* Media advisory…

What: Governor Pritzker to announce Cahokia Heights investments.
Where: Cahokia Heights City Hall (Council Room) 103 Main St, Cahokia.
When: 9:30 am
Watch: www.illinois.gov/livevideo

What: Governor Pritzker to make remarks at Tyson Foods plant expansion groundbreaking.
Where: Tyson Prepared Foods Plant, Visitor/Employee Parking Lot, 12 Tucker Drive, Caseyville.
When: 10:35 am
Watch: www.illinois.gov/livevideo

What: Governor Pritzker to announce Rend Lake investments.
Where: Rend Lake Resort and Conference Center, 11712 E Windy Ln, Whittington.
When: 1:30 pm
Watch: www.illinois.gov/livevideo
Note: This event will be held outdoors immediately outside of the Rend Lake and Conference Center. Free parking available in main visitor parking lot.

* Cahokia Heights…

Governor JB Pritzker along with local officials, stakeholders, and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced $21 million in funding to the City of Cahokia Heights to support infrastructure projects in the area. The funding, made available through Gov. Pritzker’s historic Rebuild Illinois Capital Plan, will include rehabilitation of lift stations and improvements to the sewer collection system.

“No community should have to go without clean drinking water and functional waste infrastructure, and our Rebuild Illinois capital plan is investing across the state to correct those inequities,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Today, I’m proud to announce more than $21 million in state funding that will bring 21st century wastewater infrastructure to the Cahokia Heights community. This new investment will upgrade the existing wastewater collection system and prevent the sewage flooding that has become notorious for area residents. True justice and true fairness mean a safe home, clean streets, clean water and clean air. It involves providing solutions that work for all our communities. This grant is another step toward justice for the Cahokia Heights community.”

The funding announced today includes a $9.9 million investment in rehabilitation or replacement for approximately 35 lift stations, 5,800 feet of cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) liner (including 1,500 feet of sewer line repair), and 3,500 feet of slip lining for the City’s main trunk line.

Lift stations are used in sewer collection systems throughout the country to move wastewater from lower to higher elevations, particularly where the elevation of the source is not sufficient for gravity flow. The rehabilitation requirements of lift stations in Cahokia Heights range from minor repairs, such as control panel repairs, to extensive rehabilitation or full replacement of pumps and structural components.

Slip lining and CIPP liner are trenchless methods to repair leaks or restore the structural stability to an existing pipeline, such as a sewer line. The slip lining improvements made are expected to last between 35 and 50 years.

The City will also use this grant funding to modify the wastewater collection system, where many components of the system have exceeded their useful design life. These updates will improve collection efficiency, reliability, and ease of operation and maintenance, helping to prevent flood water from entering the sewer collection system during storm events and relieving stress on the system.

The Illinois EPA will work closely with City officials to ensure the grants funds are used to address existing, chronic problems within the collection system to bring relief to residents and businesses. As part of the grant agreement, the City will provide regular updates to the community, including a webpage and regularly scheduled meetings, held by the City, to keep all interested parties informed.

“Stable sewer systems are vital for a functioning community, as anyone without well-maintained sewers can tell you,” said State Representative LaToya Greenwood, D-East St. Louis. “Especially with high rainfall putting more pressure on our system, our community is seeing overflowing sewers that create unsafe driving conditions, damage to property and general hazards to public health. Rebuild Illinois is living up to its name right now, and I thank Governor Pritzker for such essential support.”

“Families who call Cahokia Heights home have dealt with persistent sewage and flooding issues in their homes, neighborhoods and community for decades,” said State Senator Christopher Belt (D-Swansea). “With this $10 million investment, I appreciate Gov. Pritzker and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency for acknowledging the importance and urgency of updating the sewage infrastructure and helping us address flooding concerns.”

“Residents and businesses in Cahokia Heights have faced significant challenges due to a deteriorating wastewater collection system, including sewer system surcharging and basement backups,” said EPA Director John J. Kim. “While we know additional state and federal financial assistance is necessary to resolve the wastewater challenges within Cahokia Heights and other communities with aging infrastructure, this is a positive step forward to help meet the needs of residents and customers of Cahokia Heights.”

That project is long overdue.

* Tyson…

Governor JB Pritzker joined Tyson Foods, Inc., as well as state and local officials, to announce a new expansion of Tyson’s Caseyville facility, which will expand the production of Hillshire Farm® and Jimmy Dean® products. The company’s commitment to expand its Caseyville facility is expected to bring a $180 million investment and create 250 new jobs - generating economic benefit for the region and state. The new facility is expected to be complete in the summer of 2023.

“I am thrilled to celebrate the expansion of Tyson Foods’ Caseyville facility thanks to our EDGE credit program,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Tyson will be expanding their regional footprint by 170,000 square feet and over 250 new jobs with a total investment of $180 million in this community. Tyson’s decision to expand in Illinois speaks to our strengths in manufacturing, our world-class infrastructure, and our abundant — and highly talented — workforce.”

The Caseyville plant currently produces Hillshire Farm® and Jimmy Dean® products. The 170,000 square foot expansion will increase production for grab-n-go snacking and breakfast items through the addition of 7 new production lines in order to meet increasing demand.

“We’re thrilled to celebrate the expansion of our Caseyville prepared foods plant, creating new job opportunities for those in the community and keeping workplace ease and efficiency in mind for our current team members,” said Noelle O’Mara, Group President, Prepared Foods, Tyson Foods. “With automated warehousing and robotics at the heart of the project, we’re looking forward to its full completion.”

This builds on a significant economic impact generated annually by the company – with nearly $933 million in output in Illinois alone, over 4,000 current full-time staff in Illinois, and more than 293 staff in Caseyville.

“Tyson’s expansion in Caseyville will create at least 220 new jobs which will benefit the community and the entire Metro East region,” said DCEO Director Sylvia I. Garcia. “Tyson’s decision to expand operations here in Illinois further solidifies our state’s reputation as a top food manufacturing powerhouse.”

As part of the expansion, the company received an Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE) tax credit, which stipulates a goal of investing $130 million and creating 220 jobs over the next two years. All executed EDGE agreements can be found here.

Employing more than a half a million Illinoisans with $106.7 billion annual output, manufacturing represents a significant portion of Illinois’ economy. To support the continued growth of manufacturing companies in Illinois today and for the future, the Pritzker administration has taken several actions to invest in its workforce, with new training in high growth industries, and the development of new business development tools, including the apprenticeship tax credit, which encourages investment in high tech job training.

* Rend Lake…

Governor JB Pritzker announced today a long-awaited renovation of the popular Rend Lake Resort in Southern Illinois will get underway in 2023 with an investment of more than $17.5 million. The funding will be used to renovate the conference center, restaurant, cabins, pool, and boatel, which collectively will enable the resort to host lodging guests, conferences, and other visitors and events.

“Rend Lake has been around for 50 years—and for that half-a-century, it has been a shining example of the rich history, the human ingenuity, and the values of sustainability that make Illinois special,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Today, I am proud to announce that we will be investing more than $17 million to renovate Rend Lake Resort—restoring the site to its former glory. With this funding, we are strengthening our tourism industry, our economy, our recreational offerings, and our holistic and social wellbeing all in one.”

The Rend Lake Resort is located at the 3,300-acre Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area and is operated by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on the shore of Rend Lake in Franklin and Jefferson counties. The resort site features a hotel, conference center, cabins, restaurant, boatel, gift shop, pool, tennis courts and more.

Opened in May 1991, the space was shuttered in 2016 after mold was discovered in the hotel and other buildings, requiring extensive remediation throughout the site. At the height of its operation, the Resort drew 2.4 million visitors annually and employed up to 125 staff members. It had an estimated economic impact of nearly $245 million in 2010, and occupancy rates were around 90% during the high-season period between late spring and late fall.

“Rend Lake Resort was and will be again, an important part of our regional economic engine for Southern Illinois,” said Mayor Jason Ashmore, City of Sesser. “The resort will offer more opportunities to visitors of Rend Lake which will in turn spur economic growth for all of the surrounding communities. We want to thank Governor JB Pritzker, DNR, CDB, Senator Bryant, Senator Fowler and Rep Severin for all their hard work on making this come to fruition.”

“I want to thank Gov. Pritzker for helping us make this long-awaited project a reality,” said Colleen Callahan, director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. “This is so much more than an investment in the Rend Lake Resort. It’s also an investment in our state parks, in local jobs, in the regional economy, and in the people of Southern Illinois.”

Rend Lake is the second largest of Illinois’ three man-made lakes with 19,000 acres of water and 162 miles of shoreline. The lake itself is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and is a tremendous economic driver for southern Illinois. Easily accessible from interstates 57 and 64, it’s a popular site for boating, fishing, hunting, camping, picnicking, hiking, swimming, golfing and more. The lake also provides drinking water for customers in seven Southern Illinois counties.

Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area draws more than 1.3 million visitors annually. Dedicated in 1975, the park is popular for hunting, camping, wildlife-watching, picnicking, boating access, horseback riding, field trials and other outdoor activities. The park was dedicated in 1975, and is named for the late Wayne Fitzgerrell, a former State representative from nearby Sesser who was a strong advocate for the construction of Rend Lake.

I’ve spent a bunch of time at that place over the years. Glad to see it’s coming back.