(rshsdepot) Norwood Park, IL

[Jim Dent <jdent1_@_optonline.net>]

RR station passes state review
BY ALAN SCHMIDT
STAFF WRITER

The Illinois Attorney General's Office, the Department of Commerce &
Economic Opportunity and the FBI have found nothing wrong or reason to take
action against the Norwood Park Train Station Foundation, which is managing
the restoration of the 1907 depot.

The investigations were sparked by a Whistle Blower suit filed by Norwood
Park attorney Larry Rolla. Melissa Merz, spokeswoman for the Attorney
General's Office said each allegation in Rolla's suit was carefully checked.

"Several of our staff went through Mr. Rolla's complaint line by line," she
said. "We take all whistle blower cases seriously. We decided that there was
no cause to intervene. While we're not minimizing his complaints about
shoddy work, we didn't find anything that would enjoin us into a whistle
blower case. In looking at what Mr. Rolla included in his suit, such as
breach of contract issues and breach of warrant issues, a civil suit would
be more appropriate.

"Mr. Rolla has brought the fact that the work was not done to Mr. Rolla's
standards. That is not evidence of financial wrongdoing."

Rolla, president of the Norwood Park Citizens Association, has acted as an
unofficial watchdog over workmanship and finances of the station for about a
year. He has actively campaigned for an open airing of the Station
Foundation's financial records.

He said, "The community has a public right to see how the money is spent.
The work that was done has to be commensurate with what was paid."

Missing mortar

Rolla pointed out gaps in the mortar between bricks, chipping paint on wood
siding on the east and west sides of the station, nails "popping" and the
gutted interior of the station itself. He said the chamber paid $500 a
square foot to remodel the former baggage area and wondered why there is
missing mortar if the chamber paid $52,000 to get the tuckpointing work
done.

Journalist Carol Marin also highlighted Rolla's complaints in her inaugural
story marking her return to Chicago's NBC Channel 5 television station. Her
investigative segment focused on perceived shortcomings in the renovation
and the money. She called the railroad station a money pit that has
swallowed millions of taxpayer dollars.

In a second report, which aired March 25, she complained about the interior
of the station which is gutted and without a floor.

Despite Merz's statement about conducting an intensive investigation, Rolla
said, "Seeing is believing. The AG's office should have come out."

He wanted it to be clear that he is not making any allegations of misuse of
state money and does not wish to ultimately end up blocking the $500,000 in
state money promised to the Foundation. That grant was approved by Gov.
George Ryan. The money was held up along with millions of dollars worth of
state grants that were frozen shortly after Gov. Rod Blagojevich took
office.

"I've been very clear that the goal is to have the station done," said
Rolla, "But there are still some serious lingering questions about the money
and how it was spent."

Rolla has also criticized the lack of an active oversight committee, and the
fact that the Foundation funds are managed in more than five bank accounts.
He said if the chamber cannot manage the money and handle the demands of the
work, then perhaps some other organization should oversee the work and the
funds.

"I know there is a perception that this is personal," said Rolla. "This is
just business."

Merz said the Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity encourages
keeping separate bank accounts for each separate grant. Some of the grants
include the initial $500,000 used to purchase the station and to do most of
the work on the exterior; a $250,000 pass-through grant, originally intended
for the aborted Edgebrook station project, and a $20,000 grant that was
awarded to pay for lighting.

Interest was returned

Merz said Rolla also alleged that the Foundation spent the interest earned
from those various accounts. The Foundation actually returned almost $40,000
in interest payments, she said. A further audit found that the station's
temporary waiting room -the former baggage area- which will serve as a cafe,
complete with kitchen, was remodeled at a cost of $165 a square-foot, said
Merz.

Dan Durkin, of the Norwood Park-based architectural firm DAK & Associates,
said the gaps in the mortar joints occurred because sections of brick -
which were in good condition after multiple layers of paint were removed
from the original bricks - were left as they were to preserve the historical
integrity of the building. The original mortar did not hold up as well as
was thought, said Durkin. Still, he added, the overall structural integrity
is sound.

Also, the tuckpointing work covered under the $52,000 cost also included
rebuilding the chimney and other areas where bricks were not in very good
condition. Durkin said one can look and find parts of the building where the
bricks do not quite match because identical building materials could not be
found. Any needed repairs will be done free of charge. In the future, Durkin
said, any salt used to melt ice and snow on the platform will have to be
"swept away once it has done its job."

Volunteer work days

Volunteers will be out sanding and painting on April 3 and 10, weather
permitting, to take care of the chipping paint on the wood siding.

Money used from the second grant for interior work also paid for sewer
connections and internal water lines. Hook-ups were installed for the cafe
kitchen and two bathrooms on the west end of the main waiting room.

There were no "popping" nails, Durkin said. The nails pointed out by Rolla
were left after a vent cover was removed.

Helen Brown, president of the Norwood Park Chamber of Commerce & Industry,
said her company, Desert Rose Consulting, 6348 N. Milwaukee Ave., is in the
process of getting the Chamber's web site ready for an April roll-out. She
plans to make a full and open accounting of the Norwood Park Chamber Train
Station Foundation's books available on the site as well. That way the facts
will available for anyone who questions the handling of the grants received
to date, she said.

Bert Schreiber, chairman of the station foundation, said he hopes to meet
with state Sen. James DeLeo, D-10th, to ask for his help in gaining the
release of the final $500,000 grant. All Illinois FIRST grants which were
outstanding at the time Gov. Rod Blagojevich took office were frozen. A
small portion of them have been released.

Rolla said he was dissatisfied with the findings of the Attorney General's
Office's investigation and "filed a federal lawsuit" in U.S. District Court
on March 17. He declined to discuss the details of the case, citing a 60-day
freeze on all filings related to the case.

Each of the 11 state complaints brought by Rolla were investigated and "all
of the money that they (the chamber) spent was spent pursuant to the grant,"
said Laura Hunter, spokeswoman for the Department of Commerce & Economic
Opportunity. "There was no misuse of funds."

The train station grant is under review, she said, and Rolla's Whistle
Blower suit would have no bearing on whether or not the grant is released.

Alan Schmidt can be reached at aschmidt_@_pioneerlocal.com.

http://www.pioneerlocal.com/cgi-bin/ppo-story/localnews/current/eb/04-01-04-253710.html


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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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