Stadium - What's the rush???

The Woodstock City Council meets tonight. Number 1 on the agenda is the proposal for a gravel pit near Memorial Medical Center. They don't call it a "gravel pit"; it's "excavation" to prepare the lot for a multi-purpose event venue. A Northwest Herald says the developer will "mine gravel." I'll bet she hit the name on the head.

The Plan Commission approved the plan earlier this month with 48 conditions. That's FORTY-EIGHT conditions. How many have been met so far? Ten? Five? One?

How did this thing get greased up so well that it slid onto the Agenda on such short notice?

A search on the Northwest Herald website last year revealed the article after the December Plan Commission meeting. This morning it cannot be found. Good thing I printed it last night.

PC Member Carlos Acosta, according to the Northwest Herald said "voting against it (the plan) was futile because of the political climate." PC Member Doreen Paluch also questioned the proposed plan; "How can we proceed with an incomplete application?"

And then the PC passed it unanimously. That's how. So much for dissent... Why didn't at least those two have the guts to stand up and vote against it?

Crystal Lake just rejected such a plan. Go to http://www.nwherald.com/ and search for "Woodstock stadium". You can read articles about the rejection in Crystal Lake.

What about environmental studies? Where is IDOT in this project? U.S. Highway 14 is one lane in each direction. Does anyone in his right mind think IDOT is going to widen Highway 14 to four-six lanes for sufficient distance to accommodate an entertainment venue and do it in 2009? Give me a break! Make that, give me a brake...

There is something else going on here, for this thing to move so fast.

Why did the Plan Commission approve the project with 48 conditions, rather than establishing the conditions and telling the developer to come back after he has accomplished most of them?

What consequences (penalties!) will be placed on the developer, should he not complete the project? We're in a recession, and a project like this floats onto the table?

The project hasn't even reached the City Council yet, and Councilman Webster is all for it. Seems to me that he ought to be withholding eager approval until he has heard the scoop AT the City Council meeting AND has heard from the public.