Posts Tagged ‘ Peoria Civic Center ’

Civic Center designers flushed common sense down the toilet

January 15, 2010
By Billy Dennis

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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Posted in Local | 7 Comments »

Alleged hotel room shortage doesn’t stop Jumer’s from closing

December 9, 2009
By Billy Dennis

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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Posted in Local | 12 Comments »

Got crime in your neighborhood? Call a landscaper

May 12, 2009
By Billy Dennis

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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Posted in Local | 3 Comments »

Local: Increase HRA taxes? WONDERFUL idea!

February 8, 2008
By Billy Dennis

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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Posted in Local | 6 Comments »

Local: City taking a walk on sidewalk responsibilities

January 16, 2008
By Billy Dennis

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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Posted in Local | 6 Comments »

Politics: Quote of the day

November 16, 2007
By Billy Dennis
Politics: Quote of the day

Of all the noises known to man, opera is the most expensive. – Moliere
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Posted in Misc | Comments Off

Today’s news: Crime, like the Journal Star edit page, is a pain in the ass

October 9, 2007
By Billy Dennis

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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Posted in Misc | Comments Off

The boondoggle is dead, long live the next boondoggle

June 28, 2007
By Billy Dennis

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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Posted in Local | 1 Comment »

Boosterism from the Journal Star?

January 26, 2007
By Billy Dennis

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

September 15, 2006
By Billy Dennis

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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Posted in Misc | 7 Comments »

I owe Mayor Ardis an apology

March 31, 2006
By Billy Dennis

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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Posted in Misc | 8 Comments »

The return of Dave Ransburg

March 13, 2006
By Billy Dennis

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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Posted in Politics | 30 Comments »

Only someone in a coma could miss this pattern

February 27, 2006
By Billy Dennis
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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Posted in Politics | 7 Comments »

Yet another afront to taxpayer dignity from the Peoria Civic Center

February 24, 2006
By Billy Dennis

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

February 20, 2006
By Billy Dennis
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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Posted in Politics | 7 Comments »

Will someone kill this boondoggle before it’s too late

February 16, 2006
By Billy Dennis
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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Posted in Politics | 5 Comments »

I can think of a good way to spend $714,384

January 14, 2006
By Billy Dennis

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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Posted in Local | 7 Comments »

Another handout for the Civic Center

September 23, 2005
By Billy Dennis

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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Posted in Politics | 3 Comments »

Peoria might not even get any evacuees

September 11, 2005
By Billy Dennis

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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Posted in Local | 5 Comments »