WIUM Local
(2008-09-04)
The City Council, along with Western, will split the up to $50,000 cost of hiring RDG Planning & Design. The firm will design a plan that aims to create a "campus-town" feel through a mix of shops, restaurants, and businesses along West Adams.
The measure passed on a 5-3 vote. Alderman Dave Dorsett, Tim Lobdell, and Dennis Moon voted against the proposal. Moon says he does not think the plan will benefit the neighborhood, but he hopes he is proven wrong. Moon also says the proposal was a waste of taxpayer money.
City Administrator Dean Torreson says RDG's study should be completed by next March. Torreson hopes the Council will act on the study by next May.
Additional Information:
*Alderman Dennis Moon says the project "got out of hand." Moon says it was never the original intention of the City Council to hire a consulting firm. Moon says many of the guidelines to encourage private development already exist.
*Representatives from Western Illinois University have previously said they are enthusiastic about the project.
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