Pantagraph.com | News | State park vendors seek answers on closing

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.

lowrider wrote on Sep 3, 2008 11:05 PM:

" instead of closing the park just give it to the vendors for a nominal price, with a clause to get it back within 10 years for a nominal price. "

coal wrote on Sep 3, 2008 7:13 PM:

" I think some of you are missing my point. I’m not saying these places should be closed or knocked down. What I’m saying is with the financial crisis the state is in they do not have the money to support these places. What is so wrong with the State Park being bought by the county? Lake Bloomington and Evergreen Lake are owned by the county. The Elwood mansion in Dekalb is just one example. It is owned by Dekalb park district. Why can’t Bloomington Park district buy the Davis Mansion? They do a great job with the Zoo and maintaining the parks. If the Davis mansion does get 50,000 visitors a year and to tour the place is $4.00 a person that could be $200,000 a year income. It could pay itself off in less then a year with property value in that area. The only other option would be to protest Springfield to raise taxes to keep these places open. "

OGS wrote on Sep 3, 2008 5:16 PM:

" to A Friend
How do you know that BB never does anything but talk? Do you (no friend of mine) expect anyone here to believe that you are omniscient? "

TATER SALAD wrote on Sep 3, 2008 3:39 PM:

" Wow,, the state must really be broke. I see IDOT just spent 2 million to buy 150 CARS. I wonder what kind of snow plows/salt spreaders they are going to attach to them? Probably something in the FAT CAT category. "

ConcernedBNCitizen wrote on Sep 3, 2008 3:34 PM:

" To: ONLY IN AMERICA Hey genius why do you think we are in a budget crisis and its taking 5 plus years to recover from it??? Republicans. Look at the history and the facts. Take your cult blinders off. "

bnilguy wrote on Sep 3, 2008 2:49 PM:

" I did plenty of thinking before I spoke...How am I not thinking? I'm probably one of the few that doesn't blindly blame Rod for everything. It's funny how the blame is on everyone but ourselves. Is there waste? You bet! But you're talking saving relative pennies to the dollars of revenue shortfall. That's like getting a paycut and saying you can now afford Filet Mignon instead of hamburger if you just shake your couch cushions more. I give Rod a little credit for at least looking like he's trying to run government as a business in that you can't run forever on borrowed money...if they're going to raise my taxes, I at least want it to go for something besides interest payments to foreign banks. "

malayasmom5 wrote on Sep 3, 2008 2:44 PM:

" I just think it is a shame that we are taking something away from the community that offers us a chance to get out of our houses and cars and be active. Not to mention - it can cost you little to nothing to enjoy these parks. Why must we close these parks while the Governor spends money on private vehicles, hair and makeup? If we took the income that came in from these parks and put it back into the park systems, rather than the general fund, this may not be happening. I know I wouldn't be opposed to spending a dollor or two each time I visited in order to keep them open. Such a shame. "

Herr Hundhausen wrote on Sep 3, 2008 2:24 PM:

" Herr Arzt Thomas Pliura M.D./J.D. Bavaria (German: Freistaat Bayern (help·info), with an area of 70,553 km² (27,241 square miles) and almost 12.5 million inhabitants, lies in the southeast of Germany and is the largest state (Bundesland) of Germany by area. Its capital is Munich. About 6.4 million of its population are Bavarian, 4.1 million Franconian and 1.8 million Swabian. I am ready leave Hellsworth and go back to my birthplace. "

lincolnlover wrote on Sep 3, 2008 1:40 PM:

" Coal - You are certainly entitle to your opinion. I have been to the Elwood Mansion several times, and, although their staff is dedicated, it is simply not done at the level the Davis Mansion does it. I did double check my facts and, yes, it is 48 thousand, not 50. I got that from calling the Mansion and from checking with public records in Springfield. I think a lot of locals would be shocked at the number of people from out of town who come to B/N for conventions and sometimes just for a short vacation. It is within easy driving distance of several major citys and has a lot of recreation, dining and accommodations to offer.
We as a nation made a choice long ago to publicly support our own history and public lands. Even if they don't make a profit, they are valuable in their own right. If you want to get rid of something, lets get rid of social security. That darn FICA takes more of my paycheck than historic sites. "

2tired wrote on Sep 3, 2008 12:45 PM:

" If we go by "coal" theory we might as well tear down the govenors mansion, then maybe sell the lotto, outsource all goverment jobs to mexico, have Iowa come in and take over the DMV, and finially sell Lincoln's home to Georgia. There is certian things that need to be goverment ran, something tell our history and doesn't bring in a profit. There is pently of other waste that can be eliminated what about IDOT buying 2/3 of the new vehicles that was purchased by Illinois they IDOT bought 130 more than the state police "

The Original JD wrote on Sep 3, 2008 12:39 PM:

" Americans have this fascination with wallowing in the past while neglecting the future. Sure, it would be great if there was a magical money fairy that would allow us to pay for everything, but until you can produce one, money needs to be allocated to where it can do the most good. It is more important to build for tomorrow than it is support yesterday. If people want these sites open so badly, let them support it themselves out of their personal funds, and quit expecting everyone else to subsidize their leisure activities. "

coal wrote on Sep 3, 2008 11:56 AM:

" Lincolnlover, I have been to the Davis mansion but only once. I must question your claim that it has 50,000 visitors a year. That would be about 1,000 a month! I don't think you have your facts right. Why is it the role of the state to fund this place? I’m not saying knock the place down but if it is such an asset to the area it should be sold to the city or county. How much do these state workers make that operate a house that is not lived in? The Elwood mansion in Dekalb is a good example of a historic site owned by their local park district and run right. A much better place to visit, with much more to offer and not a burden on state budget. The state has the responsibility of the roads. Education, police, National Guard, prisons and so on. Things not crucial to the operating of the state should be cut from the budget. Local governments who benefit from these places should be paying the cost. "

correctional/officer wrote on Sep 3, 2008 11:08 AM:

" Ive been going to Dawson Lake since I was a little. It makes me sad they are closing lakes and camping areas. Some people cant afford to take a big fancy vacation so they go camping or grab a day for a picnic at the lake. This is very sad to hear. "

country wrote on Sep 3, 2008 11:08 AM:

" Lets look at another angle....Gov Rod closes all the downstate parks and attractions. Come next year when the budget has money it will cost twice as much to get everything back up and running. Restart costs will be more than if......Gov Rod plays it smart and does some belt tightening. Cut back on hours of operation. Close on a day or two or three per week. Look at what service can be trimmed to save money. Sure the vendors will lose a little but they will at least not get totally screwed. Also with the sites being open, maintenance can go on preventing the park\attraction from falling into total disrepair costing tons of money to clean up before reopening. It is time to call him to the carpet....we lose something downstate and he loses something up north. Time for him to take the bus, drive himself or live in Springfield. Time to shut down his private airline. We could take that money and keep Pontiac and the parks open. "

candy wrote on Sep 3, 2008 11:04 AM:

" ...cont
I'd be interested also to see how many costly and unnecessary earmarks have passed with some of these bills that are costing us money we aren't even aware of. Even if you haven't visited these parks.. wouldn't you want your tax money to go to preserving nature rather than giving Blago a ride to work every day?? come on... "

candy wrote on Sep 3, 2008 11:04 AM:

" To: Gelfing... thank you for having common sense! There are a few people posting here that obviously have none. Free bus rides for Seniors is another thing that needs to go. I have nothing against seniors, but why are we handing out free things to ANYONE if we can't afford it? I'd like to hand out free sandwiches to everyone in my community too, but if my budget doesn't allow it, then I can't do it! These parks keep kids off of the streets, they give families things to do together, they preserve our nature and wildlife in this area. I can think of quite a few things that he can do to cut things out of the budget without closing these parks. His 70K a month for plane rides would be the first to go, as would the 4% raise they are about to give themselves (even though we are BROKE). Cont.. "

floyd wrote on Sep 3, 2008 10:47 AM:

" Fix ol' rod by boycotting Chicago! Let him know you won't stand for his bull and not spend money or support his corrupt Chicago politics. "

drewman wrote on Sep 3, 2008 10:25 AM:

" I still say we need a North and South Illinois. Then everybody would be happy!! "

Gelfing wrote on Sep 3, 2008 10:24 AM:

" bnilguy

Man, your missing the forest for the trees. Its not that the budget is straped or the money isn't there to maintain what we want... its that its being spent foolishly. Our legislators don't need another 10k a year salary ontop of their current MORE THAN ADEQUATE pay. We don't NEED to pay for Roddy boy to fly home every night. These are just 2 examples man... think before you speak. "

lincolnlover wrote on Sep 3, 2008 10:12 AM:

" 2tires - You are right on the mark. Want to run for Governor? "

JMK wrote on Sep 3, 2008 10:06 AM:

" Well put The Original JD... I like your posts better every day. "

lincolnlover wrote on Sep 3, 2008 9:44 AM:

" Waldoite - Every time I go past church parking lots, they are empty. Does that mean they don't have a lot of people attend? No, it means I'm just going past them on Friday instead of Sunday morning. "

Herr Hundhausen wrote on Sep 3, 2008 9:00 AM:

" My guess is the Hunters from Chicago, will have shoot deer, pheasants and wild turkeys at Millennium Park. "

bnilguy wrote on Sep 3, 2008 8:51 AM:

" What a sad society..we want perks, but don't want to pay for them. It doesn't work at home, however we expect it to work in government..we are spoiled and it's coming to bite us back in massive debt We're going to have to cut services, or raise taxes..but nobody wants either...one day we're going to have to grow up and bite the bullet years and financial irresponsibility has aimed at our heads "

2tired wrote on Sep 3, 2008 8:51 AM:

" This might be a stupid comment, but doesn't our goverment suppose to create jobs in the time of recession not eliminate jobs even if it cost the goverment money? All Blago is doing is eliminate jobs all over the state, he himself is helping the recession. Just shows he does not care at all about any of the people that represent him all he cares is how rich his friends can become off the state. "

waldoite wrote on Sep 3, 2008 8:45 AM:

" Rod will get his money. Just read the comments demanding these places be left open, that translates to pressure on elected officials to appropriate the money. 50,000 people toured the Davis mansion last year? Every time I go past there's not even 1 car there. The bottom line is that this state has been in the hands of the Democrats for the last 5 years and with a lock on the house, senate & governorship, and they can't take care of business. And what did we do? We promoted one of them (Sen Obama) to possibly run our country. "

New Nana wrote on Sep 3, 2008 8:44 AM:

" AKA....You are correct....Our Govenor is not and has not paid ANY of the funds for flying his sorry butt to and from our Capital. we the taxpayers have footed the bill for gas and to keep a full staff at the mansion in Springfield (just in case he wanted to come there)....TALK ABOUT A HUGE WASTE OF $$$$. All of this money would have surely kept our parks open for quite a bit longer. As for Coal, you are just not into "Family Time"????? These places are used by many "Families" and that is one thing we don't have enough of these days is "FAMILY TIME"!!! "

ONLY IN AMERICA wrote on Sep 3, 2008 7:55 AM:

" TO:ConcernedBNCitizen- You're funny trying to blame republicans for a Democratic leadership problem. Ryan might have been a crook however you can't blame today's problems on a governor who hasn't been in office for over 5 years. Read the papers if you want to do business in Illinois "you have to pay to play" with this current administration...

THE DUMBING OF AMERICA CONTINUES... "

lincolnlover wrote on Sep 3, 2008 7:40 AM:

" Coal - The Davis Mansion not historically significant?????? They sure fooled all those 50,000 people who went there last year didn't they! Ha! Thats a good one. I know you have to be kidding, because no one who actually knew anything about the place who make such a ridiculously stupid remark. When was the last time you were there?
To all of you who are complaining about wasted tax dollars, you can rest assured that it isn't the parks and/or historic sites that are wasting them. Most of the time, these places operate with minimal staff and maximum volunteers. At the Davis Mansion, volunteers gave 7000 hours last year. No, they can't be run totally by volunteers because those people sometimes decide to do things like watch their sick grandchildren or go to Florida for the winter instead of coming in to work. Plus the staff at most historic sites actually have college degrees that allow them to KNOW what they are supposed to be doing. If you want to complain about your tax dollars being misspent, then aim those comments where they belong - your very own general assembly and governor. "

brookian wrote on Sep 3, 2008 7:14 AM:

" TO: Orig JD regarding "The problem with democracy is that when your populace is ignorant, greedy, and mentally defunct, the politicians end up being the same."

Amen. "

Not so Political wrote on Sep 3, 2008 7:08 AM:

" CAN SOMEONE TELL ME WHICH PARKS IN THE CHICAGO AREA ARE BEING CLOSED, I COULD NOT FIND ANY. "

localliberty wrote on Sep 3, 2008 7:03 AM:

" Parks are a market failure and thus, one of the areas that govt SHOULD be involved in running.
Parks and recreation are important for adding to the productivity of a workforce, and thus an appropriate allocation of tax funds.

Health care, on the other hand, if it were allowed to actually function as a free market, has little if not no market failure at all.

However, Mr. Blagojevich decided to change the direction of government: from one which provides soley for the latter, while neglecting the former.
If you read the press releases from his administration regarding the approved budget, you will see that this is the case.
Government provided healthcare at the expense of Governement provided parks.

We need real discussion about what the role of govt and taxes actually is. "

Jarhead71 wrote on Sep 3, 2008 6:52 AM:

" One of the incentives that lures businesses into a city or STATE are the leisure activities and space, (READ PARKS). This governor has totally lost his mind. He is gutting IL before he is out of office. WHERE IS ALL THE MONEY GOING????????? We have all sorts of taxes and fees in IL. We have a lottery. AGAIN, WHERE IS ALL THE MONEY GOING? SHOW US THE MONEY! It is time for the Feds to step up their investigation of the governor and his activities and finances. "

the_goat wrote on Sep 3, 2008 6:36 AM:

" So.... does anyone know how many historic Chicago sites are closing? I heard that they'll be an impeachment vote allowed for any State elected official this fall. Ole Rod's going to get my vote on that one! "

ConcernedBNCitizen wrote on Sep 3, 2008 6:08 AM:

" Republicans and deficit spending.........Thompson, Edgar, Ryan. Bush did the same thing with the country. Now we are paying the bill. "

My Thoughts... wrote on Sep 3, 2008 5:37 AM:

" To Not So Political- Pluira has done ALOT of good things for people. It's people that are jealous of the fact that he has the funds to help that need to shut up! Tommy is an intelligent, caring and helpful person- just because he has money doesn't mean he is "using his money to get things in wrong places". This to me sounds like someone is jealous of a person that has not one but 2 degrees that has actually MADE SOMETHING OF HIMSELF! GO GET'M TOMMY! "

My Thoughts... wrote on Sep 3, 2008 5:32 AM:

" Sick'em Tommy! I agree with you 100%. This is just another of Blago's mistakes. These mistakes seem to keep adding up quickly! This is the people's chance to speak out! Let's put an end to all of these mistakes! People need to speak out and take a good look at who's in charge! "

catlbyer16 wrote on Sep 3, 2008 5:31 AM:

" i think the state should sell it back to the familys they bought from, for just what they paid for it plus $50.00 an acre. now let me think how much that would be------------------- oh yes a total of about $350.00 per acre. fair then and fair now. "

The Original JD wrote on Sep 2, 2008 11:46 PM:

" Government, on all levels, has driven the country into a debtor nation by pandering for votes. There is no such thing as a free lunch, yet people continue to be fooled every time a politician offers them something for nothing in exchange for their vote. Well, the piper has come to get paid. Tax payer money has been stretched to the breaking point on liberal/social/socialist projects, hand outs, and pork. The majority of Americans have nothing to complain about, as they are the ones who brought this on everyone. The problem with democracy is that when your populace is ignorant, greedy, and mentally defunct, the politicians end up being the same. "

lincolnrocks wrote on Sep 2, 2008 11:09 PM:

" coal-First off, the taxpayer doesn't pay for horseback riding. The business owner leases the land from the state. He PAYS to use the ground. In return, he provides a service. Second, the Mansion has HUGE historical significance. David Davis put Lincoln in the White House. The building itself is architecturally significant as well. Before you spout nonsense, read the article closely and maybe do a dab of research. "

alwayssomething wrote on Sep 2, 2008 10:51 PM:

" I will be curious to hear how Dewitt County will get the funds to operate Weldon Springs IF the State turns around and gives it back to the county. I had heard they gave it to the state because they couldn't afford the upkeep on it. "

A Friend wrote on Sep 2, 2008 10:34 PM:

" I read post like the one from BigBrother and I laugh. BB suggests things to do but never does anything himself. Talk is cheap.

If you don't like how something is done, get off your duff and do something.

I didn't like the smoke filled bars and I lobbied to get the local laws passed before the state ones.

BB and his ilk just post comments.

I don't use the parks that are being closed, so go ahead and close them. If you use them and want to keep them open, do something more than complain about it here.

Rubes deserve what they get. "

akay wrote on Sep 2, 2008 10:12 PM:

" I feel if the Gov. lived in Springfield things would be a lot different. Maybe if he wasn't flying home to Chicago every other weekend at least money could be saved. Let's face it.. I'm sure he is not paying for the gas out of his own pocket like he says he is. "

drewman wrote on Sep 2, 2008 9:50 PM:

" Hey coal, usually I would agree with anyting that would mean less government. However, if these parks are sold to the public, there is a good chance that a development co would be the buyers and turn the whole park into a private haven for only those who can afford to buy/build there. Just look north to Lake Bloomington. Sorry but to me these parks are worth every cent in tax money that I have to pay. If you want to complain about money wasted, just look at the salaries and benefits that our so called representatives recieved. You will soon forget the cost of parks!! "

cornfused wrote on Sep 2, 2008 9:40 PM:

" Dear coal, I'm cornfused. Weldon Springs was donated to the state. Kickapoo was financed largely by private local donations. Shouldn't the running of the state consist of the state keeping open public land that they agreed to own and manage for the benefit of the citizens of Illinois? "

Not so Political wrote on Sep 2, 2008 8:28 PM:

" How come no one else has been able to get in on the horse renting and Morine view other than Pliura? Does his money talk in all the wrong places !! "

BigBrother wrote on Sep 2, 2008 7:45 PM:

" Thousands of people in Illinois have invested in campers and boats in order to enjoy the state campgrounds and parks. I suggest a caravan of campers and boats converge on Springfield to surround the capital building. I also suggest a weekend in a reat stop. If all th campers and boaters took to the roads and parked in every rest stop in Illinois preventing any trucks from parking would send a message. Another protest in Chicago driving along the main arteries into and out of Chicago during rush hour, or would it be rush hour(s) with the traffic jams. Its time the politicians heard from the voters. "

meandmyscoot wrote on Sep 2, 2008 7:35 PM:

" This is sad.Things are not good when you can't keep a park open. However, I have heard that Normal was considered opening a park over on Orlando? Can someone comfirm this rumor? "

coal wrote on Sep 2, 2008 7:02 PM:

" The money state taxpayers are paying should be spent on running the state. It should not be spent on something as ridicules as providing land for horseback riding or to restore and maintain a mansion that has no real historical significance. These places should be but owned by the private sector, county or city who benefits from them. "

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