A House appropriations committee has recommended approval of a bill that would give $12 million to the Peoria Regional Museum. The bill would have to pass the full House, Senate, and get the Governor’s okay before the museum would actually get the money.
Here’s the most interesting part of the Journal Star’s article on this effort:
[Lakeview Museum CEO Jim] Richerson said the proposed Peoria project consists of two pieces: a museum with an estimated price tag of $65 million to $75 million and a Caterpillar Inc. visitors center.
$75 million? Are they expecting that construction costs are going to rise by potentially $10 million in the next year, raising the total cost of the project by more than 15%? If so, then that $12 million in state money, if it actually comes to fruition, would mostly cover the increase in costs, still leaving a potential $22 million shortfall.
The contract with the city expires, I believe, at the end of the year (I’ll have to double-check that). So the question is, will the city extend their contract again or pull the plug?
And here’s another question. “The House Appropriations Committee on Public Safety voted 13-0 for House Bill 4664, sponsored by Rep. David Leitch, R-Peoria,” the Journal Star reports. What does capital funding for a proposed museum have to do with public safety? Do these committee names have any meaning whatsoever?
Shades of SB2477 — Rules Committee Chairperson Barbara Flynn Currie and was this a shell bill that was changed like SB2477?
So… if not the Peoria Public Building Commission….then what? Now it is a $10 million increase in construction costs. Are they figuring any kind of increase in operating costs, etc? Are they that bound and determined to get this thing done? If Peoria County doesn’t step i-line what then?
New Voice: Reference to SB2477 is that it was a shell bill for something unrelated to what the bill turned out to be. It seems that the intent might be to get Peoria County to get the taxpayers to approve to pony up the ‘missing funds’. As for me — NO, just say NO and let’s move onto a more viable project. We are too far in debt and we are getting farther in debt in our community — so just say NO.
Thank you K.E.A.
I say NO!