OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER PROGRESS REPORT ROAD TO GROUNDBREAKING AUGUST 16, 2021

On Monday, August 16, 2021, the Obama Foundation will officially begin work on the Obama Presidential Center after a years-long planning and review process. Roadway improvements will continue and construction will begin within the 19.3 acre site of the Center that sits within the 550-acre Jackson Park. A ceremonial groundbreaking to mark this construction milestone on the site is being planned for later this fall.

ROADWAY & PARK UPDATES Starting next Monday morning, August 16, Cornell Drive will begin to be narrowed from six lanes to four lanes between 59th Street and Hayes Drive. At the same time, the easternmost block of South Midway Plaisance, between Stony Island Avenue and Cornell Drive, will be permanently closed.

Motorists that previously used South Midway Plaisance to connect to Cornell Drive will be directed to an alternate route. For northbound motorists, from August 16 to no later than September 2, drivers will need to turn left and go north on Stony Island Avenue and continue up to 57th Street, then turn right on 57th Street to connect up to Cornell Drive and, if desired, continue up to DuSable Lake Shore Drive. Starting no later than September 2, those drivers will still need to turn left and go north on Stony Island Avenue but only to North Midway Plaisance.

The long-term traffic plan for this area is for North Midway Plaisance to be converted to two-way traffic, and eastbound motorists will then be able to drive “up” North Midway Plaisance from Stony Island Avenue to Cornell Drive. There will be a new signalized intersection at North Midway Plaisance and Cornell Drive.

Ultimately, these new traffic configurations will create better pedestrian connections between the adjacent community, Jackson Park and the lakefront, and better connect currently separated areas of Jackson Park to one another.

CDOT SUGGESTS MOTORISTS CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING ALTERNATE ROUTES:

For traffic heading to northbound For traffic heading southbound: DuSable Lake Shore Drive: › 55th Street/Garfield Boulevard to the southbound Dan Ryan/I-90/94 › 55th Street/Garfield Boulevard to the Dan Ryan/I-90/94 and northbound to I-55 and eastbound to northbound DuSable Lake › 63rd Street eastbound to Hayes Drive and southbound on either Shore Drive Stony Island or South Shore Drive

› Cottage Grove to 47th Street and eastbound to northbound DuSable Lake Shore Drive

1 WORKFORCE UPDATE The Obama Foundation rolled out the OPC Construction Workforce Initiative training program in mid-March. Called We Can Build It, the initiative seeks to ensure the Foundation meets its goals of having 35% of the workforce hours on the project come from underserved communities on Chicago’s South and West sides.

Since launch, the initiative has engaged 1,400 residents in the program, nearly 60% of whom are Black while another 28% are RESIDENTS ENGAGED Hispanic. The group has held 45 workforce 1,400 training sessions in target zip codes – and has already started placing qualified candidates in other construction jobs as a key part of the initiative is to diversify the talent pool for LATINO 28% 60% BLACK all construction work in Chicago. To date, 28 candidates from the workforce initiative have been placed in jobs across the city.

On September 11, we will partner with Aldermen Jeanette Taylor, Leslie Hairston, and Stephanie Coleman to host a free community resource fair at Kennedy King College, which, in addition to details about the workforce opportunities at the Center, will also include information on childcare services, legal resources, housing & rental services and more.

Additionally, the Obama Foundation has committed to awarding 50% of the construction contracts to diverse vendors.

To date, we’ve awarded approximately $120M in construction contracts, over 50% of which going to firms owned by minorities, women, and other certifications recognized by the city of Chicago. The largest contract awarded to date is a $94M contract with the Concrete Collective, a joint venture with 51% ownership held by two Chicago-based, Black subcontractors. Because the scale of the Center’s project is larger than most minority vendors could service independently, the Obama Foundation encouraged several firms to partner together so those firms could offer the scale needed, ensuring local, Black-owned businesses were given a chance to profit from the project and gain experience on a large-scale project that will allow smaller firms to compete for other larger developments in the future.

TRACK & FIELD UPDATE Last Friday, the celebrated Wolf Pack pee-wee football team hosted its final game on the old track and field site. Starting this fall, the team and others from the South Side YMCA and Hyde Park High School will begin practicing and playing on the new track and field, which will feature amenities not offered in the old track, including:

LIGHTS TO SUPPORT LOCKERS FOR VIEWING STANDS NIGHTTIME EVENTS ATHLETES ON SITE FOR SPECTATORS

On a recent visit to Chicago, President Obama met with Coach Radcliff and his Wolf Pack team, where players shared their excitement for all the amenities the Center will bring to the community.

2 ENVIRONMENTAL UPDATE The area of Jackson Park where the Center will be located currently faces significant environmental challenges, from stormwater retention, poor quality of trees (40% of which are in decline) and a lack of biodiversity of plantings. Each of these challenges are being addressed in the Center’s landscape designs, including:

STORMWATER: The Center has a goal of accommodating a 100-year storm event on the site bringing it into alignment with the City of Chicago Stormwater Ordinance. Additionally, the Center will host a refreshed circulation strategy around and into the Women’s Garden, which, once complete, will retain the existing circular form of the historic sunken lawn of this portion of Jackson Park. It will also improve the current drainage strategy ensuring that these lower portions of the park are allowed to drain while accentuating the park’s gardenesque character.

TREES: The landscape design calls for more trees than exist on the site today, in many more varieties than exist on the site today.

PLANTINGS: The site will also include an increase in biodiversity at all levels of planting, helping to bolster the site’s resilience while adding experiential value, habitat, and environmental improvements.

The Foundation is also taking multiple steps to ensure the Center has a positive impact for the migratory pattern of birds on the site, including:

LIGHTING: The Foundation will follow the Audubon Society’s “lights out” goals.

BUILDING: The museum building is designed to mitigate glass and reduce the potential for reflective surfaces.

PLANTS: More biodiversity in plantings will attract different bird species.

TIMELINE: Construction crews are taking significant steps to not disrupt migratory patterns.

For additional construction updates visit our website here.

3