State Senator Steve McClure is seeking out funding in the upcoming state budget to restore Lincoln’s New Salem site in Petersburg.
The Center Square reports that McClure has filed legislation seeking $5 million for site improvements while another piece would set up the New Salem Preservation Commission to determine the true renovation costs.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has requested $19 million for restoration efforts at the site.
McClure says that the site is in dire need of repairs: “Our hope, to be honest, would be that this could get funding in the budget – let’s say it’s $19 million – and then, once it’s in, we still have this commission every year continue to maintain the property…It is a place that this state should be showcasing and our students should be learning from. Unfortunately, right now, however, New Salem is in a state of disrepair. It seems like every few weeks a new roof has caved in, a new structure is in trouble. Simple things like simply watching the introductory video have become an issue at the site. This has been very unacceptable. This hasn’t just happened in the last few days, or weeks, or months. This has happened over the course of years. It’s time for all of us to get together as a state to save New Salem.”
McClure joined State Representative Wayne Rosenthal’s last Wednesday at the Capitol to address the issues. Rosenthal, who was head of the Department of Natural Resources from 2015 to 2019, partnered with the Lincoln League to draft the parent legislation which he is carrying in the Illinois House.
Senate Bill 1417 passed the Senate State Government Committee on February 20th. The other two bills in the package are awaiting hearings in the Appropriations and Executive Committees.