Bill Text: IL HR0460 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Congratulates the City of Fairview Heights on the occasion of its 50th anniversary.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Passed) 2019-10-28 - Resolution Adopted [HR0460 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2019-HR0460-Introduced.html

---

HR0460 LRB101 12794 ALS 61628 r
HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
Representatives wish to congratulate the City of Fairview
Heights on the occasion of its 50th anniversary; and
WHEREAS, Germans and other European immigrants established
farms in the Fairview Heights area, then known as Ridge
Prairie, by the mid 1800s; early pioneers included Irishman
William Kinsella, great-grandfather of Marilyn Kinsella, a
storyteller, retired educator, and member of the 50th
anniversary committee; his two-story, hand-hewn log cabin,
which was built in 1854, still stands in Pleasant Ridge Park;
and
WHEREAS, One of the community's early hubs was the
intersection of what is now Bunkum Road and Lincoln Trail,
where there was a brickyard, a farmhouse that served as an inn,
and the original one-room Grant School; the tavern and trading
post operated by Henry Becherer, later known as the Ridge
Prairie Saloon, was another center of activity; and
WHEREAS, The first of seven coal mines opened in 1903; the
name Fairview was first used in an advertisement by a land
developer after the streetcar was extended to the area in an
effort to appeal to people living in St. Louis; Raymond

HR0460 - 2 - LRB101 12794 ALS 61628 r
Fairbrother, a resident from East St. Louis, platted the first
residential subdivisions in 1906; posters described the
subdivision as a place "where life is worth living"; and
WHEREAS, In 1914, local residents formed the Fairview
Improvement Association and raised money for sidewalks and
roads; a mercantile store, owned by the Shively family and
later the Gaidos, opened in 1916; East St. Louis Light and
Power Company began delivering electricity in 1924; the
association bought a used fire truck in 1933, leading to the
organization of a volunteer fire department; throughout the
1940s and 1950s, subdivisions, stores, and restaurants were
developed; and
WHEREAS, One of the most notable landmarks, St. Albert the
Great Catholic Parish's round church, was built in 1967; by the
mid 1960s, local residents began asking for a post office; a
referendum was held to decide whether to call the area Ridge
Prairie, Lincoln Heights, or Fairview Heights; the later won by
a three-to-one margin; residents voted to incorporate in a
special election on September 27, 1969; and
WHEREAS, Warren Baker was appointed as temporary city clerk
and helped to plan the first Fairview Heights Election on
December 16, 1969; voters elected Everett Moody as Mayor and
Les Klein as City Clerk; Charles Baricevic, father of former

HR0460 - 3 - LRB101 12794 ALS 61628 r
St. Clair County Board Chairman and Chief Circuit Judge John
Baricevic, was an original alderman; the City bought its first
fleet of four police cars at the Oliver Dee Joseph dealership
in Belleville; Longacre Park, later renamed Moody Park, was
dedicated in 1976; a year later, the old Pleasant View
tuberculosis sanitorium was purchased and converted into City
Hall; and
WHEREAS, Fairview Heights saw the construction of its first
large discount store, Venture, in 1969; Macy's opened in 1973,
and St. Clair Square, a two-level shopping mall, opened a year
later; the metro-east section of Interstate 64, which traced
U.S. 50 and improved access for shoppers throughout the region,
opened in 1975; commercial growth continued in the 1990s with
the construction of the Stonewolf Golf Club, the Four Points by
Sheraton Conference Center, and the 280,000-square-foot
Fairview Heights Shopping Center; a MetroLink stop opened in
2001; and
WHEREAS, Today, the City of Fairview Heights has evolved
into a shopping mecca that attracts people from all over the
region; it issues nearly 1,000 licenses to stores, restaurants,
hotels, and other businesses annually; it is one of the few
municipalities that does not levy property taxes, and most
government programs and services are funded by sales tax
revenue; the population is just over 17,000; because of the

HR0460 - 4 - LRB101 12794 ALS 61628 r
shopping, dining, and other commerce, including the people who
work in the City, the population swells to 50,000 by day and
can go up to 70,000 during the peak holiday season; the City
employs 42 police officers; and
WHEREAS, A committee has planned eight public events to
celebrate the City's anniversary, including the early-May
opening of The Rec, Heritage Day, a concert at Moody Park, a
cake decorating contest, a time capsule burial, a parade and
Party in the Park, an open house at City Hall, and an
Anniversary Ball; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
we congratulate the City of Fairview Heights on the occasion of
its 50th anniversary and wish the City many more successful
years; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
presented to Mayor Mark Kupsky as an expression of our esteem
and respect.