In a time not so long ago, in a land that we know, the political heavyweights from Richard Nixon to Barack Obama came to Park Forest to be heard (Nixon) and to be seen (Obama). Illinois Govs. Jim Thompson, Pat Quinn and Jim Edgar spent time in town, and U.S. Sens. Everett Dirksen and Paul Simon were also to be seen on occasion.
The list may not be long, but it is impressive.
The gloss may have worn off through the decades, but every now and then, the village is visited by a “name.”
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Park Forest Mayor Joe Woods announced Saturday Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton is expected to come to Park Forest on Tuesday in an effort to promote her Alzheimer’s awareness program as part of a statewide tour focused on listening to and learning from caregivers, doctors and researchers.
Earlier this month, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle came to Park Forest to announce the expansion of a three-year program designed to form economic links among a number of south suburban communities.
This was part of a public-private $15 million investment in something called the Transforming Places Program which, if all goes well, will help improve economic development among neighboring south suburban communities faced with what a news release called a decadeslong “systemic disinvestment.” Translated into common English, that means the almost widespread loss of jobs coupled with a lack of financial investment in the communities we call home.
The plan is a joint venture among Cook County, the Nicor Gas Foundation and United Way of Metro Chicago. Since Park Forest has previously established a fist-bump connection with Richton Park, perhaps it was thought that the community’s Village Green would be the perfect place to promote the program.
Other community bonds announced were between Chicago Heights and Ford Heights, as well as linking Harvey and Robbins. Each of these connections would have its own signal caller doling out the money when and where needed. The quarterback for Park Forest and Richton Park is the local chapter of Chicago-based OAI, Inc., a not-for-profit agency which is training those who qualify for jobs as forklift operators.
Money is always the big gorilla in the small room. In a superb story by Southtown reporter Mike Nolan, Monica Gordon of Chicago Heights, a newly elected Cook County Board member, underlined the issue posed by the lack of a Level I trauma center and that railroad crossings in the south suburbs can delay an ambulance rushing toward the closest Level I hospital, based in Oak Lawn.
Gordon, whose area includes the Far South Side of Chicago along with 16 south suburbs, was at the recent groundbreaking for a new water main in Dixmoor. The project will cost $2 million with the hope of getting good water to a village with a dilapidated infrastructure by the end of the year.
Last year, the village’s 3,500 residents were without water for two weeks after major leaks disabled the system from filling its water storage tank. That forced both businesses and schools to close while residents had to boil water or use bottled water. Last month, a broken pipe forced the village to shut off the water supply.
The question I asked was how much would it cost to repair the Dixmoor entire system?
“About one billion dollars,” Gordon answered.
And that may not include replacing all the pipes in homes.
So here is a verbal fist bump. Thank you, Cook County. Much obliged Nicor Gas Foundation. We appreciate all you are doing United Way of Metro Chicago.
When do we start?
Jerry Shnay is a freelance columnist for the Daily Southtown.
Jerryshnay @gmail.com