Morton Grove continues plans to build new Metra train station to replace ‘embarrassment’

The Morton Grove Village Board is moving forward with plans to tear down its 47-year-old Metra commuter train station and build a new one by adding up to $50,000 toward the design of the $2.5 million project.

On July 25, the Board approved a change order for architectural services provided by RM Swanson Architects of Lake Forest, the same firm that recently handled the redesign of the Libertyville Metra station.

“We’re through 80% of the design on the train station,” Village Administrator Ralph Czerwinski said. “It’s going to be very exciting for us. It’s a nice transit-related project.”

The current Metra station was built in 1976 and is an “embarrassment” to the community, said Zoe Heidorn, community development administrator.

“It’s severely outdated,” Heidorn said. “Looking at other communities, we want to put on a positive face. We want to attract residents and new business people. To do that, we have to provide the infrastructure and want to support public transit. It’s the future.”

Village President Dan DiMaria said a new train station was one of his final goals in his first election for mayor.

“I’m very pleased,” DiMaria said. “This is one area I wanted to turn around. I’m sick of other communities getting nice train stations and Morton Grove getting left in the cold.

“I’m thrilled to change the entrance to the village and for all the passersby to get to see what Morton Grove really is.”

Officials hope to break ground on the project during the first quarter of 2024, Czerwinski said.

The project will likely take eight months to one year to complete and will cost more than $2.5 million, he said. The previous cost of the design was $86,940 under a contract approved last year.

The new station will require complete demolition of the current station and relocation of the new station slightly farther north, Heidorn said.

“We came to the decision that new construction would be best,” she said. “The new location, a little north, kind of centers it on the building site.”

Work will also include improvements to the platform and bicycle parking; a new, “modernized” waiting area; pedestrian safety upgrades; new landscaping, and improvements in accessibility for those with disabilities, Heidorn said.

“Accessibility is huge,” she said. “It’s part of the reason for the cost increases.”

Metra will fund a portion of the cost of the project, Heidorn said.

“At what level is yet to be determined, and the source of those funds is to be determined,” she said. “We are in discussions with them.”

Morton Grove might be able to get more funding at the federal level, but it could delay the project by 12 to 18 months, Heidorn said.

“We’re looking at the timeline and what makes more sense and provides the most value to the village,” she said. “Every year we wait to construct it, prices go higher. We want to get it built as soon as possible. Waiting for dollars sometimes isn’t more cost effective.”

Because it sits in the Lincoln and Lehigh Tax Increment Financing district, the project is eligible for TIF funding, Heidorn said.

“I don’t think there is a limit on the amount,” she said. “It’s going to be determined. We’re still in the design phase. There’s an estimate of construction costs, but it’s hard to pinpoint with inflation and the costs of construction. We’re trying to provide the best product at the best value.”

The change order will cover photometrics, drainage, ADA compliance and plans to use the current station while the new one is being built, Czerwinski said.

“I believe $50,000 is way more than we will need, but I don’t want to go back to the board for smaller amounts,” he said. “This is spending wise money from an engineering standpoint and for design to make our project better in the end result.”