After 5 years, Obamas to break ground on Presidential Center

By SOPHIA TAREEN
Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — Barack and Michelle Obama are expected to attend a celebratory groundbreaking on Chicago’s South Side for the Obama Presidential Center. Tuesday’s event follows years of legal battles, concerns about gentrification and a federal review. Construction officially began last month in Jackson Park along Lake Michigan. Barack Obama told ABC’s “Good Morning America” in an interview broadcast Tuesday that he hopes the center will bring an economic boost to Chicago’s South Side and inspire the area’s young people. The site is near the Obama family home and where the former president started his political career. The roughly $830 million center will feature a museum, public library branch and children’s play area. The groundbreaking will be streamed online to limit crowds amid the pandemic.