‘If they fall down, they fall’ – Chicago Tribune

After spending thousands of dollars so that the new welcome to the city’s panels was designed, Park Ridge Aldermen voted so as not to go ahead with plans to install the gateway boards after all.

Last year, the Park Ridge municipal council agreed to pay $ 40,000 to design welcome panels to replace six in wood displayed at various points of entry into the city. This decision was not believed, and some public members complained that the replacement process did not include comments from the community. After the drawings were revealed in December, some complained that they looked bland and had nothing to do with Park Ridge.

At the municipal council committee of September 2 of all the meeting, the entire project was abandoned.

During the meeting, a vote to approve the construction of eight welcome signs – at a cost of $ 215,000 – GOT defeated by a vote of 3-4 after two members of the community have spoken against the conceptions and several to the council agreed.

Joan Sandrik, observer of the longtime and professional municipal council of local real estate, said that the conceptions did not reflect any local history or local flavor.

“You have before you a request for expenditure of more than $ 200,000 regardless of our history,” she said, adding that the Lakota group, which designed the panels, did not offer any design alternative in addition to the size and shape of a plan.

The six current welcome panels are made of wood, painted and show signs of alteration. They are about 20 years old, and said Mayor Marty Maloney, celebrating civic groups that no longer exist.

The two main conceptions proposed – a large and a small – had to be in stone and include electricity to light the panels at night.

However, enough Alderpeople fell to the price he killed the agreement, qualifying the project in an unnecessary manner.

“I don’t think I’m going to support this tonight,” said Joseph Steinfels member. “I think it focuses on packaging paper, and we have so much that is necessary in Investment Uptown.”

But Maloney challenged Steinfels’ assertion on Uptown needs, appealing to enumerating something unlikely.

Steinfels said everything was a higher priority than signs.

“For me, gateway panels are not a priority,” he told the mayor. “I look at the $ 215,000, and it’s not a priority.”

Since the meeting, the project has died, and Maloney told the council that he did not want more time to waste time because he had no support for the council. He said the city could let existing welcome signs fall.

“The council said no, and if they fall, they fall,” he said. “I would not raise another finger on this because I would not want the staff to spend more time and money.”

Jesse Wright is a freelancer.