The Pantagraph from Bloomington, Illinois • Page 3

THE PANTAGRAPH, Thursday, March 24, 1988 A3 Aviation museum to spread wings in new home Planners approve automatic appeal By DAN RAKER Pantagraph ataff The Prairie Aviation Museum finally has a place to call its own. i Construction has started on the building that will house the attractions and artifacts museum members have gathered over the years. "We needed a place to call home. We have a lot of stuff gathered in basements and garages. But now we have a permanent base to work and display our aircraft," said Dave Smith, vice president of the 5-year-old organization.

The building will be just north of the main building at Bloomington-Normal Airport. The museum is being built by McLean County Service Co. at a cost of about $56,000, said the firm's Gene Harvey. While the building should be completed by March 30, it will take about a year before all the exhibits are in place and the museum is open to the public, said museum president Norm Wingler, adding the museum "might even be open sporadically over the "As we advance and grow," Wingler said, "this should be a tremendous tourist attrac tlon for the city and Central Illinois." Many of the aviation displays are stored in the airport building in a second floor room that formerly served as a reservation room for Britt Airlines. In cases lay old flight gear, such as helmets worn by jet fighter pilots, model airplanes, a dummy used to test parachutes, and an old Western Union teletype machine.

Photographs of aircraft line the walls. But the museum's main attraction sits out side, near the museum construction site: a 1942 Douglas DC 3, which the museum purchased in 1984 with the help of a loan and a lot of fund raisers. Ozark Airlines, which displayed the Douglas aircraft at its 35th anniversary in 1985, also donated $6,400 to repair the pro pellers, Wingler said. Wingler said the museum has a 20 minute videotape recalling the history of the airplane, which is shown at meetings of civic organizations and to people who tour the second-floor airport exhibit. Other museum attractions will Include a sailplane with a 55-foot wingspan, donated by an Evansville, man who took seven years to assemble it then flew It only three times.

The aircraft is too large to fit inside the 36-ly "2 foot museum building, but Wingler anticipates displaying the fuselage inside the museum while the plane is parked outside with the Douglas DC 3. Huth Wingler and Smith credited the Iiloomiiigton-Normal Airport Authority as being "very receptive" to putting a building on the site and Wingler also acknowledged contractors who have made contributions to ensure the aviation artifacts will have A limine. "Much of the building materials were sold to the museum at cost," said Harvey, adding he included other measures, such as the donation of concrete and installation of higher quality insulation, at no extra charge. "We see a need for this in the communl-. ty," Harvey said.

"It's nice to see something like this going up." vate homes In the city's historic preservation districts, he said. "It negates the personal time and money we spend going to training sessions every year" to learn about preservation methods and what Is appropriate to demand in preservation, Goben said. The council granted the commission the final word when It wrote the preservation ordinance in 1983 because "the council didn't want to see 10 or 20 cases a year," he said. But Carmany is confident the council will uphold the preservation commission's dlctums in reasonable cases, as it did when Ran-dell Smith of 504 E. Walnut St.

last month appealed to the council. A pro-preservation council ultimately will discourage appeals, Carmany claimed. But the appeal automatically will be there If the person wants it. The commission's membership shows an effort to collect expertise In several fields, Goben contended. State law requires that membership include a historian, architect and lawyer.

"I think it's very important you have experts and training and if we throw it back to the council, they don't have that," Planning Commission Chairwoman Judy Markowitz said before voting "no" with Commissioner Ruth Giroux. The move follows the Normal City Council's decision Monday to study ways to take more control of its Zoning Appeals Board, which has the final say in all zoning and preservation matters. By JOHN O'CONNOR Pantagraph staff Elected officials not mayoral appointees should have the final say on zoning and home-renovation issues, especially when they Involve dizzying costs, the Blooming-ton Danning Commission decided yesterday. It Is too hard for people to get a City Council review when boards and commissions reject their pleas for zoning exceptions or approval for other projects, Commissioner James Carmany said. An impromptu opponent of the move, however, said it would "negate" time and training it takes to serve on appointive boards.

The commission voted 42 to let aldermen decide, probably April 11, whether they want to take on the burden of reviewing appointive panels' decisions. If approved, people who want it can have their day before the council, regardless of a review panel's vote tally. People now can appeal Zoning Appeals Board and Historic Preservation Commission votes denied by fewer than five votes. "In a case that Involves tens of thousands of dollars, should the commission have the final say so or should the council, with elected members, have it?" Carmany asked his colleagues. The action, moved by Commissioner Ethan Evans, prompted Historic Preservation Commission Vice Chairman James Goben to rebut.

The council lacks specific skills to decide on requests to reno Coronerpolice dispute turned over to judge Bed-and-breakfast rules on planners' back burner caused an error in the estimated time of death. "It's allowed that homicide to go unsolved," he said. Sullivan said jurisdictional overlap is a problem and the key Is cooperation. Another witness called by Anderson, Randolph County Coroner Neil Birchler, said he was forced to wait three hours in 19H4 before examining the body of a guard stabbed to death at Menard Correctional Center. "I waited three hours for the crime scene technician before I could take my specimens," Birchler said.

He said the delay resulted in him not getting sufficient blood specimens. Jennings has referred to the suit as a "public interest lawsuit" that could resolve jurisdictional disputes Anderson contends create problems between coroners and police statewide. The lone witness for the city of Bloomington and the Bloomington police department was Bloomington police Lt. Wayne Emmett. It was with Emmett that An By BOB HOLLIDAY Pantagraph staff After hearing a full day of testimony yesterday a judge took under advisement a death scene jurisdictional dispute between the McLean County coroner and Bloomington police.

McLean County Circuit Judge William Caisley did not say when he would rule, but asked all lawyers involved to submit written arguments. The last of the arguments will be submitted within 28 days. Caisley yesterday heard from about seven witnesses in the case that was spurred by a September incident in Bloomington. In the September Incident, McLean County Coroner William Anderson was handcuffed by Bloomington police and removed from a crime scene after attempting to enter the scene against police orders. Anderson later filed suit in McLean County Circuit Court asking a judge to decide the jurisdictional dispute.

He contends he and police have overlapping duties in cases involving deaths. Two police associations, a coroners' association and the McLean County State's Attorney's Office have Intervened in the dispute. McLean County State's Attorney Charles Reynard, who said he was not intervening to take sides, but to make sure the interests of his office are protected, said Caisley's ruling would affect only the parties to the lawsuit. "If the case were appealed, it's conceivable that the result could be binding upon a wider jurisdiction," he said. Anderson, represented by Harold Jennings, presented as witnesses several coroners who said they also have had jurisdictional disputes.

The former coroner of DeKalb County, now a forensic specialist in New York, said a murder within the past year in New York remains unsolved because a medical examiner was not allowed quick access to the body of a strangled victim. William Sullivan said when the medical examiner was finally allowed access to the body, the delay derson had the confrontation at the scene of the stabbing death of C. Richard Biddle, 49. Emmett told Bloomington corporation counsel David Stanczak he did not want Anderson to enter the crime scene until crime scene technicians had "cleared a path," so no evidence would be accidentally de stroyed. Emmett said after the path was cleared he would have allowed the coroner's office access to the scene which no longer contained the body.

The body had been taken to a hospital. However, Emmett said Anderson insisted on going into Biddies home at 1101 Clinton Bloom ington. "He said to me he was the coroner and he'd do as he damn well pleased," said Emmett. However, Anderson later tesJfr ied he did not recall using profanl ty- Anderson said he was detained for about IVi hours at the Bloom ington Police Department after being taken into custody. By JOHN O'CONNOR Pantagraph staff Two tricky questions faced the Bloomington Planning Commission yesterday and commissioners resolved to resolve neither.

The commission balked at recommending that the City Council welcome bed-and-breakfast tourist inns to the city zoning code. Commissioners also delayed deciding how long people should have to appeal Historic Preservation Commission decisions. Bed-and-breakfast inns, where people can sleep and eat one meal daily, would be allowed with a special-use permit in multifamily residential areas inside the city's historic districts. They would be permitted in business zoning. The inns are compatible with historic areas and would aid tourism, officials said.

They must be put in homes at least 50 years old and would be ideal for bringing people in to see Bloomington's old homes, they contend. But they also will bring cars. And a neighbor of a home that residents and officials point to as an ideal place for an inn wants the city to be careful in deciding how many guests are allowed at a time. The former Carmody Funeral Home, 809 N. McLean a grand old home-turned-apartments in the Franklin Square Historic District, has been pegged as a potential debut theater for a bed-and-break fast.

It has a large parking lot as well. That concerns David Wochner, 909 N. McLean St. While the code proposal allows five guest rooms, it does not specify how many people can check into each room. He asked Wyneken to clarify that.

The local bed-and-breakfast charge was set in motion by a state law adopted last August. City planners hope to bring Bloomington's code in line with the state law. Wyneken drew his ordinance based on articles he has read. Some cities see them as a home occupation and allow them in residences. On the other extreme are cities that view them as motels, with accompanying stringent rules.

The McLean County Health Department has yet to decide how to view food preparation in proposed Bloomington bed-and-breakfasts, Wyneken said. In another preservation-related matter, the commission delayed a decision on changing the appeal time available to people who want to protest decisions by the Historic Preservation Commission. People who lose decisions to the commission by fewer than five votes can appeal to the City Council. There was no time limit established and Randell Smith, 504 E. Walnut waited 10 months to appeal a May 1987 decision.

That prompted city officials to seek a limit on appeal periods. Airport noise study contenders winnowed B-N men charged in nail incident Two Bloomington men were charged in connection with an incident shortly after noon yesterday in which nails were thrown on the road at Nestle-Beich Bloomington. Union workers at the candy factory at 2501 Beich Road have been on strike about two weeks. William Hoog, 26, of 305 W. Mulberry St.

and Charlie Steven Montgomery, 27, of 1229 Rutledge Road each posted $100 for a court appearance on April 26 on charges of criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct. Both are employed at On strike are members of the Bakery, Confectionery Tobacco Workers Local 342, Teamsters Local 26, and Lodge 1000 of the International Association of Machinists. Local 399 of the Operating Engineers ratified their contract, but are honoring picket lines. Police reports said Hoog opened the trunk of his car and Montgomery took out some nails and threw them on the road. Olympia board rehires teachers STANFORD The Olympia school board has established its teaching staff for next year.

The board decided late Tuesday what action to take on teachers after spending Monday and Tuesday night listening to the district's eight principals evaluate all employees. The evaluations are conducted annually. The board voted to: Honorably dismiss an early childhood education teacher. Superintendent Jack Bowman said the cut was made because of declining enrollment. Not renew contracts for four teachers who were hired to fill in for teachers on leave of absence.

The four teachers will be returning from their leaves in August. Rehire 14 full-time, first-year teachers. "Vlztf. tfat tUytt toit tcU 10 percent of the cost. Airports can cause noise in several ways.

Airplanes sound off during takeoffs and landings, during approaches to airports while pilots decide how best to come in and during "run-ups," when mechanics start airplane engines for maintenance. Run-up noise was reduced at Minneapolis' airport by building a maintenance hangar in a remote part of the airfield, the authority was told during yesterday's interviews. That is why LaPier is so pleased with Bloomington's proposed land-use plan unveiled last week. It recommends that planners consider cutting a wide swath in the future around a proposed north-south runway the airport is considering building. The plan even calls for more stringent noise-buffer spaces than federal law requires.

But that does not mean no development is allowed in the buffer zones. Industrial and recreational uses are perfect for such areas, LaPier has said. One puitluisc or a bunch of smaller ones if the (( 1'it lis tuUil $75, I can $et this cool sweatshirt lor only $5. All I have lo do is take my receipts to the sweatshiit stands Marcli 16-Apiil 2 tuycl such a deal Check it out!" By JOHN O'CONNOR Pantagraph staff The Bloomington-Normal Airport Authority yesterday narrowed the field in a search for someone to find out where the growing airfield is making noise and how it can quiet down. Airport Authority members, after two mornings of interviewing four companies eager to grab an estimated $150,000 "noise compatibility study," now must decide in April which of two companies to bring aboard.

The hiring will be the first step in a process that eventually will allow Twin City residents a say in how the airport should remedy noise problems, if they exist, and avoid them in the future. When the noise study is done officials hope later this year public hearings will be scheduled. In the running are Coffman Associates of Kansas City, and Aviation Planning Associates of Cincinnati. Airport Aviation Director Michael LaPier will discuss with the firms fees and the airport's expectations of the federally funded study. He thf will return the issue to authority members.

A Coffman coup would be its second in Central Illinois. The firm is heading a study to determine whether Bloomington-Normal, Peoria, Springfield and Decatur jointly could use a regional airport in the coming decades. Airport Authority will foot "EtUU MM, At Ihr miner eler.in Ihikw.iy Mimic 9 I I itifiuc A I'enncw Wf. irvr 80 srt t.illy Wwyiv 10 lo fin tiul.i) 12 Nkmi Id 5 StmtUy 'Unity1 Sie. hunted while llu l.it' st.uith tjwvi fi MpiuLy huixy; 10 S' S.ituiihy, 12 5 Swnl.iy, Oiler cynics Afil 2.

Rodney L. Phillips, 22, was acquitted in the same trial of charges of obstructing a peace officer, criminal trespass, driving while driver's license revoked and reckless driving. He is set to appear for a sentencing hearing April 15. Heyworth man, 22, guilty of assault A rural Heyworth man was found guilty in a bench trial yesterday in McLean County Circuit Court of aggravated assault and resisting a peace officer..