The Pantagraph from Bloomington, Illinois • Page 3

THE PANTAGRAPH. Wednesday, Jan. 7, 1987 A3; Thompson inaugural to be biggest ever 'iff By LORI EDWARDS Pantagraph Springfield bureau SPRINGFIELD Gov. James R. Thompson's fourth inauguration has expanded to his biggest and most expensive yet, with two new events planned.

Inaugural activities are expected to cost $150,000 to $180,000, said Susan Mogerman, a spokeswoman for the governor's office. That compares to the $107,000 spent on the governor's third inauguration. A total of 10,000 invitations will be sent out for Monday's swearing-in ceremony, which involves Thompson and the five other constitutional officers. Ms. Mogerman said the cost increase is caused primarily by rising prices and the addition of two new events: a performance by the Springfield Symphony Orchestra Sunday and a buffet reception Monday.

The symphony performance will cost about $35,000, she said. Kim Fox, the governor's primary fund-raiser who runs the Citizens for Thompson office in Chicago, is planning the inaugural activities. She said no taxpayers' money will be used for the events. Citizens for Thompson will pay for the inaugural bash through special fund-raising, ticket sales to the inaugural events and through the sale of inaugural souvenirs. Inaugural enthusiasts and Thompson fans will be offered their choice of bronze and silver medallions imprinted with the governor's profile, as well as inaugural artwork to hang in their dens.

The bronze and silver medallions run $20 and $25 respectively, while an impressionistic art print featuring Abe Lincoln in front of the Statehouse is going for $50. Ms. Mogerman said Chicago artist Dan Rupe used the print to convey the ordinary in an extraordinary way. While most Lincoln portraits and pictures reflect a somber tone, Rupe used unconventional pastels to portray the state's trademark politician in the commemorative print. Aside from artwork and medallions, several special events are scheduled, including: A Springfield Symphony Orchestra performance at 3 p.m.

Sunday in the Sangamon State University Public Affairs Center Auditorium. Tickets sell for $15. A service at 9:30 a.m. Monday in the First Presbyterian Church of Springfield, which is not open to the public. The inaugural swearing-in ceremony at 11 a.m.

Monday in the Prairie Capital Convention Center. The ceremony is free for the public. A luncheon hosted by the Republican State Central Committee in the Ramada Renaissance Hotel after the inaugural ceremony. Tickets for the luncheon cost $100, with profits going to the Republican party. An open house at the Executive Mansion from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Monday. The event is free. An inaugural buffet reception from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday in the Prairie Capital Convention Center. Tickets sell for $35.

The inaugural ball from 9 p.m. to midnight Monday in the Prairie Capital Convention Center. Ball tickets cost $20. Although the governor's schedule is not final, Ms. Mogerman said he plans to be in attendance at all events except the buffet.

Ms. Mogerman said the occasion will be memorable and historical. She said the organizers have tried to keep the ticket prices reasonable to encourage public participation. "These are people's events. They are not geared toward celebrities," she said.

Tickets are available by calling the Citizens for Thompson office at (312) 558-1987. Beginning Saturday, tickets for the various events will be available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield. Once-free services now carry users' fees 1'; Health service fees The chart shows new fees in effect for the following services provided by the McLean County Health Department: Service Fee Sexually Transmitted Disease clinic $10 HIV (AIDS virus) test 30 Eye glass co-payment 10 Walk-in clinic 50 Walk-in clinic, per test 3 Hypertension screening 50 Community clinic screening 50 Dental clinicper visit 1 Each immunization 1 The department also has set new fees for residents who do not live in McLean County.

They are as follows: Tuberculin skin test $15 X-ray 15 Physician office visit 15 Physicianhospital admission 35 Physiciandaily hospital visit 15 Medications cost Laboratory test cost The new fees were established for screenings at the Health Department's walk-in clinic, for immunizations, hypertension screening, dental clinic visits, community clinic screening, septic permits and tuberculosis care for out-of-county residents. The new fees range from 50 cents for a hypertension screening to $35 for a septic permit. Other health service fees that have been in place for at least a year include those for food permits, eye glasses, tests for sexually transmitted diseases and for the acquired immune deficiency syndrome antibody, called HIV and formerly HTLV III. Even though the county is attempting to shift some of its expenses to its users, Keller said the Health Department will not turn away anyone who needs health services and cannot afford the fees. By MELINDA ZEHR Pantagraph staff Services of the McLean County Health Department that were free in 1986 will cost users a fee in 1987.

The new fees, which became effective Jan. 1, were begun in an effort to shift some of the costs to users, allowing the county to ask for less money in property taxes, said Robert Keller, Health Department executive assistant. "For several years the Board of Health and the County Board have felt that users are consumers and ought to pay part of the cost of a program," Keller said. "It has been a constant philosophy that users should pay for services. What the county is trying to do is hold down on the amount of tax dollars." The Health Department expects to generate about $15,000 this year from the new fees and at least $2,300 from other fees they have begun in past years, Keller said.

The PantagraphVAUREEN O'CONNOR Walk worker With the aid of yesterday's warm weather, Mandi Cox, 5, daughter of Mike and Terri Cox, shoveled the walk outside her Bloomington home. Build Illinois Auto plant-highway links funded B-N architects signed for county expansion Feb. 5 bid-opening date to allow for an early spring start on construction. He said the project is expected to take about 150 construe-' tion days to complete. "A substantial amount of the project should be completed by the fall," said Burke.

"The work should be finished by early 1988." In addition to the funding announced yesterday, Thompson released $3 million in December for work on Township 154 South and Illinois 9, a project that will also provide access to the Diamond-Star plant. The new joint-venture auto plant is scheduled to open in late 1988. mal was its central location and accessibility to transportation networks," said Thompson. "Today we continue expanding upon that accessibility." John Burke, a spokesman for the Illinois Department of Transportation, said his agency will open bids on the project Feb. 5.

He said the project involves converting Township Road 154 North into a 1.8-mile four-lane road that will connect U.S. 150 and Interstate 74. An interchange at 1-74 will also be built. Burke said the tranportation department will award the contract within two to three weeks of the By MIKE MATULIS Springfield bureau chief SPRINGFIELD An additional $10.5 million in Build Illinois bond funds was released yesterday by Gov. James R.

Thompson to pay for construction of access roads for the Diamond-Star Motors Corp. plant. Thompson said the release of the funding will allow the state to keep its promise of providing the Diamond-Star plant with access links to the state's highway system. "One of the key factors in the decision of Chrysler and Mitsubishi to locate their joint Diamond-Star Motors plant in Bloomington-Nor- to help with the plans for the jail expansion is important because of a large number of changes that have taken place in jail regulations, both at the state and federal level, since the jail's construction a decade ago. Now that the contract with the architectural firm has been ap: proved, Asbury said they will begin working on the drawings for the expansion a project that is expected to take at least four months.

Once the drawings are finished, they will be presented to the Public Building Commission, which will in turn present them to the County Board. The board must finalize the drawings before the project can be put out for bid. If work on the drawings proceeds on schedule and there are few major changes made by the board, the expansion project could be put out for bids in May or June. Commission Chairman George L. Farnsworth said he expects that the commission also will sell bonds in May or June for the project.

Under a rough timetable, the architects have predicted that the county will be able to move into the expanded facility by 1989. Board, calls for moving offices from the old courthouse to the Law Justice Center. Under the plan, the four-story center will be expanded to seven floors and the jail will be expanded to the south of the center. At 6 percent of the capital cost, the county will pay about $840,000 in architectural fees, of which the majority will go to Hilfinger, Asbury, Cufaude and Abels and smaller amounts to consultants and architects who will assist the firm with the project. The amount paid in architectural fees could increase another $45,000 to $60,000 if a consultant for the jail expansion is secured, said architect Dean Hilfinger.

The commission's approval of the architectural contract was made with the understanding that the jail consultant costs might be added later. Hilfinger and architect Eugene Asbury said the use of a consultant By MELINDA ZEHR Pantagraph staff Ninteen years ago, the McLean County Building Commission signed a contract with a Blooming-ton architectural firm for work associated with the construction of the Law Justice Center. Yesterday, history repeated itself when the commission again signed a contract with the same Blooming-ton architects this time for an expansion of the center. The commission approved a contract with Hilfinger, Asbury, Cufaude and Abels worth, on average, about 6 percent of the expansion's capital cost of $14 million. The capital cost includes principal expenses of the project.

The project cost, which totals $18 million, includes all expenses except financing. The total cost including financing is about $36 million. The expansion plan, approved in September by the McLean County LARGE SIZE FASHIONS UWK SAL College district's tax rate debated Buy NOW AT GREAT Coats Jeans Dresses Pants Blouses Skirts Tops Jogging Suits Sweaters Belts Nightwear Accessories HITS ESS fl Si Kir I Plus Much More Our Sizes Include: Pants 30-48 Blouses 36-52 Dresses 14V2-32V2 OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK Shop 10-8 Sat. Sun. 12-5 taxpayers more time to consider the issue.

"We don't believe if you go for 12 cents, you can produce a strong community college district or the type of educational system that is necessary for that district," Morehead responded. Morehead said the task force opted against joining existing districts because the 22V4-cent rate would be lower than the rates of most existing districts and because area residents would then have control of the college programs. He said area students sometimes can't get classes they want in existing colleges because they are filled by residents of those districts. Morehead said there would be no need to build a campus initially and classes could be conducted in leased school space or in certain businesses. He said the college would have a "vocational orientation." All CCED members voted to support the 22y2-cent rate, except John Goldrick who voted present.

He said he was not a CCED member when the task force was formed and didn't think he had enough information to make a tricts form their own region, and 13 of them including Blooming-ton District 87, Unit 5, Lincoln and Pontiac agreed in recent weeks to do so. Four others made no decision, and three agreed to join Illinois Central College or Lincoln Land Community College. The task force voted to endorse a property tax rate for the district of 22Vi cents, believing that rate was required by state law. However, after state' officials said any rate between zero and 85 cents could be set, the Farm Bureau endorsed a maximum rate of 12 cents. The task force in late December re-endorsed the 22V2-cent rate.

Yesterday, Ron Morehead, chairman of the task force and vice chairman of the CCED, asked CCED members to support the 22-cent rate. Members also received a report written by John Brown, a task force member and executive director of the Farm Bureau, who argued for the 12-cent maximum rate. Brown argued past referen-dums showed most area voters don't support formation of a new community college district, the proposed rate is too high and not necessary, and a referendum should be delayed until 1988 to give By. PAUL SWIECH Pantagraph staff 'The parent group of the task force that recommended formation of a new community college district endorsed yesterday the tax rate proposed by the task force. The Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development of the Bloomington-Normal Area voted to support a property tax rate for the proposed college district of 22Vi cents per $100 assessed valuation.

That rate previously was endorsed by', the task force, which was formed by the CCED last year to ejeamine the community college issue. The votes conflict with the Dec. 8 decision of the McLean County Farm Bureau to support the new district, but only if its tax rate doesn't exceed 12 cents. A state law requires all school districts to be in a community college region by 1990, either by forming their own or being assigned to an existing district by the state. Twenty area districts are among 41 in state that aren't members of a region.

The task force recommended earlier this year that the 20 dis Complete your Fall-Winter wardrobe at great savings during the clerance sale at Glamour Plus. Make your purchase while the selection is still good. rruro an IPOon Located Landmark Mall off College Avenue, 452-7480 Also.