I was quoted in Saturday’s article on the community meeting about Amtrak and White Sox minority owner Justin Ishbia’s proposed train maintenance facility in Bridgeport (“Feeling railroaded? Crowd calls plan for Amtrak maintenance yard near Rate Field ‘nasty real estate deal'”). I am a mother, an attorney and a Bridgeport resident. This rail yard would dramatically alter my neighborhood.
Amtrak wants to replace its smaller South Loop facility, in an industrial area, with a large rail yard in residential Bridgeport. Amtrak would save costs in operations, and Ishbia stands to gain twice: His company would develop the rail yard, clearing the way for his new White Sox stadium in the South Loop. Bridgeport only loses.
Diesel engine idling and high-risk industrial activity across the street from homes and parks would bring air, noise and light pollution. Homes may be taken by eminent domain. For many, home values likely would plummet. This kind of facility does not belong in any residential neighborhood.
A categorical exclusion from the Federal Railroad Administration allows Amtrak and Ishbia to avoid a full, independent environmental assessment. Amtrak paid for its own assessment but has shared scant details. Chicago deserves a complete, independent analysis of how this rail yard would affect the families next to it and the environment.
This is a failure of federal agencies’ duty to protect citizens from careless, profit-driven development. With no fair government review, this fight pits individual families against corporations and billionaires with in-house legal teams, powerful lobbyists and endless public relations resources.
It is logical to presume that Amtrak’s legal and risk departments have already concluded they can settle any future legal claims from my neighbors for damage to our health and to our property values. Those harms are a risk these companies have already priced in.
In the weeks since Bridgeport learned of this proposal, neighbors have organized to demand accountability, and our ward, state and federal representatives have supported us. But it is not enough. Our governor, senators and mayor must demand one prudent step: an independent and complete environmental review. Attorney General Kwame Raoul should take every legal step available, including seeking an injunction, to prevent Amtrak and Ishbia from finalizing any deal until the environmental and economic impact on this neighborhood is fully assessed and addressed.
Meanwhile, we are not waiting on anyone. We will keep working to stop Amtrak from railroading Bridgeport.
— Elizabeth Riddle, Chicago
Improve Blue Line to O’Hare
Chicago doesn’t need a $2.25 billion private train to fix its connection to O’Hare International Airport. It needs to finish investing in the two public systems that already do the job.
The O’Hare Flyer promises a quick 15-minute ride from the Loop, but that speed comes at a cost most Chicagoans will never pay: fares projected at $25 to $35 each way, on a brand-new alignment involving three freight railroads, only one of which has actually signed on. It’s an express service for travelers passing through — not for the neighborhoods it will be built through, none of which, other than Forest Park, gets so much as a stop for their trouble.
We already have a better answer. The CTA’s Blue Line runs straight to O’Hare International Airport today for $2.50 (riding out of the airport costs $5, but that’s still a fraction of the Flyer’s fare), and the modernization work already underway — new signals, new track, new railcars — will keep shaving minutes off the trip.
Metra’s North Central Service reaches O’Hare in about 32 minutes for under $5, and a pilot during the Democratic National Convention proved it can run far more often than its current seven weekday trips.
Neither needs a new railroad built from scratch. Both need the city and the Northern Illinois Transit Authority to finish paying for capacity and frequency improvements that are already on the table.
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That’s not just cheaper — it’s fairer. Every dollar spent speeding up the Blue Line or North Central Service also speeds up the daily commute for the Northwest Side residents and suburban workers who ride those lines every day. The O’Hare Flyer helps them not at all.
Before fast-tracking approvals for a private train that would serve only a fraction of the riders already using public transit, the city of Chicago and the western suburbs should consider what the same investment — or even a fraction of it — could do for the trains most Chicagoans rely on.
— Laurie Gillard, River Forest
Options for Francis Parker
The op-ed by Trisen Phillips Jr. (“Francis Parker’s expansion plans are about more than Lincoln Park,” Sept. 22) offers support for expanding Francis W. Parker School through tearing down adjacent, existing housing and businesses. While I have no doubt Parker helped Phillips get a great education, there is no justification for bullying residents and businesses out. There are other private and public schools that provide excellent education, and they have done so for a long time without expanding into occupied space and seriously disrupting hundreds of lives.
Here are just two of several viable alternatives for Parker: Build up instead of out. Parker’s buildings aren’t huge high-rises; it can add a few floors in the existing space. Or build elsewhere. There are plenty of schools with off-site buildings. There is nothing sacrosanct about the property next door.
— Tom Sharp, Chicago
Pick for next CPD leader
I read with great interest the Sept. 14 article by Sam Charles, “Expectations high for next CPD chief.” With the demands and importance of this selection, the expectations should be high. During my 36-year career with Chicago Police Department, I have worked many superintendents, from Leroy Martin to current interim Fred Waller. The next choice for this vital position is crystal clear.
First Deputy Superintendent Antoinette Ursitti possesses the knowledge, skills, ability, demeanor and experience to thrive in the top position. Since her time as a watch operations lieutenant in the Harrison District in the Garfield Park community, Ursitti has been tasked with overseeing the most sensitive assignments in CPD. As the commander of the Crisis Intervention Team, she implemented departmentwide training for dealing with individuals in mental health crisis and had a hand in the creation of the Crisis Assistance Response & Engagement Program that dispatches behavioral health professionals to individuals experiencing a mental health episode who follow up with these individuals to ensure the correct services are being provided.
Later, as deputy chief of the training and support section, she was responsible for the enhanced training and reprogramming of officers put forth in the consent decree mandated by the U.S. Department of Justice after the murder of Laquan McDonald. She was promoted to the chief of detectives, overseeing criminal investigations; during that time, a historic drop in crime and stellar clearance rates were recorded.
I am not a friend of Ursitti, but rather someone who recognizes superior results. Law enforcement has evolved in the nearly four decades I have been an officer. With a patriarchal and tradition-based agency such as CPD, it is time for the glass ceiling to be broken and a person with fresh eyes to lead.
That person is Ursitti.
— Russell A. Egan, sergeant, Bureau of Detectives, Chicago Police Department
Scrutiny of Welch forgotten
About two months ago, the Tribune reported that Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch had known for years about the harassment allegations against then-Rep. Harry Benton. Outrageous!
Demands were made for ethics reform; Welch’s oversight was questioned. I predicted it would take about three weeks for this issue to be forgotten.
So far, all has been forgotten, including by the Tribune!
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— Joseph A. Murzanski, Orland Park
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