ComEd offers Zion $5 million in the absence of power plant

By By Natasha Korecki and Andis Robeznieks

June 14, 2000 Web posted at: 10:36 AM EDT (1436 GMT)

ZION, Illinois (Daily Herald) -- ComEd is pledging $5 million to help replenish Zion's economic base after the utility closed its nuclear power plant and took with it an average of $16 million in taxes annually. The grant money will be funneled into downtown revitalization to help expand the area's tax base, city officials said.

While environmentalists applauded the 1998 closing of the Zion nuclear power plant, the situation could present a devastating loss to the area, including the city of Zion, the township, schools, parks and fire, which all shared in the $16 million in tax revenues.

"I think ComEd did this because this is something they could do to lessen the impact of that tremendous tax shortfall we're going to experience in the next few years," Zion Mayor Lane Harrison said. Harrison said the city will invest the grant into establishing a new tax base in its downtown, rather than divvy up the money so each taxing body can pay bills.

The money will help pay for facade improvements and new streetscapes for Sheridan Road businesses. The city also will purchase, clean up and resell abandoned sites, even if they're not located in the downtown. Harrison said the city now needs to look to expand its tax base anywhere it can. "It's a long-term solution," Harrison said. "This is a much more effective way to making sure we have some long-term revenues for the city and years to come." Harrison said the city is in the midst of creating an economic development commission that will plan how the money will be invested.

In addition to the grant, a Zion watchdog group named Faircom is negotiating with ComEd for a way for the company to continue contributing tax money at a gradually decreasing level in each of the next five years. The grant came after months of negotiations between ComEd and state Sen. Adeline Geo-Karis, a Zion Republican. "I emphasized the fact we were left in very bad economic striates for our schools, our police departments, our fire departments - you name it. Our tax base had eroded," Geo-Karis said.

ComEd spokesman Harlan Dan said there is no stipulation with the grant money except that it be used for economic development."It was just part of the process we went through for the closure of the Zion station and to assist them economically with the closing of the station," Dan said. "This is the first time we closed a station."

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