2002 North Utica Comprehensive Plan COMMUNITY FACILITIES, SERVICES, AND INFRASTRUCTURE Churches The two churches in Utica have a long history and as in most communities they have played an important role in the communities development. The first parochial Mass in Utica dates back to 1675. The Catholic residents of Utica built a church in 1858, under the direction of the priests from St. Patrick’s Church in LaSalle. The original frame church burned in 1875 and the present church, St. Mary’s, was built in 1888. An architect and contractor from Rock Island, Matthias Schnell, designed this church. It was constructed of Utica Pressed brick. The church celebrated its 276th anniversary in 1951 with a bronze and granite memorial to its founder, Father Jacques Marquette. The Utica Baptist Church began when a Baptist congregation was founded in 1868 with the building of the church in 1877. Education The first school, Aitken School, was built in 1865. It served as one of 250 rural schools in the county. The school was named for John Malcolm Aitken, the school director from 1885 to 1905. Aitken School was established as District One and operated until 1954. At that time, the district was consolidated with Dimmick School, located in the city of LaSalle. The building was originally located on the property of Unimin Corporation. It was later donated to the LaSalle County Historical Society and moved from its original site in 1990. The following are the two school districts in Utica servicing kindergarten through eighth grades: The original building for Utica Elementary School was built in 1887. As of the 2001-2002 school year, there were 58 students with a teaching staff of seven. It is predicted that the following school year is likely to have less than 50 students. A survey was sent to every residence within District 135 to get opinions and responses for future plans regarding annexing or consolidating the District with Deer Park or annexing the District with Oglesby. However current discussions are occurring with Waltham School District regarding the reorganization of the District. The decision of annexation or consolidation has yet to be determined. The residents of the two districts will make the final vote. Residents hope that the remaining building will be used for community programs should it be abandoned. Waltham School celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in April 2002. There are about 187 students and about 50 staff. As of Spring 2002, the school has a capacity of 240 students. Community Facilities, Services, and Infrastructure July 2002 Page 6 - 1 2002 North Utica Comprehensive Plan The future expansion of Waltham school is dependent upon need and future enrollment. There are state construction grants available, however, enrollment must be more than 200 for consideration of state grant funds. Secondary and Higher Education Secondary educational facilities are in the communities of LaSalle and Peru. Illinois Valley Community College is located three miles away. Northern Illinois University and Illinois State University are about sixty miles from Utica. Utica Public Library District The Utica Public Library was established in 1952 through the efforts of the Utica Women’s Club. The original location of the library was in the former one- room schoolhouse that was situated on Canal Street. In 1973, an agreement was made with the local chapter of the American Legion to build a new building on the site of the civic association’s meeting hall. In 1988, the library became a district, expanding to include Deer Park Township. At its current location on Mill and Grove Street, the library building has been Utica Public Library expanded twice, in 1988 and 1996. The library has been funded by public interest and support as well as through grant programs under the Illinois State Library, a division of the Office of Secretary of State using Federal Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) funding. Services provided by the library include preschool story hour, lapsit programs, summer reading programs, and delivery service to local grade schools and homebound residents of the district. The library is equipped with audio books and large print materials in addition to its common collection of books. The district supports a population of about 2,000 people. There are over 33,000 books and serial volumes, sixteen plus subscriptions, and numerous video materials. Parks and Recreation Utica does not have a park district. There are two developed parks in Utica. The two parks are Ball Diamond and Neighbor’s Parks. The village hopes to develop another park site in the near future. The site management agency of these parks is the village of Utica Parks Committee. The village also has the Utica Little League. The following parks are shown on the Transportation Map on page 3-3. Community Facilities, Services, and Infrastructure July 2002 Page 6 - 2 2002 North Utica Comprehensive Plan Ball Diamond Park is located just north of the I & M Canal. The park includes a ball diamond, playground equipment, a concession stand and public restrooms. The ball field is used for little league baseball and softball games. Neighbor’s Park is located on top of the hill next to the water tower. There are some picnic tables and some playground equipment that is in need of replacement. There are four state parks that the Illinois Department Ball diamond just north of of Natural Resource owns and manages in Utica and I & M Canal the surrounding area. They are: Buffalo Rock State Park is located between Utica and Naplate on Dee Bennett Road. The park is 298 acres and is located on the north bank of the Illinois River and south of the I & M Canal. The park is on a bluff that was once and island in the river. The park is just across the street from the I & M Canal trail which makes it easily accessible by hikers and bikers. Facilities include picnic areas, restroom facilities, baseball diamond, playground, horseshoe pits, hiking trails and three primitive camping areas along the trail between Buffalo Rock and Utica. The park also includes five sculptures of unique earth art done in tribute to the Native American burial grounds. The park has two American bison that call Buffalo Rock their home. The Illinois & Michigan (I & M) Canal runs through Utica. The canal, which was constructed to move goods from Chicago to the Illinois River, is now used for recreational purposes. The trail is part of the Grand Illinois trail and the American Discovery Trail. The Grand Illinois Trail loops 475 miles between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River. The trail joins together existing and proposed state and local trails. There are numerous sites and activities to enjoy along the Grand Illinois Trail. The American Discovery I & M Canal Trail crosses fifteen states and goes from coast to coast covering 6,300 miles. Matthiessen State Park is located south of the Illinois River between Utica and Oglesby. The original 176-acre park consisted started as a private park, known as Deer Park, of Frederick William Matthiessen. He was a prominent industrialist and philanthropist from Community Facilities, Services, and Infrastructure July 2002 Page 6 - 3 2002 North Utica Comprehensive Plan LaSalle. After Matthiessen died, the park was given to the Department of Conservation (now Department of Natural Resources). The park was opened to the public in 1943 and renamed for Mr. Matthiessen. Since then, acquisitions have increased the park's size to a total of 1,938 acres. Starved Rock State Park is located just south of the Illinois River. The park includes a lodge with 71 hotel rooms, a restaurant, lounge, 18 cabins, and a newly built visitor center. The lodge was constructed in the 1930’s in part by the Civilian Conservation Corps. There are over 15 miles of scenic hiking trails along the Illinois River through several canyons of which many have waterfalls. The hiking trials, which are open year-round, offer some wonderful sites of frozen waterfalls. Additional activities offered are camping, fishing, boating, picnicking, horseback riding, and cross-country skiing. The Illinois Waterway Visitor Center is located at the Starved Rock Lock and Dam and is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Facilities include indoor and outdoor observation areas, hand-on exhibits, a slide show and safety presentations. The visitor center is an excellent location for bald eagle watching during the winter. The bald eagles come to the area during the winter and nest on Plum Island. Police Illinois Waterway Visitor Center There are 10 part-time employees for the police department and a full-time police chief. Two officers are on duty on weekends and one on weekdays. The Department covers 24 hours per day on weekends and 16 hours per day on weekdays. The Police Chief is on call 24 hours a day. However, calls after midnight are directed to state or county offices. The Department anticipates a need for more staff. Major department equipment includes ’01 and ’99 Ford police cars with mobile data computers. The ’99 Ford will be replaced in the near future. Due to state parks as destination attractions and their vicinity to the village, the Utica Police Department have a significantly larger number of calls and stops than most other communities of similar size. Fire and Ambulance Protection The original station was constructed in 1947. Additions and improvements have been made to the structure to accommodate the growing needs of the community. The district protects an area of 102 square miles. It includes Starved Rock State Park and two major Interstates. There are 27 paid on-call firefighters and an established junior firefighters program for youth ages 15-18 years old.