Chicago Sun-Times: All posts by Rosalind Rossi2017-01-02T20:19:00-06:00https://chicago.suntimes.com/authors/rosalind-rossi/rss2017-01-02T20:19:00-06:002019-04-16T05:02:20-05:00Costs soar in test program to insulate historic homes near O'Hare
<figure class="Figure"><a class="AnchorLink" id="image-c70003" name="image-c70003"></a>
<picture data-crop="medium">
<source type="image/webp" width="490"
height="275"
data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d3d0ce1/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1123x630+39+0/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FHSQa_b0YcHpe_ov4ARUtqeyN3Ik%3D%2F0x0%3A1200x630%2F1200x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28600x315%3A601x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103472%2Fbensenvillehomeexterior.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/3aac8a7/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1123x630+39+0/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FHSQa_b0YcHpe_ov4ARUtqeyN3Ik%3D%2F0x0%3A1200x630%2F1200x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28600x315%3A601x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103472%2Fbensenvillehomeexterior.jpg 2x" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
/>
<source width="490"
height="275"
data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a919395/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1123x630+39+0/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FHSQa_b0YcHpe_ov4ARUtqeyN3Ik%3D%2F0x0%3A1200x630%2F1200x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28600x315%3A601x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103472%2Fbensenvillehomeexterior.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
/>
<img class="Image" alt="bensenvillehomeexterior.jpg" srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a919395/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1123x630+39+0/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FHSQa_b0YcHpe_ov4ARUtqeyN3Ik%3D%2F0x0%3A1200x630%2F1200x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28600x315%3A601x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103472%2Fbensenvillehomeexterior.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/1c6c53f/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1123x630+39+0/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FHSQa_b0YcHpe_ov4ARUtqeyN3Ik%3D%2F0x0%3A1200x630%2F1200x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28600x315%3A601x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103472%2Fbensenvillehomeexterior.jpg 2x" width="490" height="275"
data-src="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a919395/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1123x630+39+0/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FHSQa_b0YcHpe_ov4ARUtqeyN3Ik%3D%2F0x0%3A1200x630%2F1200x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28600x315%3A601x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103472%2Fbensenvillehomeexterior.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
>
</picture>
<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>A test program of a new city of Chicago effort to provide free sound insulation of “historic” homes near O’Hare Airport produced more than $140,000 in insulation bills at this Wood Dale home, plus an additional $33,000 just for interior painting, unaudited city records show. That compares with a previous $25,000 average for insulation work at non-historic homes, city aviation officials say. | Tim Boyle/For the Sun-Times</p></figcaption></div>
</figure>
<p>The city of Chicago is about to offer the owners of more than 150 “historic” homes a deal: Sign up for sound insulation to buffer your house from O’Hare Airport jet noise, and it won’t cost you a penny.</p><p>But the bill to sound-insulate a small test group of such older homes is averaging more than $101,000 per residence — four times the city’s $25,000 average for non-historic dwellings, records obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times show.</p><p>As a result, an upcoming plan to upgrade the doors and windows of as many as 167 historic homes in Chicago’s Norwood Park neighborhood using historic-preservation standards is on pace to become the city’s costliest sound insulation project in at least a decade. The work is a first for Chicago aviation officials.</p><p>The city has been doing soundproofing work around O’Hare for decades using federal airport improvement funds and O’Hare passenger facility charges on airline tickets. But ongoing runway reconfigurations and the jet-noise changes that accompany them are now making the large group of “historic” homes in Norwood Park eligible for the bonanza.</p><p>The city’s first sound insulation efforts at a handful of historic homes in a test-drive of the larger project was not without its problems, Chicago Sun-Times’ interviews with those homeowners indicated.</p><p>One of them, Blanche Richter of Wood Dale, said her new screen door locks her out of the house and five new storm windows stick, despite assurances from workers that they would loosen in warmer weather. Opening one storm is so “excruciating” she’s thrown out her back twice trying to raise it.</p><div class="Enhancement" data-align-center><div class="Enhancement-item">
<div class="ExternalContent-wrapper" data-embed>
<iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/h8tTOy6UQhk?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen title="Soundproofing homes near O'Hare"></iframe>
</div>
</div></div><p>Richter also questioned the nearly $5,000 the city was charged to paint her 15-foot by 15-foot living room — <a class="Link" href="http://wp.me/p7fJAs-1RzO" target="_blank" >work that was part of a special painting freebie</a> that drove up costs in the pilot program but will not be continued in the larger project ahead. City officials say they’re still auditing the painting work and will scale it back in the future historic-home project.</p><p>Despite any issues, Richter and the other two property owners in the test program said they’d recommend others take on the insulation work. It’s reduced their jet noise, they said, and cut at least one home’s heating bill in half.</p><p>“It did what they said it would do,” Richter said. “For all the little things I’m nitpicking at, there was a lot of good.”</p><p>In fact, the only Chicagoan in the test program said she was so pleased with the work that she feels like she “hit the Lotto.”</p><p>The city has unleashed an avalanche of sound-insulation work designed to mitigate the worst O’Hare jet noise by the time the massive airfield overhaul is completed in 2021.</p><div class="Enhancement" data-align-floatRight>
<div class="Enhancement-item" data-crop="">
<figure class="Figure"><a class="AnchorLink" id="image-variant-4f0001" name="image-variant-4f0001"></a>
<picture data-crop="medium">
<source type="image/webp" width="490"
height="275"
data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/88cccac/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4000x2245+0+94/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FfyQux6bkwfivlUmuN60FzZWIDKs%3D%2F0x0%3A4000x2432%2F4000x2432%2Ffilters%3Afocal%282000x1216%3A2001x1217%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103479%2Fblancherichteropeningwindow.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/342e98d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4000x2245+0+94/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FfyQux6bkwfivlUmuN60FzZWIDKs%3D%2F0x0%3A4000x2432%2F4000x2432%2Ffilters%3Afocal%282000x1216%3A2001x1217%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103479%2Fblancherichteropeningwindow.jpg 2x" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
/>
<source width="490"
height="275"
data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/8a0f31e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4000x2245+0+94/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FfyQux6bkwfivlUmuN60FzZWIDKs%3D%2F0x0%3A4000x2432%2F4000x2432%2Ffilters%3Afocal%282000x1216%3A2001x1217%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103479%2Fblancherichteropeningwindow.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
/>
<img class="Image" alt="Blanche Richter said despite the contractor’s assurances, some new storm windows on her historic home remain extremely difficult to open. | Tim Boyle/For the Sun-Times" srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/8a0f31e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4000x2245+0+94/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FfyQux6bkwfivlUmuN60FzZWIDKs%3D%2F0x0%3A4000x2432%2F4000x2432%2Ffilters%3Afocal%282000x1216%3A2001x1217%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103479%2Fblancherichteropeningwindow.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e5aad31/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4000x2245+0+94/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FfyQux6bkwfivlUmuN60FzZWIDKs%3D%2F0x0%3A4000x2432%2F4000x2432%2Ffilters%3Afocal%282000x1216%3A2001x1217%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103479%2Fblancherichteropeningwindow.jpg 2x" width="490" height="275"
data-src="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/8a0f31e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4000x2245+0+94/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FfyQux6bkwfivlUmuN60FzZWIDKs%3D%2F0x0%3A4000x2432%2F4000x2432%2Ffilters%3Afocal%282000x1216%3A2001x1217%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103479%2Fblancherichteropeningwindow.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
>
</picture>
<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>Blanche Richter said despite the contractor’s assurances, some new storm windows on her historic home remain extremely difficult to open. | Tim Boyle/For the Sun-Times</p></figcaption></div>
</figure>
</div>
</div><p>The pilot program for historic homes encompassed three properties picked by the Chicago Department of Aviation to test the trickier sound-insulation methods needed for such dwellings. City contractors worked on Richter’s Wood Dale house, a duplex in Bensenville and the single-family home in Norwood Park.</p><p>All three properties are more than a century old.</p><p>Currently, 167 homes in the Norwood Park Historic District, all built before 1953, are eligible for sound insulation based on Illinois Historic Preservation Agency standards, city officials say. Those homeowners should get letters offering them free sound-insulation work by February.</p><p>Aviation Department spokesman Owen Kilmer downplayed homeowners’ complaints about the work done in the test program, saying they were never voiced during final homeowner walk-throughs with contractors.</p><p>In addition, Kilmer said, “We encourage all homeowners to contact our Program Office so that we can address their concerns.”</p><p>Concerning costs, Kilmer noted that in homes eligible to be placed on the National Register of Historic Homes, the city is obligated to try to preserve historic features on the homes when possible, which drives up prices, Kilmer said. For example, one window in a historic home costs four times more than the same-sized window in a non-historic home, he said.</p><p>The city’s aviation department oversees “one of the largest residential sound insulation programs in the world” and has an “outstanding track record” of meeting federal home sound-insulation requirements and providing “quality service,” Kilmer said in an email.</p><p>The city kicked off the test program in 2014 by folding insulation and painting work at the three trial locations into a bid offering that also included insulation work at 22 non-historic homes.</p><p>Only two companies ended up bidding on the project — and both came in well over the city’s “estimated project cost” of between $500,000 and $780,000, records show.</p><p>Blinderman Construction’s $1.2 million bid beat Asbach & Vanselow’s $1.47 million one. Those costs, city officials said in hindsight, reflect the relatively small number of homes involved; had there been more homes, the cost per home could have been cheaper.</p><p>Blinderman Construction referred questions about the program to the aviation department’s communications office.</p><p>At the Bensenville test site, owner Richard Rebmann said about 40 windows in his duplex initially were installed with the glass inside out. Kilmer said the manufacturer shipped the window sashes with the glass “in the wrong orientation” and the problem wasn’t detected until after they were installed.</p><div class="Enhancement" data-align-floatLeft>
<div class="Enhancement-item" data-crop="">
<figure class="Figure"><a class="AnchorLink" id="image-variant-5f0001" name="image-variant-5f0001"></a>
<picture data-crop="medium">
<source type="image/webp" width="490"
height="275"
data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/0959ae0/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3046x1709+0+1145/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FPwh2nqelEHF8zJTSSX1QMGcu9iU%3D%2F0x0%3A3046x4000%2F3046x4000%2Ffilters%3Afocal%281523x2000%3A1524x2001%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103482%2Foharenoiseplanethroughbensenvillewindow.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/dec66e2/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3046x1709+0+1145/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FPwh2nqelEHF8zJTSSX1QMGcu9iU%3D%2F0x0%3A3046x4000%2F3046x4000%2Ffilters%3Afocal%281523x2000%3A1524x2001%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103482%2Foharenoiseplanethroughbensenvillewindow.jpg 2x" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
/>
<source width="490"
height="275"
data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/cf07666/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3046x1709+0+1145/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FPwh2nqelEHF8zJTSSX1QMGcu9iU%3D%2F0x0%3A3046x4000%2F3046x4000%2Ffilters%3Afocal%281523x2000%3A1524x2001%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103482%2Foharenoiseplanethroughbensenvillewindow.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
/>
<img class="Image" alt="Nicholas Kelly can see planes landing at O’Hare International Airport from the duplex where he lives in Bensenville. | Tim Boyle/For the Sun-Times" srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/cf07666/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3046x1709+0+1145/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FPwh2nqelEHF8zJTSSX1QMGcu9iU%3D%2F0x0%3A3046x4000%2F3046x4000%2Ffilters%3Afocal%281523x2000%3A1524x2001%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103482%2Foharenoiseplanethroughbensenvillewindow.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a4e8fd8/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3046x1709+0+1145/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FPwh2nqelEHF8zJTSSX1QMGcu9iU%3D%2F0x0%3A3046x4000%2F3046x4000%2Ffilters%3Afocal%281523x2000%3A1524x2001%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103482%2Foharenoiseplanethroughbensenvillewindow.jpg 2x" width="490" height="275"
data-src="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/cf07666/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3046x1709+0+1145/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FPwh2nqelEHF8zJTSSX1QMGcu9iU%3D%2F0x0%3A3046x4000%2F3046x4000%2Ffilters%3Afocal%281523x2000%3A1524x2001%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103482%2Foharenoiseplanethroughbensenvillewindow.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
>
</picture>
<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>Nicholas Kelly can see planes landing at O’Hare International Airport from the duplex where he lives in Bensenville. | Tim Boyle/For the Sun-Times</p></figcaption></div>
</figure>
</div>
</div><p>Even now, one new window pops up after being closed, and rain seeps in from some storm windows, one Rebmann tenant said. In the kitchen, one window pane can be pushed loose with the touch of a finger.</p><p>Norwood Park homeowner Susan Luzzi — whose home was the last to be insulated under the pilot program — had a more positive take. She said the mother lode of work at her 1914-era home left her feeling like “I hit the Lotto.”</p><p>Still, Luzzi said, “there was a lot of mismeasuring.”</p><p>“I’m telling you there were 30 people here when they first started measuring,’’ she said. A “ton of people” were “standing around doing nothing.”</p><p>Re-measuring is often needed because of the nature of working with older materials, Kilmer said.</p><p>Also, workmen replaced a sliding door once and installed three screen doors “before they got it right,” Luzzi said.</p><p>Kilmer said the first screen door arrived damaged and the manufacturer then shipped the wrong-sized replacement. The manufacturer also initially shipped the wrong-sized frame for the sliding door, Kilmer said.</p><p>The Luzzi home’s $183,000 tab for painting and sound insulation was the highest in the test program, invoices show. Work included three air conditioners and more than 30 new windows, she said.</p><p>“I’d advise anyone to do it,” said Luzzi, whose husband was deputy director of tax at the Chicago Department of Revenue at the time. He’s since retired.</p><p>All three homeowners had the same advice for any homeowner who agrees to the insulation freebie: Be present during the work.</p><p>“Would I recommend it?” Richter said. “It takes a tough person to actually get into this program, and if you can handle it – yes.”</p><div class="Enhancement" data-align-center>
<div class="Enhancement-item" data-crop="">
<figure class="Figure"><a class="AnchorLink" id="image-variant-630002" name="image-variant-630002"></a>
<picture data-crop="medium">
<source type="image/webp" width="490"
height="275"
data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/cc12879/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+109/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FGnrbfG40k1rA2b-oUjEUcPuLR2I%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x792%2F1024x792%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x396%3A513x397%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103483%2Foharenoisenorwoodparkmap.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c872ebd/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+109/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FGnrbfG40k1rA2b-oUjEUcPuLR2I%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x792%2F1024x792%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x396%3A513x397%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103483%2Foharenoisenorwoodparkmap.jpg 2x" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
/>
<source width="490"
height="275"
data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/64df640/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+109/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FGnrbfG40k1rA2b-oUjEUcPuLR2I%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x792%2F1024x792%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x396%3A513x397%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103483%2Foharenoisenorwoodparkmap.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
/>
<img class="Image" alt="Historic homes in the southwest portion of Chicago’s Norwood Park Historic District (inside the red “noise contour” line) will soon get letters offering them free sound insulation to mitigate the heavy onslaught of O’Hare Airport jet noise expected by 202" srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/64df640/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+109/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FGnrbfG40k1rA2b-oUjEUcPuLR2I%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x792%2F1024x792%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x396%3A513x397%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103483%2Foharenoisenorwoodparkmap.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/8ba4854/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+109/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FGnrbfG40k1rA2b-oUjEUcPuLR2I%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x792%2F1024x792%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x396%3A513x397%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103483%2Foharenoisenorwoodparkmap.jpg 2x" width="490" height="275"
data-src="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/64df640/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+109/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FGnrbfG40k1rA2b-oUjEUcPuLR2I%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x792%2F1024x792%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x396%3A513x397%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103483%2Foharenoisenorwoodparkmap.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
>
</picture>
<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>Historic homes in the southwest portion of Chicago’s Norwood Park Historic District (inside the red “noise contour” line) will soon get letters offering them free sound insulation to mitigate the heavy onslaught of O’Hare Airport jet noise expected by 2021. | Chicago Department of Aviation map</p></figcaption></div>
</figure>
</div>
</div><p></p>
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2017/1/2/18384021/costs-soar-in-test-program-to-insulate-historic-homes-near-o-hareRosalind Rossi2017-01-02T19:07:00-06:002019-04-16T05:02:14-05:00Painting costs being checked in O’Hare sound program test
<figure class="Figure"><a class="AnchorLink" id="image-560003" name="image-560003"></a>
<picture data-crop="medium">
<source type="image/webp" width="490"
height="275"
data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ca2beb8/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1123x630+39+0/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FoiM82k_n4bpKy7Z_ffRLpnE0NLg%3D%2F0x0%3A1200x630%2F1200x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28600x315%3A601x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103466%2Foharenoise_richterlivingroom3.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/aa25a62/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1123x630+39+0/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FoiM82k_n4bpKy7Z_ffRLpnE0NLg%3D%2F0x0%3A1200x630%2F1200x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28600x315%3A601x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103466%2Foharenoise_richterlivingroom3.jpg 2x" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
/>
<source width="490"
height="275"
data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/cf4dae0/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1123x630+39+0/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FoiM82k_n4bpKy7Z_ffRLpnE0NLg%3D%2F0x0%3A1200x630%2F1200x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28600x315%3A601x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103466%2Foharenoise_richterlivingroom3.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
/>
<img class="Image" alt="oharenoise_richterlivingroom3.jpg" srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/cf4dae0/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1123x630+39+0/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FoiM82k_n4bpKy7Z_ffRLpnE0NLg%3D%2F0x0%3A1200x630%2F1200x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28600x315%3A601x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103466%2Foharenoise_richterlivingroom3.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/36ed252/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1123x630+39+0/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FoiM82k_n4bpKy7Z_ffRLpnE0NLg%3D%2F0x0%3A1200x630%2F1200x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28600x315%3A601x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103466%2Foharenoise_richterlivingroom3.jpg 2x" width="490" height="275"
data-src="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/cf4dae0/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1123x630+39+0/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FoiM82k_n4bpKy7Z_ffRLpnE0NLg%3D%2F0x0%3A1200x630%2F1200x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28600x315%3A601x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103466%2Foharenoise_richterlivingroom3.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
>
</picture>
<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>Homeowner Blanche Richter called the nearly $5,000 the city was charged to paint her roughly 15-foot by 15-foot living room “ridiculous.” | Tim Boyle/For the Sun-Times</p></figcaption></div>
</figure>
<p>When Chicago aviation officials signed up homeowners to take part in their test program for sound-insulating historic properties, they added a special “participation incentive” — free painting of the ceiling and walls in any room touched by insulation work.</p><p>But city officials now say that won’t be the case when they move forward with <a class="Link" href="http://wp.me/p7fJAs-1Rzv" target="_blank" >plans to insulate as many as 167 more historic homes</a>. Instead, contractors will repaint only the areas they deconstruct and rebuild, as they’ve done in the past.</p><p>The final decision to scale back the painting came after the Chicago Sun-Times asked city officials about painting costs two homeowners in the program called “ridiculous.” Officials said they’d been considering doing so before the newspaper began questioning the charges.</p><p>One nearly $5,000 tab to paint a living room was a shocker, the homeowner said, particularly because city paperwork reflected far more square feet painted than measurements taken by both a Sun-Times reporter and the homeowner could establish.</p><p>“Whose chain are they yanking? Seriously?” Wood Dale homeowner Blanche Richter asked about various painting bills submitted for work at her house, at the rate of $3.40 per square foot of surface painted.</p><div class="Enhancement" data-align-center><div class="Enhancement-item">
<div class="ExternalContent-wrapper" data-embed>
<iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/h8tTOy6UQhk?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen title="Soundproofing homes near O'Hare"></iframe>
</div>
</div></div><p>As is normally the case, auditors are “checking all the math to make sure the quantities add up and that all the calculations are correct,” said Aaron Frame, deputy commissioner of environment for the Chicago Department of Aviation.</p><p>Richter said she’s “appalled” and “shocked” at the $4,999.97 tab to paint her roughly 15-foot by 15-foot living room with a 9-foot-high ceiling.</p><p>Painters left three primer-colored splotches on her living room wall, she said, as well as paint blobs on her 1877-era wooden kitchen floor, baseboards and ceiling fan.</p><p>Blinderman Construction, the city’s general contractor on the test program, hired the subcontractor that did the painting work. City records indicate the company painted 1,471 square feet in Richter’s living room. But Sun-Times’ measurements put the total at about 770 square feet, and that assumed workers painted four solid walls, including all window glass, as well as the ceiling.</p><p>“It’s mystifying,’’ Richter said. “This is ridiculous. There’s nothing unusual about the living room.”</p><p>Spot checks of one room in each of the other two properties in the test program – a laundry room and bedroom – produced square footage that was 282 feet and 123 feet less, respectively, than totals on bills submitted to the aviation department, the Sun-Times found.</p><div class="Enhancement" data-align-floatRight>
<div class="Enhancement-item" data-crop="">
<figure class="Figure"><a class="AnchorLink" id="image-variant-950001" name="image-variant-950001"></a>
<picture data-crop="medium">
<source type="image/webp" width="490"
height="275"
data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ddcbaeb/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4000x2245+0+59/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FRJ5CINrbSZDDlLkVeujTyM6u4HY%3D%2F0x0%3A4000x2363%2F4000x2363%2Ffilters%3Afocal%282000x1181%3A2001x1182%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103468%2Foharenoise_richterlivingroom.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f84bed7/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4000x2245+0+59/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FRJ5CINrbSZDDlLkVeujTyM6u4HY%3D%2F0x0%3A4000x2363%2F4000x2363%2Ffilters%3Afocal%282000x1181%3A2001x1182%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103468%2Foharenoise_richterlivingroom.jpg 2x" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
/>
<source width="490"
height="275"
data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/63cbaab/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4000x2245+0+59/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FRJ5CINrbSZDDlLkVeujTyM6u4HY%3D%2F0x0%3A4000x2363%2F4000x2363%2Ffilters%3Afocal%282000x1181%3A2001x1182%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103468%2Foharenoise_richterlivingroom.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
/>
<img class="Image" alt="Three primer-colored splotches are now visible in Blanche Richter’s Wood Dale living room after a paint job that cost the city nearly $5,000. | Tim Boyle/For the Sun-Times" srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/63cbaab/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4000x2245+0+59/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FRJ5CINrbSZDDlLkVeujTyM6u4HY%3D%2F0x0%3A4000x2363%2F4000x2363%2Ffilters%3Afocal%282000x1181%3A2001x1182%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103468%2Foharenoise_richterlivingroom.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9f1c4e0/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4000x2245+0+59/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FRJ5CINrbSZDDlLkVeujTyM6u4HY%3D%2F0x0%3A4000x2363%2F4000x2363%2Ffilters%3Afocal%282000x1181%3A2001x1182%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103468%2Foharenoise_richterlivingroom.jpg 2x" width="490" height="275"
data-src="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/63cbaab/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4000x2245+0+59/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FRJ5CINrbSZDDlLkVeujTyM6u4HY%3D%2F0x0%3A4000x2363%2F4000x2363%2Ffilters%3Afocal%282000x1181%3A2001x1182%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103468%2Foharenoise_richterlivingroom.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
>
</picture>
<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>Three primer-colored splotches are now visible in Blanche Richter’s Wood Dale living room after a paint job that cost the city nearly $5,000. | Tim Boyle/For the Sun-Times</p></figcaption></div>
</figure>
</div>
</div><p>The Sun-Times’ laundry room square footage was based on four solid walls. The bedroom total subtracted what the homeowner said was an unpainted bedroom door, a mirrored closet door and three new windows.</p><p>In Bensenville, Richard Rebmann called the more than $24,000 bill to paint 10 areas — rooms, baths, entries and stairways — in his circa 1904 house “entirely too expensive.”</p><p>Workers painted only the duplex’s ground-floor unit before Rebmann’s tenant, Nicholas Kelly — a professional painter — got so upset he agreed to paint the upper unit himself.</p><p>One small bathroom was left with “paint everywhere,” including the floor and shower curtain, Kelly said. On a living room and bedroom wall, brush strokes are now visible and tiny holes pock the surface. In one spot, mesh patching can be detected.</p><p>Kelly’s reaction to the painters’ work? “I ran them out of my house,” he said.</p><p>City officials defended the city’s paint-measurement process and questioned Sun-Times’ measurements.</p><p>At each site, Aviation Department spokesman Owen Kilmer said, Blinderman staff measured the room surface painted in the presence of a project inspector provided by Cotter Consulting, which manages the department’s Residential Sound Insulation Program.</p><div class="Enhancement" data-align-floatLeft>
<div class="Enhancement-item" data-crop="">
<figure class="Figure"><a class="AnchorLink" id="image-variant-9c0001" name="image-variant-9c0001"></a>
<picture data-crop="medium">
<source type="image/webp" width="490"
height="275"
data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b011815/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3161x1774+0+1113/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FxBsFP0X2jxLvhwgAWDTibFrYXMM%3D%2F0x0%3A3161x4000%2F3161x4000%2Ffilters%3Afocal%281580x2000%3A1581x2001%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103478%2Fbensenvillebathroom.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f811d3f/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3161x1774+0+1113/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FxBsFP0X2jxLvhwgAWDTibFrYXMM%3D%2F0x0%3A3161x4000%2F3161x4000%2Ffilters%3Afocal%281580x2000%3A1581x2001%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103478%2Fbensenvillebathroom.jpg 2x" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
/>
<source width="490"
height="275"
data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b98139b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3161x1774+0+1113/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FxBsFP0X2jxLvhwgAWDTibFrYXMM%3D%2F0x0%3A3161x4000%2F3161x4000%2Ffilters%3Afocal%281580x2000%3A1581x2001%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103478%2Fbensenvillebathroom.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
/>
<img class="Image" alt="Peeling paint in the bathroom of the duplex where Nicholas Kelly lives in Bensenville. | Tim Boyle/For the Sun-Times" srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b98139b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3161x1774+0+1113/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FxBsFP0X2jxLvhwgAWDTibFrYXMM%3D%2F0x0%3A3161x4000%2F3161x4000%2Ffilters%3Afocal%281580x2000%3A1581x2001%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103478%2Fbensenvillebathroom.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/4475d9c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3161x1774+0+1113/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FxBsFP0X2jxLvhwgAWDTibFrYXMM%3D%2F0x0%3A3161x4000%2F3161x4000%2Ffilters%3Afocal%281580x2000%3A1581x2001%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103478%2Fbensenvillebathroom.jpg 2x" width="490" height="275"
data-src="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b98139b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3161x1774+0+1113/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FxBsFP0X2jxLvhwgAWDTibFrYXMM%3D%2F0x0%3A3161x4000%2F3161x4000%2Ffilters%3Afocal%281580x2000%3A1581x2001%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16103478%2Fbensenvillebathroom.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
>
</picture>
<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>Peeling paint in the bathroom of the duplex where Nicholas Kelly lives in Bensenville. | Tim Boyle/For the Sun-Times</p></figcaption></div>
</figure>
</div>
</div><p>Both parties agreed on a number, Kilmer said, and the Cotter project inspector gave it to a Cotter project manager who wrote the number on “field orders” the Sun-Times obtained under state open-records law.</p><p>Asked to explain possible square-footage discrepancies, city officials said all numbers are being reviewed as part of the Cotter audit.</p><p>Asked how auditors would know if field orders contained incorrect square feet, Frame said: “The auditor wouldn’t know. They are relying on the field staff and the contractor that did the measurements in the first place to come to consensus that the quantities are correct.”</p><p>But if auditors detect a paperwork “discrepancy,” Frame said, they will ask the Cotter field team to contact Blinderman and resolve it, possibly by re-measuring.</p><p>Cotter and Blinderman officials referred the Sun-Times’ questions to the aviation department’s communications office.</p><p>The owner of painting subcontractor Jewel Construction said any beef about the painting was news to her. “Why didn’t they say it while it was going on?” Jewel owner Ozella Stewart asked.</p><p>She asked the Sun-Times to email her a list of issues residents had with the painting work, which a reporter did. Stewart didn’t return repeated phone calls after that.</p><p>Kilmer said the Aviation Department has received no complaints about the historic house pilot, and homeowners were encouraged in face-to-face meetings to call the contractor or the department’s residential sound insulation office with concerns.<br></p>
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2017/1/2/18384011/painting-costs-being-checked-in-o-hare-sound-program-testRosalind Rossi2016-11-30T19:53:00-06:002019-04-15T20:58:17-05:00O'Hare night runway plan to end on Christmas, despite pleas
<figure class="Figure"><a class="AnchorLink" id="image-550003" name="image-550003"></a>
<picture data-crop="medium">
<source type="image/webp" width="490"
height="275"
data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d40f26f/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+21/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FN2MMFvNYGgc068qh8BYtS848Qpw%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x617%2F1024x617%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x308%3A513x309%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16058444%2Fohare070616.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/65c750e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+21/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FN2MMFvNYGgc068qh8BYtS848Qpw%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x617%2F1024x617%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x308%3A513x309%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16058444%2Fohare070616.jpg 2x" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
/>
<source width="490"
height="275"
data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7fbd32a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+21/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FN2MMFvNYGgc068qh8BYtS848Qpw%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x617%2F1024x617%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x308%3A513x309%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16058444%2Fohare070616.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
/>
<img class="Image" alt="ohare070616.jpg" srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7fbd32a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+21/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FN2MMFvNYGgc068qh8BYtS848Qpw%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x617%2F1024x617%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x308%3A513x309%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16058444%2Fohare070616.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/195f4e7/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+21/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FN2MMFvNYGgc068qh8BYtS848Qpw%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x617%2F1024x617%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x308%3A513x309%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16058444%2Fohare070616.jpg 2x" width="490" height="275"
data-src="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7fbd32a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+21/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FN2MMFvNYGgc068qh8BYtS848Qpw%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x617%2F1024x617%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x308%3A513x309%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16058444%2Fohare070616.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
>
</picture>
<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>An American Airlines plane prepares to land from the east beyond a street light at O’Hare International Airport. | Sun-Times file photo</p></figcaption></div>
</figure>
<p>City aviation officials said Wednesday that O’Hare Airport will end a six-month test of a new night runway rotation plan on Christmas morning, as originally scheduled, despite pleas by Schiller Park and Harwood Heights to extend it.</p><p>Mayors of both suburban towns east of the airport said the temporary plan to better distribute night jet noise has lessened the heavy overnight air traffic their communities shouldered after a dramatic change in O’Hare flight plans in 2013.</p><p>As a result, they said, they would like to see it continue while test results are being analyzed. The plan, launched July 6, rotates night runways every week, on a 12-week schedule, and alternates between diagonal “cross wind” runways and parallel “east-west” runways.</p><p>“Schiller Park got some relief from this and I hate to see it end,” Schiller Park Mayor Barbara Piltaver told fellow members of the Ad Hoc Fly Quiet committee of the O’Hare Noise Compatibility Commission.</p><p>The plan has reduced the night burden on Schiller Park, Harwood Heights and portions of Chicago to the east of O’Hare, as well as Bensenville and Wood Dale to the west. All are affected by O’Hare’s growing stable of east-west parallel runways. However, other suburbs, like Des Plaines, have been howling about the plan’s increased night use of diagonal runways.</p><p>Aaron Frame, of the Chicago Department of Aviation, said “chances are” running the test longer than the six months planned would trigger an environmental analysis that could last anywhere from months to a year. He cited a July 1, 2016, letter from the Federal Aviation Administration stating that “continuing the rotation plan beyond the test would be subject to future environmental review.”</p><p>FAA spokesman Tony Molinaro told the Chicago Sun-Times on Wednesday that the FAA “would consider” any city request for an extension but could not speculate on what its response would be.</p><p>Even so, Frame said the Aviation Department will end the test early Christmas morning, as planned, take the month of January to analyze the results, and then present its findings to the the Fly Quiet Committee and the Noise Commission for discussion and possible tweaking, approval or rejection.</p><p>Karen Robles of Schaumburg, a community affected by heavier night use of a diagonal runway due for demolition in 2018, favored that idea. She said there are some “tweaks many of us would like to evaluate” after the test ends and its results are thoroughly analyzed.</p><p>Mayor Craig Johnson of Elk Grove Village said later he also favors ending the plan on schedule, going back to pre-rotation night flights temporarily, and then coming up with a new six-month plan that uses the diagonal runway aimed at his village and Schaumburg less frequently.</p><p>Currently, Johnson said, Elk Grove Village carries a “disproportionate share” of night traffic and is affected in nine out of 12 weeks in the rotation.</p><p>“You shouldn’t have nine out of 12 weeks, flights going over some communities,” Johnson said.</p><p>Wednesday’s discussion indicated the Chicago area could see many changes in night flights as officials wrestle with how to proceed. But in addition, even daytime flight paths could well change again in 2019, after a diagonal runway closes; in 2020, after a new east-west parallel runway opens in the north airfield; and in 2021, when an existing parallel runway in the north airfield is due to be lengthened.<br></p>
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2016/11/30/18334922/o-hare-night-runway-plan-to-end-on-christmas-despite-pleasRosalind Rossi2016-11-10T18:57:00-06:002019-04-15T23:51:53-05:00City races to nab $1.1 billion for CTA before Obama departs
<figure class="Figure"><a class="AnchorLink" id="image-be0003" name="image-be0003"></a>
<picture data-crop="medium">
<source type="image/webp" width="490"
height="275"
data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d8ec2c5/2147483647/strip/true/crop/500x281+0+47/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FLE_BsMnbd6i-LZBCGtSnOFsja4U%3D%2F0x0%3A500x375%2F500x375%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28250x187%3A251x188%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16075268%2Fbrynmawrstation111116.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/77e5c61/2147483647/strip/true/crop/500x281+0+47/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FLE_BsMnbd6i-LZBCGtSnOFsja4U%3D%2F0x0%3A500x375%2F500x375%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28250x187%3A251x188%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16075268%2Fbrynmawrstation111116.jpg 2x" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
/>
<source width="490"
height="275"
data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a7346fc/2147483647/strip/true/crop/500x281+0+47/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FLE_BsMnbd6i-LZBCGtSnOFsja4U%3D%2F0x0%3A500x375%2F500x375%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28250x187%3A251x188%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16075268%2Fbrynmawrstation111116.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
/>
<img class="Image" alt="brynmawrstation111116.jpg" srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a7346fc/2147483647/strip/true/crop/500x281+0+47/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FLE_BsMnbd6i-LZBCGtSnOFsja4U%3D%2F0x0%3A500x375%2F500x375%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28250x187%3A251x188%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16075268%2Fbrynmawrstation111116.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6e7ec8a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/500x281+0+47/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FLE_BsMnbd6i-LZBCGtSnOFsja4U%3D%2F0x0%3A500x375%2F500x375%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28250x187%3A251x188%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16075268%2Fbrynmawrstation111116.jpg 2x" width="490" height="275"
data-src="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a7346fc/2147483647/strip/true/crop/500x281+0+47/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FLE_BsMnbd6i-LZBCGtSnOFsja4U%3D%2F0x0%3A500x375%2F500x375%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28250x187%3A251x188%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16075268%2Fbrynmawrstation111116.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
>
</picture>
<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>A conceptual rendering of a reconstructed Bryn Mawr station on the Red Line. | Provided rendering</p></figcaption></div>
</figure>
<p>Mayor Rahm Emanuel will ask the City Council to meet in special session on Nov. 30 to authorize a transit tax-increment financing district in the race to nail down $1.1 billion in federal grants to modernize the CTA Red Line before President Barack Obama leaves office.</p><p>City Planning and Development Commissioner David Reifman described the timing as “threading a needle” because the city must take two actions on Nov. 30 to secure federal funding and authorize a new TIF that will stretch along the Red Line from North Avenue to Devon.</p><p>On that date, the City Council will hold a special meeting for the sole purpose of approving the transit TIF district, a new kind of TIF approved by the Legislature in June.</p><p>Also on that date, the city must inform federal authorities that it is committed to providing the required local matching funds to $1.1 billion in federal “core capacity” grants. About $622 million of the matching funds are planned from the new transit TIF and $428 million from the CTA.</p><p>“Under the TIF statute, we cannot take this to City Council earlier than Nov. 30. Under the timeline the feds have given us for this grant, we can’t get them this later than Nov. 30. So, we are literally threading the needle to make the Nov. 30 date,” Reifman told reporters during a City Hall briefing.</p><p>“The agreements and the ordinances — our part of the match — has to be fully in effect, then has to go to Congress for 30 days before it can be approved and closed under that grant agreement. . . . This all backs into the date that the governor signed the [transit TIF] legislation.”</p><div class="Enhancement" data-align-floatLeft>
<div class="Enhancement-item" data-crop="">
<figure class="Figure"><a class="AnchorLink" id="image-variant-2a0001" name="image-variant-2a0001"></a>
<picture data-crop="medium">
<source type="image/webp" width="490"
height="275"
data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/dc3fc8e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/680x382+0+5/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FXm3d_trEVwdQYxN1nv0ch_J8EvU%3D%2F0x0%3A680x391%2F680x391%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28340x195%3A341x196%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16075270%2Fredline111116.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/55376f1/2147483647/strip/true/crop/680x382+0+5/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FXm3d_trEVwdQYxN1nv0ch_J8EvU%3D%2F0x0%3A680x391%2F680x391%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28340x195%3A341x196%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16075270%2Fredline111116.jpg 2x" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
/>
<source width="490"
height="275"
data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b455ee1/2147483647/strip/true/crop/680x382+0+5/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FXm3d_trEVwdQYxN1nv0ch_J8EvU%3D%2F0x0%3A680x391%2F680x391%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28340x195%3A341x196%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16075270%2Fredline111116.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
/>
<img class="Image" alt="An artist’s rendering showing Red-Purple Bypass over Sheffield (right) and potential redevelopment concepts, southeast on Clark Street. | Provided rendering" srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b455ee1/2147483647/strip/true/crop/680x382+0+5/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FXm3d_trEVwdQYxN1nv0ch_J8EvU%3D%2F0x0%3A680x391%2F680x391%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28340x195%3A341x196%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16075270%2Fredline111116.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c1ef91e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/680x382+0+5/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FXm3d_trEVwdQYxN1nv0ch_J8EvU%3D%2F0x0%3A680x391%2F680x391%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28340x195%3A341x196%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16075270%2Fredline111116.jpg 2x" width="490" height="275"
data-src="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b455ee1/2147483647/strip/true/crop/680x382+0+5/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FXm3d_trEVwdQYxN1nv0ch_J8EvU%3D%2F0x0%3A680x391%2F680x391%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28340x195%3A341x196%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16075270%2Fredline111116.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
>
</picture>
<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>An artist’s rendering showing Red-Purple Bypass over Sheffield (right) and potential redevelopment concepts, southeast on Clark Street. | Provided rendering</p></figcaption></div>
</figure>
</div>
</div><p>Reifman said the mayor’s intention was always to try to seal the deal before the Jan. 20 inauguration of a new president because of the normal slowdown that takes place whenever there is a changing of the guard in Washington.</p><p>But City Council approval of the transit TIF legislation took on a bit more urgency this week after billionaire businessman and reality TV start Donald Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton, the mayor’s candidate.</p><p>“Our goal was always to achieve this under the Obama administration. But certainly, we want to make sure that we hit that target now,” Reifman said.</p><p>Under a normal TIF, property taxes are frozen at existing levels for 23 years. During that time, the “increment” or growth in property taxes are held in a special fund and used for specific purposes that include infrastructure, public improvements and developer subsidies.</p><p>The transit TIF, created by the Illinois General Assembly in the waning hours of the spring session, would remain in place for 35 years.</p><p>The financially strapped Chicago Public Schools would get its 50 percent share of the growth off the top. The transit TIF would get 80 percent of the rest. The remaining 20 percent would be shared by the city and other taxing bodies.</p><p>On Thursday, top mayoral aides briefed aldermen and the media on previously undisclosed details of the transit TIF.</p><p>Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) said afterwards he was gung-ho on the idea.</p><p>“We can’t afford to leave over $1 billion on the table, especially with all the uncertainty about what’s going to happen in Washington. We have to get what we can get now in the closing days of the Obama administration,” Hopkins said.</p><div class="Enhancement" data-align-center>
<div class="Enhancement-item" data-crop="">
<figure class="Figure"><a class="AnchorLink" id="image-variant-2e0002" name="image-variant-2e0002"></a>
<picture data-crop="medium">
<source type="image/webp" width="490"
height="275"
data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/499a73a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/974x547+0+266/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FtlAFOSnM2lEkxLMQFPDlE04P0iM%3D%2F0x0%3A974x1078%2F974x1078%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28487x539%3A488x540%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16075271%2Fbrownlinebypass_1.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/39a3820/2147483647/strip/true/crop/974x547+0+266/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FtlAFOSnM2lEkxLMQFPDlE04P0iM%3D%2F0x0%3A974x1078%2F974x1078%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28487x539%3A488x540%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16075271%2Fbrownlinebypass_1.jpg 2x" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
/>
<source width="490"
height="275"
data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c308508/2147483647/strip/true/crop/974x547+0+266/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FtlAFOSnM2lEkxLMQFPDlE04P0iM%3D%2F0x0%3A974x1078%2F974x1078%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28487x539%3A488x540%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16075271%2Fbrownlinebypass_1.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
/>
<img class="Image" alt="brownlinebypass_1.jpg" srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c308508/2147483647/strip/true/crop/974x547+0+266/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FtlAFOSnM2lEkxLMQFPDlE04P0iM%3D%2F0x0%3A974x1078%2F974x1078%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28487x539%3A488x540%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16075271%2Fbrownlinebypass_1.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/2cc2352/2147483647/strip/true/crop/974x547+0+266/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FtlAFOSnM2lEkxLMQFPDlE04P0iM%3D%2F0x0%3A974x1078%2F974x1078%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28487x539%3A488x540%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16075271%2Fbrownlinebypass_1.jpg 2x" width="490" height="275"
data-src="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c308508/2147483647/strip/true/crop/974x547+0+266/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FtlAFOSnM2lEkxLMQFPDlE04P0iM%3D%2F0x0%3A974x1078%2F974x1078%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28487x539%3A488x540%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16075271%2Fbrownlinebypass_1.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
>
</picture>
</figure>
</div>
</div><p>By the time the work is completed in 2025, Red Line tracks from Lawrence to Bryn Mawr may be five to 10 feet higher than existing levels because they must be replaced and secured on rebuilt embankments, CTA officials revealed Thursday. In addition, a controversial “flyover” that will separate Brown Line tracks from Red and Purple Line ones will be, at its peak, about 20 feet higher than current tracks, CTA officials said.</p><p>Officials also revealed that the TIF transit district has actually shrunk in size from an original tentative plan. It will now run for roughly 6 miles — from North Avenue to Devon — and include one-half mile on either side. Signal improvements are planned from Belmont to Howard, and four stations in a row will be improved from Lawrence to Bryn Mawr.</p><p>Twenty-three parcels of property that include 16 buildings would be seized to make way for the “Belmont Flyover,” a massive elevated structure that CTA officials said will allow the system to run up to 15 additional trains per hour on the Red, Purple and Brown lines.</p><div class="Enhancement" data-align-center><div class="Enhancement-item">
<div class="ExternalContent-wrapper" data-embed>
<iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xEnu_FwZgXQ?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen title="Red & Purple Modernization (RPM) - Phase One Overview"></iframe>
</div>
</div></div><p>During a recent public hearing at DePaul University, Lincoln Park residents and others already hit with the double-whammy of rising property taxes and increased assessments fretted that the transit improvements could send their property taxes through the roof.</p><p>But City Budget Director Alex Holt urged area residents not to be alarmed by the schedule of debt service payments released Thursday by the city.</p><p>The table shows the transit TIF generating $803,251 next year, $8.4 million in 2018 and $26.9 million in 2021. The revenue would rise to $46.3 million in 2024, $67.1 million by 2027 and $113.5 million by 2033. By 2033, the total take would be $851 million. That would be enough to pay off the debt early, at which time it could be terminated. It estimates that revenue will jump about $16 million on the year of each triennial assessment, Reifman said.</p><p>Holt said that although property values in Lake View and Lincoln Park rose “enormously” during the most recent reassessment — anywhere from 10 to 30 percent — the average annual increase over the last 15 years in the 6-mile transit TIF corridor has been 3.6 percent, and that rate is expected to continue during the life of the TIF.</p><p>In fact, Holt said, the tax rate used to determine property tax bills is expected to decline over the TIF’s 35 years as the 144 other TIF’s across the city expire.</p><p>“When you get a TIF, the potential is to increase the tax rate that then increases the taxes for people as a whole. That’s a concern. It’s certainly legitimate,” Holt said.</p><p>“But over the next 35 years, all of the TIFs the city currently has in place are going to begin to roll off. All of that’s going to return increment and value to the base. So the end result of this — even with this TIF in place — is that we have a tax rate that’s lower than the tax rate we have today. With this TIF in place, we’re expecting the tax rate to go from 6.8 percent to 6 percent.”</p><p>The transit TIF may not have been necessary if the Illinois General Assembly had approved a capital bill in recent years that could serve as the source for matching funds.</p><p>But with the marathon state budget stalemate, which has put a capital bill on the back-burner in Springfield, Chief Financial Officer Carole Brown argued that Chicago has no choice but to go its own way.</p><p>Ald. Joe Moore (49th), whose far North Side residents are heavily dependent on the Red Line, said he’s all for the idea.</p><p>“If you are a Chicago resident who understands the importance of having reliable public transportation, this is a no-brainer. We need the federal dollars and, in order to get those federal dollars, we need to pony up some of our own money,” Moore said.</p><p>“It’s not a tax increase. TIFs take advantage of an accrual in the value of property,” he said. “In this case, they’re counting on refurbishing stations and renovating L lines to spur economic development that will pay for the matching funds. The TIF idea is the only way we can do it without raising taxes. It’s actually a way to ensure that we don’t raise taxes.”<br></p>
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2016/11/10/18351934/city-races-to-nab-1-1-billion-for-cta-before-obama-departsFran SpielmanRosalind Rossi2016-11-09T21:18:00-06:002019-04-17T20:56:27-05:005 issues to watch on the new 'Safe Roads Amendment'
<figure class="Figure"><a class="AnchorLink" id="image-da0003" name="image-da0003"></a>
<picture data-crop="medium">
<source type="image/webp" width="490"
height="275"
data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/936e989/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+28/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FNyPckEvOt5DPj06TEJnt-NrUm_E%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x630%2F1024x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x315%3A513x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16145976%2Fsaferoads111016.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e3358ef/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+28/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FNyPckEvOt5DPj06TEJnt-NrUm_E%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x630%2F1024x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x315%3A513x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16145976%2Fsaferoads111016.jpg 2x" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
/>
<source width="490"
height="275"
data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f9e79fc/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+28/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FNyPckEvOt5DPj06TEJnt-NrUm_E%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x630%2F1024x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x315%3A513x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16145976%2Fsaferoads111016.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
/>
<img class="Image" alt="saferoads111016.jpg" srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f9e79fc/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+28/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FNyPckEvOt5DPj06TEJnt-NrUm_E%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x630%2F1024x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x315%3A513x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16145976%2Fsaferoads111016.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/063ee63/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+28/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FNyPckEvOt5DPj06TEJnt-NrUm_E%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x630%2F1024x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x315%3A513x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16145976%2Fsaferoads111016.jpg 2x" width="490" height="275"
data-src="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f9e79fc/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+28/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FNyPckEvOt5DPj06TEJnt-NrUm_E%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x630%2F1024x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x315%3A513x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16145976%2Fsaferoads111016.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
>
</picture>
<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>Nearly 80 percent of Illinois voters approved the “Safe Roads Amendment” to the state constitution on Tuesday. It would amend the state constitution to protect revenue for transportation-related projects but could hurt other vital programs. | AP file photo</p></figcaption></div>
</figure>
<p>Questions swirled Wednesday around the decision by nearly 80 percent of Illinois voters to approve the “Safe Roads Amendment” to the state constitution, with Moody’s Investor’s Service calling the move “credit negative.”</p><p>Moody’s warned that the Safe Roads Amendment “cuts off the state’s ability to draw on about $3 billion in annual transportation revenue” that could help relieve “fiscal pressure” caused by hefty state pension contributions and reduced state income taxes following a January 2015 rate cut.</p><p>The amendment requires that all transportation-related fees and taxes be spent only on transportation-related projects, including aging infrastructure such as roads and bridges. Proponents say that in fiscal year 2015 alone, $520 million in state transportation revenue was “swept” away to other purposes.</p><p>The chief sponsor of the bill to put the measure on the ballot said the amendment creates pressure on the Legislature to come up with a source of revenue to replace the more than $6 billion in transportation revenue over a decade that has been spent on non-transportation needs.</p><p>“It forces us to use this money for what we promised the people it would be used for — transportation purposes,” said Sen. William Haine (D-Alton).</p><p>“Moody’s is saying we gotta find another source of revenue, and I’m saying that’s what we should do,” Haine added.</p><p>Some issues to watch in the days ahead:</p><p><b>Q. When does the amendment take effect?</b></p><p><b>A. </b>After the State Board of Elections certifies the vote tallies on the amendment, probably on Dec. 5, and Gov. Bruce Rauner issues a proclamation declaring the results.</p><p><b>Q. What do the comments by Moody’s mean?</b></p><p><b>A. </b>Moody’s declaration of “credit negative” does not connote a rating or outlook change; it’s merely an indication of the impact of the amendment on credit factors.</p><p><b>Q. How could Chicago be affected?</b></p><p><b>A. </b>The city’s budget director has estimated that Chicago might lose discretion over at least $250 million a year in local taxes under the amendment. As a result, the city is currently discussing the measure with legislators, a City Hall spokeswoman said.</p><p><b>Q. What can be done about Chicago’s concerns?</b></p><p><b>A.</b> Haine said “the sky is not going to fall” now that the amendment passed. He said its legislative intent was thoroughly discussed on the Senate floor but he is open to working on a bill to clarify its language for those with concerns.</p><p><b>Q. Will any state funds diverted away from transportation be affected this year?</b></p><p><b>A. </b>Proponents say no state funds will be affected this calendar year because no transportation funds were diverted to other purposes in the partial budget that ends this calendar year. Rauner spokeswoman Catherine Kelly said “the administration is reviewing the amendment and how it will impact our state agencies” but its passage highlights the importance of passing “a balanced budget with meaningful reforms.”<br></p>
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2016/11/9/18449836/5-issues-to-watch-on-the-new-safe-roads-amendmentRosalind Rossi2016-10-19T19:44:00-05:002019-04-16T01:06:13-05:00Tollway flush with higher truck tolls, new driver toll points
<figure class="Figure"><a class="AnchorLink" id="image-ea0003" name="image-ea0003"></a>
<picture data-crop="medium">
<source type="image/webp" width="490"
height="275"
data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7b84c29/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1123x630+39+0/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FAdy9mpRLrrGoPQbhTs_K4mh7Pwc%3D%2F0x0%3A1200x630%2F1200x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28600x315%3A601x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16082423%2Fillinois_tollway.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/88aa4f5/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1123x630+39+0/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FAdy9mpRLrrGoPQbhTs_K4mh7Pwc%3D%2F0x0%3A1200x630%2F1200x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28600x315%3A601x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16082423%2Fillinois_tollway.jpg 2x" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
/>
<source width="490"
height="275"
data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a65ad30/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1123x630+39+0/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FAdy9mpRLrrGoPQbhTs_K4mh7Pwc%3D%2F0x0%3A1200x630%2F1200x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28600x315%3A601x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16082423%2Fillinois_tollway.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
/>
<img class="Image" alt="illinois_tollway.jpg" srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a65ad30/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1123x630+39+0/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FAdy9mpRLrrGoPQbhTs_K4mh7Pwc%3D%2F0x0%3A1200x630%2F1200x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28600x315%3A601x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16082423%2Fillinois_tollway.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/386db61/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1123x630+39+0/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FAdy9mpRLrrGoPQbhTs_K4mh7Pwc%3D%2F0x0%3A1200x630%2F1200x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28600x315%3A601x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16082423%2Fillinois_tollway.jpg 2x" width="490" height="275"
data-src="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a65ad30/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1123x630+39+0/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FAdy9mpRLrrGoPQbhTs_K4mh7Pwc%3D%2F0x0%3A1200x630%2F1200x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28600x315%3A601x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16082423%2Fillinois_tollway.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
>
</picture>
<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>The Illinois Tollway logo. | Getty Images</p></figcaption></div>
</figure>
<p>Illinois truckers next year will face their third toll increase since 2014 and drivers will see seven new ramps with tolling points on the Jane Addams tollway under a tentative Illinois Tollway budget unveiled Wednesday.</p><p>Toll revenues and toll evasion recovery income is expected to increase by 6 percent next year, to $1.37 billion, as the Illinois Tollway kicks off the sixth year of a 15-year capital construction program.</p><p>The multiyear, $12 billion “Move Illinois” project is the largest in the Tollway’s history.</p><p>Construction barrels and barriers should be removed from the Jane Addams, also known as Interstate 90, by the end of this year, allowing seven new ramps between Barrington Road and Interstate 294 to collect tolls in 2017.</p><p>The good news for drivers in 2017 is that “It will be the first year with the Jane Addams wide open,” Illinois Tollway spokesman Dan Rozek said. “It will be a much faster, smoother trip.”</p><p>In addition, the Tollway will reap its first full year of revenue from three tolling points that opened on July 5 on the Elgin-O’Hare/Illinois Route 390 Tollway.</p><p>For truckers, 2017 will mark the third increase in Illinois truck tolls since 2014 as part of a congestion relief program approved in 2008, under the Rod Blagojevich administration.</p><p>The first of those increases took affect in 2015, when truck tolls went up 40 percent from 2014 rates. In 2016, they increased 10 percent from 2014 rates. Next year, they are supposed to go up an additional 10 percent from 2014 rates. That equals a 60 percent increase since 2014.</p><p>Trucking companies are none too happy about the toll increases, especially given that Illinois is one of the busiest trucking states in the nation, said Matt Hart, executive director of the Illinois Trucking Association.</p><p>The trucking association complained back in 2008, to no avail, Hart said.</p><p>Truck toll increases planned for 2017 alone should add “hundreds of thousands of dollars” to some trucking companies’ annual costs, Hart said.</p><p>“We are mad about it but we are going to do whatever we have to do to safely deliver the goods that people want,” Hart said.</p><p>Ultimately, however, higher tolls for trucks lead to higher prices for consumers on the goods that truckers transport, Hart said.</p><p>“We don’t mind paying our fair share, but we mind when more of the burden is on the trucking industry than cars,” Hart said. “Trucks account for a small percent of tollway traffic yet we account for over 40 percent of the revenue.”</p><p>The Tollway plans to spend $639 million on capital improvements and $336 million on maintenance and operations in 2017 for a total increase of $14 million.</p><p>Its budget includes continued work on the new Route 390 Tollway, planning for the new I-490 Tollway as part of the Elgin-O’Hare Western Access Project, more Jane Addams improvements, and continued planning and design for the reconstruction of the Central Tri-State Tollway (I-294).</p><p>The tentative budget was released to the Tollway’s Finance, Administration and Operations Committee on Wednesday. It will be reviewed by the full Tollway Board on Oct. 27 and then subject to public input.<br></p>
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2016/10/19/18359383/tollway-flush-with-higher-truck-tolls-new-driver-toll-pointsRosalind Rossi2016-10-14T18:43:00-05:002019-04-16T01:07:36-05:00Metra eyes hiking fares 5.8 percent on average next year
<figure class="Figure"><a class="AnchorLink" id="image-740001" name="image-740001"></a>
<picture data-crop="medium">
<source type="image/webp" width="490"
height="275"
data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d8f1fc7/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+28/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FOKFpjmo-95ppCnFAxEcqRMgO9fs%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x630%2F1024x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x315%3A513x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16082546%2Fmetrafilephoto.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/abca71b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+28/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FOKFpjmo-95ppCnFAxEcqRMgO9fs%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x630%2F1024x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x315%3A513x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16082546%2Fmetrafilephoto.jpg 2x" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
/>
<source width="490"
height="275"
data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/03e6731/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+28/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FOKFpjmo-95ppCnFAxEcqRMgO9fs%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x630%2F1024x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x315%3A513x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16082546%2Fmetrafilephoto.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
/>
<img class="Image" alt="metrafilephoto.jpg" srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/03e6731/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+28/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FOKFpjmo-95ppCnFAxEcqRMgO9fs%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x630%2F1024x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x315%3A513x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16082546%2Fmetrafilephoto.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6ab45dc/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+28/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FOKFpjmo-95ppCnFAxEcqRMgO9fs%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x630%2F1024x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x315%3A513x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16082546%2Fmetrafilephoto.jpg 2x" width="490" height="275"
data-src="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/03e6731/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+28/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FOKFpjmo-95ppCnFAxEcqRMgO9fs%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x630%2F1024x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x315%3A513x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16082546%2Fmetrafilephoto.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
>
</picture>
<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>Metra anticipates extensive delays on lines that use Union Station because of signal problems. | Sun-Times file photo</p></figcaption></div>
</figure>
<p>Metra riders would see an average fare increase of 5.8 percent – the larger of two options considered – under a $1.06 billion tentative budget approved Friday for release to the public.</p><p>The proposed fare hike would raise the cost of a monthly pass by $11.75, a 10-ride ticket by $2.75 and a one-way fare by 25 cents, regardless of zone, starting Feb. 1.</p><p>The fare increase is the third of 10 planned over a decade to help fund the overhaul of the oldest fleet among similar commuter railroads and bankroll an expensive, federally-mandated safety technology.</p><p>Once again, riders closest to the Loop would shoulder the biggest percent jump in fares, something some customers last year predicted would have some Metra riders switching to the CTA.</p><p>Outgoing Board Chairman Martin Oberman of Chicago argued in favor of the smaller fare hike — 4.8 percent. He noted that every time Metra raises fares, it loses riders.</p><p>Oberman said the board should stick by its promise to raise fares as little as possible each year in the 10-year schedule.</p><p>“What we did today was ad hoc,” Oberman told reporters. “We need to keep our customers trusting us.”</p><p>In fact, Oberman said, the board’s rail car purchase plans have changed so much that he would have supported a 1 percent fare increase except that RTA rules require that Metra fares cover 52.5 percent of its operating costs. That equates to a 4.8 percent fare increase.</p><p>But only board member Manuel Barbosa of Kane County was persuaded by Oberman to join him in opposing the 5.8 percent option.</p><p>It was the second battle Oberman lost Friday.</p><p>Oberman, an appointee of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, had lobbied behind the scenes for the board to change its rules so he could serve a full four-year term as chairman rather than surrender that role Nov. 2, when the partial term he filled expires and the chairmanship is due to turn over to a collar-county member.</p><p>Instead, board member Norman Carlson of Lake County, a former Arthur Andersen executive with railroad industry experience, was nominated Friday for chairman. Oberman joined in the “aye” votes, making Carlson’s elevation unanimous.</p><p>Oberman told reporters that his fare increase position had “absolutely nothing” to do with his loss of the chairmanship, as he raised the fare issue with colleagues much earlier.</p><p>Suburban board members argued Friday that the 5.8 percent average fare increase would yield $3 million more in revenue than the 4.8 percent one. That amount would allow Metra to rehab two locomotives and cut back on delays, they said.</p><p>Metra suffered 114 mechanical delays in September, largely due to locomotive problems, noted board member John Zediker of DuPage County.</p><p>“If we can chip into our second biggest cause of delays, I’m OK with that,” Zediker said.</p><p>Eight public hearings on the proposed fare increase and budget are scheduled for Nov. 2 and Nov. 3. That includes a Nov. 2 hearing from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Metra headquarters, 547 W. Jackson. A board vote is slated for Nov. 11.<br></p>
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2016/10/14/18359505/metra-eyes-hiking-fares-5-8-percent-on-average-next-yearRosalind Rossi2016-10-09T16:43:00-05:002019-04-15T21:03:19-05:00Commission bemoans jump in mystery O'Hare jet noise complainers
<figure class="Figure"><a class="AnchorLink" id="image-fe0003" name="image-fe0003"></a>
<picture data-crop="medium">
<source type="image/webp" width="490"
height="275"
data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/638303a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+21/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FYk63gmxiq4jR9kzR4XQbKD90GhE%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x617%2F1024x617%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x308%3A513x309%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16059409%2Fohare070616.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/1f04bc2/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+21/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FYk63gmxiq4jR9kzR4XQbKD90GhE%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x617%2F1024x617%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x308%3A513x309%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16059409%2Fohare070616.jpg 2x" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
/>
<source width="490"
height="275"
data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/1192067/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+21/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FYk63gmxiq4jR9kzR4XQbKD90GhE%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x617%2F1024x617%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x308%3A513x309%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16059409%2Fohare070616.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
/>
<img class="Image" alt="ohare070616.jpg" srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/1192067/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+21/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FYk63gmxiq4jR9kzR4XQbKD90GhE%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x617%2F1024x617%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x308%3A513x309%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16059409%2Fohare070616.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e9893da/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+21/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FYk63gmxiq4jR9kzR4XQbKD90GhE%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x617%2F1024x617%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x308%3A513x309%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16059409%2Fohare070616.jpg 2x" width="490" height="275"
data-src="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/1192067/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+21/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FYk63gmxiq4jR9kzR4XQbKD90GhE%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x617%2F1024x617%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x308%3A513x309%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16059409%2Fohare070616.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
>
</picture>
<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>An American Airlines plane prepares to land at O’Hare International Airport from the east over Chicago. | Tim Boyle/For Sun-Times Media</p></figcaption></div>
</figure>
<p>As new air traffic patterns took hold in August, the number of people complaining about O’Hare Airport jet noise more than doubled from a year ago, but the number of those people who also won’t say where they live jumped even more — by 40-fold.</p><p>The mystery complainants are mucking up O’Hare’s ability to accurately track and plot the location of jet noise beefs, some members of the O’Hare Noise Compatibility Commission said Friday.</p><p>“It’s inhibiting our ability to collect good data,” said Bensenville Mayor Frank Soto, a commission member who has urged that the city’s online complaint form be re-examined.</p><p>“They are causing a detriment to the community because they are not allowing us to capture” what’s happening.</p><p>Also Friday, Chicago Aviation Commissioner Ginger Evans said O’Hare in August finally got close to achieving the 50-50 split between “east-flow” and “west-flow” traffic that officials had predicted when the latest runway opened last October.</p><p>Before that runway debuted as part of an ongoing switch to mostly east-west parallel runways, O’Hare’s heavy reliance on “west flow” left Chicago shouldering 70 percent of daytime arrivals while Bensenville absorbed a similar percent of departures. In August, Chicago saw only 55 percent of daytime arrivals.</p><p>“This is a significant benefit,” Evans told the commission.</p><p>August also marked O’Hare’s second month of a new night runway rotation program. The 25-week night-time experiment, combined with the heavier day-time use of east flow, is bringing relief to some Chicagoans as well as extra jet noise to suburban areas. As a result, jet noise complaints are up in areas with new noise, officials said.</p><p>In August, new beefs poured in from Elgin and Harvard; complaints rose sharply in Schaumburg, Elk Grove Village and Bloomingdale.</p><p>All told, the number of people beefing about O’Hare jet noise in August hit more than 94,000, data showed Friday. That’s more than double last August’s numbers.</p><p>Meanwhile, the number of complainants from “unknown” communities jumped 40-fold, rising from 294 last August to 12,629 this August.</p><p>Other beefers may list their towns or zip codes, but not their addresses and names. In such cases, officials call them “anonymous.”</p><p>Chicagoans in particular apparently like their anonymity. Of Chicago’s more than 20,000 August beefers, nearly 19,000 did not give their names or exact addresses.</p><p>Schaumburg residents may be even more secretive. Of 11,410 complainants there, 11,383 clung to their anonymity. Nearly half of Elk Grove Village’s more than 58,000 complainers did not list their names or exact addresses.</p><p>Because little personal information was listed on nearly 4,000 River Forest August beefs, officials said they counted them as coming from separate River Forest residents. “We don’t want to guess” as to how many people actually made those complaints, one consultant explained.</p><p>The city’s <a class="Link" href="https://servicerequest.cityofchicago.org/web_intake_chic/Controller?op=csrform&restrict_loc=Y&invSRType=AVN" target="_blank" >online jet noise complaint form</a> requests a name, exact address, zip code, city, phone number and email, but none of those fields is required. In early 2015, the Fair Allocation in Runways citizen coalition posted a more user-friendly version of the form at <a class="Link" href="http://chicagonoisecomplaint.com" target="_blank" >chicagonoisecomplaint.com</a>. Complaints are automatically forwarded to official talliers, which is one reason complaints have increased.</p><p>Chicago Department of Aviation consultants use the form’s information to run a monthly list of complaints and complainants, broken down by Chicago ward and by suburb, and to plot those beefs on a map.</p><p>“As long as the complaint includes `O’Hare’ and `Illinois,’ the CDA will include the complaint in the monthly report,” said department spokesman Owen Kilmer by email. Sometimes officials are able to rack up a beef to a particular Chicago ward even if the complainant only lists a zip code, Kilmer said.</p><p>Some Noise Commission members have wondered if more residents might share their addresses if they were allowed to provide only their block and town. However, to count such beefs separately, officials would also need names attached to them.</p><p>Repeat beefers who share their addresses risk an anonymous call-out from the Chicago Department of Aviation. For example, the August O’Hare jet noise report notes that “7,064 of 7,449 complaints in Niles came from one address.”</p><p>Chicagoan Suzanne Carbon, a 39th Ward resident, suggested that instead of pointing the finger at repeat complainers, the CDA should try to find out why they keep complaining.</p><p>“Why not contact those people?” Carbon asked. “They might have something interesting to say.”</p><p>Noise Commission member Catherine Dunlap, of Chicago’s 41st Ward, said she hopes the commission subcommittee she chairs will take up the issue of complaint addresses next year.</p><p>“We don’t want to squelch people from complaining,” Dunlap said. Meanwhile, she said, “some people will complain no matter what.”<br></p>
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2016/10/9/18335389/commission-bemoans-jump-in-mystery-o-hare-jet-noise-complainersRosalind Rossi2016-09-29T20:24:00-05:002019-04-16T01:08:51-05:00Bidder loses appeal of biggest rail car contract in CTA history
<figure class="Figure"><a class="AnchorLink" id="image-880003" name="image-880003"></a>
<picture data-crop="medium">
<source type="image/webp" width="490"
height="275"
data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/61b2563/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+28/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FZqVjnD-ui-_uu7HJ-fr3zAYcbA4%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x630%2F1024x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x315%3A513x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16082719%2Fcta092916.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b4066ac/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+28/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FZqVjnD-ui-_uu7HJ-fr3zAYcbA4%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x630%2F1024x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x315%3A513x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16082719%2Fcta092916.jpg 2x" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
/>
<source width="490"
height="275"
data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6cb7df9/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+28/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FZqVjnD-ui-_uu7HJ-fr3zAYcbA4%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x630%2F1024x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x315%3A513x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16082719%2Fcta092916.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
/>
<img class="Image" alt="cta092916.jpg" srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6cb7df9/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+28/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FZqVjnD-ui-_uu7HJ-fr3zAYcbA4%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x630%2F1024x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x315%3A513x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16082719%2Fcta092916.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/753499a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+28/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FZqVjnD-ui-_uu7HJ-fr3zAYcbA4%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x630%2F1024x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x315%3A513x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16082719%2Fcta092916.jpg 2x" width="490" height="275"
data-src="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6cb7df9/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+28/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FZqVjnD-ui-_uu7HJ-fr3zAYcbA4%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x630%2F1024x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x315%3A513x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16082719%2Fcta092916.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
>
</picture>
<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>Natalie Moore recalls an assault on a woman on the L and writes that predators are not so easily spotted. | Sun-Times file photo</p></figcaption></div>
</figure>
<p>The Chicago Transit Authority is sticking with its decision to award the largest rail car contract in CTA history to a joint venture that includes a company owned by the Chinese government, officials said Wednesday.</p><p>The CTA has denied Bombardier Transit Corporation’s appeal of the CTA’s March decision to award CSR Sifang America JV the contract to produce the CTA’s next generation of rail cars.</p><p>Bombardier had contended the $1.3 billion deal was “rigged” and that the CTA “took direction” on the project from Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who touted CSR’s plans to open an assembly facility in Hegewisch and provide 170 local jobs as part of its offer. Only U.S. jobs were required as part of the bid, said Bombardier, which has plants in New York and Pennsylvania and a headquarters in Canada</p><p>Bombardier’s bid racked up 73.4 percent of all possible points in five areas, versus CSR’s 57.4 percent, Bombardier spokeswoman Maryanne Roberts said. Bombardier will be reviewing its options, including whether to appeal to the Federal Transit Administration or file a civil suit, Roberts said.</p><p>CTA spokesman Brian Steele noted that CSR’s bid was $226 million less and was deemed the “best overall value” to the CTA. Although Bombardier drew higher total scores, the two companies were close on the most important category, involving “technical” elements, he said.</p><p>An internal “CTA decision-maker” concluded that Bombardier’s claims “have no supporting evidence and are without merit,’’ Steele said.</p><p>CSR Sifang America is a joint venture of CRRC Qingdao Sifang, which is owned by the Chinese state, and CSR America, which has offices in Chicago.</p><p>Under the deal, up to 846 new 7000 series rail cars are planned over 10 years. Bombardier had supplied the CTA’s 5000 series rail cars.</p><p>CSR “looks forward to producing cars in Chicago, for Chicago,’’ a CSR representative said Wednesday.<br></p>
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2016/9/29/18359646/bidder-loses-appeal-of-biggest-rail-car-contract-in-cta-historyRosalind Rossi2016-09-28T19:28:00-05:002019-04-15T23:04:22-05:00Losing bidder accuses CTA of rigging rail car deal
<figure class="Figure"><a class="AnchorLink" id="image-560003" name="image-560003"></a>
<picture data-crop="medium">
<source type="image/webp" width="490"
height="275"
data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d43a0ee/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+28/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FcBQZVWazDwlGH7pvIeiC4bB8CIs%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x630%2F1024x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x315%3A513x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16070825%2Fcta_cst_060512_20_27010597.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/12c5a65/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+28/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FcBQZVWazDwlGH7pvIeiC4bB8CIs%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x630%2F1024x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x315%3A513x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16070825%2Fcta_cst_060512_20_27010597.jpg 2x" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
/>
<source width="490"
height="275"
data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/546999d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+28/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FcBQZVWazDwlGH7pvIeiC4bB8CIs%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x630%2F1024x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x315%3A513x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16070825%2Fcta_cst_060512_20_27010597.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
/>
<img class="Image" alt="cta_cst_060512_20_27010597.jpg" srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/546999d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+28/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FcBQZVWazDwlGH7pvIeiC4bB8CIs%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x630%2F1024x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x315%3A513x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16070825%2Fcta_cst_060512_20_27010597.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/73ffccc/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+28/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FcBQZVWazDwlGH7pvIeiC4bB8CIs%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x630%2F1024x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x315%3A513x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16070825%2Fcta_cst_060512_20_27010597.jpg 2x" width="490" height="275"
data-src="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/546999d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x575+0+28/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fthumbor%2FcBQZVWazDwlGH7pvIeiC4bB8CIs%3D%2F0x0%3A1024x630%2F1024x630%2Ffilters%3Afocal%28512x315%3A513x316%29%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F16070825%2Fcta_cst_060512_20_27010597.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
>
</picture>
<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>A train pulls into the Garfield Station in 2012. File Photo. | Brian Jackson~Chicago Sun-Times</p></figcaption></div>
</figure>
<p>The CTA “rigged” a contract for its next generation of rail cars in favor of a Chinese manufacturer who won the deal after “interference” from Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the losing bidder charged Tuesday.</p><p>Bombardier Transit Corporation filed a protest with the CTA demanding that the March 9 award to CSR Sifang America Joint Venture be cancelled, that Bombardier be declared the winner, and that Bombardier be given an additional $2 million in expenses.</p><p>At issue is a $1.31 billion contract for CSR Sifang America JV to provide up to 847 train cars to the CTA.</p><p>CSR Sifang America JV is a joint venture of CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co., which is owned by the Chinese state, and CSR America, which has offices in Chicago.</p><p>Its bid was more than $226 million less than that of Bombardier, which has headquarters in Canada and production facilities in New York and Pennsylvania.</p><p>In an emailed statement, CTA spokesman Brian Steele said the rail car deal was “was handled the same way every CTA competitive procurement is handled. CTA is confident that all of the procurement processes and applicable laws were followed properly, ensuring a fair and equitable contract award.”</p><p>However, in a 51-page protest brief Tuesday, Bombadier charged that CTA structured the deal to give CSR “arbitrary and undisclosed advantages.”</p><p>The CSR joint venture had promised to open a plant in Hegewisch and provide local jobs as part of its offer — something Emanuel hailed in a news conference at CTA headquarters about an hour after the CTA board vote on the contract.</p><p>Bombardier contended that the CTA “took direction from” Emanuel on the rail car deal and shared “confidential” bid information with the mayor and labor leaders before the contract was approved.</p><p>On a Sunday, March 6, three days before the CTA board vote, Emanuel “effectively ‘awarded’ the contract to CSR” by announcing through the mayor’s media office that “The CTA board on Wednesday will award a contract for more than 800 new rail cars” that includes “new jobs, as well as a multi-million-dollar investment in an assembly facility in Chicago,’’ according to the Bombardier protest brief.</p><p>The next day, the CTA “rushed” to complete its evaluation of the CSR proposal in time for the Wednesday CTA board meeting, when it presented “incorrect” and “fraudulent” information to the board about CSR, Bombardier charged.</p><p>Bombardier contended that CSR’s bid was so “unreasonably low” that it should have been investigated by the CTA, which is required to disqualify any bid whose price is too low.</p><p>Emanuel made clear that he wanted the CTA rail car deal to “encourage local job opportunities whenever possible,” Bombardier charged. However, because the contract involved federal funds, only U.S. jobs had to be created as part of the proposal —- not necessarily Chicago ones, Bombardier said.</p><p>“Federal law and CTA rules prohibit exactly what happened here; a trade of federal money for local preferences,” wrote Bombardier attorney Theodore Chung of Jones Day.</p><p>After the CTA board vote, the CTA dragged its feet in providing Bombardier records it needed to file a protest, the rail car manufacturer charged. It contended it is entitled to $2 million in costs incurred in preparing its original bid and its protest.<br></p>
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2016/9/28/18346984/losing-bidder-accuses-cta-of-rigging-rail-car-dealRosalind Rossi