[Peace] Source of the $7.2 Million

[Christopher Evans]

Some are wondering where the source for the idea that the County Board is going to vote to spend $7.2 million for the courthouse clocktower came from. 
Below is where I first heard that story, a radio news story on WDWS as reported by Patrick Pinkston about three weeks ago. This a verbatim transcript of the story:
 
Carol Vorel: "A plan to re-build a historic clock tower and fix crumbling masonry at the Champaign County Courthouse is moving forward. But at least one county board member says he's not happy with the price tag,....Patrick Pinkston reports...."
 
Patrick Pinkston: "It's a 7.2 million dollar price tag on the old portion of the Champaign County Courthouse which would restore the historic clocktower and fix masonry on the building. The renovation plan cruised, 6 to 1, through a county board committee last night. But the lone no vote came from Mahomet Republican, John Jay, who says he's skeptical of the costs...."
 
John Jay: "We're not locked in at 7 point 2. They said we were, but we don't know that for a fact because we have unknown costs that's still affiliated with this project. And those unknown costs can live to haunt you. I'm telling you, we got a track record over here to prove it."
 
Patrick Pinkston: "Urbana Democratic Committee Chairman, Steve Beckett, says the numbers aren't expected to be a final budget, just a guideline for moving forward,..."
 
Steve Beckett: "We're not there yet. Approving this budget just allows us to do the documents to go out for bid. Once we go out for bid, and those contractors come in, we know what the actual numbers are, don't we? And so, there's still a place down the road where John Jay can say, 'no'. And he can say no based on the real numbers. These numbers are what the architects are telling us the project is going to cost. When the contracts are signed we know what the real numbers are."
 
Patrick Pinkston: The full county board takes up the project at its meeting January 24. I'm Patrick Pinkston. 
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