By: Diane Benjamin
I get a lot of tips from readers, this is one of them.
Decades ago downtown Bloomington was heated by steam. Below the old existing buildings are pipes, and no surprise – they are wrapped in asbestos.
Didn’t you find it strange that the Giebelhausen “shovel ready” project won’t be shovel ready? The documentation clearly states that underground structures won’t be taken out. This was supposedly to prevent sidewalks and streets from caving in.
The City is going to bailout Huff’s and CEFCU, then taxpayers will be forced to remediate anything underground. MILLIONS more could be involved because whatever is built on the site needs a foundation. Anything existing underground will be in the way.
Taxpayers will be forced to improve the water and sewer systems, maybe even electrical systems feeding downtown. Millions more will be needed.
It gets worse. Monday night Tari and company are holding an executive session – a secret meeting – to discuss the purchase. If the Coliseum fleecing wasn’t bad enough, the City of Bloomington is going to fleece you again. The Coliseum at least had a pretend price tag, this project doesn’t. $8.2 million won’t get anywhere near Tari’s plans for a downtown hotel.
I’ve verified the steam heat and underground heat plant with many people who know past history.
I also heard a lot of underground garbage and structures had to be cleared before the Coliseum was built. That cost wasn’t included in the initial price, staff was just paid to do the work.
One more: The Front and Center building isn’t really boarded up. The wood on the main floor is merely sitting in the windows. If you are downtown, send pics.
There is a madness of which our national, state, and our local politicians seem to be infected with as though it is a sickness. As sickness can be excused, bad intention cannot, so we just accept that these politicians are nuts and just go on with our daily lives hoping that some common sense will return and all will be well. As the introduction of private, public partnerships have appeared we should be on notice to suspect that something is up.
Quite simply (as we see locally) why has our public services failed and why is there no accountability? These people aren’t exactly stupid so what is going on here? Why do they seem to be working against us, rather than for us? We need to realize that since they pay little attention to what we the people have to say that these politicians are following an agenda which is not consistent with righteously serving the people.
Their failure is intentional. Crony capitalism wins and we the people are screwed.
The only “positive” about Monday’s meeting is: “Note: No action will be taken on any matters at this meeting beyond approval of the minutes.”
It would be nice if the Council Chambers were packed with outraged citizens as a result of the newspaper’s article. Unfortunately, most people don’t know the half of it. Even those who try to stay informed have the facts withheld or are misled by the Council and Manager.
Major employers leaving; Amtrak losing funding; withholding of property tax reimbursement by the State; decreased sales tax revenue; decreased MFT revenue; entertainment venues running in the red; deterioration of basic city services. But, a MAJOR multimillion dollar transformation of downtown and continued subsidization is the solution to the city ‘s problems.
I finally got my Pantycrap at 2 this afternoon. So much for the new and improved delivery service, but I digress.
After reading the two front page articles about Rob Fazzini’s involvement, there’s now absolutely no question this deal stinks.
I stopped at my mother’s place on Sunday and the delivery jerk makes a u turn in the driveway and drives across the front lawn. I called them this morning and gave them a piece of my mind. I have found it on the ground, stuffed into the mailbox. The jerks can’t seem to put it into the orange delivery box. Next I’m going to file a complaint with the USPS. Only mail is allowed in a mailbox. Why my mother is even interested in the POS newspaper is beyond me. I’ve told her time and again just drop the subscription. There is nothing in it to begin with.
As for UNDERGROUND structures under the hotel, I notice NO ONE has even brought up the ole coal mine tunnels which run under the city, and with the weight of a NEW hotel above them COULD subside, anyone check on this?
Pisa has a leaning tower, Bloomington a leaning hotel. I bet they have no idea where all those mines are at. Oops a crane just disappeared.