Alderman Shiller just updated her "blog" with a rendering of the new Stewart School Campus Park at Broadway and Kenmore. While we think this new green space is a welcome addition to the school, we hope that the school and the Alderman are vigilant in putting a stop to the loitering in this area. This will almost certainly be a problem once the folks who sleep in the Harris Bank parking lot realize there is a new, soft patch of grass to sleep on next door.
When I noticed Helen had tagged this project on her blog with "Wilson Yard" I had to comment.
ReplyDeleteHelen diverted funds from her "aldermanic menu" to the Wilson Yards project. Landscaping, streetscaping, and other street infrastructure projects, such as might be accomplished by our City Dept. of Streets & San or CDOT like this one are typical aldermanic menu projects.
Helen funneled funding for this through WY to put a little lipstick on the WY pig, the friendly face of the WY TIF, it's for the CHILDREN!
In other words, it might well have got done w or w/o the WY TIF.
It's GREAT she's doing it, but HOW she did it is PURE P. R.
Helen describing the project on her website as "to be constructed by the Public Building Commission" is also misleading. The PBC will review & approve the project, but of course it will be built a general contractor.
ReplyDeleteThey just redid the landscaping at Steward School - with city funding - just a few years ago.
ReplyDeleteP.S.
Under TIF rules, TIF money is supposed to supplement, not supplant. That means that if there is a city source for funding the project, the TIF money is not supposed to be used instead of those city funds. It is not supposed to relieve the city of its otherwise existing obligations to fund city services in the TIF District. TIF money is supposed to fund things that otherwise are not obtainable. That's the law folks.