By: Diane Benjamin
I can’t imagine why Mayor Bike Shop wants another trail extension, but he does. It looks like yet another grant has been lined up meaning people across the country and State get to pay for what Normal wants:
This project is out for bid: https://www.normalil.gov/bids.aspx?bidID=361
It will be fun to see what inflation has done to the cost.
Meanwhile, keep dodging potholes!
.
.
.
.
You missed 2 important pieces to this story.
1.) State Gas Tax dollars are being used to build this amenity.
2.) This is a pet project by Patrick Dullard.
WJBC did a story identifying the above, here are some quotes from that report.
“The Normal Town Council is willing to spend up to $241,000 in money the town receives from the state gasoline tax to cover some of the cost of a proposed Constitution Trail extension in west Normal.”
“Stan Nord was the only council member voting no, putting him at odds with the rest of the council”
“The motor fuel tax increase was advertised to taxpayers to go to fix the roads. We are using it on an amenity,” said Nord.
“Mayor Chris Koos said the town never pledged to use gas tax dollars only for roads.”
“The project has long been on the Friends of Constitution Trail’s wish list, said the organization’s president Patrick Dullard.”
https://www.wjbc.com/2020/10/20/normal-council-backs-trail-extension-partially-funded-by-gas-taxes/
Stan Nord
So this is how Koos is paying off Dullard for being his stooge to kill districts. Paying him off with tax dollars has got to be illegal, not that legal vs. illegal matters to anyone on the council but Stan.
Agree with most of what has been said. I was ready to post a similar negative comment. I don’t think we need any more trails but this is a logical place at least. This is in between Normal West HS and Parkside JH so it will be widely used by kids to and from school. Thought that stretch of street had a bike lane but maybe not.
But please don’t let me interrupt posts outlining corruption and political favors. That is more important.
Poor Planning by Staff – rubber stamped.
Vote for an honest candidate that supports the Constitution and the rule of law. That’s TOM DEVORE for IL Attorney General. Then you can sit back and watch the many crooks like the King Koos Klan start squirming and handing in their resignations.
It’s hilarious that you’re referring to yourself in the third person. One person’s “amenity” is another person’s necessity. Towns that are considered livable have trails, bike paths where people can walk, run, bike. People who walk live longer and have better mental health.
They should buy their own instead of expecting others to pay for it
‘Amenities are nice-to-haves, which are by definition nice to have but not necessities. So you’re saying nice bike paths are as important as a working sewer system. I’ll certainly give appropriate weight to your comments accordingly.
Trail is single best amenity B-N has. Not only used by bikers. This connects Fairview Park and ISU to Maxwell Park, Normal West, Parkside Schools, etc. Can now use the trail from Uptown to Parkside Rd. through campus.
Hear about the biker who killed a pedestrian? Ever tried walking Constitution Trail?
That was on a side walk. Bikes should not be on side walks.
No kidding! Was rider arrested or at least ticketed?
Walk trail 3 or 4 days a week. Mid to late mornings. Never a problem.
How many automobiles drivers kill pedestrians? Hundreds of thousands. You’re claim doesn’t hold water.
Why don’t we force you to build your own highway? I certainly don’t want to pay for that..
Does the new trail happen to go on Dullard’s path to work? I see him regularly riding his bike down Division and Adelaide.
I now live in an area that puts the BN/McLean County trail system to shame and also fixes the roads. Both can be done if tax money isn’t thrown away. The bikies that claim the trails in BN are used by an infinite number of people to get to work and get around is a bald face lie. It’s an argument used by the local bike organizations to get their way ad nauseum. Even if you include ISU and IWU, the numbers are miniscule that use the trail system for this purpose. Years ago, Normal attempted to get numbers who used the trail daily. It was unscientific and proved nothing. I know, I was involved. The BN bike organizations are a Mafia of people who were non- athletes in their day and think they are Lance Armstrong now in their forties and above just like Koos because they ride a bike X miles a week. They have been intimidating local.government for years and are the same group of arse clowns that think their opinions and wants are more important than everyone else. BN at its best.
So true
All I can say it was 9 bicyclist all in their cute spandex riding 3 abreast that ran me a senior citizen off the trail while riding my bike and I believe that I heard some laughing as they went by my one regret if I had to do it over again I would have plowed right in the middle of them to take out as many of the a#+holes as I could
Placing a bet it was members of either Friends of the Trail, Bike BloNo or County Wheelers, possibly all three.