Construction work on the $830 million Obama Presidential Center site in Chicago is set to start again. This comes a few days after a noose was found at the project site, causing the construction works to be halted for three days.
Designed to honor the legacy of former President Barack Obama, the center is the newest high-profile building project to deal with the discovery of a racist artifact on site. Government leaders, including Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, who denounced the behavior on social media, have taken notice of the occurrence in addition to members of the construction business.
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Authorities in the area are still looking into the incident. To help with the investigations, Lakeside Alliance, the JV in charge of the Obama Presidential Center project is offering a $100,000 reward for any information that points to the offender.
Chris McFadden, vice president of communications for Turner Construction, one of the JV members, said, “We will continue to provide cooperation to the authorities regarding the current investigation to locate the individual or individuals responsible for this heinous act.
Meanwhile, employees have undergone additional anti-bias training before the reopening of the project site. Moreover, additional security and safety precautions have been introduced by the JV in charge of the project.
In addition to the original training they got, Lakeside Alliance is now completing the second round of anti-bias training for its employees while the work is halted. According to Chris McFadden, Turner Construction’s vice president of communications, work will resume after the training is finished.
An overview of the Obama Presidential Center project
The project was commissioned by the former president’s foundation, the Obama Foundation. According to the project website, the center will be situated in Chicago’s Jackson Park and span 19.3 acres.
Upon completion, the center is set to have a gym, an event space, a dining room, a recording studio, an auditorium, and a library.
