Nowhere is Larry Dominick's vision for the "New Cicero" more evident than with the development of the town's new municipal complex and youth center.
For decades the site at 50th & Cermak was a recreational area reserved for Western Electric employees. After that town within the town was shuttered in the 1980s, the land became a town park that ultimately fell into disrepair.
The gymnasium building that was demolished to make way for the new municipal complex had become an eyesore in the community with a gaping hole in the roof that went without repair for years.
Until Larry Dominick and his administration saw an opportunity to bring town government into the 21st Century and develop the land to meet the 21st Century challenges Cicero faces.
The complex has been designed to respect Cicero's great heritage while incorporating technology and state-of-the-art features designed to better serve all of its residents, from its young families to its vibrant senior community.
The 7.5 acre site will include a new town hall, new police station, 350-space parking garage, and a 40,000 square foot youth center with classrooms and a gymnasium.
A traditional colonnade in the front of the building will set the tone of the site as a public house for the dispensation of the public's business. Transparency will be featured in the layout of the interior in keeping with the Dominick administration's commitment to open, honest, and transparent government for Cicero residents.
In addition to the youth center, plans call for the provision of green space and water features for families to enjoy in the warm weather months around the site and a dedicated square in the center of the site for public functions.
In keeping with respect for tradition and in honor of military men and women, past and present, the War Memorial that current greets visitors at the existing Town Hall will be transported and installed in the center square area at the new complex.
Cicero is a community rich in history. October 30, 2006 will go down as the date of a watershed event, adding to the community's historical tapestry. On that day, community leaders, town employees, local elected officials, and residents gathered for the groundbreaking of the their new municipal complex.
In the fall of 2008, Larry Dominick's vision for the "New Cicero" will intersect with residents' long-standing hope for progress when the transformation of 50th & Cermak is complete and the doors open to a beautiful, new town municipal complex.
Town President Larry Dominick's Ground Breaking Statement
Cicero Town President Larry Dominick offered the following statement on October 30th, 2006 at the groundbreaking of Cicero's new, $58 million municipal complex and youth center scheduled for completion in the fall of 2008:
"Good afternoon.
"Thank you all for coming out today to be part of this historic day.
"I want to offer a special thanks to the members of the town board whose support has made this project possible.
"Legendary Chicago architect Daniel Burnham once famously said, "Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood and probably will themselves not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will not die."
"This administration has big plans for Cicero. We are here to keep our promise to residents to build the 'New Cicero.'
"For too long, our town has been mired in petty politics. Town services, particularly for our children and our seniors, have suffered as a result.
"I refuse to let politics get in the way of progress for the community where I have spent my adult life working, coaching and raising a family.
"For two decades, the gymnasium behind me has been abandoned, left to sit in disrepair.
"Today, that building is coming down as we begin the process of trading a blighted park which had become a haven for criminal activity for a state-of-the-art municipal complex with spacious parking and a youth center accessible to the community.
"What will the new municipal complex mean to the town?
"The new municipal complex will mean improved town services that incorporate emerging technologies.
"The new municipal complex will mean functional green space for residents to enjoy year-round-including a water feature for children to enjoy during the summer months and ice-skating for the whole family to enjoy during the winter.
"The new municipal complex will mean youth-oriented programming, something our town desperately needs. Our youth center will have a computer lab and classroom space for social service agencies to run programs and tutorials for our young people.
"Children in Cicero have been cheated for too long. Our new municipal complex has contemplated their needs so that we can foster the fulfillment of their dreams.
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"I understand that some residents have expressed concerns about green space in town. I have the same concerns. We don't have enough parks in this town which is why, in addition to transforming this blighted park into functional green space, the town is building a new park at 1808 S. Laramie.
"The park at 1808 S. Laramie will have baseball and soccer fields, a perimeter walking path, and lighting for night-time games and activities.
"The net result of these two projects will be to significantly increase the functional green space for Cicero families and children to utilize.
"Additionally, both of these projects, the new municipal complex and the park at 1808 S. Laramie, will be funded and completed without raising taxes.
"I understand that Cicero residents already shoulder a heavy tax burden, particularly our seniors living on fixed incomes.
"I want everyone to clearly understand that through TIF monies and the proceeds from bonds that were sold before I became Town President, we have the money we need to bring these projects from conception to reality without raising taxes.
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"People always ask me how I will evaluate the success or failure of my tenure as Town President. And I always give the same answer.
"If I can make the life of one child better for each day I'm in office, then I will judge my term of office a success. My hope is that we can encourage others to hold themselves to this same standard.
"Building the 'New Cicero' is not just about new buildings. The 'New Cicero' is a state of mind, it's a sense of who we are as a community.
"It's about treating people with respect. It's about operating open and transparent government. It's about inclusiveness. It's about working together to serve one another.
"For too long this town has been plagued by what sociologists call the 'tyranny of low expectations.' We have been discouraged and disenfranchised.
"Today is the day we raise the bar for the Town of Cicero. Today is the day we set our sights high and instill hope for a better tomorrow in our young people.
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"The great things in this world are the things that are bigger than us as individuals, those things in life that transcend our individual self-interests, such as our families.
"Building the 'New Cicero' is about getting us focused as a community on those big things.
"It is easy to lose focus.
"There are those in this community who spend all of their time trying to tear others down. They have only their political self-interest and will do whatever they can, no matter the cost and no matter who gets hurt, to serve that political self-interest.
"But the power-hungry political types who want to fleece this town as it has been fleeced for so many years cannot overcome a community that stands together in the name of progress and opportunity for all Cicero residents.
"My challenge for you today is to stand on the side of progress, to help make our "big plans" a reality both for those here today and for future generations of folks who come to Cicero to build a life for themselves and their families.
"May God Bless You and Your Families. May He Bless Our Men and Women in the Military, particularly those overseas fighting for freedom. And May He Continue to Bless and Watch Over the Town of Cicero. Thank you." http://www.thetownofcicero.com/content/img/f186049/complex5---web.jpg Dominick, Town Officials Celebrate Groundbreaking of the "New Cicero" Municipal Complex (from left to right): Town Trustee Lorraine Walsh, Town Clerk Marylin Colpo, Town Trustee Dennis Raleigh, Town Collector Fran Reitz, State Senator Martin Sandoval, Town Trustee Maria Punzo-Arias, Town President Larry Dominick, Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica, State Representative candidate Lisa Hernandez, Town Supervisor Joe Virruso, Town Trustee Alberto Ayala, Cook County Commissioner Mario Moreno.
Cicero Town President Larry Dominick kicked off the long-anticipated construction of the "New Cicero" Municipal Complex & Youth Center this afternoon at the future site of the complex, 50th & Cermak. Dominick was joined by members of the Town Board, local elected officials, and hundreds of Cicero residents (included more than one hundred children from Cicero West Elementary) for the historic occasion. Dominick told the assembled crowd the new complex and the town's sister project of a new park at 1808 S. Laramie represent a key component to fulfilling the dream of the "New Cicero" for today's residents and for the next generations of folks who settle in Cicero to build a better life for themselves and their families. Dominick said, "The kids in this town, in particular, have been cheated for too long. These projects are part of my effort to improve the life of at least one child for each day that I serve as Town President."
Cicero Town Project Manager Bob Porod served as the Master of Ceremonies for the groundbreaking. Porod, whose family spans generations in Cicero, opened the ceremony with a historical perspective on the site and the town as the community transitions from what Cicero had become to President Dominick's vision for the "New Cicero". Architectural renderings of new Municipal Complex and new park to be constructed at 1808 S. Laramie, Cicero:
