By: Diane Benjamin PDF page 75: https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/5414 . The underpass is going to be even more expensive when a new contract is proposed for construction later in April. It’s possible the Town is stripping amenities to bring down the cost, all the fancy items will be added back in future years. Chris Koos, Kevin McCarthy, […]
By: Diane Benjamin Below was the original vote where the contractor was awarded the contract and later backed out: https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/5441 . WGLT reported the Town is now going to consider spending $33.7 million to lure the other original bidder to take the project: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2026-03-11/new-underpass-draft-bid-in-normal-is-higher-than-the-one-approved-in-november More “wants” will probably be cut to lower that price. In […]
If you thought Chris Koos would abandon the way-to-expensive underpass, you’d be wrong. The cost will be even higher.
By: Diane Benjamin Yesterday’s story was updated with a few things I found in the FOIA request: https://blnnews.com/2026/03/06/normal-doesnt-have-an-underpass-contractor/ Did you know Normal originally stated taxpayers were funding 9% of the project and now it’s 37%? Click the above story! WGLT finally did their own underpass story. On Facebook it has over 100 comments, most want […]
By: Diane Benjamin If you could read between the lines, this story told you: https://blnnews.com/2026/02/24/where-is-the-underpass-normal/ Last October the Normal Council awarded the construction contract to a company in Missouri instead of a local bidder: https://www.millstoneweber.com/ Millstone Weber backed out of the contract early this year. I have a FOIA pending for the emails. Since their […]
By: Diane Benjamin I wonder if Chris Koos or Pam Reece has anything to announce at tonight’s meeting? It looks like a 10 minute meeting: https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/5523 Flashback to November 3, 2025 meeting: https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/5414 Underpass project cost: $40,300,920 PDF page 136: Clark Dietz was hired to oversee construction. PDF page 147: . It’s now March and […]
By: Diane Benjamin November 3, 2025 meeting: https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/5414 On the agenda: . From PDF page 106 The bid is only 4 months away from 1 year old. Construction still hasn’t started. On the same page: Is Millstone Weber still going to do the work Normal? How are you planning on completing this massive project by […]
By: Diane Benjamin 10 people spoke at public comment. Of course the first 3 or 4 were Koos supporters who always show up to support more spending. The room was packed – standing room only and they stayed for the whole meeting. No, I didn’t watch the entire 2 1/12 hour discussion. I didn’t have […]
By: Diane Benjamin If you want to buy something and then find out the cost is more than twice what you expected, what do you do? If you’re the Town of Normal and want to save 50 feet with an underpass that vehicles can’t even use, you plow ahead and look for more money from […]
By: Diane Benjamin I continue to see comments concerning Normal’s debt. Some people don’t understand Normal paid off all their debt so they could take out bonds for the grand Uptown plan. TIF report as of 3/31/2024: https://files.illinoiscomptroller.gov/LocGovTIF/FY2024/06409531/24TIF06409531Downtown_volpment_1.pdf PDF page 8 shows the debt Normal too on for Uptown: The point of creating a TIF […]
By: Diane Benjamin Normal’s Community Investment Plan: https://tongis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/df07946434c947f7936743df5c4eb076 I have no plans to watch Normal’s meeting last night where the Community Investment Plan was passed. The underpass spending is much less than the bids received. Since Normal has no one with better ideology to vote for in the April 1st election, watching it to see […]
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 […]
By: Diane Benjamin See this story: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2024-01-05/reece-normal-has-a-lot-more-planned-for-2024 Normal City Manager Pam Reece talks about all the great things they are doing – except ONE. Here’s a hint: . When you someday sit in your car behind a train blocking the tracks while bikers and walkers freely navigate a path under the tracks that you can’t use, take […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader More on this story: https://blnnews.com/2023/08/16/has-work-started-on-west-college-and-the-underpass/ Nothing is happening at the underpass site: Work is being done instead the Children’s Discovery Museum instead:
By: Diane Benjamin West College was despicable when the Normal Town Council approved a plan to fix it clear back in 2020: https://blnnews.com/2020/06/23/normal-on-fixing-west-college/ According to the Community Investment Plan the Town first had to extend sewer lines to the West side of Rivian Motorway. That work should have been completed in FY 2023 which ended […]
By: Diane Benjamin Want to pay for a new police station? Want to pay for a new library? Both are in the Uptown South plan. Did you know bikers will have to dismount to use the new underpass? Evidently it will be too dangerous to ride the path created for bikers and walkers to connect […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2023-02-09/railroad-caused-traffic-jam-irritates-mayor-of-normal Some stories write themselves! Chris Koos is upset about freight trains blocking crossings in Normal. Fort Jesse, College, and Linden are frequently blocked. Koss thinks he can demand shorter freight trains. He is of course oblivious to business practices that make transportation cheaper with volume. (How does he stay in business?) […]
By: Diane Benjamin Two topics were discussed during Normal’s 5:00 pm Work Session: the Underpass lighting and north side aesthetics plus this one: Funding a Housing Navigator Bloomington heard the details awhile back and hasn’t voted, Monday it was Normal’s turn. It was stated by Kathleen Lorenz that Bloomington-Normal is currently short 4300 places to […]
By: Diane Benjamin Today seems like the perfect time to post this email again, note Pam Reece didn’t send this to the Council: The underpass isn’t $23 million anymore, it is at least $27 million. (to save 50 feet) Worse, if all the shiny bells and whistles can’t be afforded during initial construction those can […]
By: Diane Benjamin See original story: https://blnnews.com/2022/05/09/no-surprise-normal-needs-6-million-more-to-build-the-underpass/ Monday packet: https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4398 PDF page 62: Either people all across the country are funding Normal’s amenities or money is being printed so Normal can have an underpass vehicles can’t use. Brilliant. Oh, the Subway inside the Amtrak station closed, another Uptown success story. Remember what Normal did when […]
By: Diane Benjamin Correction: this was his hearing the last time he was appointed. No hearings are scheduled yet for his current appointment. If he isn’t confirmed by the end of this Congress this year the process starts over. If you were wondering about Chris Koos’ appointment to the Amtrak Board, hearings are scheduled for […]
By: Diane Benjamin Remember when Kathleen Lorenz made an impassioned plea for the Council to communicate better? https://blnnews.com/2022/05/03/kathleen-now-hears-what-we-hear-when-watching-meetings/ That happened on May 3, 2022. (Two weeks ago!) Evidently she didn’t mean it. When I posted the story about Normal requesting another $6 million for the underpass, Stan Nord emailed the Council asking what they knew. […]
By: Diane Benjamin If you don’t know inflation is caused by the printing of money the Feds handed out across the country, see if Heartland offers a basic economics course. (Too much money chasing too few goods) Both Bloomington and Normal are meeting on Monday. Bloomington is holding a Committee of the Whole Meeting to […]
By: Diane Benjamin This information was received by FOIA, I didn’t submit the FOIA. Start here. Normal held an Open House in February to show off the Underpass plans. Staff created a SLIDE SHOW for the event. One item was originally in the presentation but was then deleted. See this email: It now isn’t $23 […]
By: Diane Benjamin Community Meeting on the Future Uptown Connector / Underpass Project PLEASE TAKE NOTICE a public meeting on the future Uptown Connector/Underpass Project will be held at Normal City Hall, Room 409, 11 Uptown Circle, Normal, McLean County, Illinois at 5 p.m., prevailing time, on the 16th day of February, 2022. The meeting […]
By: Diane Benjamin Your property taxes were raised last night with the consent of the two Republicans on the Normal Town Council. The rate was kept the same (for now) but with rising property values the Town will collect over $300,000 more than last year. The vote last night was sold as “statutory”, another vote […]
By: Diane Benjamin I hope the people around Lexington weren’t told their taxes would go down if a wind farm is built. They won’t, the letter below proves plans are already being made to spend the additional $1.3 million in new taxes. I wonder if the writers know that wind farm money decreases over time. […]
By: Diane Benjamin Follow up to this story: Received by FOIA, total $2,670.75. Wait for him to be appointed Project Manager for the underpass. This is tiny compared to what he will get.
By: Diane Benjamin While Bloomington is trying to pay cash for purchases instead of borrowing for capital expenses, Normal is running in the opposite direction. The Town of Normal stockpiles money in reserves, the applicable fund for this discussion is Vehicle and Equipment reserves. Obviously citizens in Normal are paying higher taxes so the Town […]
By: Diane Benjamin Most of what you need to know about the passage of accepting all the grant money is in the underpass vote. Koos, McCarthy, Smith, and Cummings were enthusiastic Yes votes. Nord voted No, Preston and Lorenz squeaked out Yes votes after uncomfortable pauses. Watch just the vote here: What else you need […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4034 Another parking deck loss: Chalk up another 2nd floor rent payment while the first floor of One Uptown Circle is still empty: On the agenda: Uptown floods, the underpass will flood too. The bobbleheads will approve anyway: There is more, why blow the surprise now?
By: Diane Benjamin Last weekend’s flooding proved local governments care more about building new than maintaining the infrastructure they already have. Anybody think the underpass Normal is desperate to build won’t flood? Think it won’t get icy in the winter? How will Amtrak passengers get to the other side if either happens? Probably the same […]
East Washington is getting water, sewer, and road. $4.3 million, its going to be closed for quite awhile. By: Diane Benjamin 1) A citizens of Normal wants to know how many hours of staff time has been invested in the Underpass project. The Town of Normal claims they don’t keep track. At the last council […]
By: Diane Benjamin Underpass work session: So far Normal has authorized spending $1.5 million on Phase 1 of the underpass. Chris Koos stated it can not be stopped now because of all the staff time, grants received, and other agencies involved that wouldn’t like Normal backing out now. It almost sounded like Wayne Aldrich (Director […]
By: Diane Benjamin Keep in mind many of Normal’s professional staff don’t live in Normal: https://blnnews.com/2020/12/14/guess-where-town-of-normal-employees-dont-live/ They have no reason to keep taxes low, make the roads drivable, or the water drinkable. The Council will be meeting at 5:15 to hear the status of the underpass project. Public opinion is immaterial. The fanciest properties will […]
By: Diane Benjamin Bloomington’s meeting last night will have to wait until tomorrow! Would you drink this? This is water from S. Coolidge in Normal, if the homeowner didn’t have a filter system this is what it would look like. The owner claims his neighbors are too afraid to complain. I hear that frequently from […]
By: Diane Benjamin The comments submitted on the underpass project were received by FOIA. https://blnnews.com/2021/04/16/hey-normal/ The comments were overwhelmingly negative with a few submitted in support by the usually Koos allies. The only difference between going ahead with the underpass and the Coliseum, both not supported by residents, is Koos and company got the entire […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader The below was received by FOIA. Other documents state a new library is still on the table after the underpass is built. Many Koos voters think the only thing that matters is progress, progress to what is never defined. They think projects like this, funded completely with tax dollars, […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Normal Town Council meeting was thankfully much shorter than usual, but the attacks on Stan Nord continued unabated. Start with Koos’ secret appointments to Boards and Commission. He has stated in the past appointments can’t be discussed because they are “personnel”. They are volunteers that don’t get paid, they work for […]
By: Diane Benjamin The City of Bloomington will be holding a Committee of the Whole meeting to hear the plans for O’Neil park. http://bloomingtonil.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=1106&Inline=True The proposed budget for next year has $10,000,000 allocated. Remember when Renner and company wanted a water park? My sources say the neighborhood defeated turning their area into a destination. They […]
