From school construction to street openings, what to look forward to in 2024
As Springfield rings in 2024, the city will begin to see the fruits of its labor on several fronts.
That includes the opening of Lanphier High School after a $93.2 million reconstruction, the long-anticipated scheduled opening of Scheels Sports Park and the re-opening of several streets in the downtown area.
It is also a presidential election year. Need we say more?
Here is what to look forward to around the area in 2024.
City street work
Somber news recently about the U.S. Department of Transportation's funding of the Springfield Rail Improvements Project won't inhibit any schedules regarding anticipated street openings in 2024.
Michael Mendenhall, the SRIP manager, confirmed that Madison and Jefferson streets between Ninth and Eleventh streets are still scheduled to open in June.
There is a completely different funding mechanism through other federal grants, the Illinois Commerce Commission and the Illinois Department of Transportation for that portion of the construction, he said.
One way or another: Changes to traffic patterns on Fourth, Adams stalled until spring
The major east-west thoroughfares in the city were shut down in those locations in April to install underpasses without center piers.
Washington Street, Mendenhall said, will most likely be opened in the spring after it was shut down in May.
"Basically, we have to wait until for the hot mix asphalt to fire back up when the weather breaks," he said.
As part of the new Norfolk Southern rail line being constructed on the 10th Street corridor, there will be closures at South Grand Avenue and Cook Street in January, according to Mendenhall.
The first closure at South Grand is Jan. 8-16 for workers to remove the existing bridge abutments.
Intermittent closures over a day or two later in the springtime will let them set structural steel beams in place for the bridge.
Mendenhall said Cook Street will be closed Jan. 22-31 to remove the center pier of the existing bridge. There will be similar closures at Cook later in the spring.
Elsewhere around the city, the Eighth Street bridge, north of Veterans Parkway by the sewer district is likely to be completed in 2024, said the city's chief traffic engineer, T.J. Heavisides.
Street reconstruction is also continuing on Stanford Avenue between 11th Street and Fox Bridge. Storm sewers are also being installed along with work on sidewalks and curbing.
And 2024 will bring the conversion of Fourth Street from one-way to two-way for 1.6-mile stretch from South Grand Avenue to Dodge Street.
Adams Street will also go two-way from Sixth to Ninth streets.
Scheels Sports Park
A timeline is still in place to have some of the facilities at Scheels Sports Park operating by the end of 2024, said Ryan McCrady, president and chief executive officer of the Springfield Sangamon Growth Alliance, speaking on behalf of Legacy Pointe Development Thursday.
The 95-acre park, expected to attract youth sports tournaments year-round, officially broke ground on Sept. 20.
McCrady said the focus is getting the enclosed, 150,000-square-foot dome structure completed and ready for use in later 2024.
Scheels Sports Park 'will change how other people see Springfield'
"That's the goal. Everything is on track," McCrady said. "The only thing that would change any of that would be unexpected supply chain issues."
The sports park, including the outdoor fields, should be fully functional by the spring of 2025, McCrady said.
Workers have been scraping and leveling the ground, McCrady said, and clay has been compacted for the building of the dome. There also has been some early work done on what will be retention ponds, he said.
"What will happen over the winter is subsurface work, so underground things like storm drainage and sewer tiles and things like that," McCrady added.
Trials
Although it will be in Chicago, all of the state will be tuned in when the federal trial for former House Speaker Michael Madigan is scheduled to begin in April.
The 81-year-old Madigan, who served as speaker for 36 years, was indicted on racketeering, conspiracy, bribery and wire fraud charges.
The trial of Madigan and co-defendant Michael McClain could be delayed pending a U.S. Supreme Court decision on another federal bribery statute. McClain was convicted with three others in a separate bribery case but hasn't been sentenced.
Meanwhile, the sentencing for former Madigan chief of staff Tim Mapes, who was convicted on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice for lying to a grand jury investigating Madigan and his inner circle, could also be delayed. It is set for Jan. 31.
Also in federal court, the trial of former state senator and gubernatorial candidate Sam McCann of Plainview is expected to resume in February.
After a bench trial had been slated to start Nov. 27, McCann requested Judge Colleen Lawless of the Central District of Illinois to go pro se.
McCann is accused of misusing more than $200,000 worth of campaign funds over a five-year period from May 2015 to June 2020 on a variety of items including new cars, motor home, trailers, a family vacation in Colorado, and to pay personal expenses, such as mortgages and personal loans.
In Springfield, the murder trial of a Thayer man accused of killing an Illinois Department of Children and Family Services child protection specialist is scheduled to begin Jan. 8.
Benjamin Howard Reed is accused of stabbing and bludgeoning to death Deidre (Graham) Silas of Springfield on Jan. 4, 2022, in a case that grabbed national headlines.
Reed recently requested a bench trial before Sangamon County Chief Circuit Court Judge John "Mo" Madonia.
School construction
The closeup of Lanphier High School's $93.2 million reconstruction is tantalizingly close.
Students and teachers will begin using every part of the updated building on Jan. 16, District 186 official recently announced. The new Lober-Nika Gymnasium gets christened on Jan. 12 when the boys basketball Lions host Central State Eight Conference rival Lincoln.
Among other new amenities at Lanphier are classrooms and labs, an esports room, and an area for a construction trades program. The main entrance will still be on the 11th Street side.
Some construction will be going on through next summer, including an auditorium and the abatement and tear down of the Edison wing and the old Lober-Nika Gymnasium.
An estimated $123 million reconstruction of Springfield High School will begin in the spring.
The first issue is the tear down of a number of buildings on Monroe Street west of Lewis Street to build the new student entrance, office area, student commons, cafeteria and new gymnasiums.
The construction project is anticipated to be completed by the start of the 2026-27 school year.
Also in the spring, a major renovation will kick off at Southeast High School, along with upgrades to Spartan Stadium.
The school will get a new entrance, upgrades to the gymnasium and the addition of a district-wide indoor track.
Spartan Stadium will get a new track, along with upgrades to the football field. The work will move Spartan home games to Memorial Stadium.
In 2018, Sangamon County voters approved a 1% sales tax hike to pay for school construction projects throughout the district.
The facilities master plan is on the district's website at sps186.org.
Elections
With few contested races of note at the federal, state or county level in the primary or general election, the presidential election is sure to take center stage in Illinois.
That's an even surer bet with former President Donald Trump around.
While there has been little noise to remove Trump from the March 19 primary ballot, any move similar to Colorado's would have to be done at judicial level, said a State Board of Elections spokesman.
On your mark: Candidates line up early on first day of filing for the March 19 primary
The Colorado State Supreme Court disqualified Trump, the Republican frontrunner, as a candidate from holding the office under Section Three of the 14th Amendment to the U.S.
The SBE, said spokesman Matthew Dietrich, cannot take independent action to bar a candidate from office.
"Generally speaking, the SBE is a ministerial agency with only that authority given to it by statute – and statute does not give the SBE the authority to independently bar a candidate (from) office," Dietrich said.
Freshman 13th Congressional District Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Springfield, will have an opponent in the Nov. 5 general election. Two Republicans, Thomas Clatterbuck – a 31-year-old University of Illinois law student – and Joshua Loyd – a Virden-based West Point graduate – will vie for that spot in the primary.
In the 95th District, Rep. Mike Coffey, R-Springfield, will try to keep his seat in the fall against Village of Chatham trustee Kristen Chiaro if she can withstand an objection to her nomination papers. The SBE rules on Jan. 11.
A would-be primary challenger to Coffey, Kelvin Coburn of Chatham, ended his campaign after not receiving sufficient signatures.
Three Sangamon County officeholders will face races in the fall.
Republican Joe Roesch, who was appointed circuit clerk after Paul Palazzolo resigned, will face Juwanda Burrage, who filed on the last day. Joshua Langfelder, the only Democrat holding county office, will face Springfield Clerk Frank Lesko, a Republican for county recorder.
Sangamon County State's Attorney John Milhiser, appointed just last month to succeed Dan Wright, will run on the Republican side against Chatham attorney and Democrat Kimberly Talken.
For Sangamon County Board, it's Neighbor vs. Neighbor, Part 2.
Long-time Chair A.D. "Andy" VanMeter, a Republican, will be matched against Democrat Maureen Bommarito in District 24, just like in 2022. The two candidates live just one house apart on Fair Oaks Street in Leland Grove.
Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788; sspearie@sj-r.com; X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Things to look forward to in Springfield IL in 2024
