I was born and raised on the Southeast Side, a tight-knit corner of the city between Lake Michigan, the Indiana border and the Calumet River. After leaving for college, I made my way back to this community and the people I love. Today, I am the principal at St.
Francis De Sales High School on 102 Street and Ewing Ave. Most of the kids I grew up with did not come back. The lack of economic opportunity was a big part it.
We were a steel industry town decades ago. When industry left, nothing took its place. Today, we need economic investment.
We need to compete with other communities in attracting capital, businesses and people. We now have an opportunity to do just that with Invert Chicago. The Invert is a proposed 6 million square foot subsurface office park that will revitalize an old steel-era brownfield that has sat dormant for decades.
The Invert will bring thousands of jobs and economic vitality, and cutting-edge companies to our community. It will take a 144-acre parcel of land, long ago abandoned by a 20 century dirty industry, and restore it to a productive and beautiful 21 century epicenter of innovation. SEND LETTERS TO: letters@suntimes.
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The problem is that there are some environmentalists in our community who oppose every development proposal, no matter the fact.