McCook officials are making sure their bid to have the Bears build a football stadium in the village is heard loud and clear.
“We’re going to Lake Forest this week to hand deliver two letters,” Mayor Terrance Carr said after the June 15 village board meeting.
One letter is addressed to Bears owner George McCaskey. The other is to Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren.
Each letter details why McCook would be the perfect site for a new stadium and outlines the financial plan to make it work for the team and the village.
Carr declined to share the letters’ contents until after they are delivered.
Village Clerk Ken Lyons, Police Chief Jeremy Carr, Fire Chief Dave DeLeshe, and Building Inspector Brendan Meskill joined Mayor Carr for the trip to the Bears’ headquarters at Halas Hall.
The proposed site is at the southeast corner of 55th Street and East Avenue, filled in quarry land. Vulcan owns the 150 acres and has listed the land for sale, Carr said.
“Vulcan has some concerns, which I get. But they’re willing to sell,” said Carr, who has talked with Vulcan officials.
He expects the asking price to be “about $160 million because they know they have a gem now.”
His proposal: The Bears or the village would buy the land. Then the Bears would build a domed, 80,000-seat stadium, which the team would give to the village. In return, Carr would charge the team $1 a year in rent. As a publicly owned stadium, it would be exempt from property taxes.
Carr knows the Bears are a long shot, but he figures that if the team does not build in McCook, some developer will develop the 150 acres.
He cited proximity to Interstates 55 and 294 as selling points for the Bears or any developer.
“It’s not only the Bears,” Carr said. “This is prime real estate. If we don’t get the Bears, I’ll get some development there. It’s not a waste of money for me to do this. It’s not a crazy idea.”
“Maybe I’ll get a racino, the White Sox, the Bears — whatever I get, I’m going to promote the village of McCook,” Carr said.
Carr said the entire village board “is behind it and we’re going to deliver the letters.”
Lyons said Carr has “put in relentless hard work” on the proposal.
Carr is confident, adding: “We’re not stopping. I’m not scared.”