July 4,2010, 11:37 p.m.

[ClassicalLib17]

I just called the police about a neighbor one block away, firing off bottle rockets that are landing on the roofs of his neighbors across the street. He has been out there for four long hours. With 12 cops on duty, I'll bet my money on the fire department answering the first call. How can this kind of activity not be taken seriously? Let's find a way to develop a lakefront that no one is interested in, that will solve our problems.

[Danno]

ClassicalLib17 Wrote:I just called the police about a neighbor one block away, firing off bottle rockets that are landing on the roofs of his neighbors across the street. He has been out there for four long hours. With 12 cops on duty, I'll bet my money on the fire department answering the first call. How can this kind of activity not be taken seriously? Let's find a way to develop a lakefront that no one is interested in, that will solve our problems.

Are you suffering from a departure from reality? No one is interested in Waukegan's lakefront? It's has more potential than any other place in all of Lake County and many people enjoy it on a daily basis.

[ClassicalLib17]

Danno, That's the kind of dream world philosophy that has got us into this mess in the first place. We need to get back to the basics of city government and learn how to manage that first. We have spent 45 million dollars on three public projects in the downtown that have produced no revenue. I don't have the figures for the economic devastation wrought on the taxpayers and school district on the lakefront( T.I.F. districts) by your beloved alderman and mayors.It is you that does not want to accept reality. Stop dreaming and join the real world. The world economy is about to collapse. This evening I wagered our city council and mayor that their south lakefront condos will never break ground. Would you like a piece of that action? Send me a private message with your wager. I will accept that your word is your bond. I love money!

[Danno]

ClassicalLib17 Wrote:Danno, That's the kind of dream world philosophy that has got us into this mess in the first place. We need to get back to the basics of city government and learn how to manage that first. We have spent 45 million dollars on three public projects in the downtown that have produced no revenue. I don't have the figures for the economic devastation wrought on the taxpayers and school district on the lakefront( T.I.F. districts) by your beloved alderman and mayors.It is you that does not want to accept reality. Stop dreaming and join the real world. The world economy is about to collapse. This evening I wagered our city council and mayor that their south lakefront condos will never break ground. Would you like a piece of that action? Send me a private message with your wager. I will accept that your word is your bond. I love money!

I will seriously bet you $100,000, and even give you two to one, as long as you stick with the your time frame of "never". We'll check back every 1000 years or so and see if anything happend yet.

Seriously, when it does happen, and it may be sooner than you think, it will seem like it was inevitible all along. Unlike you, there are developers in Chicago who are not intimidated by the relatively minor urban issues we may have at the lakefront and surrounding areas.

[ClassicalLib17]

O.K., you got me. I don't think like a lawyer. I was referring to the current developer who is looking for a 3.8 million dollar draw from the Tax Increment Financing District. Unlike you or I, most people are extremely wary of Waukegan and only come here when they have to. First time visitors, most likely, leave with a negative impression. What comes first, the cart or the horse? Believe me, if they actually build it, it will end up like the Chateau. Remember Marquette Place? You just develop an intuition, after a while.

[Danno]

ClassicalLib17 Wrote:O.K., you got me. I don't think like a lawyer. I was referring to the current developer who is looking for a 3.8 million dollar draw from the Tax Increment Financing District. Unlike you or I, most people are extremely wary of Waukegan and only come here when they have to. First time visitors, most likely, leave with a negative impression. What comes first, the cart or the horse? Believe me, if they actually build it, it will end up like the Chateau. Remember Marquette Place? You just develop an intuition, after a while.

I have to agree with you... BUT, there are a lot of people 35 or so miles to the south who DON'T have a negative image of Waukegan. They not only don't have the negative image of Waukegan that say someone from Libertyville has but they can accept a good degree of urbanness and not be as hesitant to enter a neighboorhood because there is low income housing nearby. Understanding and exploiting this is one important key to the success of an Eastern Waukegan revival.