St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 111

SERVING: Aviston, Belleville, Brooklyn, Cahokia, Caseyville, Centreville, Columbia, Dupo, East St. Louis, Fairview Heights, Freeburg, Lebanon, Marlssa, Mascoutah, Millstadt, New Athens, New Baden, O'Faltort, Red Bud, Sauget, Shiloh, Smlthton, Swansea, Trenton, Valmeyer, Washington Park, Waterloo MONDAY, MAY 6, 2002 ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH (3) SMI IN SPORTS: Here's your guide to summer sports camps. Pages SMI 1-14 Plan for new E. St.

Louis firehouse hits snag fighters were out battling blazes that fire officials believe were deliberately set as a distraction. The station's destruction has made for cramped quarters for the department's 58 firefighters in the city's three remaining fire-houses, Fennoy said. "It has put the department in the position of putting more people at the oldest faculties," Fennoy said "That is not the best thing." City Manager Harvey E. Henderson said the idea is to replace Engine House No. 2 with a "state-of-the-art" fire station in a central location in the city.

Engine House No. 4 at 27th and State streets, where the Lincoln Avenue crew has been based since the fire, would be closed and its firefighters moved to the new station, Fennoy said. At the same time, the city's other engine houses at 7203 State Street and 1700 Central Avenue would be renovated, Fennoy said. Funding sources for the project would be considered once plans are drafted, Henderson said. Potential sources include tax-increment financing, or TIF, funds and grant money from the federal Community Development Block Grant program, Henderson said.

The city also could float a bond issue, Henderson said. In addition, the city has about $400,000 in insurance money that it can put toward the project, Henderson said. "Well be applying to the state for funds and the federal government for funds," Henderson said. "But we first have to get site acquisition and get plans and drawings on the board so we see how much if going to cost and where it's going to go." Reporter William Lamb: E-mail: Phone: 618-2354M2 between $3 million and $5 million. Cason thinks the city could save money by handling those tasks on its own.

"One of me things they wanted to do was to help us in site selection," Cason said Friday. "And I don't see why you need a retainer fee to help you in site selection." Cason said the public safety committee, which is composed of all four of the city's aldermen, would consider the matter at its meeting on June 6, unless a special meeting is called before then. Fennoy, the fire chief, said last week that he was disappointed by the delay, but was optimistic that the City Council eventually would approve the project Engine House No. 2, at 17th Street and Lincoln Avenue, was burglarized and subsequently destroyed in a suspicious fire on Jan. 21, 2001.

At the time, fire Council unhappy with engineering firm's proposal Station burned down last year By William Lamb Of the Post-Dispatch EAST ST. LOUIS City and Fire Department officials in East St. Louis say they are eager to build a new fire station to replace an engine house on the city's north side that was destroyed in a suspicious fire early last year. But it appears that Fire Chief NEWS BRIEFS SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE $9 million warehouse complex is planned The Air Force plans to build a $9 million warehouse complex near the south edge of Scott Air Force Base to replace 15 wooden warehouses that date back to World War II. The old buildings lack temperature controls and other features required for storing medical supplies.

Some are situated too close to airfield landing and takeoff zones. Plans are to start construction on the complex in September. The time required for completion has not been calculated. The base's Environmental Protection Committee said the project would have no harmful effect on the air, noise levels, wetlands, flood plains, threatened or endangered species, cultural resources or safety. Public comments will be accepted until May 17 by calling 256-2125.

COLUMBIA Campaign gets under way to raise funds for parks The City of Columbia has begun a fund-raising campaign for its parks, by offering donors a chance to honor a loved one through placement of memorials. Money from the donations will be used to pay for construction and maintenance, especially the Albert C. Metter Memorial Park near the city's library. Part of the plan involves sale of 2,267 memorial bricks for $50 each, to be used for a 240-foot-long walkway. Each brick can accommodate up to three lines of text A park bench can be made a memorial for $1,000, a picnic table for $350, a flag pole or street lamp for $2,000.

Other plans call for installation of exercise equipment, a reading pavilion and a fountain. The city hopes eventually to rebuild a historic dance pavilion, with landscaping and access for the disabled. ST. CLAIR COUNTY State agency adjusts property assessment The Illinois Department of Revenue has issued a property assessment equalization factor of 1.0 for St Clair County, agency director Glan Bower has announced. It applies to last year's valuations, for which taxpayers will be billed this year.

The tentative equalization factor estimated in January was 1.0348. That would have added almost 3.5 percent to every owner's tax bill. The 1.0 factor means the department has determined, through sales ratio studies, that v. William Fennoy will have to wait longer for a new station than he had hoped. The City Council's public safety committee let the matter drop on Thursday when no one seconded a motion to pay an engineering firm $9,800 to prepare plans for the new station.

The problem isn't the plans themselves, City Council members said last week. In fact, just about everyone agrees that the Fire Department, which is down to three crowded engine houses, desperately needs new facilities. The problem, said Alderman Karen Cason, is that the firm tapped to prepare plans for the new station, William B. Ittner Inc. of St Louis, was not specific enough about its scope of work in a memo to city officials last week.

The firm has pledged to help the city select a site for the fire station and prepare a budget for its construction, expected to cost A CHANGE 1 I Marshal Terry Delaney, whose 40-year career was spent mostly in the field. Delaney takes over today as police chief in Belleville. Slazinik credits Delaney with launching successful task forces that arrest criminals and root out drug dealers in the Metro East Slazinik said he would continue those efforts while putting his own mark on the job, using his management skills in reaching out to other departments and establishing a broad network of law enforcement The two cops go way back. "I met Terry working on the Pope's Cafeteria murder," he said, referring to the brutal slaying in 1980 of four workers at a cafeteria in West County. "I was working on that case and Terry was developing informants, which was always his forte." Slazinik acknowledges that he has more to learn about the U.S.

marshals and how they work. He has spent the last month meeting judges, hanging around courtrooms and traveling on orientation programs, including a brief introduction last week to President George W. Bush in Washington. The U.S. Senate approved his nomination March 19 to serve as marshal for the southern district of Illinois, which covers 38 Don Slazinik, formerly chief of police in O'Fallon, is the new U.S.

marshal for Southern Illinois. OF HABIT i Kl if The main tasks of U.S. marshals are protecting federal courthouses and the employees who work there, arresting federal fugitives and guarding federal prisoners, although they may take on additional law enforcement duties, i Slazinik is in charge of 20 deputies and 26 court security officers as well as a small administrative staff. He has a starting salary of $86,000, which increases over time. A leader "He's real straightforward," said O'Fallon Mayor Gary Graham, mayor since 1997 and one of three mayors Slazinik served under.

"Some people in a position of leadership are afraid to make decisions, and he is not afraid. He is a leader, and people will follow him." Slazinik, 51, a graduate of Brentwood High School and Southeast Missouri State University, had planned to be a teacher. But he hired on as a police officer in Des Peres while waiting for an education job to open up. He liked it and was promoted quickly, reaching the rank of lieutenant within eight years before snaring a job as police chief in a small town in Iowa in 1983. After a short hop two years later to Belleville outlines historic guidelines Aim is to avoid future disputes By Joseph G.

Maty Special to the Post-Dispatch BELLEVILLE The Belleville Historic Preservation Commission hopes that a new manual on historic preservation will help the city avoid future disputes over exterior building revisions in the city's three historic districts. The manual being developed by the architectural firm EWR Associates Inc. of Fairview Heights under a contract with Belleville, is being billed by the Preservation Commission as a definitive reference to appropriate building and property revisions in historic districts. EWR Associates, the Preservation Commission and city Planning and Economic Development staff members began work on the manual late last year. Public review What: Guidelines to property revisions in historic districts When: 7 p.m.

May 21 Where: Belleville City Hall The city received a $12,000 grant from the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency to hire the consultant The city is contributing $8,000 to $10,000 in "in-kind" staff work. A draft of the approximately 160-page manual is available for review by the public at City Hall. Residents are being invited to comment on the draft at the Historic Preservation Commission's May 21 meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. at City HalL Development of the manual was initiated in part as a result of occasional and sometimes heated disagreements between the Preservation Commission and homeowners in the Old Belleville, Hexenbuckel and Oakland historic districts. The commission is responsible for review and approval of revisions to the exteriors of buildings in those districts.

In a case that arose two years ago, the commission told Lori and Steve Pratt, 107 East Street, to See Belleville, Page 5 manual New U.S. marshal signals style of management: "suit-and-tie" -4 w.wv ODELL MITCHELL JR.POST-DISPATCH Don Slazinik Age: 51 Residence: O'Fallon Family: Wife, Debbie, a teacher; two sons, 21 and 18. Education: Brentwood High School, 1968; bachelor's degree in education from Southeast Missouri State University, 1974; master's degree in administration of justice, Webster University, 1980. Poplar Bluff, again as police chief, Slazinik took the job of O'Fallon chief, planning to move on after four years. He stayed 16.

"O'Fallon is about community, kids and parks," he said. "My family said I could take another job, but they were staying put" He saw the department grow from 16 officers to 43 as O'Fallon's population grew. The transition to East St Louis, and perhaps running a force used to dealing with grittier criminals on a daily basis, doesnt worry him. "You dont try to create 'Hill Street Blues' in upper-middle-class suburbia like O'Fallon," he said. Reporter Michael Shaw: E-euH: 618-235-3988 Don Slazinik takes over from Terry Delaney, known for his street work.

Slazinik said he would continue Delaney's efforts while putting his own mark on the job. By Michael Shaw Of the Post-Dispatch EAST ST. LOUIS New U.S. marshal Don Slazinik is aware of his strength: management "I'm normally a suit-and-tie guy," said Slazinik, formerly O'Fallon's police chief, in an interview in his office last week in the federal courthouse in East St Louis. He was dressed atypically in jeans and a polo shirt emblazoned with the U.S.

Marshals Service logo, having just accompanied deputies who were serving arrest warrants. The field work is part of his education for the job he assumed in March. "Dressing down for me is usually wearing a turtleneck and a sport coat," he said. The significance of attire isnt lost on Slazinik, who's been a police chief for the last 20 years, as he takes over from a veteran officer known for his street-level talents. That veteran is former the average property assessment is in line with the state required one-third of fair market value.

The equalization factor some times called a "multiplier is used to bring a county's average assessment into line with one-third, along with the statewide av erage. SAUGET Treatment facility plans to cut customers' rates The American Bottoms Region al Wastewater Treatment Facility in Sauget will reduce its custom ers' sewer rates to $1.74 for 1,000 gallons from $1.79, starting this month, general manager George Schillinger has announced. -That means a bill of slightly un der $8 for the average family, a reduction of about 2.8 percent In 1998 the average monthly bill was $11. Schillinger said the reduction was made possible by holding the line on costs for the past six years, careful budgeting and more effective collection of debts. The plant opened in 1985.

It serves more than 80,000 custom ers in East St Louis, Centreville, Alorton, Sauget, Cahokia and ad jacent areas. 6.