Pressure mounts on Chicago mayor as costs for failed Brighton Park migrant site reach nearly $1M

CHICAGO - As scrutiny intensifies over the failed Brighton Park migrant site, questions about the financial toll on the city are taking center stage. Recent revelations indicate that the City of Chicago expended close to a million dollars on the controversial project - precisely $985,000.

While the state is expected to cover a substantial portion of the expenses, the city must bear its fair share. Mayor Brandon Johnson addressed the public on Wednesday, providing some insight into the expenditures.

"The remediation that was needed. Obviously the workforce, the contracts to remediate, and again the workforce," he said.

City officials had asserted that the site, designed to accommodate up to 2,000 migrants in a "winterized tent city," was safe. The 9.5-acre lot at 38th and California Avenue had been a subject of heated debates for months.

Last week, Governor J.B. Pritzker halted construction after state experts discovered "serious environmental concerns" upon reviewing an extensive 800-page report. The decision came after the city had insisted that the site met safety standards for migrant housing. However, the report identified contaminants such as mercury, arsenic, and lead on the premises.

"We made this commitment to assess this site and multiple sites. As far as what else we're responsible for, our team is in conversations, particularly with this site, with the owner, as we move forward, because clearly, at least at this moment … we're not moving forward with (that site)," Johnson said.

Both Mayor Johnson and Governor Pritzker have refrained from disclosing specific future shelter locations for migrants. However, there are indications of potential use of unoccupied buildings owned by the Archdioceses of Chicago.