Opinion

Letter: Pick Waukegan students over pricey runway

Posted January 24, 2023 12:00 am

Waukegan, the state of Illinois and the Lake County Forest Preserve are suffering from terribly misguided priorities.

The Waukegan schools need $122 million in building updates. The 200 miles of Waukegan streets are in poor repair, and there are too few acres of forest preserve district open space serving Waukegan.

Yet, Waukegan, the state, and the forest preserve district are about to give away 52 acres of open space and spend $186 million to build a new, longer runway at Waukegan National Airport so corporate jets can fly nonstop to Asia.

Talk about misguided priorities!

The new runway will be 550 feet longer than Midway Airport's. The state will provide the lion's share of the $186 million while the education of Waukegan children is underfunded.

The Illinois Departrment of Aeronautics rates the Waukegan runway "good" and not in need of lengthening.

Stop this boondoggle immediately and reorder your priorities.

Bill Morris

Waukegan

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