Before the city council meeting of Jan. 28, Countryside Mayor Sean McDermott studied a rendering of what a Bears stadium in McCook may look like.
“Well, that’s pretty audacious,” he said. “That’s an interesting proposal. Be worth taking a look at.”
The east border of Countryside is East Avenue. The proposed stadium would be at 55th and East, just a long punt from the city of Countryside.
“My first question would be how much space? What’s the acreage of all that?” McDermott said.
His main concern is “the impact on the neighboring communities in terms of infrastructure and whether or not the existing roadways in the area would be capable of handling the traffic.”
“However,” he noted, “at one time there was significant traffic coming out of the various factories that were operating along 55th Street. Electro-Motive and what not.”
The site is across the street from the former Countryside City Hall. Residents have opposed some proposed development there over the years due to noise and trafic..
Earlier in January, the council approved an ordinance that would sell that land for $1.2 million to a developer who wants a gas station, a Mongolian BBQ restaurant and a third business on the southwest corner of 55th and East.
Noting past opposition, McDermott said “that’s kind of a sensitive neighborhood over there.”
That’s the 1st Ward of Countyside. Ald. John Finn was asked how the stadium idea would go over with his constituents.
“Oh my God, are you kidding me? Oh, no. Absolutely not. This is just silly talk, right?” Finn said.
He wonders if enough of the former quarry has been filled to allow construction.
“Part of it was filled when they were building the (Deep Tunnel) reservoir. They had a conveyor belt running 24 hours a day for a year and a half filling that area,” he said.
Glancing at the rendering, he said, “
“Can you imagine, especially the residents right around here,” he said, pointing to 56th Street.
“I wouldn’t like it. Bears traffic up and down the street?”
However, Finn is not entirely ruling out the idea of walking from his home to Bears games.
“If they were to name them the Countryside Bears and give every resident season tickets, I might look at it,” Finn said.
Hope these developers remember the corruption that surrounds all the Democrats in Illinois, Cook County and the fact that the former Democrat mayor of McCook was guilty of corruption. Only the faces and the names change, but the Democrat “Pay To Play” stays the same. The taxpayers will pay a price and inconvenience if anything is developed there, while the Democrat politicians will benefit the most with their “Pay To Play” political donations and patronage jobs for their friends and family. It is a never-ending corrupt cycle in Illinois, and the voters keep voting for corrupt Blue politicians. The horse racing industry in Illinois is controlled by the Chicago Outfit and McCook would be better off finding a more family oriented morally friendly venue to be built on that property.