APART.
>> YESTERDAY, CITY COUNCIL PAVED
THE WAY FOR A MASSIVE NEW
DEVELOPMENT THAT COULD RESHAPE
THE HISTORIC BRONZEVILLE
NEIGHBORHOOD.
BRONZEVILLE SITS SOUTH OF
McCORMICK PLACE AND HAS BEEN
KNOWN FOR DECADES AS THE HUB OF
BLACK ARTS AND CULTURE IN
CHICAGO.
AS LOCAL PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND
RESIDENTS CHEER THE POTENTIAL
FOR NEW HOUSING AND JOBS, THEY
ARE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE FUTURE
OF A LONGTIME COMMUNITY HOSPITAL
THAT HAD RECENTLY BEEN ON THE
BRINK OF CLOSING.
PARIS SCHUTZ AND PRODUCER NICK
BLUMBERG SPENT THE DAY REPORTING
IN BRONZEVILLE AS PART OF OUR
"CHICAGO TONIGHT" "IN YOUR
NEIGHBORHOOD SERIES".
PARIS JOINS US AGAIN FROM 35TH
AND KING DRIVE.
THEY, PARIS?
>> WE'RE TOLD THAT GROUND IS
GOING TO BREAK THIS YEAR OR
EARLY NEXT YEAR ON THE $4
BILLION DEVELOPMENT ON THE SITE
OF THE OLD MICHAEL REESE
HOSPITAL TENTATIVELY CALLED
BRONZEVILLE LAKEFRONT.
IT WILL BE BUILT SOUTH OF MIM
CORP PLACE WEST OF THE TRUCK
STRANGING AREA OFF THE COAST OF
LAKE MICHIGAN.
FORMER MAYOR DALEY PROPOSED
BUILDING AN OLYMPIC VILLAGE ON
THAT SITE WHEN CHICAGO WAS IN
THE RUNNING FOR THE 2016 SUMMER
GAMES.
AS WE GET TOKYO 2021 UNDERWAY.
THANKS TO APPROVAL BY CITY
COUNCIL IT'S PAVED FOR A
MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT THAT WILL
BRING 4800 HOUSING, 20%
AFFORDABLE, SENIOR HOMES AND A
HEALTH TECH HUB.
TAXPAYER ALSO PONY UP $90
MILLION TO CLEAN THE SITE AND TO
BUILD OUT ROADS AND
INFRASTRUCTURE.
THIS PROJECT IS LED BY FARPOINT
DEVELOPMENT, A CHICAGO BASED
COMPANY.
THEY SAY IT WILL BE BUILT OVER
THE SPAN OF THE NEXT 10-15 WITH
THE FIRST TENANTS SIGNED UP AND
READY TO GO.
>> ULTIMATELY THIS IS GOING TO
BE A MIXED-USE LIVE, WORK, PLAY
COMMUNITY A HEALTHY COMMUNITY OF
THE FUTURE.
OUR FOCUS IS ON AMPLIFYING THE
COMMUNITY OF BRONZEVILLE AND
AFFIRMING THE CULTURE AND
BUILDING THAT INTO OUR SITE.
SO THIS FIRST PHASE HAS ONLY
FOUR OR FIVE BUILDINGS BUT IT
WILL TAKE US A FEW YEARS WE LOOK
FORWARD TO THE NEW STREET SCAPE
BY THE END OF THIS YEAR EARLY
NEXT YEAR.
>> AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE
CERTAINLY GLAD THAT THIS
FACILITY, THE OLD MERCY HOSPITAL
IS NOT A FORMER HOSPITAL.
FORMER OWNERS TRINITY HEALTH
SYSTEM THREATENED TO CLOSE
BECAUSE THAT SAFETY NET FACILITY
HAD BEEN LOSING MILLIONS OF
DOLLARS PER MONTH BUT COMMUNITY
ACTIVISTS AND OFFICIALS WORKED
TO ATTRACT A NEW BUYER.
A MICHIGAN BASED COMPANY INSIGHT
TOOK IT OVER WITH A PLEDGE TO
KEEP IT AS A FULL SERVICE
INPATIENT AND OUTPATIENT
HOSPITAL FOR AT LEAST THE NEXT
10 YEARS.
AND COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS
CELEBRATED THE DECISION.
A CLOSURE WOULD HAVE BEEN
DEVASTATING FOR BRONZEVILLE
RESIDENTS.
>> SO IF YOU HAVE DIABETES AND
YOU LIVE RIGHT OVER THERE IN THE
DEARBORN HOME, WHERE DO YOU GO
FOR HEALTHCARE?
WHERE DO YOU GO FOR HEALTHCARE
IF YOU HAVE TO GO TO THE
EMERGENCY ROOM AND THERE'S NO
FULL SERVICE EMERGENCY ROOM?
SO HAVING A HOSPITAL HELPS TO
STABILIZE THE LIVES OF PEOPLE
WHO LIVE IN THE COMMUNITY.
A HOSPITAL THAT MEETS THE
HEALTHCARE NEEDS OF THE
COMMUNITY.
>> AND WE'LL SPEAK WITH THE
CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER OF INSIGHT
HOSPITAL TO TALK ABOUT PLANS FOR
THE FUTURE IN A BIT.
MEANWHILE, BRONZEVILLE LAGGED
THE REST OF THE CITY IN THE
COVID VACCINATION RATE COMING IN
AT 43% OF ADULTS FULLY
VACCINATED IN THIS ZIP CODE.
ONE LOCAL FACILITY THE ACCESS
FAMILY HEALTH CENTER IS TREATING
AND VACCINATING RESIDENTS.
DOCTORS SAY THEY BELIEVE
UNVACCINATED MEMBERS ARE
STARTING TO GET THE MESSAGE NOW
THAT DELTA VARIANT CASES ARE ON
THE RISE.
>> SITTING IN THE VACCINE FIGHT
ONCE A WEEK, LAST WEEK OUR
NUMBERS WERE A LITTLE LOW THIS
WEEK THEY ARE GOING UP BECAUSE I
THINK PEOPLE ARE REALIZING AS
THE COVID RATES GO BACK UP THAT
THEY NEED TO PROTECT THEMSELVES.
>> AND CENTRAL TO THE LIFE OF
BRONZEVILLE, CULTURE,
SPECIFICALLY GOSPEL, BLUES AND
JAZZ MUSIC.
THE HAROLD WASHINGTON CULTURAL
CENTER HAS BEEN A COMMUNITY
ANCHOR AND FORCED TO SHUTDOWN
FOR 16 MONTHS BECAUSE OF THE
PANDEMIC.
JIMALITA TILLMAN SAYS THEY ARE
NOT READY TO WELCOME FULL
AUDIENCES THEY ARE USING THE
SPACE FOR AN ALL DAY SUMMER
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING
AND ARTS MATH CAMP FOR CHICAGO
PUBLIC SCHOOL KIDS RUN BY
DOROTHY JEAN TILLMAN.
WHAT THEY SAY IS THE GOAL IS NOT
ONLY TO GET KIDS TURNED ON TO
THE SUBJECTS AND GET THEM READY
FOR SCHOOL IN THE FALL AND AS
MOST HAVE BEEN HOME FOR THE
BETTER PART OF A YEAR.
>> AND MANY OF THE STUDENTS THIS
IS THE FIRST TIME RETURNING TO
IN-PERSON SOCIALIZATION SO IT'S
GETTING THEM ACCLIMATED TO GET
THEM READY FOR SCHOOL.
FOLLOWING RULES, PROTOCOL
BECOMING A YOUNG LEADER AND
MAKING GOOD CHOICES AND WE'RE
PROUD HERE.
>> THEY ACTED OUT A SCRIPT THEY
WROTE THIS WEEK AND NOW WE'RE
HERE AT DANCE.
AND WE HAVE OUR INTER ACTIVE
SLOW DANCE AND LATER WE HAVE OUR
HIP-HOP DANCE.
>> AND THE TILLMAN DNA RUNS DEEP
IN BRONZEVILLE.
DOROTHY JEAN TILLMAN THE
DAUGHTER OF FORMER ALDERWOMAN
DOROTHY TILLMAN.
CONNECTION THERE AND WE WILL