Mayor Rahm Emanuel Secures Private and Public Funding for a Mega-Recreation Facility at Addams Park
Exelon Corporation, sister agencies and private donors provide $25
million in funding for 100,000 square foot recreational facility in
Chicago’s Near West Side community
CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Chicago Park District leadership and Exelon
President and Chief Executive Officer Chris Crane announced today $25
million in diversified funding to provide for the construction of the
indoor athletic facility and adjacent outdoor field improvements at
Addams Park. The park is located at 1301 W. 14th St., near Chicago’s
Pilsen, University Village and Little Italy neighborhoods.
“The new facility and outdoor improvements at Addams Park will provide
Near West Side residents with a community anchor for recreation and
leisure,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “Significant investments across the
public, private and non-profit sectors enable us to build on Burnham’s
vision for the City of Chicago and provide our communities with
invaluable resources to enjoy.”
The new 100,000 square foot multi-purpose indoor facility, named the
Exelon Student Recreation Center, will house an indoor track, artificial
turf field, basketball courts and several multi-purpose community rooms.
The facility will support a broad range of activities and events,
including athletic league programs and regional competitive events for
community youth and young adults.
Outdoor improvements will also be made on the existing 9.24-acre Addams
Park. Investments include the addition of a natural turf baseball field;
an artificial turf combination field for baseball, football, lacrosse
and soccer; and a walking path around the park.
“The Chicago Park District is grateful to have public and private
support from those who advocate and understand that our neighborhood
parks are pillars of communities across Chicago,” said Chicago Park
District Superintendent & CEO Michael P. Kelly. “The investments to
Addams Park will improve the physical and mental health of the residents
that it serves.”
The cost of the Addams Recreation Center construction project includes
$20 million for the building, and $5 million for field improvements,
parking, walking paths, landscape and lighting. Contributions from the
City of Chicago, the Chicago Park District and the Chicago Housing
Authority, as well a generous $5 million donation from The Inner City
Education and Recreation Foundation and a generous $3 million donation
from Exelon will bring the project to fruition by December 2019.
“Service to our community is a core value at Exelon – and that goes
beyond delivering the power that supports our economy and drives our
everyday life,” said Exelon President and CEO Chris Crane. “We are
committed to working with Mayor Emanuel and the Chicago Park District on
developments like these at Addams Park that establish safe spaces in the
community.”
The park is expected to serve an estimated 7,500 new residents moving
into the adjacent 120-acre mixed-income Roosevelt Square development.
Recent investments at Roosevelt Square include the development of a new
library branch expected to open in winter 2018. The joint effort with
Chicago Public Library and Chicago Housing Authority will include both a
library and mixed-income housing with a total of 40 to 50 units.
Park investments are a key component in Building on Burnham, the Mayor’s
comprehensive plan to invest in the Lakefront, the Chicago River,
natural areas and recreational opportunities in neighborhoods across the
city. This plan follows the Mayor’s successful expansion of Chicago’s
park system in his first mayoral term, which has already added 750 acres
of new parkland, 327 new playgrounds and more than $800 million in
capital investment from neighborhoods and private sources.
Fortune recently named Exelon to its 2017 list of the World’s Most
Admired Companies, which, in part, recognized the company for social
responsibility initiatives such as charitable giving to organizations
like the Chicago Park District and the Chicago Public Library. Last
year, Exelon employees contributed more than 170,000 hours of community
service, and Exelon companies and the Exelon Foundation donated more
than $46 million to nonprofits – the largest amount ever for the company.
For more information on Exelon’s commitment to the areas where its
employees live, work and serve, visit www.exeloncorp.com/community.
About the Chicago Park District
The Chicago Park District is home to more than 8,700 acres of
parkland, more than 600 parks, 26 miles of lakefront, 12 museums, two
world-class conservatories, 16 historic lagoons, nearly 50 nature areas,
thousands of special events, sports and entertaining programs. CPD is
the 2014 Gold Medal Award winner, recognized for excellence in park and
recreation management across the nation.
About Exelon
Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC) is a Fortune 100 energy company with
the largest number of utility customers in the U.S. Exelon does business
in 48 states, the District of Columbia and Canada and had 2016 revenue
of $31.4 billion. Exelon’s six utilities deliver electricity and natural
gas to approximately 10 million customers in Delaware, the District of
Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania through its
Atlantic City Electric, BGE, ComEd, Delmarva Power, PECO and Pepco
subsidiaries. Exelon is one of the largest competitive U.S. power
generators, with more than 33,300 megawatts of nuclear, gas, wind, solar
and hydroelectric generating capacity comprising one of the nation’s
cleanest and lowest-cost power generation fleets. The company’s
Constellation business unit provides energy products and services to
approximately 2.2 million residential, public sector and business
customers, including more than two-thirds of the Fortune 100. Follow
Exelon on Twitter @Exelon.
Contacts
Robin Levy
Exelon Corporate Communications
202-637-0317
[email protected]