Informational meeting planned for Thursday
Landowners along the 10 th Street rail corridor have a new ally when it comes to sacrificing their property for the rail relocation project.
Eve Blackwell-Lewis of Springfield is due to take over as ombudsman for the land acquisition process that will see about 170 homes and businesses displaced as the rail corridor is expanded.
Blackwell-Lewis is an attorney for the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services and a licensed real estate broker. Her task as ombudsman will be to act as a liaison between landowners who will be displaced and the City of Springfield, ensuring a fair price for both sides.
“My hope is really that my experience will allow me to help them make sure they get a fair deal,” Blackwell-Lewis said. “It’s always hard to rebuild a home, no matter how much money they give you.”
An estimated 120 homes and 50 businesses are slated for demolition to make room for expanding the existing rail corridor along 10 th Street. The plan is to move the current tracks along Third Street to 10 th Street and add underpasses on the expanded corridor to allow vehicles to pass.
Blackwell-Lewis says she grew up along the 10 th Street tracks and still lives near them today.
“I understand their dilemma because I grew up on 10-and-a-half street,” she said. “All of this shifting is going to be very challenging for everyone, especially given the economic circumstances.”
Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser, who is in charge of appointing the ombudsman, says the previous ombudsman, retired Sangamon County Associate Judge Theodis Lewis, resigned because the Illinois Department of Transportation hadn’t provided money to pay him. Milhiser says Sangamon County reimbursed Lewis for costs already incurred.
Blackwell-Lewis’ appointment as the new ombudsman is all but official, Milhiser says, but the county is waiting for IDOT to deposit money to pay her.
“I think Eve will do a fantastic job,” he said. “We’d like her to start as soon as possible.”
Blackwell-Lewis adds that she has not signed a contract for the position yet because she must make sure her new role doesn’t conflict with her state job.
Leroy Jordan, chairman of the rail task force for the Faith Coalition for the Common Good, recommended Blackwell-Lewis to fill the role of ombudsman. Jordan calls Blackwell-Lewis a “quick study” and says she is a natural choice because of her professional background and her life experience along 10 th Street.
“It’s important that we have a woman in this position who will bring a different perspective to the idea of selling and buying properties,” Jordan said. “She will make sure people who are displaced are treated in a fair way.”
In July, the Illinois General Assembly passed a bill creating a rail oversight commission, which would ensure the tenets of the Rail Community Benefits Agreement are upheld. The agreement between the Faith Coalition, the City of Springfield, IDOT and several elected officials calls for the project to include job training and hiring quotas for people of color and women, as well as fair compensation for landowners. The bill to create the all-volunteer oversight commission was sent to Gov. Bruce Rauner for final approval on Aug. 7 and awaits his signature.
Jordan says it remains to be seen who will be appointed to the commission, assuming Rauner signs the bill. The commission members should be from Springfield, he says.
“Involving the community is a key part of it,” Jordan said. “We need to step up and find qualified people so that our politicians can be held accountable.”
Hiring statistics released by the Illinois Department of Transportation this week show that about 25 percent of the workforce on the project is African-American, while about four percent of the workforce is female. The numbers represent employees from several contractors hired to work on the project.
An informational meeting on the rail project is scheduled for 5 p.m. Aug. 27 at the Prairie Capital Convention Center. Hosted by Hanson Professional Services, the open house meeting will feature information on the Carpenter Street underpass currently under construction and an update on the archaeological dig uncovered at the construction site. The meeting will present updates on the underpasses planned for Ash and Laurel streets, information on the land acquisition process and a new resource center which will be open one day per week with information about the rail project, including how to apply for jobs. For more information on the meeting, visit www. springfieldrailroad.com.
Contact Patrick Yeagle at [email protected].
