This is a countdown of the top 10 stories of 2022 written by Cat Petersen and/or Kevin Woodard. These are stories in the sense of “stories we followed.” Each of these “stories” had multiple stories written about them and published on our web site.
Number6. Normal Uptown Underpass
The Normal Uptown Underpass has been a topic of debates for several years in our community. This year’s discussions centered around the cost of the project and whether or not the town is being honest about those costs in its dealings with residents and other governmental bodies.
Previous to April the town maintained the budget for the project was $23.9 million. During April the town updated its projected cost to $29.9 million citing construction costs increases due to the impacts of Covid-19 and other world issues on the economy.
The town sent an application to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) in April documenting the $29.9 million estimate and requesting $6.00 million more dollars for the project. An email regarding this request came to the public’s attention in May.
Councilmember Stan Nord told Cities, “As a council you would think that the council was informed that we are begging the federal government for more money. We’re not. That’s why I say in Normal you are not represented by the council at all. You are ruled by (City Manager) Pam Reece and (Mayor) Chris Koos and the council is just something we had to have because the state requires it.”
Nord said he predicted this when the council was asked to accept the federal money already promised to the town. He said at the time he pointed out that the estimate was based off of pre-COVID dollars’ and that construction costs have since skyrocketed. Nord said he argued then that the estimated cost of the project should be updated.
But, Nord said, “The town staff was very adamant and the mayor and some of the council that the numbers were accurate. As it turns out via this email the town staff has been telling the council and town one story and the federal government another.”
In July Normal learned that they were receiving additional money for the underpass from the state. The total amount was $4.9 million. That amount was for design. However, since the town had already paid for $1.4 million of design from its own pockets that amount would be able to be put toward construction.
Reece sent a resolution to council asking for them to approve accepting the funding. In that document staff stated the estimate for the project was still $23.9 million, not the $29.9 million they told the federal government.
Koos accused Nord of sensationalizing the issue during the council meeting when Nord questioned why there are two different budget estimates being bandied about by the town.
“Mr. Nord if I may,” Koos interjected, “I’m just going to have to take a breath here. You are trying to sensationalize this whole issue. We have no idea what this is going to cost until we bid it and it’s going to be this council’s responsibility to respond to that, to change the scope of the project to find additional and federal state funding if it’s available to address construction.”
After Koos interjected, Nord continued and went on to say,” I don’t know if this is ethical, if there is anything wrong with telling the federal government it’s going to cost $6 million dollars more than what we are telling our local tax payers.”
Nord said the town is giving two different numbers based off of the audience.
“You’re misrepresenting something to someone and is the local taxpayer government …is that the one being manipulated or is it the federal government they are manipulating to get more money out of the federal government,” said Nord. “Either way it’s totally not right and for him to say it is sensationalizing… I don’t know if its sensationalizing or simply just calling out that somebody is being misled.”
Normal continued to play loose with their underpass numbers. Soon after that meeting and still in August they got their answer from the federal government on their $6 million request. They received $3.2 million.
Reece sent another resolution to council. This time staff added the $3.2 million to the $23.9 million and showed the budget for the project to be $27.1 million.
Nord takes issue with the town’s inconsistencies when talking about the cost of this project telling Cities 92.9 at the time, “The budget for this project keeps changing depending on the audience that the town is speaking to. Local taxpayers have been told $24 million. And then the federal government, at the same time, was being told $30 million. And now we are back to $24 million to the town. And then tonight it said $27 million. Literally the number keeps changing and the council has not voted to increase or change the budget from what it was originally.”
During the meeting Nord strove to make his point to his fellow council members saying, “It’s very wrong to tell government one thing and the taxpayer another. Nord later stated, “If us as citizens would play this game with the federal government and say we just want to get some more money for whatever benefit we’re trying to get, and we just pad the numbers. We’ll end up in jail. But for us to do that, the comment is ‘you’re just sensationalizing.”
Nord summed the issue up this way, telling us after the meeting, “The problem is that everybody knows and expected this project would cost more money. But the problem we have now is the town staff. We’re telling the federal government it’s going to cost $6 million more while at the same time telling the local tax payers that the cost has not gone up. That is deceptive,” Nord concluded.
