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"THE BUSINESS AS USUAL" SCENARIO
The population of the Pinckneyville Community continues to grow at a modest annual rate as Metro St. Louis and, to a lesser extent, the Marion–Carbondale regions converge. Pinckneyville continues to exhibit good name recognition throughout the Midwest due to its high school sports program, and the town Square which is easily remembered by travelers.
The Community is best described as a low- to moderate-income retirement and agricultural community. Most baby boomers are well into their retirement years, and hospitals and other medical facilities are operating in excess of their capacity as a result. It remains very difficult to attract experienced physicians to the area, an issue that is common throughout rural America. The medical services available in the area are very limited, and residents drive 50–80 miles, one way, to obtain more advanced services.
The average age of homes in the Community continues to rise, although a few new homes have been built by retirees who are returning to the Community. The majority of residents are living on relatively modest fixed incomes, and the condition of the homes, business structures, and the City and County infrastructure reflect the low tax revenues and lack of zoning. Nashville, Carlyle, Freeburg and Marion are also straining under the burden of baby boomer issues; however, they are coping better as they attract new residents with higher incomes.
Sparta has benefited the most from the World Shooting & Recreation Center, with lodging, shopping and dining demonstrating rapid growth. DuQuoin has benefited from the growth of the Marion–Carbondale region, and Nashville has grown as a result of the Metro St. Louis expansion. Route 4 has been upgraded to four-lane status from Interstate 64 to Sparta, Route 13 has been upgraded from Belleville to Marissa and Marion to Route 3, and U.S. 51 has been upgraded from Carbondale to DuQuoin. The Community’s highway infrastructure remains the same as it was 10 years earlier.
Employment in higher-paying jobs and the general economy of the Community have declined from 2006 levels due to the lack of opportunities and the retirement of many residents. The lack of quality employment opportunities stimulates younger residents to move away after high school or college, although many would prefer to stay in the region. Two major manufacturing facilities have moved to other states or offshore, and the TIF program has helped a few small businesses enter the Community. Four new mines are now operating within a 50-mile radius, and 50–100 residents travel to these sources of employment each day. Approximately 100–150 residents were employed during the construction of the Prairie State Generating Plant and the installation of new emission-control equipment at the Baldwin Plant during the 2007 to 2011 time frame. Twenty-five to 50 of those residents have learned highly skilled crafts and travel to other major construction projects around the nation using the Community as their home base. A number of residents drive to the Metro St. Louis and Carbondale areas each day for higher-quality employment opportunities.
Retail businesses in the Community approximate their levels of 10 years earlier, as the Shiloh–O’Fallon, Sparta and Marion–Carbondale regions capture most retail business. Shopping and dining opportunities and variety remain limited in the Pinckneyville Community, and residents commute to other communities for these activities.
The important agricultural segment of the Community is experiencing major ownership changes, as the baby boomers are retiring and few of their descendents have the financial capability or willingness to continue with farming. The agricultural equipment, production practices and grain storage/hedging/transportation techniques used to manage a farm in 2016 are very sophisticated and require significant investment in a high-risk business. Small farms are disappearing rapidly, and large tenant farmer corporations lease from a number of non-resident owners.
The declining tax base and costs of federal and state mandates create additional pressures on the County and City to fund essential services. Government officials are forced to say “No” to a number of good ideas. The education facilities are ten years older, and the age of the high school education center exceeds 80 years. Overcrowding, under-funding, competition for quality educators, technology changes and out-dated facilities result in lower than average ACT and SAT test scores for high school graduates and fewer university alternatives as a result. The high school basketball team continues its tradition, and significant progress occurs in the other sports programs. The Rend Lake College Campus in Pinckneyville plays an expanded role in the education of Community residents.
Medical services provided in the Community face increasing cost, talent and technological challenges. The federal and state governments are reducing their funding for medical and other retirement costs of baby boomers. Medical procedures and prescription drugs are continuing to become more sophisticated and expensive. The services provided by the Community Hospital are more general in nature, and residents are forced to commute to obtain more complex services provided in the St. Louis, Mount Vernon and Carbondale medical centers. Competition for qualified physicians remains intense. The limited incomes of the retirees in the Community and reduced payments by Medicare and Medicaid programs create major financial pressures for the Community Hospital and Skilled Care Facility.
The State of Illinois and the federal government continue to lump the Community in with hundreds of thousands of other small towns throughout America due to the limited political influence of the Community. The state continues to include Perry County with the southeastern group of counties in its programs, although Perry County should in fact be included with Sinclair, Randolph and Washington counties among those that are being affected by the spread of Metro St. Louis from the west, but no one in Springfield seems to listen. Other communities with more political clout capture more federal and state funding. Federal programs are “one size fits all,” and the Community is negatively impacted by some federal programs.
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