HR0682 LRB096 14978 GRL 29897 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives wish to recognize the accomplishments of local
4 organizations and their dedication to serving their community;
5 and
 
6     WHEREAS, The Joliet Arsenal Development Authority is the
7 recipient of the 2009 Base Redevelopment Community of the Year
8 National Award; and
 
9     WHEREAS, The federal government transferred the Joliet
10 Army Ammunition Plant for remediation in 1995; the former
11 Joliet Arsenal, located 40 miles southwest of Chicago, was
12 subdivided for both public and private use; and
 
13     WHEREAS, By that time, the former Joliet Arsenal was a
14 rusting array of mostly vacant manufacturing facilities, which
15 were sprawled across 36 square miles of land; and
 
16     WHEREAS, A combination of large-scale economic and
17 ecosystem restoration benefits accrued at the former Arsenal,
18 providing a model for the cleanup and reuse of large old
19 industrial properties across the nation; and
 
20     WHEREAS, The Joliet Arsenal Development Authority was

 

 

HR0682 - 2 - LRB096 14978 GRL 29897 r

1 established in 1996 for the adaptive reuse and transformation
2 of 3,000 acres in order to create quality job opportunities and
3 foster economic development in the Will County area; and
 
4     WHEREAS, Since then, the Joliet Arsenal Development
5 Authority has successfully transformed the former Joliet
6 Arsenal into a manufacturing and logistics business park;
7 redevelopment of the 3,000 acres conveyed to the authority has
8 resulted in Illinois' largest public-private project and has
9 attracted more than $1 billion in private investment, as well
10 as $100 million in federal, State, and local grants; and
 
11     WHEREAS, The Joliet Arsenal Development Authority's three
12 major accomplishments include the CenterPoint Intermodal
13 Center, the ProLogis Park Arsenal, and the Operating Engineers
14 Apprenticeship & Skill Improvement Training Facility; and
 
15     WHEREAS, The development has benefited from a
16 collaborative effort to clean up the property, which was
17 heavily contaminated with chemical waste produced by the
18 manufacture of explosives and the assembly of 4 billion pounds
19 of munitions; a dozen public agencies, together with numerous
20 private organizations, finished the remediation of the site’s
21 soil and groundwater in 2008, 3 years ahead of schedule; and
 
22     WHEREAS, As of 2009, new development has generated more

 

 

HR0682 - 3 - LRB096 14978 GRL 29897 r

1 than 2,000 permanent jobs; over 1,800 construction jobs,
2 totaling an approximate $150 million in wages, have also been
3 added to the local economy; these numbers will continue to grow
4 with the continued redevelopment of the former Joliet Arsenal;
5 therefore, be it
 
6     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
7 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
8 recognize the efforts of the Joliet Arsenal Development
9 Authority for its years of dedicated service toward the
10 redevelopment of the former Joliet Arsenal; and be it further
 
11     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
12 presented to the Joliet Arsenal Development Authority as a
13 symbol of our esteem and respect.