The following is a copy of an email sent to Phil Kadner of the Southtown Star in response to his articles regarding the Orland Plaza. It is my opinion that the media has been amiss in reporting the whole Orland Plaza story.
I found your recent articles on the Orland Plaza quite interesting. You show two sides, which is fine, but what about the human side. The owners and the customers. It's not black and white. Would you like pennies on the dollar for your investment? What about the goodwill and effort to build these businesses. Would you like to start over? It's probably over for most of the businesses. Will they look elsewhere and start from scratch?
I don't know if you have the key to the feelings of the community when it comes to the demolition of the mall. Go on the street and question the customers. Go into the barbershops and beauty shops and get the opinions of the patrons.
Everyone talks about the development, no one talks about the financing. Have you asked the Village to give you a complete financial plan of the cost to build the Metra Triangle? How about the TIF's and their impact on the property tax bill. How will the taxing bodies make up for the lost revenues from the lose of the Orland Plaza? I bet they'll raise the tax rates to make their levies. It's not just about looking out a restaurant window and seeing a waterfall. It's about decision making, and what kinds of decisions the Mayor and the Trustees make in moving Orland Park foreward. The Village turned this into a fiasco with their decisions and treatment of the original Metra Triangle business owners. There is a right way and a wrong way. The Village selected the wrong way and should pay for their poor judgment. Unfortunately the community pays for their attitudes and decisions.Their decisions and mistakes don't come out of their pockets. It would be great if it did, government would certainly be more efficient.
The owners and tenants of the Plaza must stay and fight until they receive justice and fair payment for their investments and properties. Maybe you would take what they offered you.
But you're not in the shoes of the owners nor have you been treated as shabbily. Did you really sit down and have a heart to heart talk with the owners of Randy's, the Bakery and others? There were options in this project and the Village ignored them. Why didn't they build new stores and when ready move and then demolish? Why didn't they remodel and reconfigure the plan? It was a one way street and it wasn't in favor of the Plaza.
The whole story needs to come out and should become a case study for management students to discuss in developing large scale municipal projects..
Monday, July 21, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
TIME FOR FULL COST DISCLOSURE
Maybe it's time for the Village of Orland Park to make a total cost presentation of what it will cost to demolish the Orland Plaza and where the funds will come from. I would like to see the dollars, in detail, the Village will offer for the land and what it offers for each store. The investment and goodwill for each store should not come cheaply and should be at today's market value. The presentation should include all costs, paybacks and the time it will take to recoup the millions lost by demolishing the mall. Can the village justify and guarantee the cost for this project? The question is: "Is the Village placing the Village in debt? Since the Village is so certain of their direction, they should have no problem sharing this data with the taxpayers of Orland Park. How else can they be so sure of success. I'll be looking for the data in the July 24th edition of the Orland Park Prairie Newspaper.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Eminent Domain
The Village of Orland Park is acting as a bully in running the Orland Plaza out of town. They have no respect for individual rights. Maybe the problem is that they had an ill conceived plan from day one. Initially, if they had no assurances of rights to the Plaza, they should have had alternative plans to bypass the Plaza. It's not the owners fault for poor planning and they should not be penalized for the ignorance of the Village Administration.
The Village needs to be questioned on where the money is coming from for the buyout. If the money is coming from TIF's the State should step in and stop the abuse of the TIF Act. This is not a blighted area. You do not destroy sound businesses and sacrifice millions of dollars of tax revenues for the sake of following an ill conceived plan.
I say, stay and fight. Don't be bullied.
George A. Tarasuk
The Village needs to be questioned on where the money is coming from for the buyout. If the money is coming from TIF's the State should step in and stop the abuse of the TIF Act. This is not a blighted area. You do not destroy sound businesses and sacrifice millions of dollars of tax revenues for the sake of following an ill conceived plan.
I say, stay and fight. Don't be bullied.
George A. Tarasuk
Sunday, July 6, 2008
IS IT TIME TO RETIRE THE PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE
July 6, 2008
Paul M. Howey's commentary "Is It Time To Retire The Pledge Allegiance" struck a nerve. I don't know if Mr. Howey is serious or just trying to be thought provoking, Whatever his motives, I disagree, I believe the Pledge shows a belief and faith in ones country. It's a way of saying thank you. It's a valuable tradition that should not be thrown aside beacause someone feels its old and worn out. We must continue to be proud of our heritage and traditions.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
VOTERS LAMENT
Today’s Presidential Elections have become so emotional and filled with anger that one can’t wait till it’s over. With all of the campaigning and analysis you can’t take any more. Opinions have become hot and heavy. Everyone is starting to be careful of what they say and who they say it too. Is a difference of opinion worth the lose of a friendship?
Today you have two people vying for the highest and most powerful office in the land. Why do they want this position? Is it power, ego or do they really want a better America? Are they true patriots who will defend the principles and freedoms of this country to death? Is the history, values and beliefs of our founding fathers a part of their fiber and soul? Is this a political game or contest to see who can collect more money and win the prize? Sometimes, I have to wonder how sincere the candidates are. This is a thankless job. You’re continually on the hot seat and under the microscope. I just hope that the motives to be President are the right motives. The prize is not to serve Democrats or Republicans. It’s to make decisions based on our history, laws and values. What scares me is that our ideals and principles of: freedom, liberty and justice are being abandoned. This Fourth of July proudly fly the flag to show your love and devotion for country, and salute the sacrifices that so many fought for to create and maintain this great land we call America..
Today you have two people vying for the highest and most powerful office in the land. Why do they want this position? Is it power, ego or do they really want a better America? Are they true patriots who will defend the principles and freedoms of this country to death? Is the history, values and beliefs of our founding fathers a part of their fiber and soul? Is this a political game or contest to see who can collect more money and win the prize? Sometimes, I have to wonder how sincere the candidates are. This is a thankless job. You’re continually on the hot seat and under the microscope. I just hope that the motives to be President are the right motives. The prize is not to serve Democrats or Republicans. It’s to make decisions based on our history, laws and values. What scares me is that our ideals and principles of: freedom, liberty and justice are being abandoned. This Fourth of July proudly fly the flag to show your love and devotion for country, and salute the sacrifices that so many fought for to create and maintain this great land we call America..
Sunday, June 22, 2008
OBSERVATIONS ON REACHING ENERGY INDEPENDENCE
The energy controversy has stirred up much debate and talk of what has been going on behind the scenes to change the way we produce and use energy. Here are some of my observations.
To not drill for oil is wrong and time wasting. We’ve already wasted years in delaying the inevitable. Whatever anyone says we will need gas and oil for many years to come. Count the cars on the road today. Will everyone be able to convert and incur the cost to a new technology? This will be a slow drawn out process and will take years to accomplish. This is a step towards energy independence. We need to be realistic.
Some are pushing for nuclear power to heat and light our homes. It’s been successful in other countries and appears to be safe. My objection is the storage of waste materials. This could prove to be very dangerous in the long run. We need a solution that is safe, plentiful and will not disrupt our way of living. In my opinion coal is the way to go. It is plentiful, not a safety issue for storage and will not affect the use of farm land to feed the population. They say new and better ways to extract and use coal have been developed to make it economical.
A very realistic approach is to develop a smaller, powerful battery to replace the gas engine. Look at the storage capacity and power of today’s computers. We need to follow their lead and ingenuity to bring this to a reality.
My three step approach is:
Start drilling today to make the way for tomorrows goal of energy independence.
Invest in using our coal resources to produce the energy needed to heat and power our homes and industries. If this is found to be a weak argument than I would opt for nuclear energy. The storage of nuclear waste is still a major drawback. This is a serious issue and needs to resolved.
Invest in creating a self sustained battery to replace the gasoline engine. Keep in mind the initial cost to purchase this type of vehicle will be high but it will reduce the demand for gas and lower prices. Just as in any new technology as demand increases prices will fall and become more affordable,
The political statements of today are false and provide very little insight into looking at the problem and the development for a long term solution.
To not drill for oil is wrong and time wasting. We’ve already wasted years in delaying the inevitable. Whatever anyone says we will need gas and oil for many years to come. Count the cars on the road today. Will everyone be able to convert and incur the cost to a new technology? This will be a slow drawn out process and will take years to accomplish. This is a step towards energy independence. We need to be realistic.
Some are pushing for nuclear power to heat and light our homes. It’s been successful in other countries and appears to be safe. My objection is the storage of waste materials. This could prove to be very dangerous in the long run. We need a solution that is safe, plentiful and will not disrupt our way of living. In my opinion coal is the way to go. It is plentiful, not a safety issue for storage and will not affect the use of farm land to feed the population. They say new and better ways to extract and use coal have been developed to make it economical.
A very realistic approach is to develop a smaller, powerful battery to replace the gas engine. Look at the storage capacity and power of today’s computers. We need to follow their lead and ingenuity to bring this to a reality.
My three step approach is:
Start drilling today to make the way for tomorrows goal of energy independence.
Invest in using our coal resources to produce the energy needed to heat and power our homes and industries. If this is found to be a weak argument than I would opt for nuclear energy. The storage of nuclear waste is still a major drawback. This is a serious issue and needs to resolved.
Invest in creating a self sustained battery to replace the gasoline engine. Keep in mind the initial cost to purchase this type of vehicle will be high but it will reduce the demand for gas and lower prices. Just as in any new technology as demand increases prices will fall and become more affordable,
The political statements of today are false and provide very little insight into looking at the problem and the development for a long term solution.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Orland Park's Main Street Triangle
Your headline of June 20th relates to another chapter in the continuing saga of the Main Street Triangle. The Orland Park Administration has run into difficulties with their quest to demolish the Orland Plaza. The Request For Proposal appears to have been unsuccessful in finding a developer who would meet the Administration’s plan or requirements to re-develop The Orland Plaza. One reason may be the economy, but isn’t it possible that the controversy surrounding the demolition of Orland Plaza is a major reason? The OP Administration continues to paint a rosy picture of their vision and an unrelenting policy of no compromise.
It is my opinion, the once star studded image of Orland Park is beginning to fade. Why is it beginning to fade? The Administration has failed to communicate and work with the businesses that made OP a desirable place to live, shop and work. The Village has lost The Andrew Corporation, Beatty Lumber and is now working hard to destroy the property taxes and sales tax revenues generated by the Orland Plaza. Will the planned condo’s, townhomes and restaurants replace the tax base generated by these businesses?
Part of the problem rests with the State’s TIF Act which has given municipalities the power to re-develop areas with little or no control. The municipality freezes the tax assessments for the designated TIF area and accrues any dollars generated from increased assessments and new properties for a period of 23 years. The municipality provides little or no information on budgets, operating costs and the real affects on taxing bodies such as schools and the county. The TIF is not shown on your property tax bill or in the municipality’s budget. TIF’s are good when used to re-develop blighted or areas that are losing property tax dollars. To demolish the Orland Plaza will erase the tax dollars needed to support the Village, State and County Budgets. The Orland Park Administration has become reckless in its failure to take a realistic long term financial analysis of its vision of what’s good for the Village.
The Illinois TIF Act needs to be rewritten so that municipalities such as Orland Park cannot be given free rein to manipulate the use of property tax dollars.
It is my opinion, the once star studded image of Orland Park is beginning to fade. Why is it beginning to fade? The Administration has failed to communicate and work with the businesses that made OP a desirable place to live, shop and work. The Village has lost The Andrew Corporation, Beatty Lumber and is now working hard to destroy the property taxes and sales tax revenues generated by the Orland Plaza. Will the planned condo’s, townhomes and restaurants replace the tax base generated by these businesses?
Part of the problem rests with the State’s TIF Act which has given municipalities the power to re-develop areas with little or no control. The municipality freezes the tax assessments for the designated TIF area and accrues any dollars generated from increased assessments and new properties for a period of 23 years. The municipality provides little or no information on budgets, operating costs and the real affects on taxing bodies such as schools and the county. The TIF is not shown on your property tax bill or in the municipality’s budget. TIF’s are good when used to re-develop blighted or areas that are losing property tax dollars. To demolish the Orland Plaza will erase the tax dollars needed to support the Village, State and County Budgets. The Orland Park Administration has become reckless in its failure to take a realistic long term financial analysis of its vision of what’s good for the Village.
The Illinois TIF Act needs to be rewritten so that municipalities such as Orland Park cannot be given free rein to manipulate the use of property tax dollars.
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