The Journal Star had an interesting article today on how some ticked-off east bluff residents cornered Sean Matheson after the school board meeting last night. I just want to make a couple of quick comments:
Matheson said there isn’t enough space to build a new school on the Glen Oak site. In order to have enough room, more properties would have been impacted.
Prove it. As I stated earlier, the school district is not obligated to build on 15 acres, or even 10 acres. In fact, there is no minimum acreage requirement in the State of Illinois. What’s the justification for believing “there isn’t enough space” on the current Glen Oak School site?
Matheson said the location for the new school is final, but the programs that go into it are not. He encouraged the residents to be part of the process to design the school, which will take place in the coming months.
“Remember, we’ve made one decision, and I understand that decision is controversial, but there are many other decisions that need to be made,” he told the group of residents.
I was trying to figure out a word for this, and I think Bill Dennis hit it on the head: arrogance. Sure, they’ve just made one little decision: the decision to throw 14 long-time homeowners and 7 renters out of their houses, leave a large vacant building on the corner of Frye and Wisconsin, and take more of Glen Oak Park out of use. It’s nothing, really. Nothing the little people should have any say about.
To add insult to injury, now the board wants public input. Now, the board wants buy-in. Now they want to patch things up with the remaining neighbors. Matheson is essentially saying — in the same breath — “screw you” and “we want your input!” That engenders trust and cooperation, doesn’t it?
No doubt his remarks are a reference to the recently-created School Design & Construction Planning (SD&CP) Committee. At the February 21 school board meeting, Guy Cahill explained the purpose of this committee (emphasis mine):
[T]he goal of this committee will be to advise the Administration and Board on the programming elements that are to go into the building – how will teachers teach, how will students learn and how will that affect student achievement. The core committee will also reach out into the community with several sub committees asking, “What fits into this neighborhood, what extra curricular activities would you like to see at this site, what should be some of the partnerships and what services would you like to see offered at this site.†The core committee will also be advising the Board’s Building Committee on the selection of the architects and will select seven firms to give presentations to the Board’s Building Committee. In addition the members will visit firms and school sites to see how the firms’ designs fit our requirements.
Let’s see if we can answer one of those questions: “What fits into this neighborhood?” Neighbors fit into the neighborhood. Too bad they won’t be there anymore.
If I remember right, Matheson was elected in a 3 way race. It was a 30+ percentage split of the vote for two seats between Matheson, Alicia Butler and Tom Higgins. Higgins was by far the more knowledgable, approachable and competent of the candidates. Butler has proven she will blow with the wind and Matheson is an arrogant little guy who rarely listens and always knows the topic or solution better than anyone else. What else do you expect for a position that requires 5 years of your life and provides absolutely nothing in compensation. They used to have board dinners before meetings and even that was taken away. Every once in a while you get a good candidate interested in running or someone who is intested in serving like Dr. Gorenz. Most of the time you get the ego trips like Matheson or the nut jobs like Martha Ross who don’t do their homework and cause all of us to pay for it.
Matheson says the decision is final. Resistance is futile. Bunk.
Ross Perot had one thing right, these people are supposed to be our servants (as in “public servant”); not our overlords. We may be mice, but we pay the bills and elect these clowns. Mice to the ramparts. It’s not over we don’t want it to be.
Dan and the other mice …….
Dan has it correct! Mice to the ramparts.
Today’s Journal Star:
Click here
SB 2477 – amending the Public Building Commission’s bonding authority to now, specifically let District 150 to bond for $60 million .
Senate Bill 2477 is “sorely needed, badly needed,” Sen. George Shadid, D-Peoria, told members of the House Local Government Committee. He said it would enable District 150 to build new schools to replace aging ones without increasing property taxes.
PBC BONDS WILL BE REPAID BY PROPERTY OWNERS WITHIN DISTRICT 150 — THAT’S US -THE mice again!
If the bill becomes law, the PBC would have the authority to issue up to $60 million for school construction. Cahill said the district would want to access only $30 million.
THE CHEESE BECOMES MORE EXPENSIVE ALL THE TIME, OF COURSE THE mice will again need more cheese THAT WILL COST — PERHAPS THE ADDITIONAL $30 MILLION?
Here is the site for the SB 2477:
Click here
12:07 pm— SB 2477 still awaits a third reading before a vote in the Illinois House. Please call the Alternate Chief Co Sponsors —
Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie-217-782-8121 or 773-667-0550;
Rep. Aaron Schock at 309-672-9292;
Rep. David Leitch at 309-685-3900;
Rep. David Moffitt at 217-782-8032; 309-343-8000;
Rep. Robin Kelley at 217-558-1007; 708-283-0400
To the ramparts — call and say that you just do not want this expensive cheese, do not pass SB2477.
Runaway Train In the East Bluff.
Currently all coordinated efforts in improving the East Bluff are in a state of dissolution.
District #150, Peoria Park District and now with the Peoria Housing Authority in the fray what next? Since this all started NO ONE has asked or even tried to get the residents input on anything! Our recent “lecture†by Mr. Matheson failed to shed light on why they are against the re-use of the Glen Oak School site, now I know why, another “deal†for land. Wonder where all of this back door government will end?
The decisions that will be made and have been made will seal our fate in the East Bluff for the rest of most of our lives. As residents we deserve to be heard and at least given the chance to help in planning of our future. The loss of residents in the park site, loss of park property, loss of neighborhood schools and now with another “Mini River West†in the works, this should push out the last owner occupied homeowners.
As a so called “neighborhood advocate†I am at the point to just give up and let the train wreck in the East Bluff. I guess Mr. Hinton was correct at our only and last meeting when he said all he wanted the neighborhoods to do was “keep there homes clean of litterâ€. As servants to the kings of government we all should bow and kiss there rings! They know what is best for all of us and we are too stupid to see this!