Is an offer by the city of Peoria, Illinois, to lure LST 325 away from Evansville enough to make it a reality? At least one Peoria City Council member doesn’t think so.
The Peoria council voted 7-4 Tuesday evening to commit $500,000 in city funds to move the World War II ship there, but that’s only a third of the estimated cost.
An effort to commit the city to funding the full $1.5 million believed to be needed to develop the site, failed on earlier vote.
Councilman Chuck Grayeb, who argued that docking the LST on Peoria’s riverfront would boost tourism throughout the city and create jobs, called the proposal a “half measure.”
The Evansville Courier and Press reports that Grayeb urged his fellow council members to fully fund the proposal, saying – quote -- “If I were in Evansville and saw this it would probably not encourage me to move the boat from the Ohio River to the Illinois River. I believe this offer would be dead on arrival.”
The Peoria Council pledged to work to raise the additional $1 million needed to develop a docking site and welcome plaza.
The LST board has requested a finished proposal by July 31st.