Thanks Tom. Glad to hear the reassuring news.

This totally calms me for the time being. I was tired of spazzing out about this every other day. Thanks!

But are we going to do in the mean time?

Excerpts from an article in the Illinois Business Journal

Illinois Business Journal, April 2008

By ALAN J. ORTBALS

With the death of Mayor Stan Schaeffer last month, Collinsville is more focused than ever on bringing a Major League Soccer team to town. Both developer Jeff Cooper of Saint Louis Soccer United LLC and community development/TIF director Paul Mann agree: The feeling in the community is to complete this project as a legacy to the late mayor.

“This is a legacy project for him,” said Cooper. “It was the one project that he knew would be his stamp on Collinsville, and so we’re certainly trying to live up to that legacy. I know that the city council’s very concerned with that. Everybody is united behind his (Schaeffer’s) vision for Collinsville, and certainly his vision for this project, so we feel very good about going forward knowing that it’s the one thing that he wanted to see happen. We’re obviously extremely sad to see him go before we could make it a reality, but I think everyone is committed, in the mayor’s memory, to making the development a reality.”

City leaders were discouraged recently by the selection of Philadelphia for the 16th MLS franchise, but they were not surprised. Cooper said that he had expected it but that he also expects that St. Louis will be next.

“We are very, very confident that we’re going to get the 17th team in Major League Soccer,” said Cooper. “We’re on the verge of completing our new ownership group that Major League Soccer asked us to put together and everybody should be hearing some good news in the relatively near future.”

Cooper said he has been meeting with a variety of potential investors. Some have been referred to him by the league office; others have simply heard or read about the opportunity and have sought him out; and still others are people that he has approached on his own. The Philadelphia franchise will be owned by a group of six investors.

The redevelopment agreement between the city and the developer needs to wait until Cooper is awarded the franchise, according to Mann. That agreement will specify what is to happen when, who will be paying for it and the various other obligations of the parties.

“Stan (Schaeffer) certainly got the momentum going,” Mann said. “No one could’ve done their jobs without him. He set the example for growth and development and then allowed the staff to carry out those principles. I think you can see the results. The city now has a pro-growth attitude. The thinking is: Let’s look big picture. Let’s carry on Stan’s legacy and help promote economic development.”