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High Bridge 180 N. Wabash, Suite 400 Chicago, Il. 60601 / 312-528-3506

Chicago Southland Office: 214 Forest Blvd. Park Forest, Il. 60466 / 708-283-5020

What is High Bridge? High Bridge is a transitional jobs and social enterprise company, founded by OAI Inc.,

which coordinates green infrastructure installation and ongoing maintenance, hiring local labor and helping

advance technical skills for residents of the Calumet region. Our company is designed to offer transitional

employment, enabling local residents to benefit from public Green Infrastructure investments in their

communities.

During its start-up year of 2015, High Bridge will be installing approximately a dozen pilot green infrastructure

projects throughout the Millennium Reserve/ Calumet River corridor communities of Robbins, Riverdale,

Calumet Park, Calumet City, Dolton, Blue Island and Burnham, along with high-profile sites in flood-prone

Midlothian and a community-coordinated project on the campus of South Suburban College. The projects range

in size and scope from rain gardens along parkways in residential settings to multi-acre wetland and native tree

installations within industrial sites and former brownfield properties.

How will the work be accomplished? High Bridge crews will be local hires with some landscape experience,

looking to scale-up their knowledge with green infrastructure treatments and restoration ecology skills. Crews

will install native seed mixes, perennial plugs, trees and shrubs and will be working on newly-excavated and

graded sites. Once installed, High Bridge will continue to maintain sites at a minimum of one full year, until

plant and seed materials are established.

Who is leading High Bridge? In partnership with the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association,

Illinois Department of Natural Resources and other agencies active in the Millennium Reserve/ Calumet River

Corridor Green Infrastructure Consortium and the Calumet Stormwater Collaborative, OAI, Inc. is

demonstrating its leadership and commitment to workforce training, economic advancement and

environmentally-sound communities by launching and incubating High Bridge. For more than 30 years, OAI,

Inc. has advanced workforce training throughout the nation, and has helped thousands of individuals improve

their lives by effectively managing more than $70 million in federal, state, city and foundation training program

grants. OAI has a special emphasis on training individuals in environmental justice communities in careers in

Brownfield remediation and green construction. OAI is an active organization in the Chicago Southland

Economic Development Corporation, working with local colleges, mayors and manufacturing firms to

strengthen and improve the Chicago Southland’s economic environment.

High Bridge’s future vision: Once 2015’s pilot sites are installed, High Bridge and its team of partners plan to

scale up efforts throughout the Millennium Reserve/ Calumet River Corridor and across the region. Plans

include developing dynamic interpretive components for completed, on-the-ground projects and using

successfully-installed green infrastructure sites as demonstration projects and case studies for homeowners,

businesses and industrial firms, park districts and municipal planners. Ultimately, High Bridge’s vision is for

south suburban green infrastructure to be a front-door landscape, welcoming and identifying the region’s

commitment to health, resilience and an improved quality of life.



Blue Island Parkway Rain Garden – first green infrastructure installation for High Bridge:

Contractors excavating parkway site to depth of 18” below grade.

Bringing in rain garden soil mix from vendor High Bridge crew educating neighbors about the garden.

Seedlings taking root and new identification sign installed



Calumet Park, Veterans Park Rain Gardens – the only public park in the Village of Calumet Park

Four excavated garden zones throughout this

park; here, crew members direct rain garden soil

delivery. A rainy, early summer scene demonstrates the

functioning rain garden.

Recognition and instructional sign explaining

the green infrastructure; new crushed granite

pathway and proud High Bridge crew members.



Robbins Rain Garden, Prairie and New Turf zone for public gatherings (site is about ½ acre, near police, fire

and City Hall in central Robbins district):

Difficult site conditions: Robbins Fire

helpled our crew with initial watering of

first rain garden, due to broken fire

hydrant.

Hydroseeding low-profile prairie zones.

Tiny, new seedlings,

germinating under

seed cover.

Seedlings after 2

weeks are about ½

inch high.



Midlothian Homeowners: Jacquelyn Hill and her daughter, Helen are active community leaders in

Midlothian. They are working with the Center for Neighborhood Technology on their Rain Ready initiative,

which is promoting green infrastructure at the residential scale. Ms. Hill was so excited about the goals and

value of Rain Ready, she contracted High Bridge to build a demonstration garden at her daughter’s home –

situated on 147th street – a high-traffic roadway in central Midlothian. They are promoting this new garden

to public officials and community members throughout the region.

Jacquelyn Hill and her daughter, Helen, with High

Bridge crew installing plantings.

Publicizing the Rain Ready initiative.

The Floodlothian Midlothian

activists, led by Jacquelyn

and Helen, lead excellent

celebration campaigns,

including having champagne

ready for group toasts to

Green Infrastructure.



South Suburban College – funding of the ¾ acre rain garden project provided with grant from Illinois Green

Infrastructure Grant.

Excavating wet, mucky turf zone near South Suburban College’s Athletic Building and soccer fields.

Planting native

prairie plugs and

irrigating during

hot August.

Green seedlings poking through

the protective seed cover, and

Tonarreo King, a graduate of

OAI’s MWT program; funding

from this program allowed us to

hire Mr. King on a part-time

basis; he has a new love for

green infrastructure solutions.

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