at Bear and Hill roads in Har-ristown Township. Five of the 13 commission members are county board members, two of whom Mary Lee Brown and M.D. Pierce serve on the siting approval committee.

Other county board members on the commission are Gary Brennan, Bennett Bradley and Donald Dipper. Opponent Roger Tate, who lives just west of the landfill, said he objects to the resolution because county board members are not to vote on the issue yet. State law sets time restrictions the county board must follow in making its decision on the petition. Tate believes that county board members who are on the planning commission by voting on the resolution have already voted on the issue, which Tate thinks might be illegal. But Macon County Assistant State's Attorney Thomas H.

Moody, who has assisted the county on the landfill issue, disagreed. Individual members merely are expressing their opinion. The county board as a whole hasn't voted yet, he said. Brennan, commission chairman, had written commission members asking them to read the resolution and then telephone their vote to the county planning and zoning secretary. Brennan, member Max Davidson and other unnamed members drafted the resolution.

Of the 13 commission members, 10 voted for the resolution. Brown and Pierce said they didn't vote for it Because of the requirement that county board members are not to vote on the expansion until a certain date, they objected to it being considered part of the written correspondence they will consider on the landfill petition. They also objected because the planning commission didn't have a meeting to discuss the issue and the vote was done by telephone. At the landfill committee meeting, Pierce attempted to strike the resolution from the record. Brown seconded his motion.

But other members said they wanted to accept it as written comment, just as they took letters and petitions from other people for consideration during their decision. CDAP grant; $132,500 from connection fees; and $904,000 from revenue bonds. Although the terms of the revenue bonds have not yet been determined, Johnson said Columbian Securities, Inc. of Chicago has guaranteed financing through the sale of bonds for the project. The water district serves about 900 homes, Johnson said.

With the expansion, nearly 300 new users may be obtained, thus increasing revenue by nearly 30 percent Further expansions of the water lines in the northern section of Oakland Township are also being considered. However, the township board has not committed itself to these additions because it has not found adequate funding. The township hopes to see the project completed by January 1, 1989, he said. Boy dies in crash A 16-year-old Harristown boy was fatally injured in a two-car ac-cident about 4:30 p.m. Friday at U.S.

36 and Lincoln Memorial Trail Road. John Charles Caudill of Hill Road was pronounced dead at 5:45 p.m. at Decatur Memorial Hospital by Macon County Coroner Chris Vallas. Macon County sheriffs deputies said Caudill's vehicle apparently drove through a stop sign on the local road and was hit broadside by a car driven westbound on U.S. 36 by Randal V.

Craig, 32, of Bliopolis. Craig was being treated in the Decatur Memorial Hospital emer- gency room at press time. It wasn't known if he would be admitted. Caudill is the son of John and Glenna Caudill of Route 8. Deputies said both drivers were wearing seat belts.

The Caudill car came to rest on its top. Niantic Rescue Squad responded to the accident An inquest will be held later, Vallas said. By SUSAN MUMM Herald Review Staff Writer Linde Caraker of Decatur likes what the Very Special Arts Fair has done for her 16-year-old son, Robert. "When he comes home he's excited," she said. "He shares with me." Robert, known as "R.C." to his friends, is one of 51 young people in the Job Training Partnership Act's summer youth program, administered by the Decatur Park District Now in its ninth year, the $50,000 program pays 14- to 21-year-olds $3.35 an hour to work through the summer and put on a show.

Most of the young people have learning disabilities, emotional impairments or other disabilities. They're recommended by special education teachers in Macon and Piatt counties. Teaching job skills and building the youths' self-esteem is the goal, said Sue Powell, the park district's supervisor of cultural art. "We believe, despite those kids' limitations, they can be very productive," she Kesodleinifis By AMY CARR Herald Review Staff Writer A $1.3 million expansion of the Long Creek Water District is reason for about 300 rural residents to celebrate. The expansion responds to the cries of many residents in Casner and Oakland townships who claimed to have unsafe water, said David F.

Johnson, Long Creek township supervisor. After testing the water in many rural wells, Johnson said, "We found unsatisfactory wells in Oakley, Casner and Whis-tleville. By unsatisfactory, I mean the bacteria levels were higher than EPA standards." Besides bacterial contamination, the test indicated that pesticides from farm runoffs were ending up in the rural wells. "herald wafleir Boone expansion!) With the help of an Illinois Community Development Assistance Program grant, the district should begin construction on the expansion sometime in July. Of the $400,000 requested from the CDAP grant, $300,000 has been allocated to the project.

Stipulations of the grant state that the funds will only be used for the addition of water distribution lines in Casner and Oakley, where the contamination was the worst. The expansion in these two areas must be completed by July 1, 1989, in order to use the funds from the grant. The grant will also bring aid to families facing financial burdens, Johnson said. Families in the low-to-moderate income bracket will not be charged a hookup fee when adding the water line to their service. Of 87 homes in the area, 61 percent are occupied by families with low to moderate incomes, he said.

The water district charges about $300 to connect users to its existing water lines, but Johnson said this charge may be much higher in the expanded area for those families who don't qualify for the exemption. He said hook-up charges in the expanded area northeast of Rea's Bridge in the Oakland area may be as high as $1,500. Rates for users in the expanded areas may also be higher than the current rates, but Johnson emphasized that existing users will not be affected by the added lines. Funding for the remainder of the project will be generated through the sale of revenue bonds and by connection fees, he said. The breakdown is: $300,000 from the Lane to Wyckles Corner.

(Photo by Herb siodouniK) Vf.r in, -II I Concrete facts Crews prepare the new surface on West Main Street from concrete from Moffett Moffett Lane to the new bridge. A separate group is laying the.