No Airport in Peotone Group holds Harvest Fest

The group STAND--Shut This Airport Nightmare Down--held a "Footprint Harvest Fest" Sunday, October 9, in rural Will County. 

STAND officers state the purpose of the Harvest Fest was to reach out to individuals, groups, and elected officials to "help prevent this politically-driven project from becoming a reality." 

The keynote speaker at the Footprint Harvest Fest was scheduled to be Jon Stewart, the main organizer of the successful campaign to stop a 3rd runway at Heathrow Airport in London. 

STAND members say they are fighting to stop the State of Illinois from using eminent domain to gain control of land in the footprint of the proposed Peotone Airport.  Anthony Rudis--a 100 year old owner of property in the footprint--was in attendance.   Regarding the state's plan to use eminent domain to take his land, Rudis stated: "This land is not for sale, I do not want them on my property and I will do what I can to stop them.  This is terribly upsetting.  The FAA has not approved the project, and they have no business moving forward, wasting taxpayers' money."

Photos from the Harvest Fest:

Hand-made signs lead the way to Harvest Fest in rural Eastern Will County

Harvest Fest goers look out over land slated to be in or near the Peotone Airport footprint

Display of "No Peotone Airport" signs from throughout the many years the State of Illinois has been buying land and attempting to buy land for the proposed "Peotone Airport"

Will County map showing--in pink--the proposed initial airport footprint, and--in purple--the ultimate full outline of the proposed Peotone Airport Boundary.

Shut This Airport Nightmare Down will Demonstrate Against Use of Eminent Domain for the "Peotone Airport"

STAND (Shut This Airport Nightmare Down) will hold a demonstration Monday, July 11, from 11 a.m. to noon at the Tinley Park Convention Center where Governor Pat Quinn will speak to the Chicago Southland Chamber of Commerce.  Quinn is speaking at the Chamber's "Regional Consensus Luncheon".

STAND will display a large banner which reads “NO EMINENT DOMAIN AT PEOTONE” and demonstrators will have other signs. STAND will be at the entrance to the Convention Center, which is off 183^rd Street, just east of Harlem.

STAND wants Governor Quinn to promise that the state will not use eminent domain to forcefully take people’s property for the proposed Peotone airport prior to the FAA deciding whether an airport can be built.  According to STAND, that decision is two years away. The state has already initiated eminent domain on a small number of properties and is threatening to do massive eminent domain condemnations soon. STAND claims this is unfair to property owners and unfair to taxpayers who will pay for this property with borrowed money.

For more information on STAND, contact president George Ochsenfeld at (708) 534-7319.

Eminent Domain was a hot topic at STAND's last meeting:

100 Year Old Will County Resident Fears Losing His Farm to Eminent Domain for the "Peotone Airport"

100 year-old Will County resident Anthony Rudis fears the State of Illinois may use eminent domain to gain ownership of his farm in the footprint of the proposed "Peotone Airport".  Recently, owners of land in the footprint have received letters from state contractors stating engineers and other officials need access to their land in order to conduct appraisals.  


"This land is not for sale.  I do not want them on my property and will do what I can to stop them. This is terribly upsetting." said Mr. Rudis. "The FAA has not approved the project," Rudis continued, "and they have no business moving forward, wasting taxpayers money."