Ex-U.S. Steel site to become green ‘eco campus’: Joliet mayor

The former U.S. Steel site in Joliet will become a recycling center for car batteries and plastics, with possibilities of other green industries in the future, Mayor Bob O’Dekirk said Wednesday.

O’Dekirk announced plans for the long vacated steel mill property on Collins Street during his State of the City speech.

Gov. JB Pritzker’s office and Argonne National Laboratory are involved in the project, O’Dekirk said. A private buyer would acquire the U.S. Steel property.

“They intend to buy the U.S. Steel site and convert the site into a Joliet eco campus,” O’Dekirk said.

Other possibilities for the 57-acre site include a solar farm to produce electricity.

The city for years has been trying to redevelop the U.S. Steel property.

“I think U.S Steel is committed to seeing this through,” O’Dekirk said.

O’Dekirk did not give a timeline for potential redevelopment of the U.S. Steel site.

City Manager James Capparelli after the speech, however, said proposals for property annexations on the other side of the Des Plaines River will come to the City Council in the coming months.

The project would involve dropping off vehicles by barge on the west side of the river where a recycling operation currently exists, Capparelli said. Cars and parts would be ferried across the river for recycling at the U.S. Steel site located on the east side of the river.

The governor’s spokesperson and Argonne National Laboratory did not respond to calls and emails seeking comments on their involvement in the project.

Capparelli said both they and the U.S. Department of Energy and the University of Illinois at Chicago have been involved in discussions about the Joliet project.

The goal is for the Joliet site to be used for the development of new technology, he said.

“When they come up with new technology at the laboratories, we hope they’ll bring it here and bring it up to market,” Capparelli said.

O’Dekirk announced the plan for the U.S. Steel site at a speech that appeared aimed at making his case for reelection in the April 4 election.

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He faces challenges from Terry D’Arcy, a car dealer and prominent businessperson, and Tycee Bell, a community advocate. D’Arcy was in the audience for the mayor’s speech but left early for another event in which he was involved. He could not be reached later for comment.

O’Dekirk aimed his speech at accomplishments since he became mayor in 2015 and said the city has taken an “ultra-aggressive approach” to attracting new business development.

“I think there was a real change in attitude – a seismic change at City Hall,” O’Dekirk said to the group of more than 250 gathered for the annual State of the City speech made to the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce & Industry at the 176 West banquet hall.

O’Dekirk focused on city revenues since he became mayor, pointing to large increases in sales taxes, hotel taxes, and other sources of city revenue.

Without mentioning the April 4 election, O’Dekirk said, “I think it’s very important to put some context on where the city has come in the last eight years.”

O’Dekirk listed other developments in the city that he said were pushed along by a more aggressive approach at City Hall since he became mayor:

• The new downtown courthouse.
• The Houbolt Road bridge expected to be completed this spring.
• The Rock Run Crossings development that will include a new Hollywood Casino at Interstates 55 and 80.
• The opening of the old Joliet Correctional Center for tourism and events.
• $1.4 billion in Interstate 80 improvements by the Illinois Department of Transportation.
• The Lion Electric bus and truck factory.
• Continued commercial development around the Louis Joliet Mall.
• The arrival of four corporate headquarters to Joliet.
• The Lake Michigan water project to replace an aquifer projected to no longer meet peak water demands by 2030.