HR0460 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0460 LRB101 12794 ALS 61628 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate the City of Fairview Heights on the occasion of its 50th anniversary; and

WHEREAS, Germans and other European immigrants established farms in the Fairview Heights area, then known as Ridge Prairie, by the mid 1800s; early pioneers included Irishman William Kinsella, great-grandfather of Marilyn Kinsella, a storyteller, retired educator, and member of the 50th anniversary committee; his two-story, hand-hewn log cabin, which was built in 1854, still stands in Pleasant Ridge Park; and

WHEREAS, One of the community's early hubs was the intersection of what is now Bunkum Road and Lincoln Trail, where there was a brickyard, a farmhouse that served as an inn, and the original one-room Grant School; the tavern and trading post operated by Henry Becherer, later known as the Ridge Prairie Saloon, was another center of activity; and

WHEREAS, The first of seven coal mines opened in 1903; the name Fairview was first used in an advertisement by a land developer after the streetcar was extended to the area in an effort to appeal to people living in St. Louis; Raymond Fairbrother, a resident from East St. Louis, platted the first residential subdivisions in 1906; posters described the subdivision as a place "where life is worth living"; and

WHEREAS, In 1914, local residents formed the Fairview Improvement Association and raised money for sidewalks and roads; a mercantile store, owned by the Shively family and later the Gaidos, opened in 1916; East St. Louis Light and Power Company began delivering electricity in 1924; the association bought a used fire truck in 1933, leading to the organization of a volunteer fire department; throughout the 1940s and 1950s, subdivisions, stores, and restaurants were developed; and

WHEREAS, One of the most notable landmarks, St. Albert the Great Catholic Parish's round church, was built in 1967; by the mid 1960s, local residents began asking for a post office; a referendum was held to decide whether to call the area Ridge Prairie, Lincoln Heights, or Fairview Heights; the later won by a three-to-one margin; residents voted to incorporate in a special election on September 27, 1969; and

WHEREAS, Warren Baker was appointed as temporary city clerk and helped to plan the first Fairview Heights Election on December 16, 1969; voters elected Everett Moody as Mayor and Les Klein as City Clerk; Charles Baricevic, father of former St. Clair County Board Chairman and Chief Circuit Judge John Baricevic, was an original alderman; the City bought its first fleet of four police cars at the Oliver Dee Joseph dealership in Belleville; Longacre Park, later renamed Moody Park, was dedicated in 1976; a year later, the old Pleasant View tuberculosis sanitorium was purchased and converted into City Hall; and

WHEREAS, Fairview Heights saw the construction of its first large discount store, Venture, in 1969; Macy's opened in 1973, and St. Clair Square, a two-level shopping mall, opened a year later; the metro-east section of Interstate 64, which traced U.S. 50 and improved access for shoppers throughout the region, opened in 1975; commercial growth continued in the 1990s with the construction of the Stonewolf Golf Club, the Four Points by Sheraton Conference Center, and the 280,000-square-foot Fairview Heights Shopping Center; a MetroLink stop opened in 2001; and

WHEREAS, Today, the City of Fairview Heights has evolved into a shopping mecca that attracts people from all over the region; it issues nearly 1,000 licenses to stores, restaurants, hotels, and other businesses annually; it is one of the few municipalities that does not levy property taxes, and most government programs and services are funded by sales tax revenue; the population is just over 17,000; because of the shopping, dining, and other commerce, including the people who work in the City, the population swells to 50,000 by day and can go up to 70,000 during the peak holiday season; the City employs 42 police officers; and

WHEREAS, A committee has planned eight public events to celebrate the City's anniversary, including the early-May opening of The Rec, Heritage Day, a concert at Moody Park, a cake decorating contest, a time capsule burial, a parade and Party in the Park, an open house at City Hall, and an Anniversary Ball; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the City of Fairview Heights on the occasion of its 50th anniversary and wish the City many more successful years; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Mayor Mark Kupsky as an expression of our esteem and respect.