Government: November 2008 Archives

There's an old gambling term about putting your money down and taking your chances. That's what Waukegan and its casino partners did Tuesday as they went before the Illinois Gaming Board hopefully in search of the state's 10th and final gaming license.

On top of the $225 million bid for the old Emerald Casino license, Waukegan told gaming board members that in its first full year of operation the proposed site at Fountain Square would generate $379 million in gross gambling revenues. And, those monies would be available sooner than the other two locations, tainted Rosemont and bland and boring Des Plaines. The land is already zoned for a casino in Waukegan, there's hotels already there and plenty of parking. It's also a hop, skip and jump from the Tri-State Tollway.

And, according to a marketing study done by the Waukegan group, the Lake County site would also generate an additional $200 million in additional state and local taxes after factoring our land-based location would not negatively impact riverboats in Elgin, Joliet and Aurora. Also, the study maintains a northern Illinois casino would draw gamblers from Wisconsin.

The Hound won't even mention the number of new jobs --- good-paying union jobs --- for construction of a 50,000-square-foot facility and an accompanying 150-room hotel. Let's not forget the original intent of the state's gaming intent.

But more importantly, does Illinois once again want to go through the question marks surrounding a Rosemont casino? Such as the rumors the entire village is mobbed up.

Back in 2004 when Rosemont was a lock for the 10th license, Attorney General Lisa Madigan --- a possible gubernatorial candidate in 2010 --- questioned whether Rosemont and its then mayor, Donald Stephens, had ties to the Chicago Outfit, something the late mayor denied.

His son, Bradley Stephens, is now mayor and saying the village will adopt all sorts of ordinances in order to win the license with a bid of $435 million. Is this a warning sign or not to the gaming board?

Waukegan should get this license. Then again, this is Illinois and anything can happen. Stay tuned.

For all the moaning about salt supplies and the cost of sodium chloride for county roads, The Hound saw several municipal crews spreading a lot of the dear commodity on barely snow-covered streets on Monday. If it's so expensive and you don't have much, why blow it it on a mini-event?

At the most, the county got a dusting of about an inch, The Hound figures. They have to bring out the big trucks and salt spreaders for that? Perhaps we are becoming too used to down to the pavement roads in winter.

Two inches wouldn't get that much salt if The Hound was in charge of snowplows and spreaders. This is, after all, powdery white gold. Or at least that's what we were all told by public works pros from Antioch to Waukegan and from Winthrop Harbor to Mundelein when bids were being let.

So what's the deal? Why not just use sand at this early stage and hold the salt in reserve for those eight-to-12-inch storms you know will hit us once Old Man winter really starts to dump on us? Can someone enlighten The Hound?

The Hound is all a twitter over Gov. Rod Blagojevich's plan for "green" lanes on the tollway. That usually means we tollway hikers will pay the green.

The Illilnois Toll Highway Authority on Thursday approved creating high occupancy vehicle lanes, aka carpool lanes at a cost of $400 million. Yikes, that is a lot of green!

The "green lane" concept will convert the left lanes of the tollway's most-congested areas into carpool lanes. Does that mean the Lake County portion of the Tri-State seeing that we're under construction siege? Probably not, knowing the tollway.

Here's the plan: If you're driving with at least one other passenger, you can use these lanes and pay the regular I-Pass rate. If you're driving by yourself, you'd have to pay a higher rate. Um, but how will you catch carpool cheats in these green "free-flow" lanes? Who knows?

The Hound has seen similar commuter lanes in other cities, such as Nashville, where cops have caught some motorists in the "diamond" lanes with those plastic blow-up dolls riding shotgun. What the drivers do with those dolls after they get to their destinations are anybody's guess.

The tollway wants to have 80 miles of these green lanes ready by 2010, which may or may not be the target date when the Tri-State construction ends in Lake County. Speaking of green, wouldn't kicking off the program on St. Patrick's Day 2010 be grand?

Note to the governator: There is no pot of gold at the end of the 2010 rainbow for you.

From the looks of the story The Hound read in the paper, any hope for supporters of Orchard Hills returning as a golf course next year are slim and none. As Dan Rather said in 2000 during election night as Al Gore's hopes vanished: "Slim just left town."

The Waukegan Park District is seeking bids for the first phase of the planned sports complex and they're due early next month. R.I.P., Orchard Hills. The first phase will be preparing the land for the multi-use fields at the site off Green Bay Road. Work begins in earnest come spring with an opening expected in about a year.

If duffers still bemoaning the fact of the golf course's demise need any reminder of why Orchard Hills is being turned into a soccer/baseball/football field destination they got one recently. Bloomberg News Service reported last week that the U.S. golf industry is facing a sense of "urgency" and has embarked on a five-year plan to entice beginners to the game in the midst of an economic downturn.

Part of the lure, Bloomberg says the World Golf Foundation is undertaking, is to have 5,000 golf course across the nation offer $99 introductory packages that include golf lessons, coaching, etiquette of the game, etc. They hope to find 700,000 new golfers to play 5.7 million rounds of golf.

Bloomberg also notes golf participation in the U.S. fell to 26 million in 2005, a four million count drop from 2000. This according to the National Golf Foundation, which also determined about three million golfers quit playing each year and several hundred of the 3,000 new golf courses building between 1990 and 2003 have closed.

Is there any wonder, then, that Orchard Hills was given a death sentence? Oh, and if you want a good fish fry, try The Shanty in Wadsworth. The Hound chews on the bluegill.

The Hound is in a quandary as winter approaches and the snow and ice begins to fly: How will we salt the kibble with all the warnings about salt shortages? What should The Hound put on the popcorn while watching Animal Planet? More pepper?

While The Hound worries about food seasonings, Lake County motorists should worry about the condition of their roads this winter as community upon community says they're paying more for salt and will have less to spare. Lindenhurst this week adopted a new policy to conserve salt, which the village bought for $138 a ton, compared to $40 a ton last year. Libertyville is the latest to issue a de-icing warning.

Essentially, Libertyville will probably be doing what other towns will do when the snow falls. Arterial, collector and business park roads will be fully salted during an initial callout, according to the village's public works department. Low-volume residential streets will be salted at curves, hills and intersections during initial callouts. After snow events have ended, most streets will be salted again to combat ice buildup.

If you live on a cul-de-sac in Libertyville, they won't be salted during the initial callout unless on a sharp curve or hill. And, the village says they may be forced to use a sand/salt mixture if snow events pile up. That mixture's a throwback to the days of yore! Might as well put chains on the snow tires.

The Hound suggests drivers just trade in their Camrys on four-by-fours or AWDs, especially since gasoline prices have dropped. Dealers are willing to trade and deal. What's that, there's an economic meltdown? Well, hope for a meltdown come snow season, because the salt shortage may not clear the roads, Bunky.

The election of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama gives Gov. Rod Blagojevich the opening he needs to make friends and nice with fellow Democrats. The Hound can see those Blago wheels turning: Who can help him get renominated in 2010 and then re-elected?

Blago the Bad wants to be Blago the Good so he's going to take his time and have anybody who's been mentioned as possible senatorial material tell him what can they bring to the table in two years. That's the way Chicago pols operate.

So Blago the Good is going through the motions saying he wants to have a name by December and appoint before the Senate convenes in January after Obama gives up his seat for the White House. Blago the Good says he's looking for candidates who will support the president-elect's agenda; work to represent Illinois (duh!); work with the governor on legislation for the state to achieve shared goals --- affordable health care, infrastructure and the economy.

Sounds like the perfect candidate is...drum roll please: Rod Blagojevich. Appointing his governorship to the Senate would be a way to get out of Illinois and away from the wrath of Illinoisans, but still be here.

After all, Blago has never lived in Springfield since being elected governor. If he names himself to the senatorial post, he won't have to move to Washington, D.C. He can just mail in his votes and depend on Dick Durbin to do the heavy lifting for Illinois. After all, Durbin's been the state's lone senator since Obama began running for president nearly two years ago.

Yup, it's a perfect match. Plus, Blago has Washington experience. He was a congressman at one time.