By: Diane Benjamin
I bet you didn’t click on the links in the first story: https://blnnews.com/2019/09/03/another-questionable-lease-in-normal/
You missed a gem that tells what to expect in the near future concerning the ISU Art Gallery in Uptown. It is in this document on page 2: Original rent November 4, 2013
So:
- The Town charged the parking garage and retail space to the taxpayer’s credit card
- The Town spent $1.9 million finishing the space just for ISU
- ISU has been in the building for 5 years and only reimbursed the Town plus 4%
- The original plan was to give them the space rent free forever
- Taxpayers will receive nothing for their investment
- The Town and other units of government (like Unit 5) receive no property taxes
- This prime retail space will add no taxes that can help pay off the Uptown debt
Don’t forget, ISU has a new location at the airport too: https://blnnews.com/2019/08/29/art-gallery-opens-at-the-airport-today/
This space used to be rented as a gift shop. Instead of decreasing the rent to keep a tax and rent paying business, the airport gave ISU a free lease.
ISU isn’t listed among the top 25 art schools: https://www.niche.com/colleges/search/best-colleges-for-art/
ISU isn’t listed in the top 100 in the world either: https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/university-subject-rankings/2015/art-design#sorting=rank+region=+country=+faculty=+stars=false+search=
The University of Illinois is though.
Normal taxpayers: Ever feel like everybody comes before you?
It’s JUST a branch of the “Center for Visual Atrocities” MOST of the “art” that comes out of ISU is best suited for collection once a week.. That IS IF the UPTOWN guys will pick it up..
Hey… this is part of the whole Uppity Normal thing and attracting the right kind of Uppity people. Gone are the days of the Cellar and the Gallery where regular town people could go and relax. Now we have taxpayer subsidized art galleries and charging stations for the elite’s electric cars. They have created an environment that both the rich Chicago parents and their less than outstanding offspring can feel comfortable dumping a small fortune into a worthless ISU degree. It all boils down to this: If you are a regular working person don’t bother going to Upscale Normal. It was not designed for you and they really don’t want you there. Upscale Normal is for the elites. Upscale Normal is a taxpayer funded marketing tool for ISU.
When Normal lowered the rent for Subway, I remember reading something about the funding for the City Hall and Train Station limited the revenue the city could collect. If the ISU Art Gallery space was part of the same funding, maybe the plan was not to make any revenue.
Again, the bottom line is that Koos and the Town are incredibly desperate to fill spaces in Uptown in order to perpetuate the illusion that it’s a success. It clearly is not. Uptown tenants are heavily subsidized by government (i.e. taxpayers) or are government themselves, as is the case with the ISU art gallery. Koos’ agenda can’t afford to have any more vacant spaces on full display for taxpayers to see. Unless it’s made an issue, the gallery will continue to operate in its current space into perpetuity. I don’t see Koos and the Town kicking ISU out. Politically, they probably want Stan and others to attack the lease so they can hide behind the students and the influence of ISU.
But of coarse ..,,would expect no less of them folk to hand out everything as long as tax payers keep bending over and voting them in . I could exfoliate a million outrages , but it’s done . and it will continue .Ka sa ra sa ra ,, Lets see who votes for more , once again green lighting waste , abuse , negligence and damn near humorous feud .
A nice little project on a gloomy day is doing a little digging into all of the little “art” galleries tucked away in BloNo – it’s kind of stomach churning though when you realize how many of them are funded and how they stay open etc. I have come to the conclusion that many are basically free storage space for stuff that is in the way at the houses of the “artists” who use them to store their stuff nobody buys. I’ve been dragged to a couple showings in BloNo in my life, now, I DO like art, some art, but these things were worse than watching a 0-0 soccer game and the pomposity on display from the “artists” as well as the milling patrons was jaw dropping, a blind person could have felt it. So let’s just add more places that do NOTHING to actually benefit these two cities, and, oh the jewel in the crown is of course to somehow call the storage space a “museum.”
Exactly! It is all about bringing money into the area that is not already here. This BS about improving the quality of life is worthless for paying the bills or putting food on the table. Yes, it makes the elites of the town tingle with self-important pseudo-intellectual artsy-ness, but it does nothing for the bottom line here. No art galleries, the BCPA, the Coliseum, museums, bike paths, way-finder signs, and any number of other “quality of life” enhancements that these idiots have done will not bring a single company or person into this area. What will bring companies and people here is opportunity and money. The leadership in both towns is just not smart enough to see this or they really don’t care about what happens here.
Yep, and their “tingle” is very important to them you know, it enhances their quality of life…
Koos has always seen ISU as a political ally. In exchange for student votes, he is willing to do anything ISU wants. Uptown was basically done for ISU’s benefit. All the new ISU housing just off of campus has been done by ISU and the Town basically buying off or forcing private property owners to sell so new housing can be built. Same with the free art gallery space. As other commenters have stated, Chicago mommies and daddies like knowing that daughter Buffy and son Reginald have the same lifestyle at school that they are accustomed to in Schaumburg and Wheaton. It’s not about the quality of education that keeps student numbers up but lifestyle. Also, doesn’t hurt that Durbin made sure that the Chicago types had a convenient way to get home anytime they want by building a brand new train terminal with other people’s money.
MORE tax “rebates” Just last eve Koos and his UNACCOUNTABLE Henchmen have given D.P. Dough $150 K in tax breaks to built some sort of delusional utopia restaurant where Bills Lock shop USED to be, Guess ole Bill wasnt the “right fit”.. I imagine that in UPTOWN in THEIR perfect world, there’s NO crime, so NO NEED for a lock shop..
Last I heard, Bill consolidated his two downtown locations (Bloomington and Normal) into a single location in a quiet neighborhood where the service vans could enter and exit easily and safely. Smart move. Bill had mentioned in the past that he didn’t appreciate the Town of Normal constantly closing the roads and redirecting traffic for festivals and events. Nice man. I wish him well.
This is what the private sector does: Common sense economically advantageous decisions based on real world conditions. So Upscale Normal essentially drove Bill out of the area….. Good job Fuhrer Koos! Now we can have some more uppity beer in town for the SJWs, NPCs and the elites.