Marseilles council clears up museum misconception, it’s still part of city’s plans

After a lengthy debate and a few raised voices, some confusion regarding the future development of the new Marseilles City Hall and the Middle East Conflicts Museum finally was resolved … somewhat.

Commissioners Jim Buckingham and Mike Scheib expressed concerns of their own and from constituents regarding a Facebook post by Mayor Jim Hollenbeck about Phalen Construction’s preliminary floor plans for the development of the 200 Riverfront Drive property the city purchased for $1.35 million in November.

The post included a Phalen drawing that seemed to indicate the museum would remain where it is, with an extension built onto the east side of the 20-foot-by-27-foot museum.

However, the copy in the text said there is a diagram for a separate 25-foot-by-50-foot walk-through building away from what would be the new city hall but by less than about 100 feet.

Confusion over whether the museum was going to be moved away from that riverfront campus had several people concerned, including the commissioners.

Hollenbeck assured everyone at the meeting that the museum is not going anywhere, and that a separate building on the same property was what the city had discussed with the Freedom Run leadership back when the memorial wall was constructed.

“I can absolutely understand the confusion,” Hollenbeck said. “I did write in there that the goal was to have a separate building for the museum, something we’d talked about to the Freedom Run from the start, where they could have their own access and not depend on whether or not city hall was open.”

Having the museum in a separate building – for which the city would not be financially responsible – would open up more space on the first and second floors of the old Illinois Valley Cellular building for outside businesses that might like a venue close to the Illinois River.

Several related issues include the timing of funding for the new structure, when construction would start and finish, and where the current museum would go while the main building was being renovated to fit the city government offices and the Marseilles Police Department.

“There are a lot of things that are going to have to happen before we get to all of this,” the mayor said.

The council also heard a presentation from Kim Zimmerman, transit director for the North Central Area Transit, thanking the city and council for its consistent support over the years.

She went on to answer questions about NCAT, including how it’s grown from just three buses when it started in Ottawa in 2012 to a growing business with hubs in Ottawa, Peru and Mendota and a fleet of 30-plus vehicles, which in 2023 provided more than 72,000 rides.

The council also heard a reminder that the Marseilles Recreation Board’s 41st annual Easter Egg Hunt will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 23, with festivities at Illini State Park, with a rain date a week later.

The hunt is set for noon. Ol’ Hickory Grill Creamery will have special prize eggs, with NUCOR supplying bicycles for the surprise eggs. There will be a bounce house, weather permitting.