By: Diane Benjamin
During public comment many first time speakers almost begged the Council to save the historic buildings at 104, 106, and 108 Beaufort Street. From the Council discussion, that is not going to happen.
City Manager Peterson claimed all they were doing was picking a developer. Oh they will see what they can do, but it doesn’t look good for the 130 year old buildings. Most members of the Council had similar attitudes: We hear you, but your opinions don’t matter. Peterson pulled out the Master Plan for Uptown, the developer “might” need to remove the three buildings. Lorenz wants new construction – cranes in the air! It will be glorious, not old buildings. I think all the members praised the public for being so respectful. Now watch them stab you in the back.
The Council could tell the developer those building are historic and need to be saved. Nothing the Council said last night showed they intend to do it.
Would somebody ask Chemberly why she brought race into the discussion? She equated Martin Luther King’s activities in the 60’s to her being on the Council. Then she implied that change is hard and then used that to justify maybe tearing down the 3 buildings. Maybe she doesn’t know Bloomington had a black woman on their Council way back in 1979: http://www.mchistory.org/research/resources/eva-jones.php
Her name was Eva Jones. Chemberly must not understand that race has no part in doing what she was elected to do. Does she believe in representative government or representing the Uptown Master Plan? Citizens care about what happens after a person gets elected! See her comments around 30:25.
Kevin McCarthy and RC McBride: The private sector knows government and government agencies don’t create prosperity. They aren’t investing in BN Advantage because they don’t throw money out windows. BN Advantage was supposed to be funded 75% private, 25% public. It’s not even close to that. I know it will be news to both, but low taxes and low fees provide money for investment. Because of you, local businesses don’t have it anymore.
If you didn’t watch the meeting video, the comments you don’t want to miss were from Marc Tiritilli. If you sat out the last election, when he only failed to be mayor by 12 votes, you will wish you had bothered to vote. He was the last speaker, go back to hear the others. Just hit play:
Chemberly is ridiculous! She’ll never acknowledge that it was her race that got her elected in the first place. Period. So much easier to play the victim. Also, I wonder if the Ecology Action Center will weigh in on the construction. They must be against it. Afterall, the greenest buildings are those already built and in use. Hello? Hello? [crickets, crickets]
Wow. Let me absorb this. Chemberly was elected because she was black. Yep. My racist meter just went off the dial. Thanks for not disappointing, BLN News commentator.
Chemberly got elected because of the make up of this Council. Since they don’t have a ward system in place and Council members are elected at large, the system is pretty much rigged for people like her to file in on the coattails of others. In the last election, Ron Ulmer was the only candidate to go against the flow. When people believe that they must vote for three, even though the other two certainly don’t represent them, you end up with Chemberly as your Council member. People need to wake up and realize that if things are going to change on this Council, we’re going to have to run three credible candidates at the same time and run them as a block to oppose the hold Koss currently has.
Also explains how Preston (Room service anyone?) got reelected to the Council when he ought to be in jail.
Or be smart enough to only vote for 1
As B/N begins the largest economic decline of any area this size in recent memory, even talking about building anything in downtown Normal (it will never be Uptown to me) is insane. State Farm is crumbling before our eyes and these jokers are going to spend more money?
The Town is spending money? How much? Giving the land away (if that’s what they end up doing) for a $29 million investment by the developer, resulting in 200 construction jobs sounds like a great deal. I’ll take that deal as a member of this community any day. How much is the town spending, Larry? Economic challenges should be countered with economic development projects just like this.
What’s up with the name tags on the speakers? Is this the most recent assault from Normal on public comment speakers that they now have to wear name tags?
Kiss the buildings good bye. They have no place in the master plan of this Council. Screw public opinion. Not only that, but since Normal owns all the buildings to the west, those will one day go too when this project is completed. They’re not going to stop until every building in uptown has gone to the wrecking ball and things are built the way this Council sees fit.
https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2018/01/16/as-national-historic-trail-legislation-progresses-one-route-66-town-expresses-concern/?refer=news
Diane, this link might be of interest to you…ENJOY!
Interesting!