Monument plans pick up steam as 1st anniversary approaches

As reported in the Chicago Tribune:

January 20, 2016 | By Tony Briscoetrib_screen

As Chicago nears the first anniversary of Pullman’s designation as the city’s first national monument, officials say restoration plans will start picking up speed soon.

On Feb. 19, the monument’s one-year anniversary, the National Park Service and several of its partners will gather in the visitors center to elaborate on what’s to come in Pullman’s renaissance.

“If someone were go to Pullman, today, the question is: What are they going to see that’s different?” said Lynn McClure, Midwest regional director of the National Parks Conservation Association. “I’m going to say maybe not a whole lot on the surface. The real action or change will start in the spring, and that change is happening over the next one to five years.”

“It may not appear that a lot is going on, but compared to a lot of other national parks, we’re moving at light speed,” said Paul Labovitz, the park’s acting superintendent.

Other projects in the works:

  • Several Chicagoland transit entities are collaborating on the Pullman Transportation Plan, a report funded by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, that will explore public transportation issues for an anticipated increase in visitors to the national monument. The plan is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
  • Metra is exploring improvements to its Metra Electric District line, including 103rd, 107th, 111th and 115th/Kensington stations, and it will invest $150,000 this year in its 111th Street station (the closest to the monument) to replace the platform deck boards, replace or repair the station house, and rebuild the staircase and hand railings.
  • The Chicago Department of Transportation is expected to convene public meetings this spring to discuss developing a bicycle infrastructure plan to complement the 95th Street Red Line station, Pullman and other areas of interest in southeast Chicago.

 

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