Lakewood Trustee Ken Santowski Wakens from Summer Siesta and Reports to Constituents – 2nd July Meeting

Continued from yesterday.

The 2nd meeting in July was the fun one. It made the local papers for a few days.

The Sportsplex as it is referred to by me.

Lou Tenor thanks village officials after winning a six-month delay to find financing on a 4-3 vote. Ken Santowski can be seen in the background.

While there was nothing to “redo” about the original plans the developer wanted us to extend the annexation and development incentive agreements for an additional 6 months so they could secure funding to get this megalith off the ground. Megalith is the wrong word to use but I have always wanted to use it in a sentence.

The “chaps” as I will call them, explained to the board and the audience about the stagnant economy, unsold bonds and enormous hurdles that have been up against.

But they had a new plan to secure financing. They have been working on securing financing through several options.

They have been working with another bonding company, who I shall not name here  [identity here], who had investors that were potentially interested in the project.

Ken Santowski questioing Lou Tenor about SprotsPlex financing.

Each of us on the board had the opportunity (as well as the audience) to ask questions.

My only question to them that night was basically

“Where is the money?”

If everyone on their “team” was sure this project was going to be successful then why did they come to the village with an empty checkbook?

Surely someone had some money to invest?

Let me set the record straight though; yes, in the beginning I voted for the Sportsplex.

I wanted to give them every tool possible to make this thing work.

I thought they were going too big, but figured they could downsize or do things in phases.

Yes, they would have had to make special trips to our village and come before the board for those changes, but hey they could have stopped for dinner at Lou’s and then gotten their dogs washed.

Since they came to me (and the others sitting next to me) with no money, no contracts, no investors I had no choice to vote NO.

Well, as you read, it passed anyway.

Newly-elected Jeff Iden, one of the three who voted "No" on the SportsPlex extension.

Newly-elected Trustee Gary Sexson II, one of the three "No" votes.

Oh, by the way, Trustee’s Iden and Sexson are not my henchmen.

Jeff makes straps for holding things and Gary is an orthodontist. I think Gary buys the straps for the dental chairs from Jeff, but that is just a rumor I started.

There is a difference in each of us!

I would love to see SOMETHING happen at that intersection that says “Lakewood” in the future; maybe tomorrow.

Crowd at the Lakewood Village Board meeting on the SportsPlex that didn't stick around to hear the discussion on the spillway.

The room cleared out quickly after the 4-3 vote in favor of the extension, so not too many people stuck around for the exciting report on the spillway repairs.

There was talk of allocating some additional funds to install preventive wall structures but it was deemed not necessary at this point in the project.

We wrapped up the meeting and headed for the hills.

Ken Santowwki

More tomorrow.


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