Hard Scrabble Visionary: Brett Baumrucker Has Another Idea

Once again, Brett Baumrucker has taken to Facebook to unleash a flurry of civic-minded brainstorms—this time, setting his sights on the long-beleaguered St. Mary’s Church. The beloved architectural artifact, currently marked for demolition to make way for a Beck’s gas station, has ignited passion among preservationists, arsonists, and now... lawncare enthusiasts.

Baumrucker, known for his relentless dedication to both mowing grass and typing status updates, proposed a fresh use for the iconic-but-crumbling church building. “What if we turned St. Mary’s into a multi-purpose civic greenhouse, fitness center, museum, affordable housing loft, aquaponics farm, and welcome center for visitors?” he posted at 10:17 p.m., alongside a blurry photo of the church with the caption: “We can do better.”

Reactions poured in faster than a crackhead runs from steady employment

. One follower replied: “I’d rather it be a Culvers.” Another asked, “Who’s gonna pay for this, Brett?” And a third simply commented: “You should be mayor.”

Of course, Brett can’t be mayor. As we all know, he lives outside the city limits. Which makes his commitment to revitalizing Streator all the more curious and endearing—like a guy shouting suggestions from the sidewalk while someone else builds a treehouse. You can’t help but appreciate the heart, even if the blueprints are sketched on the back of a Casey’s receipt.

Still, one has to admit: in a world of committees, consultants, and corridor studies, there’s something refreshing about Brett’s brand of grassroots planning. He may not have funding, zoning, or an architectural rendering, but he has passion—and a working weed eater. When most of us walk past a shuttered church and mutter “shame,” Brett squints at it and sees a botanical coffee shop powered by reclaimed stormwater.

Brett’s idea will almost certainly not be funded, endorsed, or acted upon. But like many of his other proposals—including turning the old Kmart into a town square or building a pedestrian bridge over the Vermilion River—this one starts a conversation. And starting a conversation is more than most consultants can do for $75,000 and a PowerPoint.

So here’s to Brett, Streator’s unofficial idea generator and full-time Facebook visionary. And for putting his money where his mouth is by donating $1000 to Logan's Oasis Playground while simultaneously keeping our streets clean. You may not be mayor, but your comment section is the closest thing we have to a public forum. And your commitment to this city is admirable.

And until the bulldozers come for St. Mary’s, we’re glad someone is still imagining what it could be. Even if that imagination is occasionally sponsored by Monster Energy and posted at midnight.