on September 19, 2023, 6:02 pm
The weed growth near or on or along the sidewalks, the gravel and dirt and trash that line the curbs all along Pontoon road speaks volumes of the priorities of those in charge. Take a look at the dumpster area that sits damn near on the sidewalk and right off Pontoon road in front of the old Toddle Town daycare that has since been sold and switched ownership.
Why has that dumpster area been allowed a free pass for over 6 months if not a year with broken, rotted fencing with the gates that are supposed to stay closed to hide the mess of overflowing trash all around the dumpster, literally falling off the hinges and into pieces and left wide open to every vehicle and person who drives or walks down the road?
What in the hell has that DJ's truck lift business turned into? Has the village hall given this business some kind of auto salvage yard license? They have what looks like a damn auto salvage/junk yard sitting right in the middle of the village, who has allowed this? Was this transformation discussed at a meeting I missed, or did it even go before a vote? I have a hard time believing if this DJ's auto salvage yard that looks trashy as hell wanted to relocate out to the entrance of Timberlake Manor, that would have EVER been allowed!
For starters how about removing all the "SLOTS HERE" flags and signs that line a huge stretch of Pontoon Road? It makes the area look like crap and trust me, we ALL know these places have slots to play, keep the signs off the streets, and make them keep them near their front doors or buildings.
Borrow or rent a damn street sweeper for God sakes, a couple times per season this isn't an unreasonable request or expectation, clean the village up!
Where are the patrol cars, does the police department even drive the streets of the area any longer? If so, they need to start harassing the hell out of these bike riding, backpack toting riders during the late-night hours or in the middle of the night that are constantly lurking in the damn shadows of the neighborhoods. Why aren't the police stopping and questioning these tweaking meth-heads that burn the sidewalks up during all hours of the day and night on Pontoon Road? At any time of the morning, afternoon or evening and night, you can drive between the RR tracks coming into the village and highway 111 and see people fighting and arguing with someone from their drugged up imagination. If you drive up and down this stretch enough you will see some of them dancing, stumbling, begging for money or sitting on the sidewalk long enough to fire up the crack pipe or shoot up.
I used to appreciate living in Pontoon Beach instead of Granite City. Not any longer, I don't want to live in either now, not with the way Pontoon Beach now looks, it's embarrassing. Somehow along the way priorities have shifted and the main concern now seems to be a year's worth of work geared towards the PATB and anything other than that has been overlooked, neglected and either dismissed all together or at a minimum been put on a back burner.
Years have now passed with the promises of new retail and restaurants being built on the land in front of the warehouses, and still nothing. Plenty of warehouses and the rest never came. Who is the Economic Developer for the area, or is there one, and if so, what have they accomplished? Does the area have a grant writer seeking out funding for projects? Has the current administration become jaded or complacent? Is it time for a change in leadership?
I don't have the answers to these questions, but I do know it's time for some positive changes and improvements. We can't just sit back and say and do nothing and allow our property values to plummet.