Catching Up With Quigley: Week of July 29
Dear Friend,
With Congress officially back home for the month of August, I wanted to look back on some of the work I did this week while in our district.
1. Toured a Community Project Funding Site
On Wednesday, I toured Belray Apartments, an 86-unit affordable housing project along Racine Ave in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood. In May, I submitted a federal funding request for Belray along with 15 additional projects throughout our district. If approved, this funding would go toward renovating the existing 70-unit building and adding 16 more apartments in a separate, newly constructed building. This will preserve existing affordable housing units while increasing the capacity to support individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness. During my visit, I heard from several residents who shared how important Belray is to them and how much they enjoy living in the neighborhood. It is my hope that these 15 requests, Belray included, eventually become law so these projects can receive the funding they need to better serve our community.
2. Met with Summer Campers at the Lincoln Park Zoo
On Wednesday, I went to the Lincoln Park Zoo to meet with some of the campers participating in their summer program. The Lincoln Park Zoo is one of my favorite sites in our district and in Chicago. The campers range in age from pre-K to 8th grade and spend their time learning about the many animals at the zoo and how they are cared for. They also explore the relationships between animals, humans, and ecosystems. I was pleased to meet with these bright campers and see firsthand how they are learning the importance of caring for our planet from a young age.
3. ICYMI: Secured Additional Funding for the Red Line Extension Project
Last week, the Federal Transit Administration announced an increase in funding for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Red Line Extension (RLE) Project, committing $746 million in the first year. This is an additional $396 million—in addition to the $350 million originally planned. The RLE Project is a major step in building a more equitable transit system for our city, ensuring the benefits of public transit can be utilized by communities that have historically lacked access. Since 2020, I have been working with my Illinois colleagues to see this project move forward and have advocated for increased federal cooperation to ensure it can be completed on time. This new announcement will help meet those expectations by ensuring CTA can lock in contracts now, allowing the project to move forward sooner while saving hundreds of millions of dollars in project costs. The RLE Project will serve roughly 100,000 people, most of whom are from low-income households on Chicago's South Side. It will also benefit tens of thousands of working families and individuals in surrounding suburbs and neighborhoods.
Don't forget, our office is always here to help.
You can call my DC office at (202) 225-4061 or my Chicago office at (773) 267-5926. You can also email me through my website at Quigley.house.gov/contact.
Sincerely,
Mike Quigley