11/12/2001
The Daley administration is making steady progress in acquiring the land needed for the new 15th District police station, according to a progress report issued Thursday.
More than half of the needed land parcels already have been secured for the new Austin District station, according to Public Building Commission executive director Eileen Carey.
“We’re very pleased with the pace of land acquisition and look forward to breaking ground next year on this important project,” Carey said.
The new police station, funded through Mayor Richard M. Daley’s Neighborhoods Alive program, will be built on both sides of Madison Street between Parkside and Menard avenues. The building itself will be on the south side of the street, with parking lots on either end and on the north side of Madison extending past Menard toward Mayfield Avenue.
The new station will feature state-of-the-art computers and other crime fighting equipment; better facilities for the officers; and space for community policing programs.
It will be more than twice the size of the existing station, which was constructed in 1918 and is the third-oldest police district building in Chicago.
When finished, the new facility will have features that weren’t dreamt of 83 years ago, including separate locker rooms for female officers, Carey explained. Also, the building will be completely accessible for people with disabilities.
