" Personally, I'd pick any one of these fine people, from the list below - it would garner more respect.

Burl Ives - Legendary folk singer and Oscar Award winning actor
Joan Allen - Oscar Nominated Actress
John Malkovich - Oscar Nominated Actor
Charlotte Martin - National Recording Artist
Jerry VanDyke - Noted television actor

or....

Brad Childress - Minnesota Vikings Head Coach (NFL)
John Craft - Former US Record Holder for Triple Jump
Kevin Duckworth - Former NBA All-Star
Jeff Gossett - Former NFL Pro Bowl Punter
Matt Hughes - UFC World Champion
Marty Pattin - Former Major League Baseball All-Star
Sean Payton - New Orleans Saints Head Coach (NFL)
Tony Romo - NFL Pro Bowl Quarterback
Kevin Seitzer - Former Major League Baseball All-Star
Mike Shanahan - Denver Broncos Head Coach (NFL)
Dan Steele - 2002 Winter Olympic Bronze Medalist (Bobsled)
James Warring - Former Boxing & Kickboxing World Champion

or especially....

Jim Edgar - Former Illinois Governor
Joan Embrey - Animal Rights Activist
Joe Snyder - Winner of Silver Star (World War II)

I'm sure I could go on, but you get the picture. "

" Another high brow elitist club priority, needs addressed. Unsightly utility lines above ground, detract from a local cities charms, and now a sign directing traffic to places that coincide with maps and gps, are utterly blahzeyfaires dullsville.

From the paper that covered the DNC as a joke, sheer token cheerleeding, might fall kinda flat. While it is largely a road to no where, a prominent political name designation, might not be very appropriate even if it were a matter of importance great enough, to change maps, addresses, numerous signs, and so on, so someone feels better about what an interchange sign says.

Its no wonder some of the folks were baffled, at charleston possibly declining. They have more pressing issues, like naming county roads, wording signs, and running every possible utility, underground. It took months, to get directions straightened out, with various motor carriers, when the interchange opened up. People now are directed to look for that designated exit. But since someone feels it is not fitting representation, of our elite status, throw some superficial gloss on things, and call it more suitable to the pallet. Its only money, and it is a dire need.

Evidently we need a council of sign wording, road designation, and general aesthetics, it can be a new taxing body, and possibly take on placing some 25k california murals around some of the blighted areas. Some of the high to do areas and neighborhoods might well have their streets painted gold. Designate some gold club routes, so their caddilacs and lincolns, don't face undue rough streets.

Other towns exits have names, because that is where they go. Ours is aptly named to reflect the same.

The area is in the tidy bowl mans wake, and now we get lets name a dead end road after the next president. I am sorry driving past that sign, is so difficult, of all the issues in this county, and blight and decline, this was troubling enough to present for prompt despirate action.

Ignorance is bliss I guess. "

" Sounds like a plan to me. I agree that naming a road that is supposed to be an improvement something hoaky like County Highway 18/County Road 1000N. Obama Parkway would be a name that we all could be proud of reguardless of your politics. My two cents. "

" That's one exit I wouldn't travel! Better wait and see what type of "change" is on the way. Maybe name it after your wonderful Gov.! It could be Bologna Blvd.! Isn't there a good name from DOWNSTATE...or should we just continue to pander to Chicago? "

" Naming it "Parkway" defeats the purpose to which the road was intended. The parkway designation prohibits commercial and heavy truck traffic. "

" "Parkway" is ridiculous so something for minor in importance. And naming this road for Barack Obama would be stupidly opportunistic. It would soon sound like a badly-told joke.

Yes, people would remember where they saw the Barack Obama Parkway. And they would wonder about the yokels who named it. It would more appropriate to name this road in recognition of those who helped get it made. "

" If this subject had been around eight years ago the road might have been named George Bush Way! LOL

I would suggest we wait a few years before naming anything after the soon-to-be president. That way we will not have to rename it should he crash and burn as GB did.

We can always call it the Kal-Kan Highway. "

" How about Coles Industrial Parkway - at least there is no political connection to it whatsoever! Besides, when completed, it will end in the industrial section of Charleston, hence the name. "

" I'd wait until he does something noteworthy before naming anything after him. Being the first anything in and of itself isn't sufficient reason to name a road after him. "

" Bah Humbug Mike P, your first paragraph almost left me scratching my head lol. But I think I understand what you mean. Aren't there other roads with "official" county road coordinates that also have names? I am not sure, but I believe some have more than one. Westfield Road, Oakland rd etc. But I do agree with Rotty, although I am not sure about some of his names. Obviously a sports fan, but I would agree with Burl Ives or Jim Edgar. Naming a road Barack Obama maybe being a butter up to try and get the future gen plant in? I don't know. I do know that I would want to wait and see what kind of President he turns out to be. If we would have named that road George Bush I would be screaming to have it re-named!!!!! "

" How bout "ServiStar" road....or "Trailmobile" boulevard? ....oops I'm bad, they don't exist anymore. Ok...how bout "Donnelley Drive" or "Consolidated Cause way"?....Anything but "Obama" He hasn't provided any jobs in the area...nor has Edgar for that matter. Lets get proactive..."Commerce Drive" and then work and hope for the business to follow "

" This is not serious reply to your opinion however, for myself and perhaps others, this may serve as comic relief.

I would like to suggest the following for our County Highway 18/County Road 1000N sign:
"Chicago Politics Parkway or C.P.P.", "Mob Drive", "F.O.C.A. Kills Lane", "Highway to Hell", "Liberal Drive", "Jeremiah Wright for Wrong Way", "Rocket Rod Roadway", "Gun-less in Illinois" or "Big Pharma Road" "

" I once got lost on the Ronald Reagan Expressway, but it didn't really matter; I had forgotten where I was going, anyway. "

" I guess with a couple of turns, one could end up in the Oakland area....

OK, "Highway to Hell" it is!
LOL! "

" Misterdeez and oldschool have the best idea. Do not name it after the do nothing Edgar. All he did was get his relatives state and county jobs. If your gonna name it after Edgar, you just as well include Coffey in the name. What does Max do for the state again ? Salt ? "

" Bill needs to lay off the wacky. Where did he come up with this story on naming it Barack Obama Parkway ? FutureGen is dead Bill, no need to kiss up to Obama. "

" Yep, I changed my mind. Why dont we just call it 1000N/cty hwy 18? I agree it leads to not much of anything anymore. As far as Charleston goes. Why would anyone want to remember that exit? "

" If it would have been addressed, prior to it opening, one of the most fitting possible names might have been, Coles Together Bypass. Now it should wait for some fitting prominence, to fit the routes actual connections.

Futuregen or not, should not be any significant part of it. Unless a couple thousand sustainable jobs paying a decent wage, find homes between rt 130 and 121, it is just a road and by any other name, it will still be just a road. "

" Fred Sherer Porkway? "

" The campaign is over. Barack Obama, a resident of Illinois, is president of the United States.
--------------------
HOLD THE PRESSES!!! Sorry but I apparently missed the inaugaration (sp?). Where did those last 21 days go?
====================================
Mike P wrote on Dec 29, 2008 3:10 AM:

" Another high brow elitist club priority, needs addressed.
--------------
These are the people that look asthetics of a project and its image to others like them.
They do this like deer staring into the headlights of oncoming traffice.

They rarely, if at all, look at the practicalness of the project and the maintenance (upkeep, repairs, and actual functional capacities).

Need examples? Try the atrium of the Booth Library, and the new Fine Arts Building at Eastern Illinois University. These are great examples in Charleston. "

" They could name it after my husband's grandma because her farm has been there for over a hundred and thirty years and they cut right through the middle of the field to create this super highway to nowhere. "

" Can we get on the record, if any of the land bordering this road is defined as blighted? Besides the distasteful signage.

With Mattoon pushing water and sewer from 33rd to the interstate, look for some annexation, or imminent domain expansions. TIF zone to soon follow. Perhaps they will name the truck stop, they force on the family farm, after the family. I kind of doub't it.

Searched Illinois TIF taxpayers, and found more reasons to dislike this tool, as if it were conceivably possible. Also found this.

http://sledgehammermorris.blogspot.com/

Lists some issues, others are facing with it, and an interesting court precident that should have partly been set with our own area TIF suit, but might go a bit farther and give some new fuel, to fighting the misuses of these monsters. In this one, the court may have an opinion, of if TIF impacts taxes and general revenues. "

" I've always thought it to be a bad idea to name something as permanent as a road, after someone who's living. The
fed won't do it with money or stamps.
It's a different story though, if you want to name, maybe, a sewage treatment plant after someone who's botched the job. The George Bush Sewage Treatment Facility. It's got a nice ring to it, doesn't it? "

" Hi
Should name the dump in Obama name "

" How about:

Exit 192

Mattoon "

" Or, as out of towners say

Mutooon "

" How's this?

Blink Now "

" As a rule, I think it is a bad idea to name anything after anyone living. I watched a whole segment on Dateline or 20/20 or some other such television show that chronicled instances of people naming buildings, roads, etc. after people who were still living only to find out that they were less than honorable characters after all, in which case they deal with the egg on their faces until they can get the name changed. To me, it is kind of like getting your significant other's name tattooed on your body, don't do it unless you are willing to go through the trouble of covering it up later. Wait until they die, then, if they lived up to the hype, go for it. My vote is to name it Crap-we-really-thought-we'd-get-that-clean-coal-plant Drive. "

" Barack Obama Parkway? Would that be considered brown nosing? "

" I got it I got it we should call it "UNNEEDEDSTUPIDWASTEOFMONEY" just like it was and is. "

" Barack Obama Parkway would be a fitting name for an interstate exit that leads to... nothing.

A perfect example of government waste and over-the-top promises that were never intended to come to full fruition.

Seriously - if an interstate traveler from, say, Chicago, St. Louis, Memphis or Madison were to see the sign and take the exit because of it, they would soon realize that they were led into... nothing. No gas. No food. No lodging. No shopping.

A perfect name for the exit, indeed.
"

" How about Martin Luther King Drive, we're about the only town in America that doesn't have one of those. "

" Believe it or not there's a small village in Colorado, w of the Continental Divide on I-70, called No Name because the people could not decide on a name.
I think this would be an appropriate name for this trivial structure. Last time we came from Champaign, my wife suggested we turn east at the exit -- and after only 1/4 mile we found ourselves on ... a regular, ill-paved country road and a promise that sometime, presumably before our deaths, it would be extended to Nowhere. So let's end so much BS about such a trivial item and give it an appropriate appellation: No Name Blvd. "