Sharkey accepts agency award, notes collaborative success

By RANDY PIERCE
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While he would be adamant in telling anyone it was truly the result of the efforts of many people, and indeed it was, St. Clair County Board member Ken Sharkey, in his role as managing director for the county transit district, was one of the more significant players in a project that earned a prestigious award last month. 

Sharkey, who resides in the unincorporated area of Fairview Heights west of Union Hill Road/Sullivan Drive, led the transit district in a joint effort to upgrade and improve the Emerson Park Transit Center in East St. Louis which has been recognized by the East-West Gateway Council of Governments with its annual award in the category of “exemplary collaboration, partnership or regional initiative.”

 Along with the St. Clair County Transit District, the other participating entities in this project were the Bi-State Development/Metro regional public transportation agency and the St. Clair County 9-1-1 Emergency Telephone System Board. 

At the EWCGC awards program held at America’s Center in St. Louis in November, Sharkey was present along with St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern who served as master of ceremonies for the event. 

Of the four major awards presented, the one recognizing the Emerson Park project was defined as being earmarked for exemplary contributions to services provided by the public sector which in this case consists of light rail and bus transportation out of the location which serves as the primary MetroLink station for the north side of East St. Louis.

The specific aspect of the Emerson Park location which was the focus of this recognition is its new public safety center which houses an emergency dispatch center, office space for both the transit district and St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department deputies and a backup transit operations control unit.

Owned and operated by the transit district of which Sharkey is its leader, the public safety center has been designed to improve communications and security efforts while also providing better service to not only those using the light rail and bus systems which pick up and drop off people there but also the operators employed by those entities, all who benefit from amenities such as improved rest rooms.

A $9.9 million grant procured through Illinois Governor JB Pritzger’s “Rebuild Illinois” program was added to financial support from Bi-State Development and the transit district to make this project a reality. 

Upon final completion, the center will provide close to 100 jobs along with providing a safe, secure point on the MetroLink line. 

Also at the East-West Gateway awards event, those involved in public service who passed away during the previous year were honored and remembered including former St. Clair County Board Chairman and Caseyville Township Supervisor Vic Canty, who resided in Fairview Heights, and the past chief of the French Village Fire Department of Fairview Heights, Alfred “Alfie” LaPointe.

Recognized as a coordinating agency for the transportation network in the St. Louis area, including three counties in Illinois, the EWGCG is part of the process of projecting road and highway expansions, widenings, upgrades and extensions plus other related projects which impact motorists and those using applicable public services, such as buses and light rail, in the region.

Based in downtown St. Louis, the EWGCG was created in conjunction with the Federal Highway Act passed by the United States Congress in 1962.

East-West Gateway Council of Governments was formally incorporated in 1965 to provide a forum for cooperative problem-solving and the coordinated development of regional policy. Its founders were and its current leaders are the chief elected officials of the city of St. Louis, Franklin, Jefferson, St. Charles and St. Louis counties in Missouri and Madison, Monroe and St. Clair counties in Illinois. It was previously called the East-West Gateway Coordinating Council.

Originally charged with coordinating transportation funding for St. Louis regional projects, EWGCG’s purview has expanded through the years to bring together governmental officials, planning professionals, citizens and private sector partners to develop regional and local plans for transportation, environmental quality, housing, emergency preparedness and access to employment.

East-West Gateway Council of Governments administers four competitive programs that provide federal funding to local sponsors for various transportation projects such as roadway/bridge improvements, public transit service, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and mobility for seniors and persons with disabilities.

 

This story also appears in the January 2024 print edition of the Illinois Business Journal.