A reader pointed us to the published agenda of the latest regular meeting of the Chicago Transit Board, on Wednesday, February 10, 2010, and found this tidbit:7. COMMITTEE ON FINANCE, AUDIT AND BUDGET REPORTWe don't know anything more than this (and it's really a pity that the people who are financing this whole thing - that's you and me, bub - aren't given more detailed information), but we have to admit, this has us intrigued.
E. To approve an ordinance authorizing an inter-governmental Agreement with the City of Chicago to utilize funding from the Wilson Yard tax increment financing district for the cost of station maintenance and improvements at Wilson Station (Red Line)
Well this sounds like good news for a change. So this TIF is finally being utilized for what it was designed for, right? I read over at Chicago-L.org that the CTA had planned a 3 phase upgrade for Wilson, including an elevator in one of the phases, but only phase one got completed. I'm relatively new to the neighborhood (7 months now) but the nicely painted awning and even decking seem like they could've been Phase 1, is that correct?
ReplyDeleteBring on the upgrades!
-Brian
its re-election time...
ReplyDeleteI will take the new improvements at both the L stop and the Aldermans office.
I think this may be good news (fingers crossed). I honestly don't mind my property tax dollars going to renovate the Wilson El station. It's better than spending it on more low-income housing in a ward that's already over saturated with more than 20% low income housing.
ReplyDeletefinally - something i WANT my tax dollars to go to!
ReplyDeletebefore you get too excited, consider the ratio of the CTA subsidy to the total tax revenue sucked up by the WY TIF - they're breaking off a crumb in an election year
ReplyDeleteI also love "for the cost of station maintenance and improvements at Wilson Station"
ReplyDeleteUm no....how about a complete gut rehab like our friends over on the brown line have experienced. My guess is the end result will be a new coat of brown paint and some light bulbs.
That's odd. I checked the alderman's website ... no mention of any sort regarding the use (or, as Hugh so aptly mentioned: crumb throwing) of TIF$ for the Wilson stop.
ReplyDeleteI see there's a workshop to better investigate the police, and a workshop to aid Chicago area Haitians apply for temporary immigration status:
"Obtaining TPS status is the first step in getting many local Haitians employed and provides them with a means to help their families back in Haiti"
As a note: the intent of the Feds giving short term amnesty to Haitians was to protect those who were displaced or "stuck here" due to the earthquake. Not to provide amnesty for undocumented Haitians already living here - but, that's a completely different topic.
Though, I do hope Helen can help people get their TPS reports in on time ;)
Regardless ..., if she's moving an item through the system to get improvements done to the Wilson stop, using TIF money, she damn well needs to be communicating that information to everyone.
She simply does not to openly discuss anything that she's up to (for good, or for bad).
The conspiracy theorist in me thinks she wants to keep any Wilson stop progress quiet so that she can use it as a political hammer, later.
Even if that isn't the case, the way she's conducting herself, and our business, can be described in many ways, save one: transparent.