Another Train Long Gone – Rockford in 2015
by Tchad Beale | December 29, 2015 1:40 PM
2015 was interesting for the Rockford area. You people talked about trains, hotels, casinos, and hope. Like a broken record at this point. Buildings knocked down, some with busy-bees flying about planning stuff. Weeks on with work, months off without. It was a lot like 1978 until 2014. Lots of talk, a little work, and despite it all there was still hope. Hope for a Portillo’s opening! Hope for a Cheesecake Factory in 2016? Maybe!
Poor people got upset about poor people stuff, our leaders complained right back, the Chief of Police retired to take his IL pension now en route to New Orleans for a better paying job, federal and state grants ended up in the same hands, hands shaking hands and lubing themselves, new non-profits popped up out of nowhere to get in on the free-for-all, and poor people, again, came out in droves to support the opening of a fast food restaurant on the east side of town.
Cool place, cultured, proud of y’all.
Sadly, the train isn’t happening (lol). The dog and pony show our city leaders and the ol’ Gov. Quinn put on for ya in early 2014? We told you it wasn’t happening then. Wah lah. It’s not like we’re trying to fuck with y’all. We’re here to follow the money and shit’s not gonna happen on other projects, too.
The Ziock hotel nonsense: It’s not happening either. Gorman and Co. has the city on the hook to come up with the money needed to finish it from Chinese investors. Millions short still. Like the train and all that jazz, ain’t gonna happen.
Amateur sports? That’s gonna happen and it’s gonna be so awesome! Rockford, ya git what ya deserve: An AMATEUR sports complex for amateurs. Amateurs from all over will swarm downtown Rockford until the many blocks of asbestos that spreads across both sides of the river under each building due to Rockford’s prosperous, industrial, WW1 and WW2 years, exposes more problems for all amateurs to deal with. Thus, shutting down all of downtown Rockford and calling in FEMA to save us from our own little environmental (and another economic) disaster.
On the positive side of stuff and things: Transform Rockford needs more data to transform Vision into Action. 2013-2015 was awesome for data collecting and marketing hope and vision with the local media’s help. Great biased results, nice data, bits and bytes. You guys do nice rallies at predominantly under booked theaters and country clubs. 2016 can be the year we take all the data and store it on a server and toss it into the river. Action!
Other than that, people are still poor and looking for better work or leaving the state altogether.
Here’s to 2016. May it contain more talk consisting of more of the above and a little romance to boot. Be proud of yourselves, Rockford, we know you will be.
RKFDnews Editorial
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