100 years ago: No school picnic thanks to lacking funds

100 years ago, May 13, 1926

Here’s sad news for the kiddies. For the first time in many years O’Fallon will have no school picnic at the close of the present term. This was decided by the Board of Education. Reason “Insufficient Funds.”

Heretofore the schools raised the necessary funds to conduct the annual picnic by giving public entertainments.

Early this winter as the schools were preparing for a similar performance the scarlet fever epidemic broke out and those in charge decided not to have a public performance which accounts for “no funds.”

While several cities provide the necessary funds from the school tax money the local board believes that the money is not intended for such purposes and therefore should not be used to give picnics.

This is a disappointment to several hundred children but the only thing that they can blame it on is the scarlet fever epidemic

The following week, the Progress printed the following update.

A news article in last week’s Progress stating there would be no public school picnic on account of “no funds” aroused considerable interest and present indications are that the children will have their annual picnic.

Shortly after it became generally known, the Business Men’s Association and H. Edward Fischer Post, American Legion got busy and the kiddies will be pleased to learn that they have raised the necessary funds from their treasury for the children to have their annual treat.

The funds are to be turned over to the school board at its meeting tonight and probabilities are that they will set the date. With a number of other school activities next week the picnic will probably be held Monday, May 31 at Schafer’s grove.

75 years ago, May 10, 1951

A request was made by Fire Chief Elton Dressel that the fire siren atop the First National Bank be blown at noon instead of 10 p.m. as now because of the large number of persons who complained the sound interrupts their slumber.

Dressel asked the City Council to change the siren blowing time, established by council resolution, to the noon hour. He said the 10 p.m. time is disturbing to sleep and, besides, in the winter when it’s freezing, a fireman is compelled to climb to the roof at night to thaw the siren when it fails to blow at 10 o’clock.

He said that if it were tested at noon the fireman could do his thawing job in the daylight.

In 1951, the First National Bank was located at 101 W. State. The siren was later moved to the fire station at 106 E. Washington after it was built in 1954.

50 years ago, May 13, 1976

Some controversy has arisen over the shut down of construction at the American Legion Hall, 109 N. Penn street.

The project was closed down last week by Zoning Administrator Dave Horton because the Legion had not obtained a building permit to construct a first story addition on the hall. Because of some complications in dates and meetings, the Legion has been unable to obtain a needed variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals, which it must secure before construction can start.

The Legion filed their application for a variance with Horton in February, just after the Planning Commission had held its monthly meeting.

Horton said that the application filed by the Legion was incomplete and lacked a site plan and provision for off-street parking.

The completed application was presented to the commission at its March 17 meeting where it was sent into committee for investigation and report of recommendation. At the April 20 meeting, the commission’s committee recommended that the variance be approved and sent the recommendations to the Zoning Board of Appeals for its consideration.

However, the Zoning Board, at its March 25 meeting, failed to complete all the items on its agenda and voted to hold a continuance meeting on April 1 to finish the list of items from its March meeting. When the commission had voted to recommend approval of the Legion plan at its April 20 meeting, the Appeals Board had already met and did not have another meeting planned until May.

Horton said it was the opinion of the Zoning Appeals Board that one meeting per month is sufficient. Now the Legion must wait until the May 27 meeting to receive approval of its plan.

However, the Legion began work on their project last month after Horton told officials with the Legion that footings, foundations and plumbing could be installed before the permit is approved.

“I told them they could start with pre-construction work if they wanted to gamble on the fact that their plans were going to be approved as they were presented,” Horton said.

But when the steel girders were set into place last week, the project was shut down by Horton for unlawful expansion without a building permit. Horton said he saw no problem in the Legion obtaining the variances needed but the fact that the Legion began construction before obtaining a permit made it necessary for him to step in and stop the work.