Rep Kelly Announces So Suburban Airport
Flanked by more than a dozen law-and policymakers at Governors State University (GSU), U. S. Rep Robin Kelly recently announced the South Suburban Airport is a step closer to reality after decades of discussions.
“I am pleased that the Illinois State Legislature has taken the needs of the Southland and all of Illinois seriously in passing this legislation,” said Kelly, whose district includes the proposed airport site and GSU. “A cargo airport in the south suburbs will bring in a host of new economic activity, benefitting historically-underinvested communities, creating a taxation base to fund our local schools, municipalities, and services.”
The airport, potentially the third to serve the Chicago area, will be located just north of Peotone and envisioned to support the Amazon regional distribution center and other warehouses to serve a region lawmakers call a transportation hub. Discussions have persisted for 30 years, but in July Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill requiring IDOT to develop partnerships to build the airport, potentially the first carbon neutral airport in the U.S.
At the press conference, Governors State President Cheryl Green thanked Kelly for choosing the university to make the announcement of a “transformative investment in the Southland.”
Kelly, who recently lost her husband of 20 years, thanked her colleagues for their support and condolences during the conference and added, “I told my staff, I have to be at that press conference.”
She later commented on why she chose Governors State to announce the historic bill.“ We talk about the Southland and Will county, where the airport will be, and GSU sits in the middle of it all,’’ she said, adding, “We need Governors State to provide the workforce to put this all together."