Daley Changes Tune On Olympics Funding Guarantee

Chicago Sun-Times:

Facing a credibility problem over his Olympics plans, Mayor Daley sought to assure taxpayers today that the games would not cost them any additional money -- despite his agreement to sign a host-city contract that could put them on the hook for losses.

Read the whole story: Chicago Sun-Times

Comments

[2persist]

The Harold Washington Library had a great budget to build a building, but no money for books.

Comiskey Park (Chicago White Sox) U.S. Cellular Field was rebuilt next to the original Comiskey Park, in an area where the major advertiser announces "We Buy Used Pallets". The new baseball stadium should have been built at Roosevelt and State St., so fans could arrive from 3 different highways, and city workers could take a "river walk" to the stadium. Architecture critics complain the stadium has a suburban shopping mall sterility.

The new Soldier Field (Chicago Bears) "flying saucer" or "bed pan" also suffers from poor location. The contrasting designs of the original stadium and the new addendum, is just an embarrassment. Those with the power said there were no other options (but we know what YAHOO stands for). The new stadium should have been moved inland and featured a retractable roof. Anyone who attends the open air stadium next to the lake in November and December is risking frost bite and hypothermia.

Chicago is a fantastic city to live in. We have great summers and falls. And the lake.
The best public space projects are Millennium Park and the Renzo Piano addition to the Art Institute of Chicago. More private money than public money.

It's been a long time since Burnham, Wright, and Sullivan worked in Chicago. Now we have names like Walsh and DiPaolo.

Chicago is a little too mobbed up.

IOC please pick a different city, please!!!

[MovingtoNorway]

Agree. If Chicago gets the Olympics, it will be 10 more years of this corruption. Enough!!!

[2persist]

I don't think Chicago's public sector has the design "chops" to successfully host the Olympics.

The cost overruns will cause taxes to increase dramatically, so many businesses will move just outside of the city limits.

As a bicyclist, I endured the rehabilitation of the Diversey Harbor "bike path" bridge; upon completion, during the first winter, it developed a severe surface crack (about 12" wide, across the width of the northside of the bride) and it took 4 years for it to be repaired.

The Chicago Transit Authority has been remodeling the platforms for it's "El" trains. Every remodeling job is significantly ugly. No sense of detail, elegance, or even function. The edges of the platforms are now being lined with a blue plastic that is very slippery when wet for people with athletic shoes.

The stations at Belmont and Fullerton have been remade in steel and concrete. Every train coming into the station creates strong low level vibrations (approx 16 bpm). It is highly likely both stations will be crumbling in 10 - 20 years. (The original was steel and wood, as is most of the RED LINE which was built 100 years ago and sees the most traffic, today.)

The Howard Station was also embellished with tinted glass panels in the floor of the platform above a busy Howard Street. Every glass panel has shattered and half have been replaced with plywood.

[ChiGuy]

The reasons for NOT wanting the Olympics here just keep stacking up.

[47th]

I wouldn't trust Daley any farther than I could throw him! No to the Olympics in Chicago!

[jerrypl]

Mayor Daley will use taxpayer funds to give the elite rich corporate owners a way to become even richer. The weight of this handout will fall on Chicago's everyday working person. The rich hotel, restaurant, livery, and other wealthy corporate owners will become very rich.

http://eye-on-washington.blogspot.com

[NickConrad]

Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown.

[Badfickle]

spooooooon!

[ChiProgressive]

ha ha first