For the latest information of the 7 year struggle of the museum to get private investors to contribute the 2/3 investment the public was promised by the Committee and spokesperson, Brad McMillan, read C. J. Summer's blog "The Peoria Chronicle" today.
Yes, 7 years or more. The first article I can find in the Journal Star is dated January 19, 2002: a meeting at which Lakeview CEO Jim Richerson is quoted as saying that "individual" citizens are going to be the key to the 55$ million (now $78 million) project's success. This is not a matter of us selling this project to the public, it is a matter of the community coming together to craft a legacy".
In the end, the museum people spent over $600,000 to "educate" (sell?) the community yet over 14,000 people voted that they did not want the museum especially at that site and with an underground garage and the money was never raised to build it. Why is the land still vacant? It is a failure of 7 years trying to get public support, especially from the "big hitters" who promised to raise the money and weren't even able to fund an endowment of $7-14 million projected as needed by museum supporters and planners.
Summer's is right, kill the project and sell the land to downtown developers. The sale of the land reputed to be worth $7 million will help fund the cities millions of dollar deficit this year and next year.
1 comment:
Steve J Weibring
writes this is big steve, that would be a smart move, but the counsel are bunch of idiots, they rather lay off the police and fire departments. the police should find tham on a night ticket uck for head light, tail light, seat belt or just breathing Call them drugs dealers, inflict pain on them cause going to lay u off for a musuem they can't not afford. Lets get em bubba their nick name is counsel of town ruiners
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