|
 When
the Joliet Arsenal was developed by the U.S. Army in the
early 1940’s as a manufacturing plant for munitions, the
26,500-acre site 40 miles southwest of
Chicago was selected
because it was ideally situated adjacent to a major railroad
line and within commuting distance for a large pool of
skilled and semi-skilled labor.
In the following
decades, the Arsenal became one of metropolitan Chicago’s
largest employers, with more than 12,000 Illinois residents
on its payroll during peak production years. The Arsenal
provided munitions critical throughout World War II as well
as the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. In 1976 the Arsenal was
decommissioned, leaving offices and factories as mute
reminders of a once productive military installation. The
U.S. Army declared the Joliet Arsenal excess property in
1993.
When Congress passed
legislation in 1995 to transfer the land for remediation,
the Arsenal site was subdivided for both public and private
use. The Joliet
Arsenal Development Authority (JADA), through the state of
Illinois, was
established to help create quality job opportunities and
boost economic
development in the Will County area.
During the planning
stages, the project brought together virtually all levels of
government, more than a dozen public agencies and private
industry to benefit the community under a common plan.
In 2000, JADA received
the first transfer of land from the U.S. Army. Soon after,
construction began on what is now known as the CenterPoint
Intermodal Center (CIC).
In 2002, the BNSF
Logistics Park opened. This facility integrated several
 modes
of transportation—direct rail, truck, transload and
intermodal. This state-of-the-art logistics center serves
as a central location for the gathering and distribution of
goods in the Midwestern United States.
In 2003, International
Union of Operating Engineers — Local 150 purchased 300 acres
to build a state-of-the-art training center.
In 2004, JADA received
the final transfer of the 1,100-acre Island City Industrial
Park.
In 2005, JADA entered into an agreement with ProLogis to
develop a 770-acre warehouse and distribution park. |
