Let Me Make This Perfectly Clear Department...

Apparently some people have me all wrong on a few things.  I can't wait for the museum to be built.  I just didn't want it built with taxpayer monies but that point is moot.  I will probably be one of the first in line for this when it opens.  I love Planetariums although I think the one we have now here in Peoria is run in a rinky dink manner.  It has a beautiful star projector yet when you go to a show, you are presented with a slide show at the level of a 9th grader.

I used to go to Planetarium shows in Hawaii when I lived there and the shows would blow your socks off.  I mean they used the star projector and some small props and added music to make the show a wonderful experience.  Like simulating clouds, using a water pistol, shooting it into the audience to make it fell like a light rain was clearing out and seeing the starry night in it's full grandeur.

IMAX is another draw for me.  If you have never seen an IMAX movie, well, they are really cool.  I just hope that is what Peoria gets and not a knock off.

Do I think this will be a boon to downtown?  Anything to draw people downtown will help but again, I think just the museum alone won't be the fix.  I just don't trust those in charge to do the right thing.  I am sure there will be design changes because of costs, things will be removed, changes will be made and the museum we all think we are getting will be far less than we expected.  I hope not.

Some may remember the Civic Center and how big it was originally going to be.  Some said Peoria could not support a huge arena and theatre.  Construction costs kept rising and both the arena and theatre were downsize from the original plans.  Oh how we wish we could get those seats back now.  No amount of remodeling will increase the seating capacity of either venue and if you ever attended anything in the theatre, the seats just suck.

I want this to all work more than ever because now, we, the public, are invested.  Too many times in the past we have seen slick talking developers and statisticians show up and show us numbers on how things will go and most times, they are wrong.  They were really wrong most recently at Mid-Town Plaza.  They were wrong so far around the ball park that the city spent $3 million moving a street and much more buying out a dry cleaner to make room for this park and the future development we were promised.  Nothing has come to past in this area.  How are we to trust these people? 

With the elections over, it appears Peorians have elected more of the same type of leadership as Van Auken was re-elected, Riggenbach, a newcomer to the council, was elected in the 3rd and he seems to have the same tax and spend "their" money mantra. He was for the museum tax. 

So here we go.  Something finally on the Sears block, a new hotel (maybe) being built with, I guarantee, with our help (read taxpayer money) and a somewhat suspect track record on past promises.  All I ask is this; if this fails, if this museum crashes because it wasn't built as promised or because it didn't turn out to be the draw we needed, if we, the taxpayer end up on the hook for this and the new hotel, like we are on the hook for Mid-Town, then we should be allowed to impeach the City Council members if they are still serving, and tar and feather them.  That's all.  I think that is fair. After all, they are using our money freely.  On the other hand, this could work and all of the movers and shakers and council people will look like brain surgeons.  We'll just have to wait and see....

Oh, I have one other concern or request.  Will you people stop protesting every decision District 150 makes.  Some schools will have to close and yes Tyng may be one.  90% of you protestors haven't set foot inside Tyng and probably have to Google it to find it.  Same with Garfield.  Now the District is hunting for a new Super and Treasure. Please. No more sign carrying protests.  The way some of you blog and comment on blogs about District 150, the way you research numbers and stats, why don't you use that energy to help or run for a school board seat instead?  You got one new seat now. Ya know, if one bitches all the time or long enough, one tends to think of you as a bitch.

Hey, I like Peoria and I think Peorians have the right to bitch and complain but we also have the duty to support Peoria. When I travel, I proudly tell people that I am from Peoria, Illinos.  Sometimes I get a great response and sometimes they say; "Oh Big Al's?"  Yeah, that hurts a bit. Still that is why I shop in Peoria, eat in Peoria (despite the HRA Tax), and live and pay property taxes in Peoria.  It is our right to critique our elected officials and yes, to protest at school board meetings.  We have our problems and really no more than any city our size has and all are fixable. 

Outsiders,those that live across the river or in our other burbs,  just love to throw their two cents in and they love it when we have strife here.  Their grass isn't always greener but the fact that they focus on Peoria shows that without Peoria, this area would be one big trailer park with nothing but McDonald's and Hardee's with a Wal-Mart in the middle.  How Peoria goes is how this whole area goes. I hope I was clear.