By: Diane Benjamin
I finally made it through all 924 pages of the latest FOIA from Normal.
Marc Tiritilli addressed the Council in person before they voted to continue electric aggregation. Prior to that he sent this email:
I suggest you compare Ameren prices to your bills if you haven’t opted-out. Marc knows what he is talking about!
This email from Pam Reece has lots of information: March 12 Reece email
Interesting excerpts:
Looks to me like Normal taxpayers will be owning a derelict building.
The date of this email is March 12th. In January the Convention and Visitors Bureau nixed paying a consultant again to evaluate a sports complex. https://blnnews.com/2020/01/08/is-the-sports-complex-finally-dead/
Kathleen Lorenz and Kevin McCarthy are on the CVB Board: https://www.visitbn.org/contact-us/staff-board/
A solution already exists, the two groups just can’t get along: https://blnnews.com/2020/02/12/this-will-kill-the-sports-complex/
Bloomington appears to not be interested. Last I heard the groups that play at the airport were raising money themselves and looking for land. With close to half of the population of Normal now missing, Normal is likely too strapped to do anything. Of course, debt never stops them from anything.
Correct me if I’m wrong but hasn’t the town of Normal already given Nick Africano a half million dollars to correct the two “eyesores” that he owned with the understanding that he’d renovate this one?
https://blnnews.com/2020/03/06/one-normal-plaza-and-nick-africano/
I have been using Ameren “Power Smart Pricing” for a few years now and the rate is about 13% less than Ameren. Todays rate is 2.2/kWh
https://www.powersmartpricing.org/
Is that because they can turn you off because of high demand?
Imagine that, Koos and his central planning cronies are horrible at real estate development. Who would have guessed? Looks like this private-public partnership is a lot more public than private. Use of the word “[t]ruthfully” at the beginning of the sentence that says the Town doesn’t desire to possess the building was a little suspicious. Why use that term here versus elsewhere in the paragraph. It’s as if they feel the need to convince us that the Town really doesn’t want to own it. I’d guess some in the Town Hall are little more excited about this building falling into government hands than they want to let on. If anyone believes that Koos and the Town are doing a good job planning the local economy, then I have an overpriced groundfloor restaurant space with no parking to rent you.
I recall The Mayors of both Bloomington and Normal repeatedly stating citizens would save $200 to $300 a year on their energy bills and who could be against that. They also said people suggesting otherwise were putting out bad information which is why Bloomington had a second vote. Now who exactly was putting out “Bad Information.” And who intentionally lied to the voters?
All they wanted was it approved. After that nobody cared.
No shutoffs or brown outs. March average was 2.61/kWh, 40% less than Ameren. If I remember correctly doesn’t the company the did the aggregate get like 0.5% payment?
One email claimed Normal may not be taking a cut anymore. Once Marc is mayor we can find out. 🙂
I still want to know how much the demolition company was paid to tear down the old ISSCS Administration building. It didn’t cost $500,000 to demolish one building. The tax payers of Normal have every right to know how their money is spent. And instead of rehabbing or tearing down the Infirmary building, the entire family went on vacation. 😡