Chicago, Ill. — U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05), a member of the House Committee on Appropriations and Chair of the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee, has announced that the House and Senate included all ten of the Chicago-area community projects he championed in the final Fiscal Year 2022 Appropriations Omnibus. The bill passed the House and Senate this week and is now headed to the President's desk for signature, making the project funding the law of the land.
"I am thrilled that the House was able to include my community funding projects in the FY22 government funding bill. Bringing this funding back to the 5th district of Illinois will have a real and positive impact on our community," said Quigley. "These projects will help provide healthcare and housing for some of the most vulnerable in our communities, and improve infrastructure of our schools, roads, and trails. It has been an honor to fight for these projects and to now see them cross the finish line. I look forward to working with local leaders to see this law implemented, and this funding distributed. "
In 2021, Quigley submitted ten projects to the Appropriations Committee for consideration in appropriations bills for FY22. The ten projects were selected from nearly 100 applications and marked the first time members were able to submit specific community projects for direct funding in over a decade. The passage of all ten of Quigley's Community Project Funding submissions means that he has now secured more than $10.3 million in funding designated specifically for local projects.
Additional information on Community Project Funding and the ten projects selected by Quigley is available HERE. A summary of the projects that have been passed by Congress, and their funding level, is available below:
Center on Halsted Youth Housing Program - $1,000,000
This project will allow the Center on Halsted to enhance its Youth Housing Program through the acquisition and renovation of transitional housing for Chicago's LGBTQ+ and ally youth who are experiencing homelessness, violence, and trauma, with a special focus on LGBTQ youth of color. Enhanced housing will contribute to the success and independence of LGBTQ+ and allied youth as well as the revitalization of local neighborhoods where the housing is located.
Chicago COPS Integrated Intelligence Strategy Program - $500,000
This project would support the equipment to increase capacity, accuracy, and coordination of intelligence gathering with other law enforcement partners, including the FBI in particular. The equipment for Integrated Intelligence Strategy program will enable the Department to proactively inform decision making for investigative efforts and support the Strategic Decision Support Centers (SDSC) that occur in districts with the goal of passing more intelligence to aid enterprise investigations at Homan Square and inform command staff via Crime Prevention and Information Center (CPIC).
Chicago Public Schools - $500,000
This project directs funds to schools that would significantly benefit from capital improvement investments targeting the specific needs of each institution. By enhancing the physical environment students will be able to better engage in the school's academic programming. Specifically, it will allow a STEM school to modernize a STEM lab; a Fine and Performing Arts program to update the flexible performing art space, and investments in classroom technology and furniture for students to engage in a choice-based learning environment tailored to their needs. Eligible schools include Talcott Elementary School (ES) for Fine and Performing Arts, Tubman ES for Fine and Performing Arts, Ravenswood ES for Fine and Performing Art, Pritzker ES for Fine and Performing Arts, Otis ES for Personalized Learning, and De Diego ES for Personalized Learning.
Critical Infrastructure Improvements for Visitor Safety, Animal Welfare, and Energy Efficiency at Lincoln Park Zoo - $1,000,000
This project will upgrade the Lincoln Park Zoo's infrastructure to enhance visitor safety, lessen the zoo's environmental impact, and improve the security and well-being of resident animals and staff. Infrastructure improvements include upgrading the zoo's HVAC system, structural improvements to the Regenstein African Journey building and the walkway leading to the McCormick Bird House, and implementing additional crosswalks, movable bollards, light poles, and a drop-off lane in the zoo's East Gate parking lot to improve visitor safety and ease parking lot traffic.
Grand Avenue and George Street Traffic Safety Enhancement - $650,000
This project will result in the installment of a traffic signal at the intersection of Grand Avenue and George Street in the Village of Franklin Park. The traffic signal will improve the safety of the intersection, which is located along one of the village's busiest commercial corridors and provide economic and mobility benefits to the area.
Illinois Masonic Dental Clinic - $300,000
This project will enable Advocate Aurora Health, Illinois' primary provider of oral health care for residents with special needs, to better provide for patients in a centralized setting at the Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago. For patients with medically complex diagnoses, or for those with special needs (including developmental disabilities), sedation is often required during dental care; funds designated for this project will be used to build anesthesia suites and outpatient procedure rooms at the Advocate Illinois Masonic facility. In addition, the development of outpatient anesthesia spaces will supplement existing training for dental anesthesia residents and promote workforce development to meet demand from patients requiring this type of care.
Lincoln Park ADA Accessibility - $1,000,000
This project provides funding for comprehensive repaving of pedestrian pathways in Lincoln Park that follow ADA guidance.
Night Ministry - $275,000
The Night Ministry serves thousands of Chicagoans annually who are experiencing poverty and homelessness, proving access to health care and housing to those most in need. Among the programs operated by the organization is the Night Ministry's Health Outreach Bus, which six nights a week, serves individuals experiencing homelessness across several neighborhoods of the city. Funds provided for this project would enable the Night Ministry to purchase a new Health Outreach Bus, which would include a private exam room, private space for medical testing or meeting with social workers, as well as a hospitality area and restroom.
Stormwater Improvement Project — Elmhurst - $2,000,000
This project will provide flooding relief and improve water quality for the City of Elmhurst residents through the implementation of new underground stormwater detention infrastructure.
West Grand Avenue - Highway/Rail Grade Separation - $3,100,000
This project will create a grade separation of the West Grand Avenue Highway and the Metra rail tracks to improve the safety, mobility, and environmental impacts of the intersection. The Grand Avenue crossing continues to see a high number of car and train accidents and is currently ranked the sixth most likely train crossing to have a collision out of 7,920 crossings in the State of Illinois by the Federal Railroad Administration.
