Heartland Community College Baseball Stadium Moving Forward

Heartland Community College Baseball Stadium Moving Forward

Bids.

McHenry County residents never heard that word in connection with the minor league baseball stadium that McHenry County College's board of trustees tried to foist on us taxpayers.

But that word is in the first sentence of Bloomington Pantagraph reporter Randy Reinhardt's article about Tuesday's Heartland Community College board meeting.

Consultant Mike Thiessen says they came in “right at the sweet spot.”

How refreshing that a junior college minor league baseball stadium consultant might be looking out for the best interests of the college, rather than looking out for the best interests of his buddy, a baseball promoter.

There are three stadium bids to seat 3,500 to 4,500 (expansion possibilities to 6,000) costing $10 to 11.5 million.

College President Jon Astroth says the $1.7 million Heartland had intended to spend on its own sports facility could be used to subsidize the minor league effort. Or, even more, since the college stadium came in at $3.3 million—way, way over the expected price.

"Visible stunned," is the way Peoria Journal-Star reporter Steve Stein put it.

And if it costs more?

"They have no place to pass the cost to. It's a private entity. And there will be opportunity for the town to contribute," said Alan Sender, Baseball Committee Chairman, according to Peoria's WEEK-TV.

Unlike the MCC situation in which college board members would have had us taxpayers holding the bag.

The bids are connected to the Frontier and Northern Leagues.

Illinois State University is building a 1,000 seat stadium for $3 million, the article says.

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Constituent Asks Jack Franks to Help Slow Down MCC Baseball Stadium Project

One of Democratic Party State Representative Jack Franks’ constituents has asked for his assistance in slowing down the Illinois Community College Board’s rush to approve McHenry County College’s proposed Frontier League team baseball stadium. Frontier is headquartered in Troy, Illinois.

Indeed, "Hush, Hush, Hush; Rush, Rush, Rush" seems to be the order of the day with this $35 million non-referendum borrowing.

Dated last Friday, the letter writer, who prefers to remain unidentified on McHenry County Blog, asked Franks

“for assistance in receiving answers to some questions I have about McHenry County College’s expansion plans, particularly the inclusion of a stadium.”

The letter points out that the project “raise(s) tax implications for all District 528 residents, as well as possible violations of the Community College Act.”

The following specific assistance is request:

"To request the Illinois Community College Board’s CEO to withhold ICCB approval of the expansion/capital development project until certain questions have been satisfactorily answers; and

"To determine whether the Community College Act and the ICCB’s Administrative Rules have been violated."

The letter goes on to point out the non-referendum nature of borrowing ($36 million) and points out that the project

”…represent(s) a diversion of public funds and properties from the college’s offering a more rigorous educational curriculum more in keeping with its statutory obligations.”

It concludes by asking for the public to “be given the opportunity to have several questions about the proposed expansion answered satisfactorily by MCC’s administration and the experts it has hired before Mr. (Jeff) Obrzut issues his letter and before this expansion proceeds any further.”

No other community college subsidizes a minor league baseball team.

Posted first on McHenry County Blog.

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New Rule - Write Down Nothing

When I saw the following in Tim Kane’s Chicago Tribune article about McHenry County College’s approval without allowing informed public debate—let alone competition--on a new minor league baseball stadium, I said, “Ah, ha.”

Read this and tell me what would pop into your head:

"(Baseball stadium promoter) Heitman said bringing the unnamed team to the school was the idea of Crystal Lake City Manager Gary Mayerhofer, who alerted Heitman's business partner Mark Houser."

I don’t know about you, but I immediately asked myself,

"What did he say and when did he say it?"

I knew I wouldn’t be able to get a straight answer as to why the contact was made, but I thought there just might be some record sitting around the Crystal Lake City Hall about the interaction between Heitman and the city manager.

So, you can guess what I did next, right?

I filed a Freedom of Information request.

I asked for

"All communications, including e-mail, and records of communications between the officials of the City of Crystal Lake and Mark Houser and/or Equity One and/or Pete Hietman. This request is stimulated by Tim Kane’s Chicago Tribune article which reports City Manager Gary Mayerhofer alerted Mark Houser to this (Mayerhofer’s) idea to bring a minor leaguer baseball team to Crystal Lake."

And, by $4.64 mail Thursday I got this answer:

"This letter serves as a formal response to your request for the aforementioned information. The City of Crystal Lake is unable to locate any documents that meet the criteria of your request at this time."

Any suggestions of what I should have requested?

More on the weekend at McHenry County Blog, including girls rowing in white caps on Crystal Lake.

= = = = =
The smiling guy in front of the vending machine is Pete Heitman, the baseball promoter. The smiling guy in the head shot is Mark Houser, President of Equity One of Libertyville, who got a no-bid contract with McHenry County College.

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“Public-Be-Dammed” Attitude on Sports Stadiums?

Chicago Tribune columnist Dennis Bryne’s piece on Monday was about secrecy and the hidden, unadmitted costs of the 2016 Olympics’ package put together by Mayor Richard Daley.

Are there are parallels in McHenry County?

Want to know the public involvement in McHenry County College’s minor league baseball stadium?

Here’s what I said in the public comment period at the beginning of March 19th‘s college board meeting:

It appears from the language in the contract dated September 27, 2006, signed by EquityOne Development’s Mark Houser and MCC President Walter Packard that the feasibility study’s findings and recommendations will be tainted.

I refer specificially to page 4, the 3rd paragraph:

At the completion of the feasibility study and independent review, if the College elects to proceed with the project, the College will contract with EquityOne or it’s (sic) assigns to develop the project on the college’s behalf.

By signing this contract you seem to have precluded competitive bidding on the Sports Center Complex and baseball stadium.

Is that correct?

No one answered, so I asked if I were going to get an answer.

Sandy Kerrick, the lawyer sitting at the table in front of the board, then told me that I could make any comments I wanted.

I replied that usually when I speak to a public body, I got an answer.

I got no answer from the McHenry County College Board.

They sat silent.

I wonder if what I said will be included in the minutes.

Time will tell.

As far as I know, this is the only comment made about the project in a public MCC Board meeting, although I admit to missing last Thursday’s meeting.

Someone has obviously kept Crystal Lake Mayor Aaron Shepley informed.

Someone has obviously talked in secret to Crystal Lake Park Board Commissioners.

Has there been public involvement beyond my statement that EquityOne Development’s recommendations were, by the nature of the contract MCC signed, flawed by self-interest?

Oh, I forgot.

MCC Committee of the Whole chairman George Lowe did read the names of those who participated in the March 19th secret meeting and he was kind enough to let me see how to spell their names and what their affiliations were.

Tribune columnist Byrne concluded his commentary on the way the Olympics’ package has been put together like this:

But there's also some of the public-be-damned way the public's business is conducted here, based on the belief that the public, even if it could understand what's going on, would screw things up.

How far from that attitude is the McHenry County College Board’s on its proposed baseball stadium?

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