Fermilab Against Road

Fermilab opposes Eola Road extension on east side.

SOLID obtained a copy of a letter (see Fermi Letters [23k]) from Fermilab to Mr. Schillerstrom (DuPage County Board chairman) that stated Fermilab had changed their position regarding the Eola Road extension. After several months of vibration analysis, scientists had concluded that a highway on the eastern side of the lab would threaten the future of the facility. They said that the only route the lab was likely to agree to would be along the western edge of the lab, next to Kirk Road, or a widening of Kirk Road. They stated that to agree to the eastern route would "potentially foreclose our ability to develop future accelerators and assure that Fermilab remains a leader in high energy physics."

Fermilab tends to be a quiet neighbor, so it is easy to forget some important facts about the facility.

· Fermilab is the home of the world's highest-energy accelerator.

· When the new Main Injector is brought on-line, the facility is expected to produce more data about more particle collisions at the energy frontier than ever before in the history of particle physics.

· More than 2,200 scientists from 36 states and 20 countries use the facilities.

· It is one of the largest employers in the area.

· Fermilab brings over $250 million per year into the local economy.

· Fermilab comprises 6800 acres, most of which is open space. It is twice the size of Pratt's Wayne Woods Forest Preserve, DuPage County's largest preserve.

· Fermilab has opened its property to the local public for recreation such as hiking, biking, horseback riding, science classes, and canoeing.

In short, Fermilab is a world class research facility, an important contributor to the local economy, and the largest public park in the area. That's quite an impressive combination.

In July 1999, Fermilab told Mr. Schillerstrom that the proposed Eola Road would compromise the future of the Lab, and therefore they would not permit the road to be built. At the September meeting of the DuKane Valley Council, Mr. Schillerstrom said, "after we get the road through Fermilab, then we can worry about where it goes." The following month, Fermilab wrote their letter to reiterate their position to Mr. Schillerstrom. He did not make it public knowledge. The County's road building plan still shows the road going through Fermilab.

As mentioned, the County Board on Tuesday, November 9, 1999 approved a road building plan that includes the road through Fermilab. The day before, a board member was asked if he knew about the letter. He said he did not. Did Mr. Schillerstrom withhold information from the Board, so that they did not have knowledge about Fermilab's position when they voted on the plan? Or did they know, but decided that the road was more important than advancing the frontiers of science?