The Journal Star’s Danielle Hatch lays some smack on the dolts who designed the Peoria Civic Center:
Every, every, EVERY time I see a show in the Peoria Civic Center Theater I curse the engineer who devised the floor plan to not include a center aisle. I would like to make that chump clamor over...
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Posts Tagged ‘ Peoria Civic Center ’
Civic Center designers flushed common sense down the toilet
Alleged hotel room shortage doesn’t stop Jumer’s from closing
The city of Peoria is gearing up to approve a multi-million dollar package to renovate a hotel that cannot manage to profit despite being located next door to the Peoria Civic Center. Meanwhile, a famous Peoria hotel is closing its doors:
The Peoria Castle Lodge, 117 N. Western Ave., once known as Jumer’s Castle Lodge...
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Got crime in your neighborhood? Call a landscaper
I don’t claim to be an expert in the laws that govern how cities collect and spend money. I know that money that goes input certain funds cannot be pulled out and put into other funds. I know that’s it’s not all one big pile of money.
Nevertheless, any city with a nearly half-million-dollar projected...
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Local: Increase HRA taxes? WONDERFUL idea!
Two downtown hotels want to increase the city’s Hotel, Restaurant and Amusement Tax. They say the teeny-tiny increase could be used to boost tourism in Peoria. The article isn’t clear how this happens but hey, what the Hell. It’s only a small amount of cash that’s going to be added to what folks pay...
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Local: City taking a walk on sidewalk responsibilities
Here is an important factoid from last night’s Peoria City Council policy session on sidewalks: The city has an estimated $100 million in unmet sidewalk needs, including repairs and installation. The city will spend about $1.3 million on sidewalks this year. At that rate — assuming no additional deterioration of existing sidewalks, we...
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Politics: Quote of the day
Of all the noises known to man, opera is the most expensive.
– Moliere
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Today’s news: Crime, like the Journal Star edit page, is a pain in the ass
Today’s news links via the Journal Star:
At first, you have to wonder how stupid a former police officer has to be to try to solicit an undercover officer. Then you realize he was fired for misconduct, so the guy obviously lacks impulse control, as do the vast majority of criminals. The reader comments on...
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The boondoggle is dead, long live the next boondoggle
Today’s Peoria Journal Star article on the death of efforts to attach a hotel to the Peoria Civic Center saved the best, most telling paragraph for last.
Civic Center Authority Chairwoman Rebekah Bourland was discussing the lack of support for a proposed Hilton Garden Inn at Monroe Avenue and Kumpf Boulevard, the latest scheme in...
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Boosterism from the Journal Star?
Could the headline above the Journal Star’s brief and mostly one-sided article on the effort to get the Peoria Civic Center added to the Warehouse District TIF possibly sound any more enthusiastic about the idea? The headline: “Hotel hopes remain alive.”
Geeze. It sounds like some kid has fallen down a well and everyone’s praying...
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The civic center circle jerk continues
First, they start looking for developers to build a hotel that’s connected to the Peoria Civic Center. Then, they decide that, gee, it might be a good idea to do a study to see if this is a good idea first. So the study comes back with a reporting stating other hotels need to...
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I owe Mayor Ardis an apology
Several times this month, I’ve questioned the independence and bravery of the Peoria City Council, specifically Mayor Jim Ardis, on the issue of building a hotel that would be attached to the Peoria Civic Center. It turns out that some of the facts on which I came to this conclusion were probably in error.
Several...
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The return of Dave Ransburg
There was a huge outcry when when reports first surfaced that the Peoria Civic Center authority was hot and heavy to begin negotiating with one developer to build a hotel next door to the facility.
The impression given was that taxpayers had nothing to worry about. The mood of the council was decidedly against such...
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Only someone in a coma could miss this pattern
Kudos to Jenny Davis and Molly Parker for a spot-on perfect Word on the Street column today. They lead with details about the corrupt (my word, not theirs) Peoria Civic Center Authority are hell bent to force taxpayers to finance a new hotel right next to the Civic Center.
The first plan fell through because...
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Yet another afront to taxpayer dignity from the Peoria Civic Center
The Peoria Civic Center decided to hire an outside consultant to bring in some new customers. I am shocked, shocked I tell you, to learn that the consultant has failed miserably:
But the consultant hasn’t produced anything near what was expected, said bureau director Steve Powell at the Peoria Civic Center Authority’s regular monthly meeting.
“We’re...
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Stench of corruption at the Peoria Civic Center AND at Peoria City Hall
I’ve never been a fan of the Peoria Civic Center. With the exception of work-related duties, I think I’ve been inside the place exactly twice in my life, once for a Bradley University basketball game and a computer flea market. The PCC does not compare to Robertson Memorial Fieldhouse in the energy and...
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Will someone kill this boondoggle before it’s too late
The Peoria Civic Center Authority is on the verge of negotiating with developer build a new hotel adjacent to the facility. The catch? They won’t tell us how much it’s going to cost taxpayers to sweeten the pot:
Whether an economic incentive package has been offered to the developer also was unclear Wednesday, though [Commissioner...
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I can think of a good way to spend $714,384
The city found a buyer for a piece of land it stole from poor people seized through eminent domain about 30 years ago:
The City Council has been offered $714,384 for the last large piece of vacant land in Southtown – a four-acre grassy island south of William Kumpf Boulevard. There, Select Medical Property Ventures...
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Peoria Civic Center’s failure: Bad leadership or simply a bad idea?
One of three situations is true:
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Another handout for the Civic Center
Here comes the Peoria Civic Center Authority with its hand out again. Seems they’ve gone ahead and started a massive construction project and then discovered that the bids are higher than they have money to spend.
Oops.
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Peoria might not even get any evacuees
Peoria government and volunteer organizations have put in huge numbers of hours getting ready to care for Hurricane Katrina evacuees. Now, it looks like there’s a question whether we are going to get any at all.
That’s actually good news, not because we don’t want them here. Peorians want to help and most of...
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