11/12/2001
The Daley administration is making steady progress in acquiring the land needed for the new 22nd District police station, according to a progress report issued Thursday.
About two-thirds of the needed land parcels already have been secured for the new Morgan Park 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 Esmond Street between Monterey and Pryor avenues. The building itself will be located on the west side of Esmond, with parking north of the station and across the street on both Esmond and Monterey.
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 four times the size of the existing station, which was constructed in 1938 and is one of the half-dozen oldest police district buildings in Chicago.
When finished, the new facility will have features that weren’t dreamt of during the Great Depression, including separate locker rooms for female officers, Carey explained. Also, the building will be completely accessible for people with disabilities.
