Knoxville may or may not be open to four-lane traffic before the snow flies. Why? Keep reading.
A few weeks ago, while driving North on Rt.6, I encountered a 'right lane closed' sign and one big bumper truck. When I approached the work area, another 200 yds. further North was another big bumper truck, a truck with pothole filling material, 2 pick-up trucks and 5 'workers, filling in a patch the width off one lane and about 3 feet wide. Later, I drove that route and saw that they had closed the left lane and continued the patch. One days work to 'patch' area about the size of two traffic lanes and about 3 feet wide.
Estimated cost to do this one day job? $3500. I estimate that their are 20, 000+ spots like this in Peoria and Tazewell County with Peoria by FAR the worst.
Plus at one time the JS printed that Peoria County rural roads, bridges, etc., would cost $200 million to repair.
10 yards from a one lane stop and go sign were 3 'workers' standing on the NE corner of Knoxville and McClure looking in the window of a long closed store. Two men holding Slow Down signs. TOTALY DOING BUSINESS AS USUAL. We can do nothing but protest and write letters to the JS Opinion page.
No matter who we elect; the UNIONS control this City and State. Both Peoria and the State will be bankrupt and in a perpetual state of population decline if those we elect, continue to raise taxes to pay the out of control pensions. Would you protest if you a a retired worker getting an average of $50,000 a year? Of course not and I don't blame you.
As I blogged before, about 2005 I was in Pat Urich's office to ask him about how pensions costs will rise in the coming years. He drew a chart showing where we were today and how pension costs will rise in the future. The line started going fairly level for a number of years and then it started to go straight up and that's where we are today and it's just the beginning.
My 10 years on the Peoria County Board were largely spent to stop giving public workers raises while the private sector workers got no or next to no raises. I tried to stop the massive $3 million a year losing Heddington Oaks, the Counties ownership of the PRM, the Hanna City Correction Center. destroy long empty dilapidated houses in both County and City. One great disappointment was my promise to a man dying of cancer that we would destroy this empty rat infested property, I put pressure on the County but he died before the County could complete the process.. About a year later, all the mess of paperwork was completed.
IF asked I will give up my $133 a month pension I receive for 10 years of intense work while I was an elected official serving on the Board. When I retired in 2010, we still had considerable surpluses in all the various funds.
Today the County, whether Chairman Rand and the Democrat dominated Board wants to admit it not, is running into SERIOUS financial problems.
So sad as the Peoria area has so much to offer.
No comments:
Post a Comment