Commonwealth Edison to spend $33 million on Rockford library

ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) - Commonwealth Edison has agreed to spend $33 million on a new library in downtown Rockford after contamination was discovered under the city's main library branch.

The Rockford Register Star reports (http://bit.ly/2oVxPGr ) ComEd will also pitch in nearly $4 million to renovate a temporary location during construction. The money comes from a fee all ComEd customers pay to support environmental cleanup efforts.

The library was built on land once occupied by a manufactured-gas plant owned by a company that merged with ComEd in 1960s. ComEd determined in 2010 that coal tar was seeping from underground vaults into the soil.

Library leaders plan a state-of-the-art building along the riverfront with a children's room, local history room and updated technology. They hope to move into the new building within three to five years.

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Information from: Rockford Register Star, http://www.rrstar.com