Museum Lies or Are we Thought to be "Just Stupid"?

Jim Owens and now Doug Oberhelman should have a lot more important things to do (like building a $50 billion company they projected a few years ago. Caterpillar today, is in the $30 billion range and growth iffy especially if the Obama administration continues to fall out with China. I doubt very much that they were given the "real facts" about the "real" hold-up of breaking ground for the new museum.

Will someone please pass my blog site to Mr. Owens and Mr. Oberhelman so they can read the facts?

Read carefully what I am writing. If the reader is concerned that these words are not correct, please be at the Peoria County "Committee of the Whole" meeting Feb 4th, 3 Pm, Rm 403, Peoria County Court House.

These are just part of the contradictions presented by the Museum people:

At a 12/22/09 meeting of the County Facility Comnmittee, the museum people claimed to have about $4 million in cash on hand (Source, Mark Johnson, PCG liaison to the county). Also see DeWayne Bartels column "Move on with 'caution'" in the Times Newspaper, dated 12/23/09.

On January, 14, 2010, our County administrator stated in a letter to the county board that "Funds pledged or on hand were $1,801,791 as of 12/31/09". A shrinkage of over $2 million in 9 days.

At the 12/22/09 Facilities meeting we were told that $10 million of the funds raised to build the $78,969,000 facility had already been spent on "museum planning and architectural consultants" (Source, Mark Johnson and DeWayne Bartels)

In the January 14 letter from our county administrator, he said $11,516,757 were "Expenditures thru 12/312/09 by Lakeview/Cat", a jump of $1,516,757 in 9 days. To explain the Cat connection, if you recall, I wrote that Caterpillar had written the county on August 21,2009 that they had paid $1 million in Community challenge, $500,000 in Government challenge?? and $3 million in Core capital campaign. By Lakeview figures submitted, this money along with all other cash contributions is down to a measly $1,800,000+.

Good grief! And not a word from the JSEB who strongly supported this project even though on 6/16/99, almost 10 years ago, wrote "Fundraising will gauge interest in museum". Continuing, "Were we pragmatists here, of course, we'd say this fundraising effort is unrealistic". Gee.

And the of course, there was Phil Luciano's column "Museum unlikely to be big draw" dated August 8, 2006. Phil was highly criticized but, oh, so correct. Just look at all the other missed projections, the zoo is still trying to come up with $5 million to complete the parking lot and entrance among other things, my $50,000 investment in Pete Vonachen's ballpark has yet to return one thin dime and then there is (where is?)the $5 million Childrens Playhouse, etc, etc, etc.

And the PPD remodeled $1 million, 2 million, who knows old IDOT awaits PPD Administration move from the Pavillion to make room for the Playhouse, then to the deserted lakeview Museum, no wonder Caterpillar newsletter editor, Don Axt, called Peoria "Dreamsville waiting for a World Series between the Peoria and Rockford".

Some of our movers and shakers never brought into that theory that "you can lead a horse to water, you can't make it drink". Probably never born on a farm.

In the January 14 letter from our County Administrator Urich wrote that the projected total coat of the museum was $79,767,588, a jump of $800,000 in 9 days. This increase at a time when the Peoria Public Library said construction costs to expand "Graveyard" Lincoln Library came in lower than expected as there was more competition for the job. Hmmm.

Does anyone remember less than 3 years ago this downsized museum building was projected to cost $65 million? (JS, 6/8/07) In the same JS article "Officials (Woith and Vergon) say fund-raising not a problem". In fact, Kathleen Woith of Lakeview said, "We have many things coming up with (private) fund-raising that are very exciting" and she was right: $5 million of taxpayer dollars from the state courtesy of "Earmark" Dave Leitch. Now the county is blamed by Caterpillar for losing $5-6 million in NMTC, more taxpayer dollars. Private dollars? Why spend your own money when the "movers and shakers" can get the money thru more taxes?