Folks, It's possible to plan a job and plan it right. It's also possible to do a job and do it right. When one plans a construction job the weather must always be taken into account.

I have a question. Did the planners take into account the winter weather in Southern Illinois?

Are you going to tell me they planned on the weather being a balmy 50 degrees all winter?

The facts speak for themselves. We have a street shutdown and merchants hurting. That street will be shutdown for several more weeks. We are right smack dab in the middle of winter.

The truth is harsh sometimes. The truth is, this job was poorly planned. We wouldn't even be talking about this if it had been done right. A job like this has to be done in phases. Phase I and Phase II.
Not only is the merchants hurting so is the City. We are not receiving cash revenue tax.

I have no doubt these are all good people involved here including the Mayor. We are not talking about here the goodness of people. We are talking about business and the ability to put together a plan that works.

Our property taxes are as high in the City as in any large City in America. Out taxes don't have to be as high as they are. The reason they are so high is because of actions just like this. Poor planning, inept decision making, incompetent leadership. So because they can't do it right we have to give them more money to cover the money they fritter away.

My only complaint with the downtown project is why can't there be a reasonable compromise with the street that has been closed for over a month.
I don't expect them to come and pour concrete that they are just going to have to rip out in a month.
There may be a very logically explanation that I just don't understand, if someone (city administration, contractor, or engineer) would just spell it out for us then I would stop complaining.

Hey Lisa good question. I called my insurance agent and asked him if our company was to open a project of that nature, would the insurance company cover all the holes left without the proper baracading. His answer was simply NO. So if they did move the traffic signage to open the street, Hank's would have to fill in all the holes with rock. That is a small portion of it. The job is coming to a close and if they buy rock just to fill up all these holes where the concrete goes, they will have to dig it out and haul off all the rock they had to haul in. The $3800 for the reopening of the street is probably a low number in reality. There are 2 sides to every story. Hank,s and the engineers have been doing this for a long time. We should let them do their job. By the way Hanks moved through this job with the wettest fall on record. Ask the farmers also. (14" of rain in October alone,let alone the bitter cold weather)

Wonderful explanation! I don't want anyone hurt, and I sure don't want people suing.

In 1961 the Berlin Wall was erected as a symbol of communism and communist power.

June 12, 1987 Then President Ronald Reagan said in a speech from a Balcony in Reichstag.

Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall![9]"


Mr. Mayor,

"Open the streets of downtown Vandalia, tear down these barricades."


These merchants deserve better treatment than what they are receiving.

Open up these streets for commerce for the remainder of the Winter!

You are not the King of Babylon. You are a servant of the people.

SERVE THE PEOPLE!!!!

Tear down these barricades Mr. Mayor!

"Ich bin ein Berliner" ,"I am a Berliner", is a quotation from a June 26, 1963 speech by U.S. President John F. Kennedy in West Berlin.