- From the Wall Street Journal: “Ten Things Museums Won’t Tell You.” Number 7: “Our priceless treasures are languishing in storage.” Number 9: “You think our building is ugly; we say it’s one of a kind.”
- The County is still hashing out a redevelopment agreement with the Peoria Riverfront Museum (PRM), the City of Peoria, and Caterpillar. I received a draft copy anonymously through the mail. One of the items: “PRM will commence construction of the Project if and when all conditions precedent are satisfied, including receipt of funds equal to the entire Project Budget, plus a project contingency in a to be determined amount.” Another interesting provision states that once PRM is up and running, Lakeview Museum will cease to exist. I’ll post a copy of the document this evening.
- So, how much is the entire “Project Budget” and how much in funding has been received? According to an October 22 letter to the County, the total project budget is $79,486,662. The total pledged dollars: $73,285,140. Since then, the state has passed a bill (still waiting for the governor’s signature, I believe) allocating $5 million in additional funds to the museum, which would bring that total up to $78,285,140. That leaves a remaining funding gap of $1,201,522. However, most interesting is this statement (emphasis mine): “The total amount collected for the project to this point is $14,244,543.”
- Merle Widmer has his own update on the proposed Peoria Riverfront Museum.
UPDATE: As promised, 
here is the document.
It is interesting that C.J. should mention collections “languishing in storage.” This is a major problem that Lakeview, the Peoria Hist Society, and other area ‘museums’ have. If I recall the current plan for collections is…there is no plan. The museum group has stated in the past that any preservation work needed would be “outsourced.” Wondering what will ever become of the archives located at Bradley…?
Another exmple of poor management on part of Lakeview and Co. These people want how many millions? I will bet that Richerson will get a bigger office?!?
Also, I believe the Museum Group has never developed a tentative budget concerning basic operating costs once the museum is up and running. If they have, it certainly isn’t public knowledge. But then again, what is?
I’d rather have our police officers back on duty!!
Ummmmm what officers? County officers? Im not sure how a tax raised by the county of peoria and goes to the county coffers would effect the PPD? Go out to Brimfield and ask them if they want to raise a county tax to provide more police protection for the city. I think you may have found a way to raise revenue to return our services MAWB.
MAWB:
So you would rather have raised 1/4% sales tax via a different statute for increased public safety rather than to fund a museum?
A way to close the $642,000 city deficit …..
(1) Give notice to Lakeview that since the deadline is months past — the city is terminating the expired redevelopment agreement.
(2) In about 30-35 days put the Sears block on the market.
(3) Sell the block for a couple of million dollars or more!
(4) Plug the $642,000 deficit.
(5) Hire back the six police officers and other positions on the cut list.
(6) Since the promotion was for the museum, have the county board members stay the 1/4% sales tax, ie do not start collecting it.
(7) Sears block will generate property taxes. These additional funds can then be used for anticipated budget shortfalls in 2011 and so as we heard on the Outside the Horseshoe last night.
Councilman Jacob: “need to “Maximize value to taxpayers ….. do things better with less.”
Problems solved.
I agree with everything that Karrie Alms said other than I would probably wait to put the Sears Block on the market until the real estate market gets a little better. It is a wonderful asset and the City would be best served by waiting for a better market in order to maximize revenue from the sale. A better market would also lead to quicker development and most likely a more substantial project which would generate more tax revenue for an extended period of time.
Your statement was that you would rather have the police rehired which is an apples to oranges statement to the museum project. The revenue raised by the county has nothing to do with paying police in the city of peoria. Your paying taxes to the county for the museum tax not to the city. The county pays county officers with their money the city pays PPD with their revenue.
You can still write to your council person and ask them to push for an increase in taxes so we can rehire the police if you want no one is stopping you however the museum tax money was never slated to the city of peoria and has nothing to do with their revenue debt etc….it is for county projects, which the museum is it just happens to be in the city.
Mismanagement or inablity to balance city funds has nothing to do with your county taxes other then that you pay them because you live in the county.
Abstractly you could close city deficit by using the Sears lot for something other then a county project like the museum if you could find someone to buy it. There are alot of lots that have sat downtown vacant, underutalized and for sale so I wouldnt count that the cities problems would be saved on a land sale.
All I am saying is that if it comes down to a choice between police officer’s jobs or a new museum, I choose jobs. I also remember that the lottery was supposed to fund education. Monies can obviously be moved around.
For those who want to raise taxes for police protection/services here is your vehicle: link http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs4.asp?DocName=006500050HArt%2E+11+Div%2E+1&ActID=802&ChapAct=65%26nbsp%3BILCS%26nbsp%3B5%2F&ChapterID=14&ChapterName=MUNICIPALITIES&SectionID=13269&SeqStart=134700000&SeqEnd=136000000&ActName=Illinois+Municipal+Code%2E
(65 ILCS 5/11?1?5.1) (from Ch. 24, par. 11?1?5.1)
Sec. 11?1?5.1. In any municipality which is authorized to levy a tax under Section 11?1?3 of this Division 1, the tax rate limit so authorized may be increased to not to exceed .40%, or beginning in taxable year 2000, .60%, of the value of all the taxable property in such municipality, provided the proposition for such tax rate increase has been submitted to the electors of that municipality and approved by a majority of those voting on the question. The corporate authorities may order the proposition submitted at any election.
65 ILCS 5/11?1?3) (from Ch. 24, par. 11?1?3)
Sec. 11?1?3. The corporate authorities of any city or village containing less than 500,000 inhabitants may levy, annually, a tax not to exceed .075% of the value, as equalized or assessed by the Department of Revenue, of all taxable property therein, to provide revenue for the purpose of police protection in that municipality. This tax shall be in addition to and in excess of all taxes authorized by law to be levied and collected in that city or village and shall be in addition to and in excess of the amount authorized to be levied for general purposes as provided by Section 8?3?1.
Did anyone ever notice that there is no signage for Lakeview Museum other than the sign in front that is hidden in the trees? Now either they have very poor marketing management, or they are depending on only people who are looking especially for museums to find them and visit. To me this is piss poor advertising. Is this the same way they are going to advertise the PRM? Drive around Lake, Sheridan, University and Glen and look for signs about Lakeview. Then drive anywhere in the city especially at the off ramps to the city and look for signage. I can’t find any, but maybe I’m just to busy watching the other drivers glued to their cell phones to notice signage for the museum.
“Olive” — You are looking at the situation from the government’s perspective. MAWB is looking at it from the taxpayer’s perspective. You see the money as coming from the County versus the City. MAWB sees the money as coming from her pocket. She would rather see the money coming out of her pocket go toward city police officers than a museum. She doesn’t care what pot the money goes into after it leaves her pocket, or what restrictions are on each pot of money.
Still waiting for the museum supporters to chime in on the State of Illinois telethon for the museum.
No Im looking at it from the position of logic. The county had a vote to raise a county tax to pay for a county project which is the museum which happens to be in the city of Peoria.
The money from that tax has nothing to do with the city of Peoria’s budget or putting more police on patrol etc….
If MAWB and you want to campaign to raise taxes in the city to put more police back on patrol and fill the budget gap be my guest Im all for it but dont try to drag the museum in as the reason there are problems with the city budget and police are not being kept on duty.
“She doesn’t care what pot the money goes into after it leaves her pocket, or what restrictions are on each pot of money.”
Your right I would rather pay my federal income taxes to the state of Vermont this year because I feel that they manage their budget better then the federal government. I mean I dont care where the money goes or what restrictions are on it after it leaves my pocket right…….
Olive,
Trust me [if you dare], the City has spent MORE than its fair share of our tax money on this museum project.
You are correct, it is a county-wide sales tax, but before this thing is over I would guess the city is going to spend a great deal more on this project……………………………..
Also consider this, who is going to foot the bill for this thing once [if] it is ever built? No museum pays for itself…….
New Voice:
That is what the endowment is for! Oh wait, that is not funded either.
It sure would be nice to hear from Brad McMillian or Michael Bryant now but I guess since their side won the election they do not feel the need to speak any further.
Im not trying to argue one way or the other Im just stating that the museum project has nothing to do with cutting police jobs.
The current budget issue has nothing to do with the museum tax. That money was never slated for the city coffers so why bring it up as a source of revenue?
Everyone on here likes to sit and blame the museum because it is an easy target but here is a fix for the budget; we raise taxes. I know everyone on here would have voted for representatives who campaigned on a “Im going to raise your taxes campaign” right?
No New Voice your right it dosnt pay for itself so blame the people who A. Didnt vote against the project or B. all the people in peoria county who voted for it.
Next blame all your elected officials who have let you down by either A. not running a balanced budget or B. not telling us that there was no way to cover operating costs without raising your taxes to keep all the services we need.
Dont blame a museum project that is largely funded through a COUNTY tax.
Olive.
The County does not need to fund a museum located in the city. The museum is simply not needed. Spend a few million and upgrade Lakeview instead.
The museum project does, indeed affect the city budget and the number of police officers. If that block was privately developed it would be producing money for the city in the form of property tax revenues. Dependent upon what was built, it may even produce hotel and restaurant tax income to help out another white elephant – the civic center.
So your saying it dosnt need to fund the museum but that dosnt change the fact that the taxes are being collected at a county not city level. So would you be supportive of a county tax to upgrade lakeview or would the city pay for that?
If that lot is so desirable then why has the lot across the street from it been up for sale for nearly a year? If downtown is so desirable to private development why dont we see it happening or at least a trickle of development starting? I would wager that lot would sit vacant until the city enticed some developer with tax incentives and then everyone on this blog would be complaining that the city was handing out money to private development instead of building a museum with a county money.
Either way it does give a great target for people to vent their frustration. Its like pre war Germany and the jewish population. We need something to demonize and an expensive project that cant seem to come together is an easy target even if it is only abstactly related to the problem.
Olive,
Something to demonize? What part of this do you not understand? You are correct…we are talking about a county wide tax, but like I wrote earlier, the city has already invested a great deal of time & money in this project.
There is not one museum in this country that is totally self-sufficient when it comes to ‘paying the bills.’ Even the large city museums of Chicago, New York, etc. run on donations, tax dollars, grants, etc.
If the Peoria Museum cannot pay for itself, what makes you think this contraption will produce anything in the way of useable ‘income’ for the city or county of Peoria? You know and I know this museum will never attract the PAYING crowds its backers say it will.
The fact that this is a county wide tax is all the more reason to demand this project be stopped now! If you recall the results of the tax vote, it was the city vote that tipped the scales. Just how will this museum benefit the rest of the county?!? Unless, of course, the millions of annual museum goers plan on dining out in Chillicothe, and/or patronizing the hotels in Bartonville, etc.
There are plenty of problems to ‘vent our frustration’ on in Peoria. We can all just sit around and wait for the next homicide to occur………….
Yes NV the city faces some budget issues BLAME THE MUSEUM, we lay off some police “I’d rather have our police officers back on duty!!” BLAME THE MUSEUM. Yes demonize the museum.
NV your an intelligent person do you really believe that if tommorow that lot was put up for sale some private investor would just swoop in invest MILLIONS into it with no tax incentive and the problem would be solved?
Where are all these investors now who are having to settle on other lots downtown because of that darn museum? Where is all the development that was supposed to come with the ball field, the riverfront, the civic center now these hotel projects? There is plenty of available property, some right across the street from the museum, that is up for development where are the investors? Waiting for that lot the museum is on right?
Oh wait I know where they are Peoria Hieghts, East Peoria, Dunlap, North Peoria anywhere but downtown or on the main street corridor. Business take calculated risk before the open or operate and downtown and main st at this point just arent worth it.
Even if nothing happens to that empty lot, that would millions not being spent on a museum we cannot currently afford, which could be used for police officers.
So, if we would rather see police officers keep their jobs over tax dollars going to a museum we are now being called demonizing Nazis?? That’s taking the argument to the extreme. I voted YES for the museum. The economy has changed much since that time. All this arguing from a simple statement regarding unemployed city workers. There must be a better approach from the museum’s side than railing on concerned taxpayers.
“Even if nothing happens to that empty lot, that would millions not being spent on a museum we cannot currently afford, which could be used for police officers.”
Millions of tax dollars that would not employ a single PPD officer because it is county tax money.
If this was a city collected tax then yes you could argue that the money could be used to fill the budget gap however county money does not employ PPD officers.
So the county tax would have to be stopped then a new tax specifically for the city of Peoria would have to be raised then yes we wouldnt have a museum and we could hire police back.
Even that last statement isn’t exactly true. The tax is specifically for public projects like musics. Now, you could argue the tax shouldn’t have passed or that a different sort of tax should have been approved for public safety but this money can’t go for cops.
Rather than taking C.J.’s space look for additional facts on my site sometime today.
Thank’s, C.J.
Olive,
You have made your point – county tax dollars vs. city tax dollars = museum, etc. Correct me if I am wrong, but the people who live within Peoria City limits also live in Peoria County. The people of PEORIA CITY are still being taxed for a museum…correct? Do you see where I am going with this? Maybe the people who live in Peoria City/County would rather see the newly established tax go towards police, fire protection, etc.
If I lived in Brimfield, I would rather see my tax dollars support a project that enhanced my community, not some ridiculous museum in Peoria City…….
Anyway, you posed the question in an earlier post….why haven’t developers been knocking down the doors of the Peoria City Council to purchase/develop the Sears block? I do you know they haven’t?
Do you have any idea how long that property has been tied up by the city and the museum group? YEARS!!! You don’t think for a minute that a lowly developer with cash in hand would get in the way of Peoria’s self-serving elite,and their monument [museum] to themselves do you?
“Anyway, you posed the question in an earlier post….why haven’t developers been knocking down the doors of the Peoria City Council to purchase/develop the Sears block? I do you know they haven’t?”
Only the Sears block will do then NV? The lots all around the Sears block, the riverfront, main st., the warehouse district, the area around the ball park none of those lots or properties will do it has to be the Sears block or nothing?
Simple supply and demand here = There is a ample amount, a glut if you will, of property in downtown peoria and on main st being used for nothing or underutilized meaning that their is a lack of demand for that property leading me to make an educated guess that developers arnt interested. Im sure that if tonight that lot went up all those developers would be just trampling each other down to get that Sears lot
Olive, Olive,
The Sears Block is a prime piece of real estate. If the right development begins there, it will serve as a catalyst for the entire area.
The block has been a hole in the ground forever. Who in the hell wants to develop anything near that? Everyone knows the museum will NOT be a 24/7, after-hours draw; doing away with the need or desire to develop anything else in the area.
Besides you still haven’t addressed the real problem with the museum. Money. If today’s article in the J Star is any indication of how the museum group plans to manage this thing in the future…..you are in a butt-load of trouble. Wait a minute! We are ALREADY in a butt-load of trouble! More taxes……………………..!
One only has to ask why the museum group is refusing to answer any questions at this time. TRANSPARENCY! Of course there is………………………………
New Voice, New Voice
A prime piece of real estate? Stop kidding yourself. Catalyst? Just like the ball park, the civic center, the warehouse district, the riverfront etc…….Seriously Peoria needs to wake up downtown and the main st corridor are not prime pieces of real estate. You really think that the entire reason downtown hasnt developed is because of that one piece of real estate? Thats laughable. Im not saying the museum is even a remote solution but lets be realalistic and at least admit that this notion of a quick sale to a willing developer is a fantasy.
Your tax money is going to pay for whatever goes into that hole whether its a museum or a “private development” because thats what it is going to take to encourage business to downtown.
I NEVER said the reason downtown hasn’t developed was because of that one piece of real estate. Be careful………………………..
Peoria City has trouble doing business with business.
Warehouse district needs more work, the riverfront has a nice start; there is room for improvement. As for the ball park and civic center…..? Poor management. These places are great to be sure, but there is nothing to keep concert and game goers downtown after events, etc. Also, ball park and /or civic center are hardly kicking into the kitty as it were.
I am willing to bet YOU would love to see a gambling boat downtown?!?
New Voice its sad to say but Peoria would be better off with a Wal Mart or a Grand Prairie Mall project downtown because at least then there would be some sort of draw for people to go there and spend money.
Your arguement is that the museum is located on prime real estate and that it is because the museum group has owned it that it hasnt been developed. MY counter arguement is that there is no sign anything is being developed downtown so Im not holding my breath that if that lot was available anything would be done with it.
Lets see Civic Center albatrose. What events it has are usually bad or are very poorly advertised to the public. Ball Park and Civice Center bad minor league teams that very few people care about which means they dont draw crowds hence they dont bring many people downtown.
Plenty of bars downtown so if you want to go drink every night then theres something to do but otherwise very little to draw anyone from where they live to downtown.
Riverfront nice park couple corporate places to eat wow yeah great start.
Warehouse district yippy a few more bars some over priced condos.
Yeah Downtown Peoria is rocking. Alas if it wasnt for that musuem project we could have an awsome growth catalyst like all these other steller projects have proved to be.
Unless you are going to drink or eat there is absolutely nothing to do downtown for the average citizen or family. There is no shopping, no stores to browse through. All there is there is offices, banks, etc.. Parking is lousy or expensive. Civic Center prices are too high. Ballpark is seasonal and not everyone is a baseball fan. They took away Eckwood park where we could go and eat lunch and enjoy the river. Now all you get are big buildings with parking under there where you can’t see anything. Take a stroll up and down Main St. Hamilton, Adams, Jefferson and see what there is to do. Nada, nothing, zip. No stores to browse, nothing to go and see. There are a couple of restaurants but that is it. I don’t see where a museum is going to change that. After you visit the museum where do you go? ? ?
Agreed. Thats why my last post stated even a Wal Mart or a shopping mall would be better then whats there now.
Fine with me.
The sales tax referendum was a facilities only tax for facilities such as museums, libraries, county nursing homes (think Bel-Wood) and this sales tax can only be used for Peoria County owned facilities, not salaries, etc. Since this tax is a sales tax, everyone that buys taxable merchandise in Peoria County, some items are excluded, are helping raise $3 to 3.5 million dollars a year striclty for facilities under the CONTROL of Peoria County.
That is why Peoria County must own the museum building and it was the intent of the City of Peoria to transfer the land it owns to the County if ALL contractul negotiations are completed. The city wisely, will have no ownership or responsibility once the land transfer is completed. City plans for Water Street that borders the westerly side of the museum, are under scrutiny by IDOT and possible others.
Carterpillar has already taken possession, I’m told, of the acreage on which they plan to build the Caterpillar Visitors Center IF the PRM can complete their financial committments.
The hold up on this project is that the PRM is way short of the private sector money promised to the community and to the Peoria County Board. And the “big hitters” who strongly supported the museum seem to be waiting for the government to continue to pour taxpayer dollars into a highly suspect endeavor as per the $5 million coming from the IDNR.
Taxpayer dollars will wind up funding 65 to 70 percent of the PROJECTED $78 million dollar cost of the musuem if the museum is built. I still suspect Federal stimulus (taxpayer)dollars will find their way to this project. Aaron has been very quiet on the subject probably noting the referendum, barely passing, was hardly a taxpayer (Schock voter) mandate.
As former Caterpillar liason to the PRM and now a Peoria County employee and county liason, Mark Johnson, said, it is a “mess”.
He is correct. Seldom have I seen such poor planing as I have been witnessing by the PRM Committee. Against my objections, Peoria County is now caught up in this mess.
Correct me if any of my comments are incorrect. Or do so on my blog site.
Caterpillar is not in possession of the land because there has been no closing to date because the current redevelopment agreement terms have not been met. Caterpillar has paid for the demolition of the Sears building. The city has yet to transfer the land. The county via Patrick Urich (as I recall) said that the County is only willing to offer one dollar for the land.
What is the County willing to offer for the land?
What is the City willing to accept for the land?
It is a mess. An example of local government expanding their powers into an arena that is not a basic service. It is regrettable that the County Board members ever started on this path.