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HR0682 |
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LRB096 14978 GRL 29897 r |
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of |
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| Representatives wish to recognize the accomplishments of local |
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| organizations and their dedication to serving their community; |
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| and
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| WHEREAS, The Joliet Arsenal Development Authority is the |
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| recipient of the 2009 Base Redevelopment Community of the Year |
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| National Award; and
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| WHEREAS, The federal government transferred the Joliet |
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| Army Ammunition Plant for remediation in 1995; the former |
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| Joliet Arsenal, located 40 miles southwest of Chicago, was |
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| subdivided for both public and private use; and
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| WHEREAS, By that time, the former Joliet Arsenal was a |
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| rusting array of mostly vacant manufacturing facilities, which |
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| were sprawled across 36 square miles of land; and
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| WHEREAS, A combination of large-scale economic and |
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| ecosystem restoration benefits accrued at the former Arsenal, |
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| providing a model for the cleanup and reuse of large old |
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| industrial properties across the nation; and
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| WHEREAS, The Joliet Arsenal Development Authority was |
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HR0682 |
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LRB096 14978 GRL 29897 r |
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| established in 1996 for the adaptive reuse and transformation |
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| of 3,000 acres in order to create quality job opportunities and |
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| foster economic development in the Will County area; and
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| WHEREAS, Since then, the Joliet Arsenal Development |
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| Authority has successfully transformed the former Joliet |
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| Arsenal into a manufacturing and logistics business park; |
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| redevelopment of the 3,000 acres conveyed to the authority has |
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| resulted in Illinois' largest public-private project and has |
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| attracted more than $1 billion in private investment, as well |
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| as $100 million in federal, State, and local grants; and
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| WHEREAS, The Joliet Arsenal Development Authority's three |
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| major accomplishments include the CenterPoint Intermodal |
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| Center, the ProLogis Park Arsenal, and the Operating Engineers |
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| Apprenticeship & Skill Improvement Training Facility; and
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| WHEREAS, The development has benefited from a |
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| collaborative effort to clean up the property, which was |
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| heavily contaminated with chemical waste produced by the |
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| manufacture of explosives and the assembly of 4 billion pounds |
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| of munitions; a dozen public agencies, together with numerous |
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| private organizations, finished the remediation of the site’s |
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| soil and groundwater in 2008, 3 years ahead of schedule; and
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| WHEREAS, As of 2009, new development has generated more |
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HR0682 |
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LRB096 14978 GRL 29897 r |
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| than 2,000 permanent jobs; over 1,800 construction jobs, |
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| totaling an approximate $150 million in wages, have also been |
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| added to the local economy; these numbers will continue to grow |
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| with the continued redevelopment of the former Joliet Arsenal; |
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| therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE |
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| NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we |
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| recognize the efforts of the Joliet Arsenal Development |
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| Authority for its years of dedicated service toward the |
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| redevelopment of the former Joliet Arsenal; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be |
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| presented to the Joliet Arsenal Development Authority as a |
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| symbol of our esteem and respect.
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