Ballpark - Underway?

Doln Peasley wrote in today's Northwest Herald that he is "being asked whether the goal of locating a baseball stadium and a new site for the McHenry County fairgrounds still is a viable project."

What was his answer?

"The answer is workers do plan to move gravel on a portion of the 240-acre site before building the sports entertainment stadium."

Wait just one minute! Just what does that mean? Hey, okay if they move gravel for a week or two or three. But when is ground-breaking for the stadium?

Remember the rush to push this project past the Woodstock City Council? Isn't this the project with 50 (that's FIFTY) conditions attached to it?

The City was licking its chops over the proposed stadium, not the gravel "not-a-pit" pit. As I recall, the stadium project is to be on the west end of the project, and the gravel scraping will be on the east end near Lily Pond Road. Who cares when Merryman starts mining? Only Merryman (and the folks expecting to be paid for the property).

I don't see how one is connected to the other from a development standpoint, only from a property acquisition association. When the stadium is built and when the gravel is mined are two separate operations. Aren't they?

According to the article, Kate Halma, president and CEO of McHenry County Community Foundation, announced a meeting of the multi-purpose events venue community partners for March 19, 8:30AM, at the Woodstock Public Library.

Let's hope the stadium project proceeds on its rush time-table. If it doesn't, the City had better pull the plug on the gravel pit. Err, the "not-a-pit".