Metra Makes No Contact with McHenry County College Between Site Selection and Site Approval Vote

When I discovered that the Metra board had approved the purchase of a $1.5 million 17 acre piece of land on the wrong side of the tracks and/or the little early settlement of Ridgefield, I filed a Freedom of Information request with McHenry County College asking for

“any communications or records…between Metra and the College concerning the Ridgefield train stop since January 1,2009.”

Perhaps you will not be surprised at the answer:

“With regard to your request, the College asserts that it is not in possession of any document responsive to your request.”

I’m not surprised.

Are you?

As reported last week, Metra officials are going to meeting with college officials.

That’s appropriate since in the discussion at the Metra board, it was pointed out that MCC is the only community college not served by Metra service.

What is still a surprise is that Metra made no attempt to communicate with MCC between January 5, 2009, when the preliminary concept plan, seen above, was completed.

The purchase document states,

“Time is of the essence
of this Agreement”

although former McHenry County College President Walt Packard told the MCC Board on the night it paid $67,000 per acre for 57 acres across the road from the railroad tracks that

“the property was perfectly sited to take advantage of a future Ridgefield Metra station maybe 20 years away.”

So many questions.

So few answers.


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