I'm cynical sometimes. (Aren't we all?) I rather like pointing out silliness in the world around us. (Who doesn't?)
That's why every now and then I just have to put my cynicism on hold for a minute. Sometimes, those calling the shots get it right.
At last, we have plans for a Caterpillar "showcase center" which promises to be even better than the museum wing that had been talked about earlier.
Read the article. I hope the city council signs off on it. While I'm biting my tounge to keep from saying, "What took so long?" I am really thrilled about the idea. The expansion of our local museum should be tremendous and Caterpillar would complement the facility well.
If you read the article carefully, you'll see that there's still a little silliness in the process. But I don't want to focus on that today. I also don't want to focus on local minutia since most of my readers are outside Peoria. However, everyone can learn from this. Imagine if the prime downtown address in your city went vacant for a decade. Imagine that literally acres of real estate in the center of your city is a crumbling, empty old Sears store (from the bygone days when Sears had stores downtown--a long time ago).
Imagine that for years nothing got built there because no one could agree on what kind of development was "appropriate" for the area.
Now imagine a Smithsonian affiliate museum and a "showcase center" for your area's largest employer (a company with a worldwide reputation) will be built there. Are you imagining that? Smiling yet?
That's how I feel today.
Also, just to add a special touch to the occasion, yesterday was the 75th anniversary of Caterpillar's listing on the NYSE.
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