Museum waits and waits and waits

The Illinois State Police Museum, located on Route 66 on the northeast side of Springfield, Ill., was initially awarded a $100,000 state grant in 2002 for expansion.

Eight years and three governors (of two political parties) later, the museum is still waiting for that grant, according to the State Journal-Register.

And while the $100,000 grant would be used to expand, it won’t buy as much expansion as when it was first approved, said foundation president Joe Davis.

“We could have built it for $100,000 (originally). Now, it’s going to cost more,” said Davis.

The money is said to be on its way — again — thanks to a $31 billion construction program approved in the summer of 2009 by Gov. Pat Quinn and the legislature. […]

A spokeswoman for state Rep. Ray Raymond Poe, R-Springfield, said it is uncertain when money will be released for a variety of projects, including the state police museum.

Much of the (dis)credit for the money stall has to be laid at the feet of now-disgraced former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, D-Chicago, who was in office six years before the Legislature removed him from office over corruption charges. Dozens of capital-improvement projects were put on hold during his tenure, including the museum’s.

The Illinois State Police Museum specifically sought property on Route 66 because of all the tourism traffic there and the highway playing a crucial role in the early days of state trooper patrols. However, because of the cramped space, the museum has room for only four vintage vehicles and a motorcycle of the 11 cars it owns.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.