From fun to collect.com
Well faithful PRU readers, it looks as if the City is staying with the posted agendas for tonight's City Council meetings, and not adding more supporting documents for your reading displeasure!
First up is a Special City Council meeting -- aren't they all? -- beginning at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall. The agenda (.pdf) includes the following --
O’HARE COMMISSION REFERENDUM INFORMATIONThe PRU Crew cannot wait to hear more about how the residents of Park Ridge need to be edumacated on the issue of O'Hare Airport and the referendum question which will appear on the November election ballot. Because, according to the current PROAC chairman, people in Park Ridge are confused, very confused, by the referendum question.
a. Should the City of Park Ridge disseminate information to the Park Ridge residents?
b. If so, what information should be provided to the residents?
c. How should the information be disseminated?
d. How much should the City spend to disseminate the information?
"Shall the City of Park Ridge allocate funding in an amount not to exceed $500,000 to seek expanded and accelerated noise abatement solutions intended to address the negative impacts of O'Hare airport's expansion on residential property values, local schools and the overall quality of life in our community"
Clearly, the question is quite a referendum riddle!
Should the City Council vote to approve funds for a direct mail piece, to edumacate residents, we can all just think of it as a tuition payment. And should the City find itself incurring attorney's fees as a result of any legal challenge, we can all just think of it as another tuition payment for earning our collective post secondary education -- the education we seem to collectively continue to need, post Peotone fiasco.
Also scheduled for this evening is another COWlumbus Day City Council Committee of the Whole meeting, set to begin at 7:00 p.m. at City Hall. The revised agenda (.pdf) is filled with fodder for all manner of municipal fun!
The PRU Crew is looking forward to a number of expected discussions. But we are gratified to see the Council will finally have an opportunity to address the City's Facade Improvement program (.pdf), which we first mentioned more than a year ago and have continued to mention as being something of which we disapprove -- not only because we find the basis for the program highly questionable, but also because the current expenditure will be coming out of the City's TIF fund, which has relied heavily upon loans from the City's General fund to stay afloat. What this means for residents outside the TIF district is, not only are taxpayers subsidizing the Uptown development directly, but also providing subsidies to other commercial properties in the TIF district, beyond merely the redevelopment project alone, while incurring higher property taxes outside the TIF district and reduced City services, in general. We guess the facade improvement program didn't make Mayor Schmidtzkrieg's radar when he was blipping about non-essential expenditures.
However, the PRU Crew will be tempted the next time somebody says, "Park Ridge isn't friendly to business," to firmly plant a pair of Doc Martens up their ass.
All in, there's a wealth of issues scheduled for consideration this evening and we strongly encourage residents to pay close attention to what their elected representatives will be doing in their name.
What the PRU Crew finds most unfortunate is, under the best of circumstances, this Council can't seem to figure their way out of the proverbial paper bag -- with an agenda flush with consequential issues, the odds are pretty good these guys will screw something up.
28 comments:
There's an airport nearby? I had no idea.
PRU-
What the heck is the facade improvement program?
That is why you need educating!!
Anon@2:46 --
We should have originally included a link to the supporting documents which discuss the program.
We've added it now for our interested readers.
I am so sick of the airport whiners. YOU KNEW THERE WAS AN AIRPORT HERE WHEN YOU MOVED IN! If you didn't want to have to hear an airplane over your house then you should have moved somewhere else. It is ridiculous to keep throwing money at a worthless fight we will lose when we have enough problems keeping up with what we should spend our taxes on.
Anonymous @3:34,
Well...there's no law against whining...but I could be persuaded to support one...
I take it you'll be voting "no" on the o'hare referendum, as will I...
Will you also be willing to abide by the majority opinion expressed on that question, no matter the outcome? I will...even if I don't agree with it.
...funny thing about democracy though, no matter the outcome of any vote, people have the right to continue to "whine"...some times they even manage to change minds...and then take another vote.
I've said this before and I'll say it again. I bought my house on the North side of town knowing full well the planes were overhead and knowing the new runways pointing over the South end of town would alleviate the noise we heard at the showing. I don't think we would have bought this house if those new runways would were not in the works.
Now these people want to spend my tax dollars to have printed material distributed around town to encourage people to support a referendum to divert planes back over the North end of town.
These people are crazy.
PRU-
Thanks for adding the link.
Sounds like anoter government ripoff of the little guys if you ask me.
prtaxpayer --
The facade improvement program wasn't intended to be a ripoff -- there is and was some measure of an attempt at logic behind its design.
However, we have yet to see anything in the way of a comprehensive analysis and accounting, after the fact, to support the original claims behind the program.
The City administration should be willing to provide the Council and the residents of Park Ridge with an accounting of whether or not the program has fulfilled its intended purposes.
Prime examples we would like to see used in an analysis would be the property housing Pines, as well as the Village Green -- which we seem to recall also received facade improvement funds. We could be wrong about that second one.
Even so, the Village Green did get a nice face-lift. If they did so without a facade improvement grant, we would still be interested in seeing what sustained uptick in property values and sales taxes, if any, have occurred as an attributable result.
Mr. Macko,
Good for you. You are smarter than everyone else and purchased a home knowing what woudl happen with the airport. People who have lived in their homes now under the new runway thought our representatives would protect our property values and fight for us. We were wrong. Stupid us. How dare we demand our representatives take action now to protect our investments.
Protect your investment all you want, but do it on your dollar not mine. Why should I pay to have flights cut over your house and sent over mine?
Mr. Macko,
Every man for himself. Remember that when you might need help and support from the community.
Are you and your children starving? I'd be happy to help you and I think most in the community would be willing to assist as well. But, that's not what is going on. There was noise on the North side of town. Now there is noise on the South side of town and less on the North. Why should I pay to make your airplaine quieter and my loader?
"These people are crazy"
Steve, these people are not crazy. THey are excercising their right to express their opinion on an issue. They are trying to rally support for said issue from the public and (often more importantly) from elected officials. They are excercising the same right that you are when you say you disagree with them - ironic, huh?? Apparently this is the first time your tax dollars may be spent on something you disagree with?!?!?!?!
Does anyone know what happened with the airport referendum?
Anon@1:04 --
After a very long discussion, we're told our special elected officials have decided to purchase an ad in one of the local rags at a cost of $750, in order to provide information to residents about the referendum question that will be on the Nov. election ballot.
$750 for an ad in the paper probably hardly any will read. I know I skip ads. Will Mayor DaVeto be vetoing this unessential spending too?
B..ah!...ch said newspaper advertising was a very effective way to get the message out. And he is the ORD commission liason to the council,right? He'd have to be telling the truth, wouldn't he?
6:37:
They're all a bunch of windbags but it's fun to watch one windbag out blast another windbag.
My favorite part of last night's meeting was watching Allegretti scold Schmidt. Schmidt's an @$$.
Steve Macko-When we bought our house 19.5 years ago there was little to no airport noise. There was also no plan at that time for runways to be built 17.5 years in the future that would bring airplanes either taking off or landing over our home and neighborhood most of the day and part of the night. Those of us "whining" just want to send the airplanes back to the north side of Park Ridge where they were when we bought our home.
Anonymous @ 7:35,
...19.5 years ago? Your claim that "there was little to no airport noise" is...interesting, at best.
The noise contour video on the ONCC website illustrates something else entirely...but maybe your memory of the noise has...faded over time...
What you don't seem to want to admit to yourself is that you had the last 10 yrs. to be aware, fight, and/or prepare in some way...but you weren't, didn't, and didn't...
...and now you say "Those of us "whining" just want to send the airplanes back to the north side of Park Ridge where they were when we bought our home" is just about as ignorant a statement as can be made. ...not to mention the fact it undermines all the "whining" about air quality, safety, etc. etc. etc.
Without admitting it, you just admitted the ENTIRE issue is all about noise...all the other "arguments" being made are just window dressing to get attention to the noise issue YOU didn't pay any attention to, but now everyone is supposed to not only be concerned about noise but also air quality, safety, etc. etc. etc. Be honest, if it weren't for the noise none of the people "whining" now would really give a flying shit about the other supposed problems of the airport if it weren't for the noise...
Like Steve Macko, a number of people *were* paying attention and did purchase their homes on the North side of Park Ridge *knowing* there would be a shift in jet noise to the South...they were paying attention...unlike you.
Anon: 7:35
And then the war came.......
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2F-drjUwNU&feature=related
Anon 6:55,
Schmidt is an ass. He and his supporters don't know how to do anything but political posturing. People have stopped buying what Shmidt has been selling. He would rather be on the attack than try and work with anyone. Political attacks might work in political campaigns but they are a waste of time when you are supposed to show leadership and do the job.
Bean-yes for 17.5 years of the 19.5years we have lived in our home there was not much noise to complain about. If you choose to not believe that, so be it.
Just like Steve Macko is wanting to protect what he invested in-we are also trying to protect what we invested in nearly 20 years ago. We have elected public officials that should be looking after the best interest of the town. They chose not to do their job as it relates to the OMP. Yes those of us in the Belle Plaine corridor from Canfield to Maine South/Touhy to Higgins could have tried to do something about it before-10 years is an overstatement-but we mistakenly thought that our elected officials were doing their job. We also mistakenly believed what the city of Chicago peddled-that the newest runway was an overflow to be used in bad weather. We are trying to do something about it now. We have every right to do this and to expect some assistance from the government officials-local, state and federal-who hosed us over.
And yes part of the issue is about noise. Since you obviously do not live in the now effected Belle Plaine corridor you are the one who is ignorant about what we have had stolen from us. The use and enjoyment of our property was taken from us. Sending our kids to a safe and quiet learning environment was taken from us. Period. And we were not compensated in anyway for it. In fact, our taxes are going up just like the rest of the property owners in town. But our property is worth considerably less-in part due to the fact that Park Ridge will have 3 east/west runways bringing planes overhead day and night.
When the wind is from the west-the planes landing go over our homes every few minutes during the hours of peak use of the airport. When the wind is from the east-the planes take off over our homes. Many nights the planes continue to take off waking us well past midnight. So much for the runway being closed at 10 pm.
There are 4 schools directly in the path of this runway. New windows and airconditioning cannot drown out the constant noise of the planes. Try sitting at an athletic event at MS with planes flying 800 feet over the playing fields. This is not a safe environment for the nearly 5000 Park Ridge students at these 4 schools.
So go ahead keeping calling us ignorant. Keep slinging the mud. But I believe that in the USA we still have the right to speak up and fight to protect what we have all worked hard to achieve. Just as you have the right to criticize us for trying. What many of us affected do not understand is how people like you fail to realize that these new runways affect the entire town.
Anonymous @ 10:42,
BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH...
Ooooh, yes...you're soooo right. I'm completely ignorant about the airport expansion issues, the OMP plans that have been under public scrutiny for years and years before finally being approved by the FAA in 2005!!!, and I'm ignorant of what it's like to live directly under a flight path.
You're also sooooo right. I choose not to believe your claim about "little to no airport noise" because the documented data completely contradicts your claim.
You haven't had anything "stolen" from you. You've been made to "share the pain" of jet noise over Park Ridge. Where I'm located, depending on wind and weather, we STILL experience noise producing landings and take-offs. Welcome to my world...I feel your pain, and have for the past 10+ years...now we've got something in common.
As you previously said, your heart's desire and intent is to "send the airplanes back to the north side of Park Ridge." So much for your concern for "the whole town." ...and it's increasingly clear that folks of your ilk abide no boundaries in either decency or your desire to spend public dollars, MY TAXES TOO, to "send the airplanes back to the north side of Park Ridge." You want to screw me using my own money??? ...uuuuummm...howsabout, NFW...
If your kids have got the raw talent and the appropriate parental involvement, then they too will "exceed standards" on those lovely school tests, despite being educated in a school under a flight path...you can take my experienced word for that, or not...makes no difference to me.
During the previous 10+/- years, where was your concern for "the whole town?" Ooooh, that's riiiight...you weren't too concerned about any of these issues to actually pay attention when it became obvious the powers that be weren't getting the job done. Don't try and pass off any bullshit about how [you all] "mistakenly thought that our elected officials were doing their job." You did not...as was evidenced by the COMPLETE surprise with which the residents of the Belle Plaine corridor met the first planes coming in for landings on the new runway...as was further evidenced by the number of emails and phone calls that poured into city hall and the aldermen after the runway opening.
...but I hope by now, you and others have learned a fundamental lesson...welcome onto he field of democracy, which is decidedly NOT a spectator sport...
Who the effing hell do you think you are going to fool with your story?
Neither I nor anyone else has to sling any mud. Slinging facts and asking pointed questions seems quite effective.
9:55:
What you fail to see is that Schmidt is still in a campaign (as are his most ardent supporters). This campaign is for the upcoming elections for Aldermen. Paramount in his behavior is making the aldermen look bad so he can run "his own" slate of aldermen can win. Blame, Blame, Blame.
I agree. Let the othere side of town deal with planes for 20 years then let's talk
Bean:
Take a deep breath. They aren't going to get the new runway closed down or get all the planes back to the north side. This is why going ahead with putting any money towards this fight is like flushing it down the toilet. Park Ridge lost this fight years ago.
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