OSWEGO, Ill. — Two communities hoping to bring Metra service to Kendall County, Ill., will retain the service of a Chicago lobbying firm to continue the effort to extend the BNSF Line service, as well as seek funding for a regional water project.
The Aurora Beacon-News reports that Oswego and Yorkville will retain the services of Kasper & Nottag. They first hired the firm a year ago to seek state funding for the extension, and Oswego Village Administrator Dan Di Santo said the company “met the highest possible expectations” when $100 million for the project was included in the budget passed by the state earlier this year, and the community thinks it is “a good insurance policy” to have the lobbyists continue to work on the project. The two communities have also invited the village of Montgomery, also seeking Metra service, to join in the agreement.
Oswego and Plano, Ill., hosted open houses on the proposal last week [see “Open houses bring proposed Metra extension to the public,” Trains News Wire, Dec.3, 2019]. Those open houses included discussion of four possible station sites in Yorkville; the Beacon-News reports that the community’s aldermen will discuss those possible sites at its Tuesday night meeting.
