Marion Still Growing, A Quiet 1969
Continuing growth marked a quiet 1969 in Marion.
There were no murders, no violent fatalities, no disasters or catastrophes within the city in the year, not even a flood such as plagued it in previous years.
Growth continued despite voter opposition to increased taxes for two facets of city progress.
Marion Unit Two residents voted 2,140 to 1919 against a $700,000 bond issued to build a new grade school and a 35 cent increase in the education tax rate on March 15.
A revised bond issue proposal calling for only $550,000 to build the school again failed on Dec. 13 by a vote of 1,256 to 882.
At year’s end, Board of Education members are still in doubt what they will now do to meet the school population problem.
Enrollment grew to a record 4,435 pupils, an increase of 46 since opening day of school Sept. 3 and 282 more in the last two years.
In addition to the continued increase in pupils in the decade, the board’s problem is compounded by the closure of McKinley School because of the Nov. 9, 1968 earthquake damages. The 198 McKinley pupils are attending classes at the high school where they have taken over 10 classrooms. All the other elementary buildings have capacity enrollments.
Completion of the third floor addition to Memorial Hospital fell through.
A contract was let to Columbia Securities and White-Phillips Co. Feb. 6 by the city council on a low bid of 5.63 per cent interest on a $725,000 bond issue.
National inflation and high interest rates then hit the city. Company representatives notified officials March 17 that it would be impossible to sell the bonds to investors at the 5.63 per cent bid or even at the maximum state limit of 6 per cent.
The money would have been used to complete three wings, a solarium, surgical wing and to modernize administration and kitchen facilities.
The board spent about $430,000 it had accumulated in depreciation funds to construct the third floor shell in 1968-69. Work was completed and one wing of 20 beds was opened for use on March 30. It raised hospital capacity to 95.
Improvements to the Marion Veteran’s Hospital also were hit by inflation in the year. Veteran’s Administrator Donald E. Johnson announced Nov. 15 a presidential directive of Sept. 4 restricted construction contract awards as a means of combatting inflation.
That affected $2,149,000 for work at the Marion hospital (VA) to add beds, air conditioning, expanding office and laboratory space, modernizing the kitchen for hot food serving apparatus and other work.
Congressman Kenneth J. Gray said he would hold up $200 million of administration requests now pending before his Committee on Public Grounds and Buildings for approval until the Marion hospital funds are released.
A $176,280 sewer extension project west of Interstate 57 was completed, allowing production to begin at the $2,000,000 Marion Pepsi-Cola Co. plant in May and opening of the $1 million Holiday Inn in June.
Movie star Joan Crawford participated in dedication of the bottling company plant on Sept. 20.
Construction of a new fire station will be completed with the laying of carpeting Tuesday. The council let a $77,171 contract on June 9 for the station. It will replace a station used since the city had horse drawn equipment.
The Marion Park Board dedicated John W. Jones Park in Gents Addition on June 22 and in the summer began clearing a new seven acre park site on Russell Street.
A newly paved 1,322 foot section of Boyton Street was opened to traffic June 23, allowing residents again to have a shorter route to downtown. For 10 months while the project was underway, residents had to drive by way of the Creal Springs Road and old Route 13.
The council in December appropriated $120,000 from its motor fuel taxes for improvements to streets in 1970 at the new Williamson County courthouse site on the old Washington School grounds.
A $142,000 project was completed at the city lake in the summer. The earthen dam was raised from 135 to 215 acres, three times more water which will eliminate any future need to pump from Crab Orchard Lake during droughts.
The first services in the new $225,000 Aldersgate Methodist Church were June 8. Marion First United Methodist Church members attended services in their sanctuary remodeled at a cost of $115,000 on Dec. 7.
Wolohan Lumber Co. of Saginaw, Mich., opened its fifteenth lumberyard in a four state area in Marion in December. It is a $550,000 investment.
(Extracted from the Southern Illinoisan, December 28, 1969, O.R. Wiley of the Southern Illinoisan)