TODAY'S LEGISLATOR OUTREACH - NORFOLK SOUTHERN & CREATE - Community Benefits Agreements

Dear Coalition Members,

We sent the email below this morning to our elected officials regarding community protections and benefits. After 2 years of hard work, we're in position to negotiate our self-interests. Will you join us in this next chapter of our work?

Please see the notice below and come out to City Hall this Thursday, August 15th to attend the Chicago Planning Commission meeting where the fate of certain city-owned/TIF-based land is set to be decided. We're asking for a moratorium on decisions until commitments have been made for our benefit and protection.

Please call Naomi Davis this morning to report that you can join us on the bus this Thursday. 773-678-9541

Also save-the-date for the October 16th CREATE convening below.

Thank you caring in action!

 

Good Morning,

I'm writing as Chairman of the Citizens Coalition On The Grand Crossing Railroad Project which - together with our allies Sustainable Englewood and the South Side NAACP - has been working to ensure delivery of fair and appropriate community protections, benefits, and opportunities for neighbors impacted by the southeast intermodal expansion.

Understanding that this complex set of enterprises is more than a decade in the making, and after approximately 2 years of community-driven research, tracking, and queries, we note that no substantial commitments on careers or protections to our health have been made.

Therefore, we respectfully ask for an expedited meeting date to discuss our interests and requests. Further, we ask for a moratorium on new decisions impacting the health/wealth of our community until negotiations for our benefits are complete.

Thank you for your enhanced consideration of our community well-being.

--
Sincerely,
Naomi Davis, JD LEED GA
President & Founder
BIG: Blacks in Green™

Note New Address

Box 378411
Chicago, IL 60637

773-678-9541

www.blacksingreen.org

Building Green
Self-Sustaining
Mixed-Income
Walkable-Villages

Dear John, On Thursday, August 15th, there will be a hearing before City Hall, and we need you to show up and make your voice heard. Modifications to the Englewood Neighborhood TIF District -- from 55th to 67th and Halsted to the Dan Ryan -- are required before the City can finalize the sale of land that will make the 47th Street Rail Yard Expansion possible. This issue will be discussed at a Chicago Planning Commission hearing on Thursday, and this is an excellent opportunity to voice our concerns as a community. Please join us on Thursday, August 15th, at 1:00 p.m. to have our voices heard. A bus will depart from Englewood United Methodist Church (6400 S. Stewart Avenue) at 12:30 p.m. For more information or questions, contact John Paul Jones at (312) 473-6557 or Seth Johnson at (312) 795-3725. Blessings, John Paul Jones Sustainable Englewood Initiatives Update Profile

MARK YOUR CALENDARS and SAVE the DATE!

The Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) program is pleased to announce the second “GET-on-BOARD”, a Business-to-Business Exchange for the freight rail industry and CREATE partners on October 16, 2013 at The Ford Chicago Assembly Plant, 126^th at Torrence Ave, Chicago, IL, 9am -12pm. This CREATE business networking event will connect rail industry executives, government transportation agency heads, and prime contractors with disadvantaged, minority, and women owned firms seeking contracting and sub-contracting opportunities in engineering, design, construction, and support services with CREATE and other rail projects planned for Illinois.

CREATE is a first-of-its-kind partnership between U.S. DOT, the State of Illinois, City of Chicago, Metra, Amtrak, and the nation's freight railroads. A project of national significance, CREATE will need to invest $3.8 billion in critically needed improvements to increase the efficiency of freight, commuter and intercity passenger rail, reduce highway delay in the Chicago region, enhance the quality of life for Chicago-area residents, and mitigate the rail traffic snarls that thwart the economic vitality of the region and threaten our long-standing position as the transportation hub of the nation. In addition to CREATE, Illinois is receiving more than $1.3 billion in federal capital monies, matched by a commitment of about $180 million in state funds, to build a high speed passenger rail network that will connect Chicago to St. Louis and intermediate cities. The current project will reduce travel times by one hour, and planning is under way for additional improvements.

Please mark your calendars to come meet with industry leaders and government decision-makers to explore upcoming business contracting and procurement opportunities in the rail industry.

If you are a certified and experienced DBE/MBE/WBE, please make sure you visit www.createprogram.org for more information, updates, and pre-registration details. Space is limited.

Carlos Gutierrez

Central Management Services Business Enterprise Program Certification and Outreach Manager 100 West Randolph, Suite 4-100 Chicago, IL 60601-3103 Direct Line: (312) 814-3281 Main Line: (312) 814-4190 Fax: (312) 814-5539