U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05), a member of the House Committee on Appropriations and Chair of the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee, announced that the House and Senate included all ten of the Chicago-area community projects he championed in the final Fiscal Year 2022 Appropriations Omnibus. The bill passed the House and Senate this week and is now headed to the President’s desk for signature, making the project funding the law of the land. The ten projects were selected from nearly 100 applications and marked the first time members were able to submit specific community projects for direct funding in over a decade. The passage of all ten of Quigley’s Community Project Funding submissions means that he has now secured more than $10.3 million in funding designated specifically for local projects. A few of the projects include:
Chicago Public Schools – $500,000
• This project directs funds to schools that would significantly benefit from capital improvement investments targeting the specific needs of each institution. By enhancing the physical environment students will be able to better engage in the school’s academic programming. Specifically, it will allow a STEM school to modernize a STEM lab; a Fine and Performing Arts program to update the flexible performing art space, and investments in classroom technology and furniture for students to engage in a choice-based learning environment tailored to their needs.
Critical Infrastructure Improvements for Visitor Safety, Animal Welfare, and Energy Efficiency at Lincoln Park Zoo – $1,000,000
• This project will upgrade the Lincoln Park Zoo’s infrastructure to enhance visitor safety, lessen the zoo’s environmental impact, and improve the security and well-being of resident animals and staff. Infrastructure improvements include upgrading the zoo’s HVAC system, structural improvements to the Regenstein African Journey building and the walkway leading to the McCormick Bird House, and implementing additional crosswalks, movable bollards, light poles, and a drop-off lane in the zoo’s East Gate parking lot to improve visitor safety and ease parking lot traffic.
Night Ministry – $275,000
• The Night Ministry serves thousands of Chicagoans annually who are experiencing poverty and homelessness, proving access to health care and housing to those most in need. Among the programs operated by the organization is the Night Ministry’s Health Outreach Bus, which six nights a week, serves individuals experiencing homelessness across several neighborhoods of the city. Funds provided for this project would enable the Night Ministry to purchase a new Health Outreach Bus, which would include a private exam room, private space for medical testing or meeting with social workers, as well as a hospitality area and restroom.
