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District Office:
2701 Black Rd., Suite 201
Joliet, IL 60435
Phone: (815) 740-2028
Fax: (815) 740-2037

Washington DC:
108 Cannon HOB
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-3635
Fax: (202) 225-3521

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Redevelopment of the Joliet Arsenal

One of Congressman Weller's top priorities as a Member of the House of Representatives is ensuring that local projects receive priority in Washington’s Budget. That is why he has have fought to bring home millions of dollars to meet our local needs in Illinois.

The Joliet Arsenal
The Illinois Land Conservation Act, legislation which Congressman Weller sponsored, passed on February 10, 1996. This historic legislation was locally led and supported by the Citizens Planning Commission, charged with creating a plan for redevelopment. Congressman Weller is pleased to have worked with local residents on developing and implementing a balanced plan for the Joliet Arsenal which created the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, the Deer Run Industrial Park, and the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery.

When the Illinois Land Conservation Act passed five years ago, no one could have imagined the changes that have taken place on the former Joliet Arsenal. The team effort, dedication and hard work of many people in Illinois and Washington is responsible for beginning the restoration of the Midewin Tallgrass Prairie, honoring our veterans at the Abraham Lincoln Veterans Cemetery and the economic development of the Deer Run industrial site.

History
The Joliet Army Ammunition Plant was born from the need of the United States for munitions in 1941. At its height, the Joliet Arsenal produced over half of all the TNT used by the Army and employed 12,000 people. The Joliet Arsenal was active during World War II and the Korean and VietNam conflicts before it was closed in 1977. Today the Joliet Arsenal serves as a shining example not only of a transition from wartime to peacetime use but also how locally led coalitions partnering with government and business can effect positive change in their community.

Deer Run Industrial Park
August 10, 2000 marked the beginnings of the Deer Run Industrial Park into a vibrant regional economic engine with the transfer of land from the United States Army. The site is being transformed from one of the largest brownfield sites in Illinois into a center of commerce. What was an unusable parcel of land will become one of North America’s largest intermodal truck and rail freight facilities under the leadership of Centerpoint Properties. Centerpoint Properties has been instrumental in the clean-up and development of the former Joliet Arsenal.

The site redevelopment is also bringing massive new job development to our region. Upwards of 10,000 permanent, full-time new jobs will be created out of the Deer Run development while 20,000 construction jobs will be created. Additionally, upwards of $27 million in tax revenue will be generated by the new development. The Centerpoint development project is one of the largest private developments in North America. Totaling over 2,200 acres, the project will create 17 million square feet of industrial space and a freight rail facility under the operation of Centerpoint partner Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railroad.

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie
Known as the "Gift to Future Generations," the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, the largest conservation area of its kind, is rapidly becoming a national model for environmental redevelopment. The first national prairie east of the Mississippi, large scale efforts to restore the natural prairie and improve facilities at Midewin continue today. The United States Forest Service has continued to acquire parcels of land adjacent to the Midewin as part of the overall rehabilitation program for the prairie and wetlands.
The prairie is currently open to visitors by tour at this time, and as the cleanup of the prairie continues will be open eventually to all without tour guides. The long term development plan includes restoring prairie on old crop fields by replanting prairie using seeds and plants of native species. Given the scale of the Midewin’s prairie restoration program, immense amounts of plant material will be needed. Planners at Midewin have decided to grow much of the seed and plants on sight due to economic considerations and unavailability of material because of the large volume needed to restore Midewin. Several fields planted with seed beds and prairie grass fields are serving as a plant source. Each seed bed is planted with one species and seed for the prairie restoration will be harvested off the beds. Eventually, there will be about 200 acres of beds producing seed for at least 350 species of native plants. This diversity will allow restoration of woodlands, savannas, and wetlands at Midewin, in addition to prairies. The grass seed production fields will eventually cover 200 acres, providing seed for at least eight different types of prairie grasses across Midewin.

Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery
The Abraham Lincoln National Veteran’s Cemetery was dedicated on October 3, 1999. The Nation’s second largest veterans cemetery, it is honoring American men and women who served our country with honor and courage. How appropriate it is that the former Joliet Arsenal which helped build our country’s strength in battle should now gracefully embrace our veterans in its soil while comforting their families with its serenity and peace.
President Abraham Lincoln founded the National Cemetery system in 1862. He understood our nation’s veterans deserved a final resting place of honor, dignity, and gratitude. Rightfully, the cemetery has been named in his honor. Thanks to the dedication of countless Illinois veterans, the success of the cemetery has been ensured which today honors our veterans.