Put a Career Awareness and Assistance Program in Place: This initiative aims to train, motivate and assist residents to find jobs in and outside the Community as a step toward the improvement of the overall economy.

Upgrade the Community’s Medical Services:  The goal is to replace the current hospital and medical services buildings with more modern, safer, and lower operating cost facilities to help provide quality health care at competitive rates for decades to come. 

Replace the Pinckneyville High School Facilities: This initiative is aimed at creating an environment for the students and faculty that is more conducive to learning, safer and more efficient to operate than the existing, eighty five year old facilities.

Provide Advanced Education Opportunities for Students: The goal is to increase the percentage of: high school seniors attending and graduating from major universities; high school seniors receiving a quality education beyond high school; as well as, those graduating from high school. Funding will be put in place to assist the guidance and college counseling programs.

Upgrade the City Park Facilities: The objective is to increase the attractiveness and quality of the recreational facilities used by the Community’s young people of all ages, create better facilities for public gatherings, and improve the facilities used by the Perry County Fair and American Thresherman Association for their events. A master plan will be developed that considers the following needs – a larger and more modern grandstand and stage; an exhibition hall with the capability of handling a variety of functions; a modern baseball and soccer complex; a new swimming pool; more modern picnic, outdoor meeting and restroom facilities; and, a better road system and parking within the park.

Implement a Community Beautification Program: The goal of this initiative is to make the Community a more attractive and pleasant place and to increase property values as a result. 

Create Additional Tourism Attractions: The objective is to provide additional activities for residents and tourists, benefiting the economy and property values.

Develop Skills to Help Implement the Initiatives: Successful communities demonstrate many talents. Time and other assets are invested in the political process at the federal and state levels. Organizations are in place with the staffing to locate, solicit and administer grants and gifts from sources outside their community.

Pinckneyville Community Hospital is moving forward. Following the upheaval in the financial markets in late 2008, the hospital turned to a program through Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to seek support for the funding needed for the replacement hospital. The 242 Program was designed to assist hospitals paid by Medicare under its Critical Access reimbursement program with funding for replacement facilities.

The hospital’s Certificate of Need application was deemed complete by the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Board and scheduled for hearing in Chicago on April 20^th of this year. The hospital’s application to HUD is scheduled for delivery in late April requesting their backing for the funding necessary for the project. The construction drawings are scheduled for completion by April 23^rd and will be submitted to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) for review the following week with a request for a fast track review. The prebid meeting with the prequalified contractors is set for May 3^rd with bid openings set for 3 pm on May 20^th at the hospital. The general contractor will present a guaranteed maximum price to the Board at its June 7^th meeting for approval. A request for an early release is being submitted to HUD which would allow the hospital to proceed after HUD approves our application while the documentation is being finalized. The hospital must use its funded depreciation on the project before borrowing commences. The hospital has sufficient funds to cover the first 4 to 5 months payments which provides more than enough time for the HUD documentation to be finalized to support the borrowing for the project. A July 2010 construction start is hoped for with completion in early September of 2011. After IDPH completes its preoccupancy inspection and approves occupancy, the final stages of moving into the new facility will be set in motion.

Pinckneyville Community High School is continuing on its path towards new construction. The district is currently awaiting the State of Illinois Capital Development Board to conduct a visit to determine what percentage the district will be funded within the Construction Grant program. Currently the District has completed all due diligence needed for the visit and is ready to proceed with design and planning once the visit is complete. The District hopes to have the design completed by late fall of 2010 and start construction in the spring of 2011. This would allow Pinckneyville Community High School to occupy its new facility for the 2012-2013 school year. 

Like all Illinois schools, Pinckneyville High Schoolis feeling the effects of the State of Illinois’ budget crisis. Our district is no different than other districts or businesses that rely on state payments to facilitate their operations.   Citizens of Pinckneyville are urged to contact their l legislators to urge them to develop a resolution to the state’s financial issues for the sake of our children’s educational future.

Pinckneyville Community High School is developing new initiatives to enhance our students’ opportunities after graduation from PCHS. We will increase our students’ understanding of their post high school possibilities at colleges and universities at a younger age. Students need to enter high school with more information about how their high school course selection can influence and create more rewarding post-secondary opportunities. We look forward to providing this information to our students, families and the community.