Chicago mayor says cost of proposed police academy likely to go way up
By: John Byrne, Chicago Tribune
CHICAGO — The city’s controversial police and fire academy planned for the West Side is likely to be a lot more expensive than originally thought, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Tuesday.
As it’s now designed, the proposed $95 million training facility in West Garfield Park that former Mayor Rahm Emanuel got the City Council to approve just before he left office doesn’t seem likely to meet the needs of first responders, particularly firefighters, Lightfoot said.
Asked whether the cost could double for the project that young activists have vehemently opposed as a waste of money that should instead go toward education, job training and mental health services in minority neighborhoods, Lightfoot said she didn’t know.
