SR1021 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1021 LRB096 23966 GRL 43363 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Merrill C. Meigs Field Airport was a single-strip airport on Northerly Island in Chicago that began operation on December 10, 1948; by 1955, Meigs Field became the country's busiest single-strip airport, generating 40,000 flights every year and earning over $450,000,000 annually; and

WHEREAS, On March 31, 2003, Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley ordered private crews to destroy the Meigs Field runway in the middle of the night, bulldozing large X-shaped gouges into the runway surface and rendering the airstrip unusable; and

WHEREAS, Repairing and reopening Meigs Field could spur great economic growth in the City of Chicago and State of Illinois; advances in technology and proper administration could increase traffic at Meigs to over 50,000 flights every year and bring in over $600,000,000 annually, which would serve as a great boon to the people of this State during these sagging economic times; and

WHEREAS, Reopening Meigs Field would also relieve the congestion problems routinely seen at Midway Airport and O'Hare International Airport and would lead to the creation of many jobs; and

WHEREAS, Most people who traveled to Meigs Field came to the City of Chicago to conduct business or to attend conventions within the city; reopening the airport would reestablish this economic opportunity and aid the various convention centers throughout Chicago, including McCormick Place; and

WHEREAS, The revitalization and reopening of Meigs Field represents a golden opportunity for the people of the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois to improve the economic climate of the City of Chicago and the State, create countless new jobs for Illinois workers, and to bring an iconic symbol back to the City of Chicago; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the City of Chicago to repair and reopen Meigs Field Airport as soon as possible in order to bring much-needed resources and jobs to this State; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley and each member of the Chicago City Council.