Muddy history, Elks beach, RV campground proposed to tourism board
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The Saline County Tourism Board is considering two proposals for developments on the east side of the Harrisburg levee.
The board heard presentations from Muddy Village Administrator John Molinarolo regarding historical sites in Muddy and from John Gardner and Kerry Camp regarding Elkside, the complex of swimming, fishing, dining and recreational vehicle camping being planned by the Harrisburg Elks Lodge.
Molinarolo was seeking help with signs interpreting the 1923 concrete tipple erected at the Sahara Coal Company No. 12 mine, the mine company store, mine houses, the old post office considered to be one of the smallest in the nation and the Russian Orthodox Church owned by Madeline Pisani.
Pisani opens the church for a homecoming service annually that last year included the Russian Orthodox Bishop for the region from Chicago, Molinarolo said.
Molinarolo owns the land on which the old post office sits and owns the mine houses that are being rented. He said he wants to take the brown, fake brick siding off one of the houses to show what it looked like when the mine was in operation.
The bike trail spanning from Harrisburg to Muddy to Eldorado could bring a new interest to the Village of Muddy this year.
Board member Jeff Jones said the signs would be similar to those at the Saline Creek Pioneer Village and Museum, at Glen O. Jones Lake and other areas through the county.
"They are white on brown with 1-inch letters and a large heading. You tell me what to put on it and I'll get it," Jones said.
The board voted to approve the Muddy as a destination project with the understanding it would likely be paying for the signs.
"The first thing we'll do is work on the signs, then make an inventory and we've got a project," O'Dell said.
"If people have signs they are going to be involved right away."
Elkside
The Harrisburg Elks Lodge 1058 has bought the old Lakeside Bar and Grill between Sam Jones Lake and Missouri Street in Harrisburg with plans to turn it into the new lodge hall. Flooding in the spring of 2011 damaged the existing building and the Elks have plans to build a new 8,400 square foot lodge that can be rented to the public as a banquet hall.
In order to help finance such a building the lodge has plans to create five new businesses on the 11-acre property. Those include a swimming beach on the lake members intend to have open by Memorial Day, fishing in the lake, a concessionaire to take money and sell refreshments, a pavilion with fireplace using the old Lakeside Building structure that may be rented for events and a campground of 20 sites with most being able to support RVs.
The tourism board has been pursuing such a campground for years.
Gardner said lodge members have estimated the campground to cost $20,000 to $25,000. Most of that is installation of electricity and water lines to the sites. Gardner said there already exists a dump station for black and gray water that Jim Watson installed when he owned the property as a bar with intent to build an RV campground.
Gardner said the lodge has also been talking with Harrisburg about the project. The city is going to raise Missouri Street to ensure it is above the level of historic floods. During the 2008 flood Missouri Street was covered by water which blocked all entrances to the Harrisburg Medical Center. The project will involve breaking up the pavement on Missouri Street and the Elks hope to take that busted pavement and use it to gravel roads through the campground and save on those costs.
"These are five businesses we are wanting to develop and show potential bankers that we have the businesses that are going to help generate the revenue in order for us to make the payments for when we build an 8,400 square foot lodge out there. That, we anticipate, will be one of the largest facilities in Harrisburg to be able to house weddings and other large events," Gardner said.
The Elks are looking for grant money to develop the campground.
"Honestly, we don't have the wherewithal at this point to continue with actually putting electrical into the ground because we've got all these other things going on. If we can come up with a grant we can match I believe our trustees and membership would quickly jump on the chance at developing that," Gardner said.
O'Dell encouraged the Elks to talk with the Southeastern Illinois Regional Planning and Development Commission about grant possibilities and to keep the tourism board updated on the plans. Progress will be limited until the raising of Missouri Street is completed for flood mitigation and the city will be ready to work on that project when the Saline County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan is completed.
Board members were enthusiastic about the project, but were not ready to take action until they have more information on actual costs.
"It's wonderful, wonderful that you are doing this. We want to help you when we can and how we can," O'Dell said.
"Our money is supposed to be spent on tourism development and it sounds like that is what this is."
During the meeting the board discussed a sort of county-wide festival of athletic competition.
Board member Eric Gregg anticipates at least 55 teams competing in the May 19 Michael Herrin Memorial Soccer Tournament in Harrisburg. He is hoping to combine that activity with a 5K race on the bike trail between Eldorado and Harrisburg and possibly a countywide rummage sale the same weekend.
Jamie Byrd of Egyptian Health Department has been organizing the 5K race.
Gregg said there is even the possibility of creating a 1/2 marathon between Carrier Mills and Eldorado with a bike event one day and a running and walking event the next day.
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DeNeal receives e-mail at bdeneal@yourclearwave.com.</li>
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