Macomb, IL – The push is on to convince the Illinois House to approve a capital projects bill for the state. Capital Development Board Executive Director Jan Grimes is making stops at campuses around the state to talk about how they would benefit from the measure.
In Macomb, she said Western Illinois University would get money to build a performing arts center and for its Quad Cities campus. There would also be money for badly needed road projects throughout the region.
In addition, WIU President Al Goldfarb says the university would get money for maintenance projects. He says the campus is deteriorating because no money has been provided for infrastructure repairs in a number of years.
The money would come from the proposed Illinois Works program. It would be funded through an expansion of gambling.
The Senate already approved the bill. It awaits action in the House, where Speaker Michael Madigan says a gambling expansion must be accompanied by changes to the state gaming board to better safeguard the public interest.
Grimes and Goldfarb were two of the speakers at a news conference in the Tri States Public Radio Performance Studio. You can listen to the entire news conference by clicking on the audio button.
Additional information:
*Neither Grimes nor Goldfarb seems concerned about the use of expanded gambling to pay for the plan.
*Grimes says most people want to see road and construction projects completed and they don't really care what source of funds is identified.
*Goldfarb says it's up to the Illinois Legislature to implement a funding source. His main concern is getting repairs done and moving forward with WIU's major projects.