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Rehab groups in big trouble, but the Cell is getting new scoreboards

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Illinois

* From Randy Wells at the Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association…

Good Morning Rich:

I realize you get inundated with releases and material from everyone but I wanted to pass this on to you.

As you may know, IADDA’s members provide mental health and substance abuse treatment. We have been surveying our members for the last three months as to the impact the budget situation is having on them. We have not released the results of what our members were telling us until this point due our members not wanting to alarm or panic those they serve or their staff. However, the results of our latest survey of members show a significant change in the status of the end of September and their status in the immediate future without a resolution to the budget. The survey shows we have reached “critical mass” when it comes to the future of many our members and suspect many other human service providers.

I’ve attached the survey for your review and use if choose to do so. Please note, several of members requested we not distribute their data at this time due to staffing considerations which means their data is not included in the attachment.

If you have any questions please give me a call.

Randy

* From the survey results…

Wells Center (Jacksonville)

Detoxification Services

• Effective October 1, 2014, Wells Center is discontinuing providing detoxification services and will lay-off 10 staff. Over 300 patients annually will not have access to detoxification services. Next closest Detoxification program is over an hour away (Quincy, Decatur, or Bloomington)

Drug Court Services

• Wells Center currently has a contract to provide substance abuse services to the courts in the 2nd Judicial Circuit.

Given the lack of state funding for these services, Wells Center will be ending these services, as well. At this time, it is unknown if the court system may continue some of the drug courts services using local money until the budget passes. Wells Center will determine lay off either 1.5 FTE’s or 2.5 FTE’s depending on whether or not the courts continue to fund 1 staff.

Corrections Contracts

• Wells Center has notified IDOC that they will not continue to provide substance abuse treatment at Logan Correctional Center, Dixon Springs IIP and DuQuoin IIP since these programs are all funded with General Revenue.

IDOC is currently looking for another vendor to provide these services. This will affect 22 program staff, and approximately 1200 inmates.

* Meanwhile…

U.S. Cellular Field will have three new outfield video boards next year—including a new center-field video board that is more than four times the size of the current one—under a renovation approved by the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority.

The public agency that owns and operates the Chicago White Sox’s home stadium will foot the $7.3 million bill for the three new signs, which are slated to be ready for the start of the team’s 2016 season.

Most prominent in the upgrade will be a roughly 6,500-square-foot video board in center field that will dramatically alter the park’s backdrop. It will replace the existing 1,484-square-foot video board that was installed in 2003 and is the smallest among main video boards at all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums. The new board will be one of the 10 largest in the league, according to ISFA.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Oct 1, 15 @ 11:42 am

Comments

Priorities. Are companies more important than people? I think the answer to that question is evident.

Comment by Aldyth Thursday, Oct 1, 15 @ 11:48 am
I’ve always found it interesting that the Sox, Bears, Black Hawks, and Bulls play in taxpayer financed venues, but the Cubs play in their own venue, but the City still has control over how they use it.

Comment by Not it Thursday, Oct 1, 15 @ 11:50 am
I saw that about the Cell, unbelievable. $7M.
Another gift that keeps on giving. Big Jim called Reinsdorf “a tough negotiator.”

Comment by James the Intolerant Thursday, Oct 1, 15 @ 11:54 am
“Are companies more important than people?”

Some companies (corporations) ARE “people” (legal persons) in the eyes of the law.

Comment by Secret Square Thursday, Oct 1, 15 @ 11:54 am
DeWitt County HRC Says They Can Hang On Until End of the Year

http://dewittdailynews.com/news/details.cfm?clientid=22&id=191015#.Vg1lTHLouuo

Comment by Anon221 Thursday, Oct 1, 15 @ 11:55 am
It’s just trolling at this point, right?

Comment by LizPhairTax Thursday, Oct 1, 15 @ 11:55 am
Somebody wired in to all these providers needs to start totaling up the statewide numbers so the governor has to address all these layoffs and shutdowns.

Make him explain the benefits in relation to the cost he is extracting.

Comment by Wordslinger Thursday, Oct 1, 15 @ 11:59 am
Does the ISFA get General Revenue funds?

Comment by Lincoln Lad Thursday, Oct 1, 15 @ 12:06 pm
Not It, to be fair, Hawks and Bulls do not play in a taxpayer funded stadium, their practice facilities however…

Comment by From the 'Dale to HP Thursday, Oct 1, 15 @ 12:07 pm
If Democrat leaders are willing to try to break their contracts with government employees, why not try to break this contract with billionaire Reinsdorf and his millionaire players?

Charge them FAIR rent. Take over all the advertising revenues in the taxpayer owned facility. Take over all the concessions profits in the state owned facility. Take over all the profits from the upscale restaurant they built for Reinsdorf.

Stop giving Reinsdorf more free stuff and start making him pay his fair share that at least covers the costs/debt service. There are thousands of low wage hotel workers out there that would love the raise they could get if the hotel tax was reduced also.

Comment by Jeff Trigg Thursday, Oct 1, 15 @ 12:08 pm
Is that really GRF funded? Is that from revenues from the Facilities funds?

Comment by DuPage Bard Thursday, Oct 1, 15 @ 12:21 pm
So at least all these poor addicts can see a decent instant replay on the board, before they go off for their free motorcycle training classes. So they still have that going for them.

Comment by How Ironic Thursday, Oct 1, 15 @ 12:32 pm
Hey if they don’t get those score boards they will move to Florida You have to prime the pump for business to stay in Illinois. Once the turn around agenda is passed and made permanent and the vendors can not organize we have to give business something till then it is all Madigan’s fault

Comment by DuPage Saint Thursday, Oct 1, 15 @ 12:38 pm
The video board at Wrigley is 3,900 sq. ft. and I thought that was huge.

Comment by Stones Thursday, Oct 1, 15 @ 12:41 pm
Hey the bigger boards put the Cubs in playoffs so go for it. Plus the sports dudes get their cash from a skim of the hotel tax right?

Comment by Anonin' Thursday, Oct 1, 15 @ 12:51 pm
$7.3 mil / 500,000 fans (that’s around 6,175 fans per 81 home games) = $14.60 per fan.

Course, that’s assuming the White Sox had 500,000 paid home attendance this year.

Knowing Chicago, they’ll probably want the Cubs to relocate elsewhere because now that they are winning (and look to win for a while to come) they’re taking attendance away from the White Sox.

Amazing how we do business here. Instead of rewarding success, we seem to want to reinforce failure.

Comment by Judgment Day Thursday, Oct 1, 15 @ 12:52 pm
I heard a story years ago about the lack of bars around the stadium. The rumor was that they wanted fans spending money inside the stadium, and not outside.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Oct 1, 15 @ 12:55 pm
If this is not in any way related to General Revenue Funds nor appropriated dollars, then I am pretty sure under law that they need to spend money raised through entertainment taxes in accordance with their mission. Likewise recognize there is significant pain in the community for social purposes because of the State’s fiscal issues, so I’m all for creative approaches short of the misuse of funds formally designated to other purposes.

Comment by Lincoln Lad Thursday, Oct 1, 15 @ 1:21 pm
“The public agency that owns and operates the Chicago White Sox’s home stadium.”
Rich, which public agency owns the White Sox’s stadium?

Comment by Mama Thursday, Oct 1, 15 @ 1:59 pm
“Rich, which public agency owns the White Sox’s stadium?”

http://www.isfauthority.com/about/

– MrJM

Comment by @MisterJayEm Thursday, Oct 1, 15 @ 2:07 pm
Sports: The Uniquely American Religion

Comment by Streator Curmudgeon Thursday, Oct 1, 15 @ 2:18 pm
Sport: The Opiate of the People

Comment by Carl Marx Thursday, Oct 1, 15 @ 2:25 pm
– Knowing Chicago, they’ll probably want the Cubs to locate elsewhere..–

JD, who are “they” and what are you talking about?

Comment by Wordslinger Thursday, Oct 1, 15 @ 2:43 pm
Anon, the original design for new Cominskey had a bunch of private food and drink shacks along the railroad tracks west of the park, a la Camden Yards, plus McCuddys in the park.

Jerry said no. And that was that.

Years later, the state built Jerry his bar and restaurant next to the park.

Best owner’s deal, worst taxpayer deal, ever.

Comment by Wordslinger Thursday, Oct 1, 15 @ 2:49 pm
You do understand that GRF is not the sole source of taxpayer funding, right?

Comment by Soccermom Thursday, Oct 1, 15 @ 3:07 pm
I don’t think the Gov. and the electorate have the same priorities. The problem is so many are apathetic and clueless about what is happening here. I would be interested to know how many people even know we don’t have a 2016 budget. Pathetic.

Comment by burbanite Thursday, Oct 1, 15 @ 3:45 pm
It’s an opportunity for those few fans who do show up for games to view even larger replays of their team’s lousey performance.

Comment by Buzzie Thursday, Oct 1, 15 @ 5:08 pm
“JD, who are “they” and what are you talking about?”
————-

City of Chicago, first off.

What I’m talking about is using scarce public funds (even if it is from a public body for a sports authority) to feather the nest of a patently obvious politically connected crony capitalist.

What we should be doing is figuring out a way to reward success. Maybe instead of spending that $7.3 mil for a new scoreboard - maybe they could use that money to pay down/buy out some of the bonded indebtedness so we can get out from under this financial albatross of a sports authority deal.

Except doing that would make too much sense - for taxpayers.

Comment by Judgment Day Thursday, Oct 1, 15 @ 5:26 pm
JD, you chose to write, twice now, today, about the possibility of “they” in the City of Chicago forcing the Cubs out of town to benefit the White Sox.

Dude, I didn’t drink or trip that much in college, and I drank and tripped a lot.

Leave the keys where they’re at. Taxi or Uber for you.

Comment by Wordslinger Thursday, Oct 1, 15 @ 5:43 pm
common sense gone.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Oct 1, 15 @ 6:29 pm
Am I reading this incorrectly? It says October of 2014? I must be missing something and need a bit of help.

Comment by Ted Thursday, Oct 1, 15 @ 9:16 pm
@Ted: typo.

Comment by Cheswick Thursday, Oct 1, 15 @ 10:53 pm
This sort of thing (government failing but new scoreboards at the ball field) always brings brings to mind the games the Roman government sponsored. As the empire was crumbling, games where sponsored more often with no admission charge and often free loaves of bread where given to the attendees. It was all an effort to keep the people occupied and contented as their world fell down around them. For the Romans, it worked for almost a century (but their empire was huge).

Comment by Late to the Party Friday, Oct 2, 15 @ 7:24 am
===Maybe instead of spending that $7.3 mil for a new scoreboard - maybe they could use that money to pay down/buy out some of the bonded indebtedness=== - Judgment Day - Thursday, Oct 1, 15 @ 5:26 pm:

The problem with this is “usually” the money for things like this is approved years before and paid a portion at a time until the full amount is paid for the said item or service to be performed. So the 7.3 Million is only on paper, it has already been spent…

Comment by Allen D Friday, Oct 2, 15 @ 8:55 am