Jan. 05--The idea of a major employer coming to one of Chicago's poorest suburbs sounded too good to be true. And it might be.
Developer ALM Resources LLC is working on plans to build a massive quarry operation in Robbins, a suburb that struggles with crime and unemployment. If the project moves forward as originally envisioned, it could wipe out one-third of the town and impact Chicago's Southwest Side and surrounding suburbs with tunneling, dust and dynamite.
Like every fairy tale, there's a catch. In this one there are many.
The background: In 2013, Robbins officials signed a contract with Riverside-based ALM to acquire 52 homes and roughly 100 other properties for a quarry, a mining operation and a therapeutic horse farm, with the promise of stores and new housing. Robbins, a small suburb of 5,000 residents, is believed to be sitting on a sizable limestone deposit.
The project moved along so quickly and quietly that residents whose homes would be bulldozed didn't even know about it. By the time they did, the paperwork had been signed to allow for a quarry and asphalt and concrete facilities, taking up more land than 60 football fields in a heavily populated area. No worries, the developers said of the mining: There's only one big dynamite boom per day.
The lack of transparency raised a red flag with Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, who assigned his inspector general to review the proposal. The IG's report confirmed that village trustees and the former Robbins mayor approved the plan with little public debate. The contract did not include a windfall for Robbins; instead it set a swift pace for acquisition of homes and a pipe dream of promises that were not in writing.
Once word spread, the community revolted. Homeowners organized an opposition campaign. They started attending village board meetings. And they applied enough pressure that the Robbins Village Board eventually voided the contract with ALM.
That's not the end of the story, though. ALM insisted the contract was a binding agreement. So the trustees and Robbins' current mayor, Tyrone Ward, have again been negotiating a deal for the quarry to avoid litigation. They have asked the company to reduce the scale of the project. But once again, they've been doing it privately. Once again, no transparency.
This isn't the path to prosperity. Even ALM officials, who insist their intentions to invest in Robbins are sincere, should know better than to negotiate in secrecy. If this project were proposed in a town with more resources, it would be vetted at numerous public hearings. It would undergo an environmental impact study from a neutral source. It would be reviewed by outside firms to assess the costs and risks.
But because it's Robbins, a town desperate for jobs, all of those steps have been thrown aside. Robbins can barely afford its own police department and public library. It seems to be a magnet for projects such as landfills, garbage incinerators, tire-burning facilities, and now a quarry.
The six-member village board is expected to vote in February on whether to put the project before voters. The April municipal ballot in Robbins could include a question on whether to proceed with the quarry.
That's a start toward a more transparent process. Residents deserve a voice in a project that would upend their town. They deserve an open, informed debate.
Robbins trustees: Put the issue up for a referendum. Host several public hearings between now and the April 7 election. Don't leave out any details. Let your citizens decide. Robbins greatly needs more employers, but not at any cost.
