Peru airport farmland still causing a riff with the city council

You could buy a lot of grass seed with $4,000, enough to plant 32 acres.  That’s how much farmland near the Illinois Valley Regional Airport is being used as a grassy parking lot for the July 13 Kid Rock concert.  And at least one alderman doesn’t like that the land isn’t being farmed and that the decision to do so didn’t receive approval from the finance committee or the council.

Alderman Dave Potthoff was stern with Mayor Scott Harl Monday night when he voted against paying for the grass seed.

Harl defends the decision to plant grass instead of rent the land for farming.  He says in order to have the concert they need space to park 10,000 to 15 ,000t people.  Harl calls it “progress in motion” and says they could ask the concert organizer to reimburse them for all of it or a portion of it with some of the expense being a donation from the city.

Merry Noonan of Lou’s La Grotto is the person behind the concert.  She has already held several concerts at the airport but this is expected to be the largest.  A cut of the proceeds will be used to buy new computers for Trinity Catholic Academy in La Salle.

The city council approved a contract with her last month.  In it the city will make 50 cents from every ticket sold.