3:18 pm on Friday, April 26, 2013
Unless you disagree with TaxFacts in which case you should not be involved in the discussion and "just tune it out." Huh?
5:07 pm on Thursday, April 18, 2013
I heard the Geneva HS football team "volunteered." I can't imagine Shodeen paid for that football field though.
11:37 am on Monday, April 15, 2013
We had that argument last week. And while one municipal election won't kill the everyone for themselves tea party mentality, it was still refreshing to know that most Geneva residents still supported hitting it on the nose with a newspaper.
11:41 pm on Sunday, April 14, 2013
Programs for young children fill up quickly based on space constraints. My family finds library storytimes and other such programs very valuable but it is frustrating when you have to register in the first few hours of registration to get a spot. The issues with the current facility inability to serve its mission go beyond housing a collection of books and being able to ship a book in from Batavia or St. Charles. The old library (even if you build into the alley as one thankfully losing board candidate suggested) is not going to provide the space or configuration needed to be the first-rate facility our families deserve.
11:13 am on Monday, April 8, 2013
Yeah, let's wait another 5-10 years to study the issue and another 5 years for referendum prep and passage and another 5 years for construction. In 2030, we'll have a first-rate facility. First we hear that the library (in its current cramped location) is a shining bastion of community gathering that shouldn't be touched. Then, we hear that soon we won't even need a library as our children will just need "equipment" (whatever that means) and won't need a physical library. What a bunch of crock. I haven't heard one person in a neighboring community lament the "poor decision" of having a first-rate library and learning facility in their town. Maybe Geneva can put the children's section in the Pure Oil Building, the periodicals in the 4th Street school administration building and audio/visual in the current library. Sounds silly, but it is about the only harebrained idea I haven't heard from our Geneva visionaries. A new library is already 5-10 years off. I would suggest we don't make the mistake of falling even farther behind not from envy but from the recognition that such modern facilities serve and enhance the community as a whole.
3:51 pm on Thursday, April 4, 2013
Geez, we get it. Bob thinks taxes are too high. He is a single-issue, no vision candidate for Mayor. If you'd like $50-75 more in your pockets each year at the expense of city services, Bob is your man. You know those city services like parks and schools that buoy your home's value during economic downturns and make Geneva a place where families want to live and businesses want to come. Do you think Bob is interested in Geneva being the "Best Place to Raise Kids" in Illinois? He's quoted as saying planning for the city's future is a "waste of time." The Tea Party (sorry, Tax Facts) mentality is dying as people understand what it means. I guess the news just travels more slowly to Geneva. Let's hope it arrives before Election Day.
12:03 pm on Sunday, March 31, 2013
Nice to have a single picture of all the people that wanted to tear down the Pure Oil building. They'll never see a dime of my money. Don't be fooled by the warm and fuzzy "Geneva Bank & Trust" naming either. It is just a subsidiary of the St. Charles bank that goes around naming the branches after whatever town they're located in so you think you're banking "locally". Fortunately, this bank isn't too big to fail. We can always hope. Welcome to town!
1:34 pm on Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Which contrasts with Bob McQuillan's stance that book expenditures add 0.00025% to your property tax levy and should be stricken from the city budget. I hope Mayor Burns used his own funds to purchase the book from Amazon. Bob McQuillan for Mayor - Taxes lowered . . . test scores down . . . problem solved. Welcome to your future, Geneva.
12:10 pm on Wednesday, March 6, 2013
I'm always amused at the contention that the Cetron location is somehow prohibitively outside the "town center." If there is a study that predicts the economic impact of moving the library 6 blocks, I'd love to read it. I would again contend that the community most benefits from having a modern and vibrant library facility rather than being shoehorned into a location "downtown" that was built before anyone comprehended the needs of a 21st century facility. There are planned uses for the existing structure so there is no impact to structures in that regard. As for the Cetron building itself, I think there is fallacy that old = historic. There won't be any lawsuits about window replacement at Cetron as many have already been smashed. If there is a plan to purchase and restore the Cetron building if the library sale does not go through, I'd love to hear about it as that is news to me and great for the neighborhood.
I do applaud your holistic approach to Geneva's interests over the interests of the 1st ward. Is it too late to run for mayor?
Bob Johnson
4:50 pm on Friday, April 26, 2013
No congratulations necessary. TaxFacts is one group that seems capable of patting themselves on the back at every turn. I don't accept anything blindly but don't think of the civic government as intent on stealing your "hard earned" money (as if those who support community investment find their tax money on trees). The votes are in. TaxFacts can try again next cycle when I'm sure an improving economy will yield better results for the tea party mentality.