Mayor Rahm Emanuel talked up his Infrastructure Trust proposal during a Marketplace Morning Report radio interview that aired on WBEZ three weeks ago today.
When asked how the Trust would differ from Mayor Daley’s infamous parking meter deal, he responded with a specific example:
“The Cultural Center, it’s 100 years old—when we’re done, we’re going to save about $30,000 a year in energy costs. But we still own the Cultural Center. We’re not privatizing it, we’re just literally using private money to build out the energy efficiency.”
After that broadcast I tried to find out exactly what work is planned for the Cultural Center. Here’s the response from the Mayor’s Office and the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events:
“There are no specifics, nothing has been approved. . .the Mayor was merely using the building as an example.”
Which raises a few questions, not likely to be answered in time for tomorrow’s City Council vote:
If there are no specifics for the Cultural Center, how could the mayor know there will be $30,000 in annual energy savings there?