Lynch at Large

Review of Lincoln site to see if up to $15 million can be contested
By Ray Long, Robert Becker and David Mendell
Tribune staff reporters
Published August 14, 2005

Since the Abraham Lincoln museum opened in Springfield, Illinois in April, 300,000 visitors have passed through the doors. That is about as many as have visited the Clinton Library on the banks of the Arkansas River in Little Rock.

Today's Chicago Tribune (linked above) has an extensive report on the State of Illinois' efforts to regain about $15 million in cost overruns. Officials say the state has paid more than $101 million and the federal government contributed $32.3 million, while the city of Springfield has kicked in $8.64million. An $11.5 million visitors center remains to be completed.

The City of Little Rock paid about $16 million for the Clinton Library land.

The big difference between the two: the major donors to the Clinton Library were private; the major donor to the Lincoln Library was the State of Illinois. Springfield got one heck of a largely taxpayer ($100 million state; $32 million fed) financed project at a pretty cheap price.

it is an interesting comparison and a good read.