Pantagraph.com | News | Main Street Corridor plan gets OK from Bloomington, Normal

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

BILLY BOB wrote on Oct 18, 2007 11:37 PM:

" You know all those vacant buildings in need of renovation down town. I got a pig in a poke for you people. We will get to buy them and we will also pay out the wazoo to rid them of lead paint and asbestos prior to dozing them down. Make way for the coridor. I say no coridor unless the money is in the bank. No raiseing taxes. No TIF set asides. No assessment fees. No bonds. No saddling the taxpayers with more debt. "

to All About Sam wrote on Oct 18, 2007 3:46 PM:

" the more i read your comment the more i get p-oed . who the hell stuck a silver spoon in your mouth?? what did mommy and daddy have? a cushy job on the farm?? your paying a fortune into the Social Security system ? and we didnt??? well there pup we didnt make 50 ,75, 100 k a year (or more) we made less than 10 at best. and i'll tell ya it was just as hard then as it is now. if not more. we didnt have mommy and daddy handing us what ever we wanted.. we went out and earned it. and as far as S.S. you get paid based on what you paid in.. S.S. is broke because goverment cant keep there hands out of it.i hope you have a 401 K plan.. and i hope its invested with a company like enron.. thats exactly what you deserve. now go eat some bakery with your buddy.. C.A.T.S. "

hummmm ?? wrote on Oct 18, 2007 1:43 PM:

" a piece of bakery thats what i want.. wait what is that anyway??? "

to All About Sam wrote on Oct 18, 2007 1:03 PM:

" you must be married to where..or your the same person... "

to BN Democrat wrote on Oct 18, 2007 12:58 PM:

" i see that right there downtown we call it the judydome.. judy must have been a dem..she knows everything "

BN Democrat wrote on Oct 18, 2007 12:30 PM:

" You all should be grateful to our city leaders. They know more then you on how to spend your tax dollars. "

All About Sam wrote on Oct 18, 2007 11:55 AM:

" It's all about you, isn't it Sam? Yup, we better turn the community upside down for you so you don't have to drive 7 miles to Eastland Mall (to walk for free in a facility that was not designed for that purpose and you pay nothing to clean, heat or maintain). Complain, complain, complain. Whine whine, whine. And also, the "kids that are starting to take over" are paying a fortune into the Social Security system that you greys are sucking the guts out of after you have paid a FRACTION of what current wage earners pay (and we will be lucky if there is even a shell left when we reach our ever extending benefit date). You're welcome. Now put a sock in it. "

hey, Sam wrote on Oct 18, 2007 11:40 AM:

" Here's an idea - walk the aisles of the new Schnucks in Normal. It's open 24 hours and when you're done walking I bet you can get a cup of coffee or a piece of bakery. "

to sam wrote on Oct 18, 2007 11:28 AM:

" see what i mean there buddy? its all about them..what can you hand me today..? "

To Sam wrote on Oct 18, 2007 11:27 AM:

" Think about what you are complaining about. You are complaining to a city manager about using a public school run by a different body of government, a school board. The city has no control over letting you walk around a school. That is like complaining to a school principal about your sales tax rate. But then, maybe you do that too. "

MIND CONTROLLED LEADERS wrote on Oct 18, 2007 11:25 AM:

" Who is prompting our mindless leaders to get our community into even further debt when a national monitary crisis of major proportion is right around the corner, reguardless of what the government is telling us. When the country goes into the next depression, and it will, where will it put communities owing all of this debt. This is totally irresponsible! "

what brains wrote on Oct 18, 2007 11:19 AM:

" "A common sign system would be used in both municipalities so visitors would easily know how to get somewhere" wow isnt this already being used green street signs,red stop signs, yellow when caution is needed?? hell i could have told you that much.. how about you just update them so you can read the rusty things. or is this jackass talking about chicago style signs.. you know the ones. they call them billboards. they call them street signs.. "

sounds to me like wrote on Oct 18, 2007 11:01 AM:

" they have all been to honolulu. trollies tree lined streets,bike paths. its every where over there. i lived there for a few years. i wonder if judy paid for that with her kickbacks??? well this is no tourist trap. and i wonder everyday what made me come back to this hell hole? "

Re: Sam wrote on Oct 18, 2007 10:48 AM:

" Sam, what the hell are you talking about? Are municipalities required to provide "inside walking" accommodations? If you are looking for a place to do some "inside walking" how about your home? "

to: Sam wrote on Oct 18, 2007 10:44 AM:

" I, too, pay Normal taxes and have no children in the school system. I would like to use the gymnasium in the evening to play basketball, and also I'd like access to their computers so I don't have to have one at home. See where all this is headed? Just becuase you're a gray-hair, doesn't mean you are owed anything. "

Devil's Advocate wrote on Oct 18, 2007 10:17 AM:

" The city of Bloomington already screwed every property owner on Center St. when they converted Main St. to one way. What financial remdiation was made to them. NOTHING! Only that their property values dropped like a rock. It will be more of the same with this fiasco. I suppose the Mayor of Normal will attempt to eventually ban (You know he is big on bans) all motorized traffic from this wonderful future corridor. It will be great when just the bike riders wave to the trolley during their relaxing pleasure cruise from State Farm Park to Heartland Community College on a balmy February morning with a wind chill of -25. "

JTE wrote on Oct 18, 2007 10:15 AM:

" We don't need another bike path. I'm a cyclsits and I avoid CC Trail because it's too dangerous. Most people on the trail don't have a clue how to interact with others. Pedestrians with headphones on who can't hear cyclists calling out, cyclists who refuse to call out, morons walking dogs using a 20' lead (and not carrying bags to pick up the droppings), uncontrolled children verring randomly, and groups of walkers who find no problem with taking up the entire trail and refuse to move over. I'm much safer on the streets of B/N than the trail. This plan is a potential for great things, but given B/N's affection for doing things half-way, it's not gonna happen. We'll wind up with lovely old buildings and trees removed to be replaced with the same shoddy construction of the retail/housing eyesore at Main/Hovey. And small localy owned business will get the shaft. "

to sam again i am..lol wrote on Oct 18, 2007 10:06 AM:

" and yes i like green eggs and ham!! if you have ever eaten c-rations you would know what im talking about...they dont care sam. im sorry but thats the way it is these days. the kids are starting to take over and they just dont care.its all about them,and what can we hand them today?? i wonder what are they going to invent to hand thier children?? t.v. radio,computers,telephones,airplanes,?? no more ways to get out hard work .. "

ed wrote on Oct 18, 2007 9:35 AM:

" your community doesn't have income.......you should learn about how things work before you speak. the trolley to hell is paved with good intentions, wasted tax money, section 8 housing "

Sam again wrote on Oct 18, 2007 9:16 AM:

" Yes, I have walked at Eastland many times, but it is 7 miles each way from my home in Normal. With the price of gas as it is now, I think it would be nice if Normal provided something for residents which wouldn't be such a drive. There must be somewhere, like a school, where people could walk early in morning at no cost. A few adults with gray hair I doubt would be a problem for security. If my taxes keep going up and I no longer have children using the schools, why wouldn't this be a logical use for schools before children arrive? People like me who walk everyday are trying to keep healthy and costs down. Maybe our city officials should listen to our logic. "

to where wrote on Oct 18, 2007 9:14 AM:

" go back to your cubical. and look around..pretty nice hugh??now go look in the mirror. hurry back now..tic tock.. tic tock..about time!!! what did you see?? come on tell us !! thats what i thought ! you could'nt tell your backside from your frontside. well let me tell you neither one is very pleasent to look at! even more so when you open your ass to speak!! not all homeless are bums and not all bums are homeless!! and you know nothing about Compassion. now hurry go look in the mirror.. what did you see this time ?? thats what i thought .. thats ok we all saw it way before you.. very unpleasant to look at isnt it?? "C.A.T.S." "

Tony S. wrote on Oct 18, 2007 9:05 AM:

" Is Doug Farr the reincarnation of Albert Speer? This whole "Main Street Corridor" is an idiotic idea. The architecture he calls appealing sounds sterile looking to me. "

Sorry wrote on Oct 18, 2007 9:05 AM:

" All the tax money is going to go to pay for the coliseum for many years to come. No money left for this project. "

just me wrote on Oct 18, 2007 8:52 AM:

" Yes, what about all the trees? You're going to OK ripping out all the trees, tearing up sidewalks, stealing land from residents? Are bikers illiterate enough to not know how to ride on a street? If they are, they shouldn't be riding. And since when do bikers' rights go against homeowners' right? How stupid! And yes, cross traffic, driveways. We know bikers have no conscious thought of cars, they figure everyone should stop for them. We already know that from where the Trail crosses streets. What a stupid idea. I'm surprised Colisseum Judy isn't the one who thought of it. OR maybe she was. Just another white elephant, only this one will be stretched out flat. "

sounds good +1 wrote on Oct 18, 2007 8:49 AM:

" I agree with you sounds good. We are lucky to live in a community that not only has income but it spending it in ways that make our town better and benefit us. Most people won't be intelligent enough to recognize the benefits we will get from projects like this. Most people won't even realize it is an investment in our communities future. So many other towns face serious financial problems and don't have strong leaders devoted to improving the community. We are lucky to have this. Your right though, lots of people will complain, but you know what who really cares about people that complain on the pantagraph website? Really, talk about scrapping the bottom of the barrel. "

To Sam: wrote on Oct 18, 2007 8:47 AM:

" You know, there IS another mall....Eastland Mall. The College Hills Mall had been dead for a long time, hardly any stores open. The Shoppes are bringing in a lot more revenue than the mall was doing. You'd probably enjoy walking at the Eastland Mall; when I worked there in college there were lots of "mall-walkers" early in the morning. "

To much wrote on Oct 18, 2007 8:34 AM:

" Can't bikers ride on the streets one block east or west of Main Street corridor. We have trails for biking, so pedaling down Main must be a desparate destination oriented last resort. There will be great cross traffic complication. Just plain stupid idea. A Trolley??? Do hundereds of people want this access every day? Lets start with a Main street bus route back and forth from Heartland to State Farm Park and check ridership. Form based codes, nice thought but to much government meddeling. We have zoning for land use, now we are going to tell property owners what they must build. Where did America go? "

Where wrote on Oct 18, 2007 8:32 AM:

" are they going to move all the homeless bums from the Compassion Center to? They sure are unpleasant to look at. "

Sam wrote on Oct 18, 2007 8:30 AM:

" Mark Peterson is the man I called to asking where I could walk inside during winter, now that College Hills Mall was gone. I had just moved back to Normal. He named a couple of places, all costing money, and acted like having to pay was no problem at all. Well, I can't afford to pay, so I said what about very early in the morning at one of the public schools. He said that would be impossible because the schools wouldn't want to open a building up to residents. His attitude showed an arrogance typical of so many with an ounce of authority. "

C.A.T.S. wrote on Oct 18, 2007 8:24 AM:

" where is all this land going to come from?? a bike path,a grassy median island along some of the corridor??? with plenty of trees also planted between the curb and the sidewalk?? what do they want to do cut it down to one lane?? no there going to take the land from the land owners.. sell now before the bottom falls out. Buildings would be multistory and often contain multiple uses?? hummm they going to tear down whats there and rebuild?? how is all this being paid for??? is this a tom and judy idea???because we have a coliseum that we cant pay for we need to spend millions more so that the drive through bloomington is pleasent?? get flippin real!! how about you pay for the $150 mil fiasco that we call the judydome first. (74mil if you beleave toms lies) im sure this will make it on some ballot.. but i wonder will you listen this time??? if not we know how to fix your hearing, ask judy.(tom your next) i also wonder how many mil. did this study cost the taxpayer? DING DING oh wow here comes the trolly sorry have to run.. "

Johnny Mac wrote on Oct 18, 2007 8:08 AM:

" Where are we going to put all these "improvements"? Main Street is one way through B/N. Bike path? WHERE? We need to send these Chicago folks back to Chicago! Too bad we shut down the trolley system that traversed the city and also the Interurban. Hey, the tracks are still there in many places, just buried under tons of asphalt and concrete! "

Sounds good wrote on Oct 18, 2007 7:36 AM:

" We are really lucky that we live in a community that cares so much about its appearance and standard of living. I'm sure many will complain about this, like they complain about anything, but I am excited about it. "

ed wrote on Oct 18, 2007 7:06 AM:

" a trolley? "

Toonerville wrote on Oct 18, 2007 6:04 AM:

" A real trolley system at what I'd guess at a bare minmum of $2 million per mile to build? Probably won't happen but it would help keep drunken college students off the streets between the bars in downtown Bloomington and the ISU/IWU campi. "

YTR wrote on Oct 18, 2007 5:24 AM:

" Who pay's for the this trolly system? I find it strange that some of the main people that propose these "addition services" and enforce the "building forms and styles" (i.e. landscaping) don't even live in the community (in fact they don't even live in McLean county). Could it be that they don't want to live under the same rules and steep taxes that they have helped to create? The arrogance of Mr. Peterson to say “If it’s efficient and convenient, it will be used,” What about self-sustaining? Maybe this should be a story the Pantagraph looks at?? "

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