Morton Grove accepted a $300,000 grant from Metra, the commuter rail agency, last week and is expected to seek bids by April 1 for construction of a $2.5 million commuter train station and parking lot.
Village officials are excited about the project, which they said will create a more appealing “gateway” to Morton Grove after years of what they called the “eyesore” that the current station presents. The current station would be demolished.
Village President Dan DiMaria said the new commuter station is as important a project as the recent construction of the massive Sawmill Station mixed use project at Dempster Street and Waukegan Road.
“Everyone says how great Sawmill is,” DiMaria said. “Thank you, but this is as vital of a project as a gateway to Morton Grove. I rode those rails from downtown. As soon as you get to Morton Grove, our station looks kind of ‘whatever’ compared to other towns’ stations.”
The Village Board voted unanimously on Jan. 9 to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with Metra to build a new station and reconfigure the parking lot at 8501 Lehigh Ave.
Morton Grove plans to use funds from the Lincoln and Lehigh Tax Increment Financing district to pay the remaining $2.2 million. The intergovernmental agreement is necessary to receive the $300,000 grant, Trustee Janine Witko said.
Trustee John Thill asked if the village will be able to get any federal funding for the project.
Village Administrator Ralph Czerwinski said Morton Grove will continue to seek other available opportunities for funding, but in many cases the village would have to jump through more financial hurdles than it would receive in funds.
“But we will continue to look for any funding options,” Czerwinski said. “The cost of pursuing a federal grant would almost wipe out any federal grant money we would get.”
DiMaria scoffed at “naysayers” who suggested the village would never build a new Metra station.
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“I ran on this 10 years ago,” he said. “These things take time. The naysayers are the same people who said we could never get Moretti’s (Ristorante and Pizzeria) or Cooper’s Hawk (Winery and Restaurant). Bring it on.”
Zoe Heidorn, community development administrator for Morton Grove, has called the current Metra station, which was built in 1976, an “embarrassment” to the community.
“It’s severely outdated,” Heidorn said. “Looking at other communities, we want to put on a positive face. We want to attract residents and new business people. To do that, we have to provide the infrastructure and want to support public transit. It’s the future.”
Czerwinski said plans for the new station are undergoing a “100 percent review” before the village seeks construction bids during the first quarter of 2024. He said construction is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
RM Swanson Architects of Lake Forest, the same firm that recently handled the redesign of the Libertyville Metra station, is providing architectural services for the Morton Grove station.
DiMaria said a new train station was one of the goals he outlined in his first election as mayor in 2013.
Czerwinski said the project will take at least eight months to complete. Construction will require complete demolition of the current station and relocation of the new station slightly farther north, Heidorn said.
Work will include improvements to the platform and bicycle parking; a new, “modernized” waiting area; pedestrian safety upgrades; new landscaping, and improvements in accessibility for those with disabilities, she said.