By: Diane Benjamin
Review this story from yesterday: https://blnnews.com/2024/07/29/when-local-governments-celebrate-grants/
Next read this story: https://foreignaffairs.co.nz/2024/07/30/mil-osi-usa-following-sorensens-advocacy-mclean-county-receives-funding-to-extend-historic-route-66-trail/
Rep Eric Sorensen announced a grant to McLean County to design the final 9 miles of the Historic Route 66 Bike and Pedestrian Trail.
$675,000 to DESIGN.
Another grant will be needed for construction, I think in the past the feds fund 80%. Bloomington, Normal, and McLean County split the rest.
To my knowledge a study of how many people use this trail has never been done. Construction continues because money comes into McLean County regardless of the federal debt. No one ever brings up the cost to maintain the trail either.
I live north of Dawson Lake. When the weather is nice I see many bikers heading to this State Park. I know it’s shocking, but there isn’t a bike path but they manage to get there without one!
Is this trail a Need or a Want, or neither. From the story:
Read the second paragraph in the story. It says all you need to know about why the debt is now over $35 trillion. Rebuilding American is a new bike trail.
Just yesterday the National Endowment for the Arts gave the Town of Normal a $50,000 grant for art in the underpass – the underpass is also mostly grant funded. Much of Uptown is grant funded as are many of their bike paths. Normal has the rest of the country pay for their wants, debt is immaterial.
The NEA is taxpayer funded too and therefore adds to the $35 trillion debt: https://www.arts.gov/about/what-is-the-nea
Peoria, B-N, Champaign, Decatur “transformation” and they all get what they want and wealthy with their “partnerships” and contracts and contracts. Sorensen has metrics to meet.
I drive RT66 into town Bloomington and back to the Funk’s Grove area almost every day Mutiple times. I see an occasional walker from the subdivisions by Ferro walking their dogs. I may see a cyclist once a week. Last week I saw a cyclist riding on the east side of 66 heading north. Guess he didn’t want to use the bike trail.
Christ. Could he have found something less useful to piss away taxpayer $ upon? What a loser. Which begs the question… who’s gonna “win” tgat contract? Sorenson’s pals, I am sure.