Des Plaines riverwalk idea gains funding, footing
A wave of federal money is expected to give Des Plaines Mayor Tony Arredia's riverwalk project a needed $1 million boost.
As he awaits word on other grant money the city is seeking for the project, this award gives the mayor's dream project some solid footing.
"That's the one (grant) we thought we wouldn't get," Arredia said Tuesday.
The federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality program also awarded another $450,000 toward the mayor's bicycle path. This path would be created along the river to extend a bicycle path being built as part of a flood control project.
Arredia expects to get the check for both projects this fall, so he wants to get moving on formal planning for the project. The mayor pegs the cost of the riverwalk adjacent to downtown at $3 million.
Arredia envisions statues, sculptures and other amenities along the walk. Arredia, who must leave his mayoral seat in two years due to term limits, has set a personal deadline to complete the project by then.
The bicycle trail will be built on the river side of the flood wall. It will be attached to the flood wall and levee being built between Miner Street and Rand Road, including a culvert under Miner. The mayor would take the trail north to Central Road to connect with the Des Plaines Trail System, which starts near Elmwood Park and continues along the river through Lake County to near the Wisconsin border.
Some of the federal money could go to create a plan for a history campus, including a new facility for the Des Plaines History Center, around the site of the McDonald's museum, which recognizes the first outpost of the fast-food giant.
The history center is bursting at the seams, officials say. A larger home would allow for larger exhibitions and programs, said John Burke, historical society president.
The project would involve moving the century-old Kinder House across the railroad tracks to a new location off Lee Street. It also calls for renovating the motel that once housed the first hospital in the Northwest suburbs. The Polo Inn, 374 Lee St., is near the McDonald's museum, 400 Lee St.
"I think that people do have a natural interest in history," Burke said. "I think when you consider the rapid changes that are taking place in communities, I think that if there's one thing that brings people together it is their sense of the history of a community."
McDonald's officials have informally expressed support for the plan, but there's no word on whether the corporation would help fund the project.
The price tag is not yet known, nor how the remainder of the project would be paid for. But the mayor hopes to get a consultant working on the plan soon. Arredia plans to give a presentation at an upcoming council meeting.