Community seeks jobs for Blue Line rehab project

Community seeks jobs for Blue Line rehab project

Community groups Monday praised Mayor Daley and CTA President Frank Kruesi for breaking ground on the $482.6 million renovation project for the Cermak (Douglas) branch of the Blue Line, but they've presented a list of demands, including jobs.

At a press conference held at 2005 S. Pulaski Rd. where he was joined by U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-4th), Kruesi, CTA Board Chairman Valerie Jarrett, Ald. Daniel S. Solis (25th), Ricardo Munoz (22nd), Jennifer Dorn, head of the Federal Transit Administration and others, Daley said the rehabbing of the Blue Line will "restore a vital transportation artery for the people of Lawndale, Little Village, Pilsen and Cicero."

The mayor admits that these communities "have not had the public transportation they deserved. The Douglas branch structure is more than 100-years-old, and it had deteriorated to the point where trains had to creep along."

Kruesi said the task of rehabbing the line will be awesome. "The logistics alone will be formidable," he said. "The plan is to renovate the line while maintaining existing rail service."

Ald. Ed H. Smith (28th) said: "It's about time this project got off the ground. It not only feeds the city of Chicago with additional transportation, but a lot of people ride this line to get to work. It allows people to go all over the city. It's a great asset."

Jarrett thanked the community groups "which share our determination to make this project a success. Nothing of this magnitude could have been achieved without community input and many organizations and individuals have been involved."

Elected officials like Ald. Michael D. Chandler (24th) and community groups such as John Paul Jones, director of Community Outreach for the Neighborhood Capital Budget Group, and Robert Steele, executive director of the Lawndale Business and Local Development Corp., want to keep that symbiotic relationship going especially in the divvying out of jobs for that project.

Chandler is holding a monthly community meeting at 6 p.m. today at the United Baptist Church, 4242 W. Roosevelt Road, where he will discuss the Blue Line project.

He's also having Primerica's national sales director Mike Evans to discuss financial freedom and how to get and stay out of debt, as well as making and growing money. "I want our residents to also be aware of all of the pitfalls of financing and have the know how of wealth building," Chandler said.

That is why Jones and Steele are seeking input in the CTA's largest capital improvement project. "This is a great day," said Jones, referring to the CTA's Blue Line project. "It's been a struggle, a seven-year struggle." However, he said, the fight for jobs is just beginning because hiring for this project must come from the community.

Agreeing was Steele who said: "I'm very excited about this rehab project. Our concerns are to get community folks to monitor the hiring process. This is an opportunity for local organizations and residents to have some input into the contract process that can affect the future of our community."

Noelle Gaffney, a spokesperson for the CTA, said: "The CTA is committed to working with the community on this project, but also to hiring from the community. We've been meeting with aldermen and community representatives over the last few years and are creating task force with them."

Article Copyright Sengstacke Enterprises, Inc.