By: Diane Benjamin
Why did the Sports Complex come back? It looks like it’s being pushed by the Convention and Visitors Bureau: (CVB)
That email was included in one of the FOIA request I received.
Another email shows the Normal City Manager’s response to a citizens opposed to the complex. I redacted he name:
Meanwhile, one of the groups that now plays at the airport thinks they can raise money – Chicago Fire.
There is a group wanting more facts considered before any backroom deals are made:
Citizens Against BN Sports Complex
This group started with the study presented to both Bloomington and Normal: https://www.normal.org/DocumentCenter/View/13829/SFA-Summary-Report-180723?bidId=
According to the group, some things were left out of the study:
- Turf will need to be replaced every 10 years
- The Dome will need replaced in 20 years
- Cost of borrowing money – $43,700,000, 30 years at 5% interest
They estimate this will add over $20,000,000 to the cost in just the first 5 years. That cost needs to be taken into account as an expense every year, not left as a surprise for citizens at the end of 10 and 20 years.
This is a chart the group prepared:
This is the chart the consultant produced – note how much revenue per year it projects:
Obviously revenue won’t come close to covering the real costs of this complex.
See more information from this group here: Citizens Against BN Sport complex
Their suggestion:
Does anyone know if Lorenz is involved with Chicago Fire Juniors soccer?
I know she’s a soccer mom and she isn’t involved with the group playing on the west fields. That sounds like a YES
I’m hearing her kid moved on to college 4 years ago, Kathleen used to be in the board. No current connection .
Evidently the proponents of the sports complex believe in and have faith in the econmic agenda of President Trump.
Where do you see that one?
Sarcasm in justifying fools spending more money.
Your going to get this Complex just as sure as God made little green apples. But the unmentioned, so far, is that it will also include the whole County’s Taxes. Prove me wrong!—————————————please!
Yes, you are correct. I have long suspected that in exchange of Lorenz’s support on other town matters, Koos made sure she was the Town’s rep on the Sports Commission because Kathy desperately wanted the appointment. A quid pro quo if you will. Koos and Renner are obsessed with legacy builds much like Judy Markowitz. Something in the liberal mind I can only guess. Whether this is even marginally successful or puts both communities in further debt is immaterial. These people like to see statues of themselves or their names on plaques. It is all that matters. They need something in bronze or concrete to remind the locals they were important and influential during their time on Earth.
You’re darn right Koos wants county tax money for the proposed sports complex. He’s still moaning for more money from the rest of McLean County to underwrite CIRA’s financial dumpster fire, which by the way the overwhelming majority of people outside of BN opposed at the time of construction and continue to have no interest in supporting.
sports tourism bringing in dollars? what about the Corvette Coral or the Air Show? Those two venues brought in thousands of dollars just in a series of weekends but the liberals (Judy M) decided to trash them and tell them to leave. So tell me, WHATS THE DIFFERENCE? The we come to the PUBLIC/PRIVATE. We have seen what a public/ private relationship is in BLONO, ie: Portillos public/ private and the biggie: the white elephant better known as the coliseum. What starts out as private in BLONO ends up being the biggest waist of taxpayers dollars. As I’ve said before; the words public/private is a sham! Public dollars are taxpayer dollars no matter who doles them out. Back to the sports tourism: Judy M said one of the reasons we got the white elephant was so her kid, who is grown and gone could play hockey! No kid,and certainly NO Hockey Team.
Call and speak to council members? Your job as a taxpayer is to sit down,shut up and pay your taxes.
If the sports complex goes forward, it will guarantee Marc is the next mayor of Normal, even if McCarthy votes against it (which is unlikely). Koos is essentially a lame duck and clearly doesn’t care. I suspect Lorenz won’t run next cycle if the sports complex goes through. (Guess why.) Oh, and Pamela, no one is falling for the “public/private partnership” line… the taxpayers know they’ll be on the hook into perpetuity.
Isn’t it nice how disengenuous local leadership is when it wants something, especially something that they have no idea how to build, promote or manage? Just another example of the BN Elitist Clique lying to your face. I can’t think of one person currently serving on the Sports Commission that has any concept or any applicable experience in taking such a project from idea to reality. Besides the obvious personal agendas involved (the Elitist Clique’s calling card) what drives this is community envy and jealousy. Peoria has a scaled down model of this sponsored by Louisville Slugger. BN can’t have something Peoria has or vice versa. This turf war has been ongoing for decades. Also, BN leadership sees this stuff in larger outlying metro areas and thinks we can do the same thing without realizing the markets are far from similar. These amateurs can’t even get SF to come along for the ride even when an SF employee was chair of this committee (mainly because they think BN and its community and universities are small time too). Soccer is a sport that will never capture the imagination of this country unless foreigners totally take it over someday. Leveraging success on soccer is a fools errand no matter what its supporters and participants will tell you. My rant really means nothing to those in charge. It will happen someday, further pushing this community in debt, whether reasonable people see otherwise.