By Mike Matejka
On occasional mornings, just as dawn is breaking, I’ll often head over to the Constitution Trail and pedal for six or eight miles for my morning wake-up. As the seasons change, every morning is different. During the summer months I witnessed some beautiful sunrises over the cornfields north of Normal. Lately, it’s been foggy and overcast, the shadowy trees revealing their last fall colors and now harvested fields hidden behind gray and thick blankets.
As I was pedaling back home for breakfast the other morning, it hit me, isn’t this great? The Constitutional Trail, which many mocked 25 years ago as a worthless expenditure that no one would use, is the most popular park in both Bloomington and Normal. Whether in the early morning quiet or mid-day bustle, people are out on the trail, biking, jogging or just enjoying a leisurely stroll.
I am sure there are some local residents who have never set foot on the Trail. Yet we all pay for it through our taxes. The Constitution Trail is a great example of “quality of life,” funded through our tax dollars. This past weekend I attended the visitation of former Mayor and city council member Walt Bittner. Thanks to Walt’s vigilance, Miller Park still has a zoo. Again, I’m sure there are some people who have never visited our zoo, but it enhances our community.
Some people say government should just care about streets, sewers, police and fire. Just imagine our community if that was all government did. No parks, no trails, no zoo, no summer concerts in Franklin Park, Connie Link or Miller Park amphitheater. No Special Olympics and Recreation for those who are cognitively impaired. And yes, there would be no Colesium or Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts. On Saturday, November 21, at 10 a.m., is the Thanksgiving Farmers’ Market at the Colesium. There will be a long line out the door when it opens, as people look for fresh greens and goodies from local farmers for their holiday table. That market is more than just groceries, it is a place where we see neighbors and friends, a true community meeting place. That, and the Saturday Farmers’ Market that just ended, happen with taxpayer support.
We don’t live in isolation, hidden in our living room with a big screen TV. We live in a community and a community needs common spaces to share, refresh, renew and enjoy life. Does this cost? Yes, it does cost, but I would rather buy taxes and share these wonders together. Most of us could never afford to buy and construct our own private park, hire our own band or keep a personal menagerie of exotic animals. But together, we do those things and that helps make McLean County a special and attractive place.
Mike Matejka is the Governmental Affairs director for the Great Plains Laborers District Council, covering 11,000 union Laborers in northern Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota. He lives in Bloomington with his wife and daughter and their two dogs. He served on the Bloomington City Council for 18 years, is a past president of the McLean County Historical Society and Vice-President of the Illinois Labor History Society.
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