Rahm Finds More Money!
Always for something he wants - never for something that is required by law:
- Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Tuesday put a price tag of $160 million on a long awaited overhaul of city streetlights, more than double what a similarly sized program in New York City is expected to cost.
The mayor also said the four-year switch to 270,000 energy efficient LED lights will be managed by city’s transportation department, not the privatized infrastructure trust he once touted as central to innovative public works plans.
A city transportation spokesman said the higher costs were due to a more complicated and sophisticated lighting program for Chicago than New York. Chicago’s program, he said, provides for replacing both light fixtures as well as some poles and wires.
At this rate, it'd be cheaper to actually hire the New York guys, import all of their personnel and equipment, do the job, and ship all their equipment and personnel back to New York.
Labels: money questions
posted by SCC at 12:01 AM
61 Comments:
City touts the claims that the new lights will save on electricity. That is true but after considering installation costs are there any real long term savings? didn't see those numbers in the newspapers.
He can find $160 Million for fucking street lights, but not our pension.
Thanks Rahm, you asshole
OT
The March 29th Tribune, page 7 article about Angelo's meeting in Washington states that there are 8202 members in the Chicago FOP. So, if this quote is correct, this is an admission that there are only 8,202 sworn CPD Officers below the rank of Sgt. If the budgeted strength of CPD is 11,500 that would mean that the CPD is about 3,OOO short!
--RetDet
I can understand LEDs having their own proprietary requirements to make them work. But poles ain't one of them. Someone is getting their beak wet and that is why Rahm don't want outsiders bidding/doing the job. All that contract money may not return in the form of kickbacks through campaign contributions if outsiders get the contract.
So what's more important? Street lights prior to elections that are already working or an insolvent pension system? Silly me for asking.
And this......Chicago alderman unveiled a plan Wednesday to redirect $25 million in extra revenue identified by the treasurer's office to fund programs for antiviolence, job training and after-school efforts in all 50 wards................Treasurer Kurt Summers announced that the city had an extra $57 million because of better-than-expected city investment earnings
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-anti-violence-funding-emanuel-met-20170329-story.html
So, if you have found money, let's spend it on something new instead of paying bills and raising taxes/
More complicated and sophisticated.... it's a fucking light bulb
The inescapable fuck in the ass to the tax payers
The American Medical Association (ama-assn.org 14 Jun 16) warns and issues guidelines regarding these led lights. They operate at wave lengths that suppress melatonin five times greater than present lights, and affect circadian rhythms causing reduced sleep times and dissatisfaction with sleep times, causing excessive sleep deprivation, impaired daytime functioning and obesity. They cause worse nighttime glare which decreases visual acuity and safety. They also pose the same problems for wildlife living near them. So good luck to those working the 1st and 3rd watches! So much for progress, they replaced the alley light behind my house with one of these,and even with the old alley light it lights my back yard, kitchen and rear bedroom like it's Times Square. You can't sit in the yard and enjoy it do to the lights and the airplanes every 50 seconds. And don't tell me you should have not moved near an airport because I am 30 blocks away and for 35 years it was never a problem until about a year a half ago they started to change the flight patterns so all the jets go over the Northwest side. Time to leave this progressive shithole.
This little midget never stops spending our tax money and finding other ways to tax us to death. Next will be a tax if you use Hospice.
Please Mr. Attorney General, stop these crooks in this hellish state from Springfield, to crook county, to dodge city, aka Chicago.
Plenty of cash in TIF districts too full pension payments or vote no on the next contract!
Whens mt greenwood getting them it's dark in front of my house.
NYC always leads the way. While we are at it, could we hire NYC's mayor?
What's wrong with the old lights? Rahmmy should think about paying some of the city's bill with that money.
Dis ain't the Chicago way. What is spent in Chicago stays in Chicago.
Start with the Free use of City light to help Shine up Queen of All Cadillacs in Saugnash City installed lights and electric light up the one side of the church Criminal use of our tax payer dollars QAS has had this for years
BTW My old street light works fine
Anonymous Anonymous said...
And this......Chicago alderman unveiled a plan Wednesday to redirect $25 million in extra revenue identified by the treasurer's office to fund programs for antiviolence, job training and after-school efforts in all 50 wards................Treasurer Kurt Summers announced that the city had an extra $57 million because of better-than-expected city investment earnings
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-anti-violence-funding-emanuel-met-20170329-story.html
So, if you have found money, let's spend it on something new instead of paying bills and raising taxes/
3/31/2017 01:18:00 AM
The Treasurer is talking about running for Madigan's job as Governor. He would fit right in with the magically appearing funds!
I'm out
that's almost $600 a light, must be a connected minority supplier and of course it will take two union electricians along with the truck driver 4 hours per light to install them. What a joke.
Be careful. Don't put new streetlights near the McCarthy residence.
Are these the new NSA approved "Spy" lighting fixtures?
Is it just me or do most people change light bulbs as they burn out? Here's one, how many city employees does it take to change a lightbulb? Well let's see there'S the company that made the light bulb, there's the city approved vendor that sold Chicago the light bulb at a 20-30% markup for doing nothing, bulbs won't even hit this guy's office. Then there's the streets and sans guys, one driver one guy in the cherry picker and one on the street and a supervisor in the van on the street as well. So that's six and you could probably throw in one from city hall who came up with the idea and made sure all the right people get the contracts, so that's seven. Then there's at least one guy from the ward office and one guy from the ward yard so we'really really up to 9? Wow makes the price seem like a steal when we have nine guys changing a lightbulb. Here at the house it's usually just me or I may ask my 12 year old to hold the bulb while I set up the ladder and take out the out bulb then hand me the new bulb. But hey apples and oranges right.
Anonymous said...
OT
The March 29th Tribune, page 7 article about Angelo's meeting in Washington states that there are 8202 members in the Chicago FOP. So, if this quote is correct, this is an admission that there are only 8,202 sworn CPD Officers below the rank of Sgt. If the budgeted strength of CPD is 11,500 that would mean that the CPD is about 3,OOO short!
--RetDet
3/31/2017 01:11:00 AM
Scary part is only half of those 8,202 are actually working on the street and not some clouted house mice...
These guys are great. Spend a quarter to save a penny.🤔
Rahm has got a lot more mouths to feed than the amateurs in NYC. How do they keep getting elected without an effective payoff plan?
Kickbacks and payoffs cost money.
Well, when YOU vote for liberal democrats, THEY will spend YOUR money, liberally. Doesn't matter what YOU need, YOU only need to supply tax dollars for THEIR liberal spending needs, but don't doubt for a minute, THEY will be putting some of YOUR tax dollars in to THEIR own little kitty for THEIR own needs, above THEIR regular, liberal, salary.
J.J.
My father in law (rest his soul) was a depression era kid, WWII vet and a great guy. Shortly before his passing, he wanted to redo the house in all led bulbs because he read of the savings on your electric bill, but we had to explain that by the time we replaced every bulb in the house with a much more expensive led, it'd take many, many years to reap the benefits.
But he was 93 and losing his memory.
If they tell you the bill will be 160 million, expect the real cost to be around 300 million.
Not a police officer. That said, these have gone up in my neighborhood in Lincoln Square, and besides the streetlights, the new poles have additional fixtures that light up the sidewalk. Once the trees have leaves, they'd completely block the the old streetlights.
So far, so good, but to an earlier poster's comments about the bluer LED wavelengths, we did have to buy blackout curtains to get better sleep.
Stay safe, all.
TD 9.5 will gloat when he sinks the pension fund. He is no good and deserves not one bit of respect. But, on the positive side, the new street lights will allow me to read a month-old newspaper as I fall asleep at the curb in my cardboard box.
Anonymous Anonymous said...
The American Medical Association (ama-assn.org 14 Jun 16) warns and issues guidelines regarding these led lights. They operate at wave lengths that suppress melatonin five times greater than present lights, and affect circadian rhythms causing reduced sleep times and dissatisfaction with sleep times, causing excessive sleep deprivation, impaired daytime functioning and obesity. They cause worse nighttime glare which decreases visual acuity and safety. They also pose the same problems for wildlife living near them. So good luck to those working the 1st and 3rd watches! So much for progress, they replaced the alley light behind my house with one of these,and even with the old alley light it lights my back yard, kitchen and rear bedroom like it's Times Square. You can't sit in the yard and enjoy it do to the lights and the airplanes every 50 seconds. And don't tell me you should have not moved near an airport because I am 30 blocks away and for 35 years it was never a problem until about a year a half ago they started to change the flight patterns so all the jets go over the Northwest side. Time to leave this progressive shithole.
Thanks for the info. I thought I was getting fat from drinking too much beer and eating too much
Those led traffic signals arent hot enough to melt the snow. Every year there is at least 2 or 3 snowfalls where accidents occur because no one can see the signals. Stupid.
Rahm doesn't have a money problem. He's got an ass backward priorities problem.
Going LED will save money over the long-run, but in the short-term this is a great job boost to Michael Madigan's IBEW (union electrician) buddies.
That is why this project got to jump the line...Madigan-Obama-Rahm, taking the Titanic down as slowly as they can so their friends can still milk the ride before moving out of state.
Wh y fix lights that ain't broke?
He worries about some LED lighting that can cause medical problems, but throws retirees under the bus by taking their medical plan away. You know what, this is the last straw I and my family tried to hang in this City and its over. Next week I start the process of getting the fuck out of this city, county and state. That's a promise and it will be kept.
Going green and seeing the green.
It takes Your Money to make Them money.
Someone's relative sitting behind a computer in their parents basement office buys 1,000,000 Chinese Alibaba $2 LED diodes (only need 270,000 and they last 10 yrs) and resells them to a a fourth-party minority contractor that supplies the City, and it happens to to cost $160,000,000 just for the parts and components, no labor.
Daley-Vanecko is not involved in the selling or brokering, even though there's Daley Inc established in The People's Republic.
Ironically a new private contractor has already been licensed, permitted, established and prepared for any kind of lighting installation that the City may need.
What shenanigans I ax' ?
And the best part was Rham said the first areas to get the new street lights will be the "South and West sides." With the increased illumination maybe the aim will improve accordingly adding to a new and better death toll as well. Thanks 9.5!
Just get rid of the streetlights all together.
OT - Speaking of "found money"...
Received my Bartlett vs City of Chicago (15-CV-11899) class action overtime settlement today along with W-2 & 1099 deductions.
Thanks R.B for your diligence.
Check you mailbox if you worked OT Jul 1 - Dec 31, 2012.
Civilian here.
Re: The American Medical Association (ama-assn.org 14 Jun 16) warns and issues guidelines regarding these led lights.
- - - - - - - - -
The LEDs that Com Ed uses is measured at 4000 Kelvin and at that wavelength you see bluish light. From an aesthetic point of view, this will create a very dark, cold, and depressing look. Perhaps this is what the mayor wants, but this is going to be dangerous for police officers and law-abiding citizens alike.
Not surprisingly, LED streetlights are manufactured in much warmer tones (2500 Kelvin) and offer the same efficiency.
How about it Mr. Mayor and alderman....why don't you look into this before you spent a shitload of money and find that you have made a tremendous mistake.
P.S. BTW, how about using that 25 Million surplus towards the City's police and fire pension obligations?
Now if the mayor would only buy squad cars. I wonder how many squad cars vri south was short the day 9 people were murdered, was 4, 8, 12, 20 no how about 45! Its sur-real, the cpd twilight zone.
Wonder how much of a kickback was given to him in a suitcase.
Sure as hell didnt do anything for the people. Its for the almighty stolen $.
Of course there are cheaper resolves but then how would all the clouted get paid and get kick backs.?
I laughed when they stated that the light replacements would start in 'high crime areas.' God forbid that the replacement started in actually neighborhoods of Taxpayers - then it be howls of racism. (Why we goes last?)
3/31/2017 01:11:00 AM
Scary part is only half of those 8,202 are actually working on the street and not some clouted house mice...
3/31/2017 08:44:00 AM
Very true.
They're forever creating more and more inside spots and hiding more and more full duty coppers.
It's a ridiculous joke.
This guy has to go. Rahm would have never been re elected if the Van Dyke tape was made public. I'm not sure if Chuy Garcia is the guy for the job but we most definitely need a new mayor. Rahms incompetence grows with every passing day. Enough of this crap.
They will cause too much light pollution. Also they look hideous at night, cold and bright. How about fixing roads so that they don't crumble again within a year. Oh, that's right, Rahm is anti-car (for other people.)
New targets for McStreet Lights!
I love how he is offering non documented citizens an ID to get City services they don't contribute tax dollars to pay for!
Awesome idea!
Poles and wires my ass. Bribes and hookers. The Chicago way.
Everyday rahm finds more money will he ever invest in tax paying the heavily taxed communities?
Park District's aging field houses to get $26 million in improvements
Leonor Vivanco
South Shore Cultural Center
Chicago's iconic neighborhood field houses — some built more than a century ago — are showing their old age after decades of heavy use. Now, the structures are about to get a long-awaited face-lift.
Under a program called Save Chicago's Treasures, Mayor Rahm Emanuel plans to announce on Sunday an initiative to channel $26 million into restoring the aging field houses at parks throughout the city. The projects will be funded mainly by state grant money with the Chicago Park District's capital funds paying for the rest.
Some of the field houses that will be rehabbed are more than 100 years old and in need of upgrades, Emanuel said.
"These are our treasures and classics from an architectural standpoint," he said.
Two years ago, the city urged the state to restore grant funding for park improvements after Gov. Bruce Rauner suspended the grants because of the state's financial crisis. With the recent release of state grant money in the stopgap budget passed last summer, the Park District plans to move forward with roof repairs, masonry improvements and plumbing upgrades at 20 field houses.
"The reality is our beautiful historic buildings are both a blessing and a curse from a maintenance standpoint," said Michael Kelly, the Park District's chief executive.
With nearly half of the 230 field houses built before 1950, the architecturally significant structures can be costly to repair because of their historic nature, large size and types of materials used in their construction, he said.
Those slated for improvements include the historic Douglas Park Cultural and Community Center, the landmark South Shore Cultural Center and Columbus Park.
At Columbus Park in the South Austin community, a burst pipe in winter caused the gym floor to buckle, and the leaky roof forced a dance class to relocate to a crafts room, said Bernard Clay, president of the park's advisory council. Also, the basement locker room floods.
"It's an old building. It's in a constant state of disrepair," he said. Over the years, repairs have been made, but more long-term improvements are needed, he said.
Residents and park advisory councils often ask Park District officials to fund capital improvement projects at parks; some more urgent requests get approved while others get put on the back burner because of limited resources. The grant money, park officials said, will help stretch the district's $30 million annual capital budget further.
While the initiative focuses on existing structures, much of the city's recent spending on parks has focused on building and installing new amenities, like new equipment at more than 300 playgrounds, four new boathouses, and new parks like downtown's Maggie Daley Park, La Villita Park in Little Village and Big Marsh bike park in South Deering.
Work on the field houses is expected to begin this year and be completed by the end of 2019.
lvivanco@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @lvivanco
(Dam rahm your a wizard treasurer hunter do you dress up like I dream of Jeanie do some ballerina moves blink and millions appear? Police pension less than 25% you took away police retirees health care and even were so deceptive using taxpayers property tax rebate money to fund keeping illegal felons here as you violate federal laws as the carnage continues)
800 jobs lost to IL high business taxes.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-caterpillar-aurora-closing-0401-biz-20170331-story.html
The cash would be better spent filling potholes.
Expect a resurrection of the Damned to get their hands on some of this cash.
Re: 3/31/2017 01:56:00 AM
"AMA, LED Street Lights, "Times Square", flight paths of planes"
1. There is a property grab in one form or another in all U.S. cities
2. Don't move: that's what they want you to do
3. Your tax dollars are being used to over-illuminate the back yard
(It's actually crime prevention)
4. Invest in high-quality solar reflective window films and blackout
Curtains for rear bedroom. Some curtains have sound insulating qualities.
5. Use foam earplugs for sleeping
The city pays for electricity in bulk on a yearly basis, thus no savings on the bill.
And the winning bidder is already being sued by the city for failure to complete other work!
Tennis anyone? 54th and State new tennis courts.
We need them lights cause rahmmie say so!
umm..........i work for the bureau of electricity
this whole program is based on giving the work to private contractors.
24th & ashland is the home base for electricity, we just do maintenance.
ask anyone that works there.
somebody is blowing smoke up somebody ass
Speaking of money...
Whats going on with the ERPS (I think thats the unit that handles the evidence at Homan Sq.) budget?
Chatted with a copper today at the Hoyne/Devon ball field and the OT budget is 4 million light.
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