CHBlog

Springtime means a new zeal for airport-building

carol@ozarkattitude.com (ch) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:59:00 GMT

Like a rite of spring, residents in the footprint of the proposed Peotone Airport have noticed plenty of activity.

Workers have been seen walking and driving in what has been defined as the inaugural airport site. It appears that it is once again time to survey the property the state hopes to add to its cache of 2,264 acres in and around the site. State-owned land is less than half of what would be needed to build the inaugural airport.

Like all other times, the purpose and identity of the workers was not readily known by landowners who remain in a near constant state of alarm at seeing strangers milling about their property. Over the years they have been harassed, lied to, and threatened. The once bucolic rural community they have known for generations has been forever altered since the state began buying land and demolishing and burning homes and farmsteads.

Several people questioned the strangers they saw. The answers they received were varied.

Some workers admitted they were working for Hanson Professional Services, according to Wendell Smith, an eastern Will County farmer and property owner. Hanson is the firm IDOT has contracted to manage state-owned property.

"They ought to know where they (property lines) are by now," Smith said referring to the numerous times workers have traipsed onto private property over the many years the state has been trying to build an airport near Peotone.

Some of the workers refused to provide identification. When Gina Birmingham inquired about workers on her property, she was told they were with the South Suburban Airport, but refused to show identification. When she asked them to leave, she was ignored. Her husband Brian contacted the Will County Sheriff's office, according to Smith.

George Ochsenfeld, president of STAND (Shut This Airport Nightmare Down) and the Green Party candidate for State Representative related that he too saw workers in front of his property. When he asked who they were and what they were doing, the surveyors told him they were from the Village of Monee.

Ochsenfeld thought that was odd. He knew Monee wanted to annex property to the west of the village, but he was unaware of any intentions to annex southeast.

He took it upon himself to contact the Joliet surveying company where the workers were from. He was told the work was for the South Suburban Airport. The company spokesman said the crew was told to keep a low profile.

And then there is the ombudsman

Not coincidentally, these alleged trespassing incidents occurred just days after residents received a letter from Tiffany Gorman, the Ombudsman for the South Suburban Airport.

Gorman is the lawyer hired to act as an intermediary between property owners and airport officials. She is a partner in the law firm McKeown, Fitzgerald, Zollner, Buck, Hutchison & Ruttle with offices in Frankfort and Joliet.

According to her letter, she grew up in Manteno, and is very familiar with the project and its location.

Her job may be a lonely one however, since landowners have little trust in anyone paid by the state.

"We don't need an ombudsman," Smith said. "If the day comes that we need a lawyer, we will hire one."

The state budget has included $90,000 annually since 2005 for a lawyer who rarely receives phone calls. The first ombudsman was Crete Attorney Ray Feeley who was hired by Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow at the urging of then Secretary of Transportation Tim Martin.

Since that time, Will County has provided the services of the ombudsman through a memorandum of understanding with IDOT.

To Gorman's credit, she does have mediation experience, according to her firm's website.

The idea of an ombudsman resulted from a meeting in Beecher held in 2002 by Glasgow's predecessor Jeff Tomczak after a meeting in Peotone.

Two years later, more than 150 people attended another meeting with landowners. Several Will County lawyers came to the Beecher meeting to hear homeowner complaints about trespassing by state workers.

At the time, Tomczak said Will County attorneys "held a roundtable" to determine that the state was within its rights to enter private property. But, he added that the landowners are entitled to "respect and reasonableness."

Bobbi Petrungaro, a Circuit Court Judge who in 2002 was an assistant state's attorney was the first to be appointed "an ombudsman for the people."

Speeding toward the governor's desk, Illiana approved by legislature

carol@ozarkattitude.com (ch) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 03:27:00 GMT

There was no traffic tie-up this week in the Illiana Expressway legislation.

The House version was approved in both houses, clearing the way to Governor Mitch Daniels' desk where it is expected to be signed. The Senate vote was unanimous.

The road can be built with a public/private partnership and will run from Interstate 65 in Indiana to Interstate 57 and on to Interstate 55 in Illinois. Ten miles of the road is in Indiana with the remainder in Illinois.

Once approved, Daniels can begin to negotiate with private investors.

In Illinois, State Sen. A. J. Wilhelmi introduced a bill – SB3392 – into the Senate Feb. 10, to create the Illiana Expressway Act. It remains a shell bill that will be amended in the future with language to spell out details.

Sen. Toi Hutchinson joined three other senators who had already signed on as co-sponsors of the legislation Feb. 16.

They include Sen. Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, Kirk Dillard, D-Hinsdale, and Linda Holmes, Plainfield.

Aren't Will County priorities a little off?

carol@ozarkattitude.com (ch) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 03:22:00 GMT

The Will County Board has approved its annual request for federal funds in the amount of $91.5 million. That number is up substantially from last year when the county sought $26 million.

The funding request contains important, and in fact, priority projects that would be paid for with a portion of federal dollars. They include road construction, interchanges, water studies, and even initiatives in the sheriff's department and for mental health program needs.

According to a county press release, Lee Ann Goodson (R-Plainfield), who chairs the Legislative and Policy Committee, said her committee has worked hard to receive input from various county agencies in order to identify these priorities. Goodson points out, despite the challenging economic climate, the county still needs to meet critical needs more than ever.

“Many of these funding requests are aimed at quality of life issues for our residents and serve to maintain and improve their health, safety, and welfare,” said Goodson. “We are optimistic Washington will respond to our requests and we will see many of these projects completed in a timely fashion.”

One of the projects requested annually that certainly does not fit the criteria to which Goodson refers is the county's perennial request that simply falls automatically into the list every year -- a request for funds for a multi-jurisdictional land use plan for the South Suburban Airport.

This marks the sixth consecutive year the county has included the multi-jurisdictional plan in its budget.

Despite no forward movement on the project, the request remains on auto-pilot.

Despite the fact that the project remains stalled in the pre-master plan phase since the first consultant's report was approved in 1988, Will County wants to continue the planning process for land management around it.

The request involves a development plan devised years ago by Will County along with the Villages of Beecher, Crete, Peotone, Monee, and University Park. At that time, the mayors of the towns were holding closed-door meetings to come up with a workable plan they could all agree upon. The mayors' meetings resulted in legislation that has also stalled.

How much of a priority can it be to plan for a project that may not occur? Is a land use plan for a mythical airport as important as the reconstruction of the Weber Road and Interstate 55 interchange in Romeoville, Laraway Road corridor improvements through parts of Joliet, New Lenox, and Frankfort, and reconstruction of Bell Road at 143rd, which are also in the county's request for funding?

Is the airport plan as important as the DuPage River flood study or improvements to Fiddyment Creek?

Is it more important than equipping the Sheriff’s Office with an Integrated Criminal Justice Information System for $690,000 to enhance organizational and operational needs?

Is the airport plan as important as the $300,000 needed for in-car cameras for 65 patrol cars?

Is it more important than the Health Department's Mentally Ill and Substance Abuse Program which is seeking $500,000 for the Health Department’s Program?

Is it more important than an Economic Development Planning Initiative focused on the freight transportation industry in the county for $350,000?

And why don't any of the county board members question its importance?

Illiana moves forward; no guarantees

carol@ozarkattitude.com (ch) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:20:00 GMT

Legislation favoring the Illiana Expressway has moved through Indiana's House Roads and Transportation Committee. The Senate bill (SB382) has already sailed through the Senate. But there still are no assurances of its passage by the House.

Monday, by a 10 to 2 vote, the House committee authorized a privatize Illiana Expressway that is slated to connect I-65 in Indiana to I-57 and even I-55 in Illinois. An amended version has been sent to the Indiana House where additional changes are likely.

If the House approves the bill, it will then go to a conference committee to reconcile the House and Senate versions. To pass a final bill this session, it will have to be accomplished before March 14 when the Indiana General Assembly is schedule to adjourn.

Prior to the vote, legislators held public hearings in Indianapolis and in Crown Point where several hundreds of people showed up to voice concerns and offer support for the project.

Earlier this month, the legislation for the project caused a near war in the Indiana legislature. When State Rep. Chet Dobis, D-Merrillville, an Illiana supporter, voted with House Republicans, and against his own party's chairman, House Speaker Patrick Bauer, D-South Bend, to kill the bill, Bauer stripped Dobis of his leadership position. Dobis, who has been a legislator since 1970, had been the House Speaker pro-tempore, the second highest position.

Dobis' vote killed the legislation, by forcing a tie of 79 to 79. He voted against the bill because it would have required a memorandum of understanding by each community along the route, and an environmental study. State Rep. Terri Austin, D-Anderson who introduced the legislation, said the bill was the right thing to do to protect local governments that would lose tax money because of the project.

Supporters of the Illiana Expressway in Illinois are anxiously watching what happens with the bill. There has been no movement in Illinois, except that Gov. Patrick Quinn vowed to build the highway. He said doing so would be his legacy.

Beecher Village Administrator Bob Barber said his village supports the project.

When the Illiana was first considered, its purpose was to alleviate traffic on the Borman Expressway. That would translate into cutting the number of trucks that travel through Beecher on their way south. The Illiana was expected to offer an alternative route. Yet no final route has been chosen at this time.

The final route could be between Beecher and Crete or between Beecher and Grant Park or even further south. If that were the case, trucks would still travel through Beecher to get to the Illiana. But, Barber said in that case, the village would push hard for a bypass around Beecher. He said the initial engineering work was done for a bypass several years ago. There has been no progress since that time.

Both projects are favored and are part of Beecher's comprehensive plan.

Some opponents of the road in Illinois believe the Illiana would pave the way to the Peotone Airport. Indiana supporters say the Peotone Airport has no chance of ever being built; therefore they believe the Illiana would benefit the Gary/Chicago Airport.

Monee planners rebuff fast-track annexation

carol@ozarkattitude.com (ch) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:03:00 GMT

by Carol Henrichs

The Village of Monee appears to be fast-tracking a controversial plan to forcibly annex part of Green Garden Township, but its own Planning and Zoning Committee is slowing the pace.

At a recent meeting, committee members refused to rubber stamp annexation until they have had time to examine the latest development plan by Emeritus Ventures that would occupy 520 acres of Green Garden.

Green Garden residents, its government, and the Peotone School District which assert that they would be greatly impacted by high density development in its northernmost reaches, continue to oppose the plan.

Monee residents would be impacted as well, since any increase in village services, such as roads improvements as well as police and fire protection, would be borne by its residents, according to Will County Board Member and Green Garden resident, John Anderson.

"Belle-Meade is a bad deal for Green Garden," he says, adding, that it is bad for Monee too.

"Why would the village cause its taxpayers to extend services one and a half mile to annex a residential subdivision?" Anderson asked, explaining that residential development never pays for itself.

"They don't bring money into the village," he said. Building more homes at a high density would do no more than add to existing home inventory which would bring new property values down.

Yet high density development and building more rooftops is apparently what Monee officials have in mind.

That was evident when they approved an amendment to the village's comprehensive plan.

It was adopted unanimously December 9 by village trustees and "with no discussion," according to Village Clerk Missy Tovo, who is also the wife of Village President Dan Tovo.

Tovo refused to comment on the part of the plan that included annexation of 520 acres into Green Garden Township, "because the annexation agreement is still in progress," she said. She never mentioned that it was presently before the Planning and Zoning Committee.

"I see it in the future, but it is not in there yet," she said.

The annexation is shown on Monee's framework plan map, which depicts the majority of land to be annexed as medium to high density residential with some commercial located along Monee-Manhattan Road.

The Monee plan is clearly different than what Green Garden officials and planners had envisioned for their rural neighborhoods.

In Green Garden's comprehensive plan, the area being targeted by Monee, is to remain large-lot estate zoning and agricultural use. Approved by Will County, Green Garden's plan contained the original development, which would have fit more closely into the surrounding community. It contained 171 lots with open space. Horses were allowed. A riding facility which required and received a special use permit from its developers, Chicago-based Emeritus Ventures, was included. Homes were to cost in excess of $750,000.

But, in 2008 after the housing bubble burst, developers Rod Yarling and Per Loseth revised the housing plan to include a much higher density – smaller houses on smaller lots.

It would not have been approved in Green Garden Township, so developers took their plan to Monee.

The Citizens to Preserve Green Garden are vowing to continue to fight the proposal.

Their concerns are not just the rural ambience of their community, but include the following:

· The potential for a tremendous number of students enrolling in the Peotone School District, which is already a concern;

· Not only the high density of more than 400 homes and townhouses, but the commercial development along 88th Avenue south of Bruns Road;

· A need to upgrade tar and chip roads;

· Confusing law enforcement jurisdictions separated by lot lines between Monee Police and the Will County Sheriff.

The group continues to meet and to discuss further educating the public about what they see as the consequences to Monee's actions.

Senate race and airport referendum

carol@ozarkattitude.com (ch) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 17:57:00 GMT

Adam Baumgartner, 23, defeated Judy Ogalla in the Republican primary for State Senate in the 40th district.

Baumgartner will face incumbent Democrat Toi Hutchinson in November.

Baumgartner, whose campaign was virtually non-existent until weeks before the primary, got a last-minute boost of campaign cash from the Operating Engineers Local 150 and Ozinga Concrete.

Baumgartner, won with 6,016 votes to Ogalla's 4,437 votes.

Baumgartner is a business owner and member of the Peotone School Board.

Ogalla is a longtime opponent of the Peotone Airport. It is unclear whether the Peotone Airport played a role in her race. It was however, the focus of a referendum in Crete Township where voters were asked whether or not they favor building a new airport.

By almost 14 percent voters rejected the proposal, with 1,724 against it and 1,313 for it.

Crete Township was the only township in eastern Will and northern Kankakee Counties not to vote in a 1990 Farm Bureau-sponsored referendum. Tuesday's vote makes it unanimous – 12 out of 12 townships oppose the project.

Illiana dead end

carol@ozarkattitude.com (ch) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 17:52:00 GMT

Despite Senate approval, the Illiana Expressway may have come to a dead end in the Indiana House, or at least taken a detour.

The route of the Illiana Expressway remains unknown, but the path for legislation to build the public-private toll road between Illinois and Indiana is clearly that of one step forward and two steps back.

Even after the bill sailed through the Senate recently, it didn't even warrant a committee hearing. In fact, it never even made it to the transportation committee.

The House version, sponsored by Reps. Chet Dobis, D-Merrillville and Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, is being held up by the head of the transportation committee, Rep. Terri Austin, D-Anderson.

According to the Gary Post Tribune, Dobis charged over the weekend that Austin has "quietly filed Illiana language into a vehicle bill that included several 'poison pills,' designed to kill the project."

Because of the nature of the changes, the bill was sent to the government reform committee rather than to the transportation committee.

Austin has asked for an environmental study along the route as well as a memorandum of understanding from each of the towns through which it would travel.

She wants the bill to spell out how local governments would be reimbursed for lost taxes as well as how emergency personnel who cover the road would be reimbursed.

Dobis claims that Austin lied – that the Senate version does contain language related to reimbursing the Indiana State Police.

Austin said she wants anyone who stands to lose money to have a say. She pointed out that the language in the Senate bill does not require an environmental study. Nor does it require repayment to local governments for loss in tax base.

Dobis predicts that Austin will try to kill the Senate bill when it passes through the House as well. He blames her boss, State Rep. Patrick Bauer, D-South Bend, who has said the Indiana Toll Road is a bad idea.

Illinois airport featured on NBC 'Fleecing of America'

carol@ozarkattitude.com (ch) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 01:21:00 GMT

Last week, the MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in downstate St. Clair County was showcased on the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams.

For the third time since it was built, MidAmerica was featured on "The Fleecing of America," a news segment meant to highlight wasteful government spending.

Called the glass palace on the prairie, MidAmerica St. Louis Airport, as it is now being called, is visible from miles away, as it rises above the flat land of Mississippi River country.

Twelve years after it opened, there has been some use, but nothing like the glowing predictions that sold a sleepy southern Illinois community. MidAmerica St. Louis remains largely empty.

The modern, two-story glass and steel terminal is impressive. But don't look for a place to buy a ticket to any destination. Not only are there no ticket agents, no tickets, but neither are there any destinations. The baggage conveyor is idle, void of luggage. Restrooms are spotless, virtually unused. The terrazo floors still shine like the day they were installed.

There are occasional aircraft on the runway, mostly military planes destined for the adjacent Scott Air Force Base.

But if Illinois officials envisioned a "build it and they will come" scenario, it didn't work here. Few came. And those who did didn't stay.

MidAmerica was billed as a reliever airport for Lambert-St. Louis International, just across the river in Missouri.

MidAmerica never achieved crystal ball predictions, dubbed 'Gateway to Nowhere'

When proposed MidAmerica was estimated to cost $220 million.

It was to bring economic prosperity to southern Illinois and eastern Missouri by employing 600 people during its first year. Passenger predictions from the day forecast that 1.1 million passengers would be served by MidAmerica by the year 2000.

But in actuality, the cost was approximately $307.5 million. And there were ancillary costs as well, such as the 8.6-mile extension of the MetroLink light rail system from Belleville Area Community College to MidAmerica that cost $88 million.

The entrance roads, parking lots, final landscaping and pavement markings needed an additional $3.5 million. Wetland mitigation cost $1.8 million and $13.3 million was needed to connect MidAmerica to Scott Air Force Base.

In January' 98, Tom Brokaw of the NBC Nightly News highlighted the MidAmerica Airport in his "Fleecing of America" feature for the first time.

Brokaw called the airport the “Gateway to Nowhere.”

Finally, in the spring of 1998, MidAmerica got its first paying customer.

Langa Air, an aircraft fueling and maintenance company began a small operation there, but it was short-lived. The company later relocated back to Lambert International at St. Louis.

By summer, three Trans World Airlines jets had landed at MidAmerica bringing about $80 in landing fees each time. MidAmerica was the alternative during bad weather for TWA traffic. Lambert was its hub. But that arrangement ended when TWA was acquired by American Airlines in 2001.

In September, of ‘98, after learning that Lambert was planning a $2.6 million expansion program, State Rep. Tom Holbrook, D-Belleville, a member of the General Assembly filed a complaint with the FAA. He had hoped to block the expansion, by stating that MidAmerica should be used to relieve air traffic congestion.

Other legislators came on board. Holbrook’s actions were applauded by the residents of Missouri who opposed the expansion. They would be most affected by additional air traffic.

Ironically, despite MidAmerica being touted by then Gov. Jim Edgar in previous years, he was said to favored the expansion of Lambert. He said MidAmerica was meant as a reliever for Lambert, not a replacement.

The next month, the expansion was approved. It was billed as the largest public works project in St. Louis’ history.

Expenses continue to climb

As MidAmerica celebrated its first birthday, it had seen about 3,000 take-offs and landings, though most of those were military planes. There was little fanfare.

In the summer of '99 ex-Gov. George Ryan signed a bill to create an enterprise zone around MidAmerica Airport and to offer tax breaks to companies that would move to the area and to create jobs.

Even without regular business at the airfield, the costs for Mid America continued to rise. There was a request for $2.5 million in improvements for 2000. They included a fence to keep deer off the runway, and about $50,000 to replace runway lights, which were too short to meet federal requirements.

Local taxpayers would pay $756,000; the state contributed $852,000 with the balance paid by the federal government.

The annual operating budget at MidAmerica was $2.2 million. In 1999 it was increased to $3.4 million, with a million for salaries of security guards, maintenance workers, managers and other personnel. Part of that expense included marketing costs of $161,000 to four companies.

Today, operating costs have risen to $4.7 million and includes 14 full time and two part time employees. That includes a director, assistant, and workers in resources, operations, planning and engineering, maintenance, and ground services. The budget is overseen by the St. Clair County Public Building Commission.

In August, 2000 a restructured Pan American Airlines began flying out of MidAmerica. Its first flight, Aug. 16, was to the Gary/Chicago International Airport. But as luck would have it, the return trip, that was supposed to be 45 minutes long, was delayed. The pilot was forced into a holding pattern for five hours and was later directed to land at Lambert in St. Louis.

Three months after September 11, 2001 Pan Am suspended its flights at MidAmerica and soon thereafter closed up shop for good.

For a time, charter flights were offered to the Caribbean. But that didn't last long either.

Little changed at MidAmerica until June 2005. Eight years after it opened, MidAmerica celebrated its 10,000th passenger. That was about 980,000 passengers shy of the predicted goal expected five years earlier in 2000.

Then Allegiant Air took flight each week to Las Vegas and Orlando, Fl. airport supporters remained optimistic. Then Allegiant Air cut its Florida business because it was unable to compete with the low fairs offered by Southwest Airlines at Lambert.

Even the longtime St. Clair County board member Craig Hubbard, R-O'Fallon, admitted that building the airport may not have been a good idea.

Acknowledging that MidAmerica never achieved its goals, he said he doubts he would do it all over again, if given the chance.

Michael Boyd, a longtime Colorado-based aviation consultant warned officials about the potential for MidAmerica twelve years ago. He feared it would not be successful.

Supporters are now interested in turning the airport into a cargo facility. They think that idea could turn things around at MidAmerica.

They point to weekly flights that began in 2008 to import flowers from South America.

Boyd recently told them there is nothing to turn around, because they have built something that simply isn’t needed.

MidAmerica has never even approached the inflated expectations of its aggressive marketing campaign.

MidAmerica story, Peotone tale oddly similar

To people in eastern Will County, the MidAmerica saga and the state's proposal to build another airport in the farm fields near Peotone are eerily similar, even down to the cast of characters who have used the same playbook.

IDOT's consultant, TAMS, was responsible for both projects' highly-criticized pie-in-the-sky projections of users, operations, enplanements and job creation. Both projects were started by Gov. Jim Edgar. One project came to fruition under his administration while the other still has not. But there may be a second chance since Edgar's chief of staff, Kirk Dillard, who helped his boss do some of the political heavy lifting in those days, happens to be running for governor in the Republican primary.

But the biggest commonality between MidAmerica and the proposed Peotone project is how they both have bled Illinois taxpayers.

Many claim that Peotone would be just another MidAmerica.

Critics of Peotone issue the reminder from a 19th century philosopher, "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

Crete Township voters to weigh in on airport

carol@ozarkattitude.com (ch) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 19:41:00 GMT

As a result of action at last spring's annual town meeting April 14, Crete Township voters will have a chance to weigh in on the Peotone Airport.

An advisory question will be on the ballot in Crete Township's general primary election February 2, 2010, to ask residents if they support building the Peotone Airport.

Angelo Juarez, who has lived in rural Crete since 1971, requested that the question be brought to voters.

An advisory referendum is "the only tool residents of the unincorporated area have to make their wishes known," he explained recently.

"Since nobody asks us what we want, I got tired of being pushed around," Juarez said. "I asked for the referendum." And he wasn't alone since the response by the electorate present who were eligible to vote was unanimous.

Juarez said he has been opposed to the airport since 1968 when he first bought the land upon which he built his home.

He makes no predictions, but hopes voters show their opposition to the airport.

"I don't want the airport here. It will trash our lifestyle," he said.

He remarked that at that time he built his house, it was surrounded by farms. He categorized that as very different from what he believes the politicians and decision-makers envision for the area today. He was critical of Crete's land use plan that includes the area where he lives – an entire section of Crete Township – to be all commercial and industrial use.

Airport, Intermodal, Illiana Expressway

A year earlier, Juarez requested that the effort to build Crete's proposed Intermodal yard be placed on the ballot. The result was that 57 percent of the voters in the township voted against it.

At the time Juarez said, "It is obvious that the village of Crete did not follow the will of the people."

Just after the vote, Crete Mayor Mike Einhorn, the biggest promoter of the intermodal facility was undaunted by the 3,000 votes against the project. There is no reason to believe an airport referendum would solicit a different response.

Still, Juarez believes that people should have their say. And when decisions are made, the peoples' wishes should be taken into account.

But, it isn't the airport that is Juarez's biggest concern. The airport has languished on the back burner of doable projects for years. The intermodal is a relatively newly proposed project.

"I am convinced that the airport is somehow linked with the intermodal," Juarez said. He also categorized the Illiana Expressway similarly.

"I only wish that the other three townships that surround the airport would have put the issue to a vote as well." he said.

Juarez said he was unaware or didn't recall that a previous referendum was held on the airport.

Past referendum

In November, 1990, ten out of 11 townships in Will and Kankakee counties voted against building a new airport. There were 12 townships polled. Crete Township was not included among them.

The only township of the dozen polled that supported the airport was Monee Township.

But that turned around in a survey in 1993 of Monee Township residents. Monee officials also failed to act upon the wishes of township residents. Despite being instructed at an annual town meeting to pass a resolution opposing the airport as indicated by the survey, no action was ever taken.

The survey indicated that in University Park, 44 percent of the residents said they preferred to live at least an hour away from an airport. In the unincorporated areas, that number swelled to 62 percent. Only 7 percent wanted an airport within 10 minutes of where they lived. Christine Cochrane was the township supervisor at the time. She later went on to become IDOT's project manager for the third airport.

George Ochsenfeld, president of STAND (Shut This Airport Nightmare Down) said he would like to see the people of Crete Township speak their opposition loudly, though he puts little stock in their desires being carried out.

"I've seen how little regard airport boosters like Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. have for peoples' opinion on this matter," he said.

While Ochsenfeld is all for the people speaking through a referendum, he feels that this one isn't necessary.

"The people have made it abundantly clear during the past 20 years that an airport isn't wanted or needed," he said.

Indiana did what Illinois couldn't get done

carol@ozarkattitude.com (ch) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 20:40:00 GMT

To Indiana legislators, building the Illiana Expressway is a jobs-creator. It would do that on the Illinois side and so much more.

Instead of it merely connecting Interstate 57 and I-65, as proposed, the legislation refers to the extention of the Illiana west to I-55 near Joliet.

The Indiana legislation is a dream come true for Illinois officials who have long envisioned building a southern leg to I-355, passing by the proposed Peotone airport which would then connect it to intermodal traffic at Elwood and Joliet.

Illiana Expressway was once the South Suburban Expressway

The Illiana has been talked about in Illinois for as long as the proposed Peotone-area airport – since around 1968.

Indiana became involved two years ago when Gov. Mitch Daniels decided to fast-track an ambitious road-building plan. Daniels proposed the Illiana run north and east into Lake and Porter counties. He withdrew the extension plan, however, because of public opposition.

Daniels' predecessors – the late Gov. Frank O'Bannon and former Gov. Evan Bayh – opposed the Illiana Expressway. They recognized the new roadway as a way to bolster Illinois' efforts to gain support for a new South Suburban Airport, (SSA) near Peotone, which was in a direct competition with the existing Gary/Chicago Regional Airport.

The Illiana Expressway, at one time was part of the airport layout plan. The plan included the location of the northernmost connector road to the facility. Since the airport has been downsized, the expressway is no longer part of the plan, however, its association remains.

Illiana Expressway, Peotone airport; both mired in politics

Just a few months ago Gov. Pat Quinn, who received an endorsement in his bid for re-election by organized labor, voiced strong support for the Illiana. He even referred to it as his future "legacy."

Kirk Dillard, a Hinsdale Republican who is still fighting to become the Republican nominee to challenge Quinn for Governor, also endorsed the project at a recent gathering at the operating engineers' local headquarters in Wilmington.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Halvorson, D-Crete has weighed in with strong support of the plan. Will County officials support it too.

Locally, the battle for governance over the airport, which has yet to receive FAA approval, between Chicago's south suburbs and Will County, is well-documented.

But dreams to build the Illiana is not without sticking points. Quinn's potential legacy may not enjoy smooth sailing. His most recent endorsement has come from U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., who initially was critical of Quinn's interest in the Illiana.

Jackson favors the airport over the roadway. On his congressional website he noted that progress in planning for the road lags far behind what has already been accomplished with the airport.

"There will be no groundbreaking for the Illiana Expressway under a Quinn administration," Jackson said, "no matter how many terms he wins."

2010: Reality debunks early airport predictions

carol@ozarkattitude.com (ch) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 21:16:00 GMT

It is now 2010. This was was supposed to have been an aviation milestone, according to long-ago predictions.

By 2010 the number of people traveling by air was supposed to be equal in all parts of the Chicagoland region. That prediction was made in 1987 and was known as the equal propensity to travel theory.

Equal Propensity to Travel Theory

This illusive theory appeared with no explanation of its origin, yet was alluded to throughout the pages of the Chicago Airport Capacity Study, by Illinois Department of Transportation consultants Peat, Marwick and Main.

The theory was derived by sub-consultants, the al Chalabi Group, Ltd., the husband and wife consulting team – Margery and Suhail al Chalabi – who have worked for the State of Illinois on the 'third airport' project since its inception.

The equal propensity to travel theory was used to exaggerate a trend of population, income, and jobs south of the city which contributed to a justification that a new airport should be built south of Chicago.

One asssumption, then another, and another, ...

The initial assumption that there would be an equal propensity to travel throughout the Chicago region by 2010 was merely a planning tool, one of many assumptions built into the computer model from which other predictions were generated. That assumption helped generate other forecasts, such as: the number of passengers that would use a new airport; the number of aircraft operations that would be served; as well as how many direct, indirect, or induced jobs the project would create. It just so happened that the first crystal ball was aimed at 2010.

The equal propensity to travel theory did generate some controversy. One of the members of the technical committee, which might be considered a 'stakeholder,' in today's terms, called the theory, "false."

Members of the Chicago Association of Commerce and Industry, which later became the Chicago Chamber of Commerce explained, "The recent growth patterns in the Chicago region have increased travel propensity in the areas closer to O'Hare, not led to equal travel propensity."

The irony

The equal propsensity to travel theory was a prediction that is very different from today's reality, where some south suburban communities are considered to be among the poorest in the state.

It is ironic that the state's early prognostications that point to a need for a new airport to serve a burgeoning south suburban population stand in stark contrast to both the reality and the claims being made today by south suburban leaders. They claim that what is needed are the jobs and economic development that a new airport would provide.

The loudest voice of support for an airport near Peotone has come from U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. who may have never even heard of the equal propensity to travel theory. After all, when it was being written into the fabric of 'third' airport history, Jackson was in college in North Carolina. It wasn't until long after, around 1993, that Jackson became interested in the project. It wasn't until two years later that he was elected to Congress.

Your tax dollars at work

The al Chalabi Group, Ltd. who first derived the 2010 prediction, remains on the state's payroll as they have for the past 23 years. They have a contract with the state transportation department at least until December 2011. The consultants continue to make predictions for the Peotone project. Their latest, done in 2007, extrapolates figures into 2030.

They state that by 2030 there will be 4.5 million passengers using the South Suburban Airport. That prediction doesn't seem possible either, since the project is not yet approved by the Federal Aviation Administration.

The late State Sen. Aldo DeAngelis explained at the time, that the main goal in getting the report approved was so the process could move forward to the next study. DeAngelis, who was once considered the Godfather of the third airport, was one of the decision-makers that approved the report despite its criticisms.

The equal propensity to travel theory was never discussed again in subsequent airport studies.

Greater Kankakee to be home to new Illinois Air National Guard facility

carol@ozarkattitude.com (ch) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 21:49:00 GMT

While the Greater Kankakee Airport has been eyed as an economic development tool for southern Kankakee County, a recent announcement by the Illinois Army National Guard fits well into the city and county's plans to grow and expand the airport.

The Illinois Army National Guard recently announced its intent to build a $48.35 million readiness center and Army aviation support facility at the Greater Kankakee Airport.

In trying to secure a new facility for units based at Midway Airport since 2002, the current facility no longer

meets space requirements and training needs for the Guard's aviation units.

After more than two years of negotiations, the Guard signed a 50-year lease with the City of Kankakee and Greater Kankakee Airport to lease 30 acres of property. The military installation will consist of a 64,827-square-foot readiness center and 104,695-square-foot aviation support facility.

The federal government is expected to release $3.8 million for the design funds next fall. The federal share of the total $48.35 million cost is $42.1 million and the state share will be approximately $6.25 million.

"This is a great day for the Illinois Army National Guard," said Maj. Gen. William Enyart, Adjutant General. "We are excited about this new opportunity and expanding our relationship with the City of Kankakee. The city has always been a great supporter of the Illinois National Guard and we look to continue that relationship.”

Once construction on the facility is complete, which is expected to be in 2015 or 2016, the Illinois Army National Guard will move units and equipment from its current site at Midway, which is home to Company B, 1st Battalion, 106th Aviation, and Company B, 935th Aviation Support Battalion. Combined, they represent approximately 200 Soldiers. There are also about 75 full-time employees who work out of the facility and ten UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters stationed at the airport.

Settlement gives O'Hare freedom to expand

carol@ozarkattitude.com (ch) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:13:00 GMT

There may be no wall to tear down; no gate to unlock, but the out-of-court settlement between Chicago and Bensenville is huge for the Chicago area.

The City of Chicago is now free to expand O'Hare International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world.

Suburban leaders have put roadblocks in the path of O'Hare improvements, possibly since O'Hare opened in the early 1960's. But now, they have decided to step aside.

The Village of Bensenville and its new Village President Frank Soto, who defeated longtime O'Hare expansion foe John Geils last April, settled with Chicago for $16 million.

On Monday, Nov. 16, the City agreed to pay the village of Bensenville in exchange for dropping long-standing legal challenges against O'Hare. The city is now free to raze an estimated 500 homes in the path of new runways.

Peotone held to a different standard

When land was purchased for new runways, the City of Chicago honored a court order that prohibited buying property and demolishing homes until expansion plans were approved by the Federal Aviation Administration.

That has not been the case in nearby Peotone. In 2001, ex-Gov. George Ryan made a deal with a campaign contributor, who sold the state the first piece of land for what he and his IDOT cronies called a "protective land buy." The parcels were the undeveloped lots in an upscale housing development outside the airport boundaries. When Ryan left office, the parcels were released from the project.

The sale of that first piece gave Ryan his intended result. It was enough to scare some property owners into selling their land to the state. They employed additional techniques, such as threats of condemnation to coerce additional sales of family homes and farms. IDOT wasted no time in calling out the bulldozers to demolish what appeared to be perfectly livable homes and barns, speculating that one day they would build the South Suburban Airport.

But to this day, the Federal Aviation Administration has not approved the Peotone Airport. As far as that agency is concerned, the Peotone airport is not officially a project. That is likely why the state has not used its powers of condemnation. To do so would require proof that an airport project is imminent.

Resolutions signed by several towns and townships adjacent to the airport project as well as organizations against further land acquisition until a project is approved, have been largely ignored by county and legislative leaders, IDOT officials, and several governors.

All the folks of eastern Will County want are the same protections that Chicago afforded suburban O'Hare residents in the path of O'Hare expansion.

O'Hare foes tied to Peotone

The Peotone project has been tied with O'Hare foes since funds were first awarded in the amount of $500,000 to the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association for airport capacity studies in '85.

Powerful legislators endorsed the Peotone plan as a means of cutting off O'Hare. Bensenville's former president, Geils had been one of the voices that have remained steadfast since those early days of the push for Peotone. He was involved in the once-powerful Suburban O'Hare Commission that was made up of several towns in the northwest suburbs, who saw a new airport as the remedy to their noise and pollution problems.

Over the years, the towns around O'Hare realized that continual lawsuits against Chicago and its airport were costly and not in their best interests. O'Hare was an economic engine that affected far more than Chicago. It was a benefit to their towns as well. As they saw that O'Hare was an asset they eventually dropped out of the Suburban O'Hare Commission. Soon, the only ones left were Bensenville and Elk Grove Village.

Immediately following last April's election when Geils was ousted by voters, Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson dropped plans to continue the fight against O'Hare.

Illiana support all about Illinois

carol@ozarkattitude.com (ch) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:16:00 GMT

Despite the $1 billion price tag, uncertain locations, and lack of funding sources; political support is lining up for the Illiana Expressway, at least on the Illinois side. If built, the Illiana would be an east-west route connecting Interstate 57 in Illinois and I-65 in Indiana.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, the Democratic incumbent, and one of his GOP rivals, Kirk Dillard, R-Hinsdale have voiced support for the project.

Quinn has called Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, but has so far been unsuccessful at setting up a meeting.

Dillard, a state senator and former Chief of Staff to ex-Gov. Jim Edgar, has issued strong support. On Twitter and his campaign website, Dillard said he plans to make the project a top priority if he becomes governor.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Halvorson, (D-Crete) who has long supported the project, offered to take a leadership role. She has requested $5 million for further studies. While Halvorson would prefer to fund the roadway through a public/private partnership, she is not opposed to its being a tollway. She said she has no preference on a particular route.

The Illiana has been talked about for decades in Illinois, but it wasn't until Daniels gave his nod two years ago, that Indiana became involved. Daniels' support has resulted in legislation to undertake a bi-state feasibility study which has now been completed. The preliminary study identified three potential routes, possible costs, and other concerns.

Two years ago Daniels was ready to fast-track the Illiana Expressway. His was an ambitious road-building project that would take the route not just from I-57 to I-65, but north and east into Lake and LaPorter counties. His enthusiasm was rapidly quashed by angry opponents of the road, causing him to scale back the plans which would limit the project to the roughly 25-mile connection between the two states.

Daniels' predecessors--the late Govs. Frank O'Bannon and Evan Bayh--opposed the Illiana. They felt the new roadway was a way to bolster Illinois' efforts to gain support for a new airport near Peotone.

The Illiana Expressway at one time was directly tied to the airport project as the northernmost connector road designed to funnel traffic from the north-south interstates into the airport.

Some believe the airport remains the main thrust behind Illinois' support for the road leading to it.

The supporters for the roadway are the same as those who favor the airport.

·Gov. Quinn--Almost as soon as he was sworn in as Governor, Quinnsaid he wanted to build the airport 'as fast as humanly possible.' He backed hiswords by providing funding for continued land acquisition.
· Sen. Kirk Dillard—It was Dillard's former boss—Jim Edgar--whorevived the Peotone project in the early 90's after a bi-state commission votedagainst building a new rural airport. Dillard voted for the South Suburban Airport Authority Actlast year, a bill sponsored by Halvorson that failed in the House. Dillard voted for the South Suburban Airport Authority Act last year, a bill sponsored by Halvorson that failed in the House.
·U.S. Rep. Debbie Halvorson has supported the airport since she became a state senator, the job she held prior to her move to Washington.

The only airport supporter who isn't keen on the Illiana appears to be U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr.

Jackson wrote a guest commentary in the Southtown Star Monday, Nov. 16 taking Quinn to task for "talking about building the Illiana Expressway - not the airport - as his 'legacy' in the Southland."

The inference of Quinn's considering the Illiana Expressway his legacy was mentioned in a column in the Chicago Sun Times by Michael Sneed a few days before.

Jackson's commentary marks the first from the normally vocal Jackson, since he was accused of allegedly trying to buy the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by President Obama during the Rod Blagojevich administration.

More on Peotone security sham

carol@ozarkattitude.com (ch) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 00:10:00 GMT

Gov. Pat Quinn has been a real disappointment. We had hoped he would be different than all the others who bought the flawed idea to build a new airport that is certainly not necessary.

Quinn should look farther than just the recent wasteful spending. There have been 20 years of waste associated with this project.

Thanks to Dane Placko and Fox 32 News for uncovering this latest waste.

Peotone airport security is a joke

carol@ozarkattitude.com (ch) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:57:00 GMT

Illinois to go for a Cargo Airport?

carol@ozarkattitude.com (ch) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:17:00 GMT

Is this what Illinois wants in eastern Will County?

Are Illinois officials serious about turning the incredible shrinking airport planned in eastern Will County, Illinois, just 40 miles south of Chicago, into a cargo airport?

IDOT's latest metamorphosis that went from an initial plan to build a mega-airport more than 3 times the size of O'Hare International Airport, to a one-runway commercial facility has now shifted toward a cargo airport. At least that was the gist of a recent news story in DC Velocity Magazine.

The magazine reported, that Will County and the State of Illinois would develop a cargo airport as part of an ambitious multimodal transport complex that would include up to four intermodal rail yards, access to three interstate highways, and up to 135 million square feet of industrial warehousing and distribution space.

This must be IDOT's latest we'll do anything, draw-at-straws option. A cargo airport would be risky, and costly. Only one such airport exists in the world.

Alliance Airport in Ft. Worth, Texas

Alliance Airport in Ft. Worth, Texas, is not just an airport. It is an entire one-of-a kind devel-opment built by Ross Perot, Jr. The airport is owned by the City of Fort Worth, but managed by Alliance Air Services.

The airport is a small part of the development plan which includes 17,000 acres of industrial warehousing, residential communities, corporate living, apartments, hotels, shopping, and even proximity to NASCAR's Texas International Speedway. The plan was so meticulous that it has even inventoried the 36,166 trees on the site. This is the world's first and presently the only in-dustrial airport.

The 5,900-acre airport opened in 1989. Since that time, it has become home to a collection of government, national, and international corporations. There are presently between 60 and 756,000 square feet of vacant industrial properties available for sale or rent within five minutes of the airport, according to the company's website.

Cargo-only airport eyed in Pennsylvania

In 2007, the FAA approved a $1.6 billion cargo-only airport in the Hazleton area of Pennsyl-vania, but it is in the very preliminary stages. By Peotone standards of development, the PA project would be at about the same stage that Peotone was in 1986.

According to the Pennsylvania State Legislative Budget and Finance Committee Report High-lights, "The proposed Hazleton cargo airport could follow a successful track, such as Alliance Fort Worth, or be unsuccessful, such as the North Carolina Global TransPark and MidAmerica Airport near St. Louis."

Peotone Airport opponents are well versed on IDOT's other pet project -- the MidAmerica Air-port, calling it Peotone's "poster child." Mid-America has been virtually void of activity for nearly its entire 11-year existence.

Market Watch.com reported that John D. Kasarda, Ph.D., director of the Kenan Institute of North Carolina, Chapel Hill questioned the wisdom of trying to build a cargo-only airport.

Calling a cargo-only airport a "challenge," Kasarda said it would especially be a challenge in a greenfield site. He said getting regular air cargo service is difficult, even in a dynamic area.

First proposed in 2003, but still just talk

Illinois officials first discussed a cargo airport at Peotone in 2003 though it never got farther than the talking stage.

Susan Shea, IDOT's Director of Aeronautics Division, whose job description now includes five bureaus including The Bureau of the South Suburban Airport, may have missed those discus-sions since they took place prior to her appointment to the transportation department by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Shea was an Illinois bureaucrat, but rather than transportation, Shea worked in the education department.

The question of a cargo-only facility had been posed for many years, though it was given little credence. Because of a lack of interest by the airline industry, the state acknowledged that it could consider cargo, not passengers.

“Nothing has been ruled out,” said the 2003 IDOT Spokesman, Mike Monseur, at the time.

Monseur added that no decision had been made as to what kind of facility the Peotone airport would be. He indicated, however, that there had been discussion on just how to use the airport.

“Regarding making it solely a cargo or mixture of both hasn’t been determined,” he said.

Cargo industry suffers economic woes

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), global airlines are reporting just this week, losses in the range of $11 billion in 2009.

This far exceeds what was reported last year when the first gloomy predictions of $2.5 billion losses were made in March 2008. Revisions throughout the year were revised to as high as $9 billion in losses, but were still exceeded by economic reality.

Giovanni Bisignani, the chief executive of the IATA says such falling yields have never before been seen. And the IATA has been tracking yields for 64 years.

"North American carriers are expected to post losses of $2.6 billion, more than double the pre-viously forecast loss of $1 billion."

IDOT continues long-held patterns

IDOT officials and another in a long line of Illinois governors continue the Peotone mantra de-spite current economic realities and grim predictions for recovery. As is customary, IDOT is remiss in seeing the big, and/or entire picture as it relates to Peotone.

Officials fail to consider the new cargo facility at the Chicago/Rockford International Airport, improvements and influx of cash to the Gary/Chicago International Airport, and the ongoing cargo operation at O'Hare.

Not only do officials ignore the unlikelyhood of success in developing a cargo-only facility when it has only been done once before, and by a man with seeming very deep pockets, but they gloss over the current chaos within the industry, borne out by real numbers, and the state's own budget shortfalls.

When it comes to the 40-year old discussion to build a new airport in the cornfields of eastern Will County, IDOT is disingenuous at best as it continues its pattern of unbelieveability and lack of credibility.

South Suburban Airport Fits Illinois 'Pay-to-Play' System

carol@ozarkattitude.com (ch) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 01:26:00 GMT

This news isn't new to readers of this blog, but its location is new. It has been published on Associated Content. I found it interesting how the site laid out the article.

Check it out: South Suburban Airport Fits Illinois 'Pay-to-Play' System

Why Peotone Airport won't go away

carol@ozarkattitude.com (ch) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:33:00 GMT

Here are two reasons the Peotone Airport won't go away.

The following is an excerpt taken from the board meeting minutes from an April village board meeting in Beecher, one of the communities adjacent to the project's proposed location.

Anthony DeLuca, theState Representative who replaced George Scully, ... answered questions from President (Paul) Lohmann about the third airport legislation being proposed by SenatorToi Hutchinson. Mr. DeLuca stated that he supports a third airport. The Board reiterated that Beecher does not want Jesse Jackson’s plan for control of the airport. The Village wants local control if the airport is to be in our back yard.

First, why would Anthony DeLuca, the former Mayor of Chicago Heights who has just been appointed State Representative, support a third airport? Does he know that what he refers to is really a sixth airport in the region -- O'Hare International, Midway, Gary/Chicago, Chicago/Rockford, and Milwaukee International? It might even be a seventh airport if the Greater Kankakee Airport has its way. Does he know any of the history of this project?

DeLuca is the Mayor of Chicago Heights -- ground zero for airport support. It started with the late State Sen. Aldo DeAngelis, the godfather of the project. But he has been gone for many years.

Does DeLuca know the history of this project, or is he simply relying on what he has heard from the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association. This is not real people, it is an organization that speaks for real people.That was proven years ago when a survey of some of the community's mayors were polled. They admitted never even talking about the project. Yet, because theywere members of the SSMMA, they were "considered" supporters.

Secondly, the above minutes reflect the statement by Beecher Village President Paul Lohmann, The Village wants local control if the airport is to be in our back yard.

Though at first glance, this doesn't appear so, but this is by far one of the most damning statements that could be made to an elected official by another. Instead of the passive statement -- if the airport is to be in our back yard-- should have been an aggressive statement -- it will never be in our backyard.

If the three communities opposed to the airport would take that simple step, communicate that to their state representatives and senators, the airport would have gone away long ago.

Another thing that could harm, and perhaps kill the airport, if they really want to, is to counteract the trick played on them years ago. The villagesfell into IDOT's trap to satisfy federal regulations when they included the airportinto their comprehensive plans. The trick was to write two different plans. Theno airport plan was real. The other plan was IDOT's fantasy. Is that like keeping two sets of books?

To make the airport go away - the villages should write the airport right out of their future. Take it out of comprehensive plans. Present the FAA with future plans for communities without an airport. Make it disappear on the paper and it might just disappear in reality.

Happy 21st RURAL, a personal reflection

carol@ozarkattitude.com (ch) — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 15:01:00 GMT

Happy 21st Birthday RURAL, a personal reflection

Twenty-one years ago, my life took a little jog in the road.I haven't been the same since. My daughter Jenny was only 8; my son Chris was 7.I'm a grandmother now. I have found peace in retirement, in the State ofArkansas where my husband John and I moved almost five years ago. But as muchas my life has changed, the steadfast resolve that grew out of that day remainsunyielding.

Aug. 2, 1988 was the day RURAL (Residents United to RetainAgricultural Land) was born. That was the official day, yet the real change hadtaken place weeks earlier -- in the spring -- when John and I attended ourfirst airport meeting. John was so angry he rarely attended another one. I onthe other hand can't count the number of meetings I have attended over theyears. John's anger turned into pure hatred. Mine started that way too but wastempered, unbeknownst to me at the time, by a strong desire to mother amovement.

John was incensed when state consultants Marjorie and SuhailalChalabi, who are still with the project painting a rosy picture of asuccessful airport with thousands of jobs and thousands of passengers eager toshun Chicago airports just to fly out of Peotone, argued that planes would notmake noise in the future. That was the first time I ever laid eyes on AldoDeAngelis, the late state senator, the beloved Italian who charmed everyonearound him, as long as you agreed with him. I didn't.

There were 13 of us at that first meeting, who were allappalled at what we had heard. We stood in the parking lot at the BeecherCommunity Hall where we held our own little 'after the meeting' meeting. Ilater learned these were necessary to de-program us after such a meeting wherethere was always a purposeful assault to our intelligence. I suggested we passour phone numbers around. Brenda Thunhurst whipped out a tablet and pen wherewe all signed names and numbers. She typed it up at work and sent it to all of us.I wonder where that piece of paper is now? I had all that information onanother computer -- one that is no longer compatible with today's systems. Ifonly technology hadn't moved so quickly, I could just search my computer forit. Hah, if transportation technology had advanced at a similar rate we'd betaking bullet trains. Or if Illinois politics would have matured past its historicalpay to play mentality, eastern Will County would be a very different placetoday.

RURAL guiding principles, formed during those early days ofthe opposition to build a new airpor never wavered. Still in tact, they were transferredto STAND (Shut This Airport Nightmare Down). The overlying fact is that ifsomething already exists -- airports in Gary on the east, Milwaukee on thenorth, Rockford on the west, and Kankakee on the south -- why build a new one? Ifa farm economy is working and contributing to the region, why destroy it for anairport that could turn out like the state's white elephant Mid-America atMascoutah? To be fair, we didn't know about Mid-America then. But once welearned about it, what a great poster child it turned out to be for what not todo.

The Peotone airport project has seen countless promotersover the years, all state-sponsored, paid by tax dollars, who have come andgone. They have taken as much from the taxpayers as they could get before they movedon, probably for more steady work or bigger paychecks. They have never lookedback at the chaos they helped create or the people, property, community, andmore that they have destroyed.

Even the project has changed. It has changed boundaries, sizeand focus. The state is searching for a winnable solution and so far, has notfound one. I doubt it ever will. I have said for 21 years that an airport willnot be built. I'd like to stand by that statement. But I can't. I have learnedthat all things are possible when the equation includes greed, power,corruption, dishonesty, and lack of responsibility, integrity, and morality. Thereis money and power to be amassed, so they continue.

Not only was RURAL life-changing in itself, but it also sparkedmy career. On Sept. 2, 1988, after never writing any more than letters to theeditor, I achieved my first byline on a story published in Kankakee's DailyJournal. I was a correspondent until 1997 when I went to work full time there.That was when I convinced George Ochsenfeld to take over RURAL. I entrusted himwith something I considered very special, but I had been a volunteer longenough. My kids were getting older. Money was an issue, so I voluntarily gaveup RURAL to work as a journalist. My association with the Journal continued fortwo years. In '99 I went to work for Russell Publications, the weekly paperthat covers several towns. Because of Russell's stance against the airport, I wasmore able to write about what I knew about the project without having to kowtowto the multitude of official press releases that touted unsubstantiated claims aboutthe project. I continued to report the facts.

One of the hardest things I have ever had to do was walkthat fine line. But to the best of my ability I never compromised my integrityas a journalist based on my personal feelings. I did however; inject facts Iknew into stories. Over time, reporters went to other papers or other jobs andthe real meat of the airport story became lost in all those press releases witha few quotes thrown in from our side. The knowledge of past events that shapedtoday's happenings had all been lost. At that point, I became an advocacyjournalist, reporting from a historical perspective.

Laid off now, I continue to write on-line and in this andother blogs. I still consult with George and STAND. And I have a lot of timefor reflection. Perhaps one day I will announce a new book in this very blog.