Jackson Park's revamp — what will Chicagoans pay?

transformational project for this community." That's how Barack Obama described the planned presidential center dedicated to him when he came to Chicago in May to pitch it. Transformational indeed, not just for its venue, Jackson Park, or the struggling South Side neighborhoods nearby, but for the city itself.

Some people would say the same about the Tiger Woods-designed, PGA-worthy revamp of the Jackson Park and South Shore golf courses. Both proposals potentially have the scope and star power to back up such predictions.

Organizers of the two projects have begun painting a clearer picture of what each has to offer, and how each would coexist with the surrounding communities. Missing from that picture, however, is a much clearer sense of the hit Chicago taxpayers would take.

Both projects require major infrastructure changes. The $500 million Barack Obama Presidential Center, to be paid for with money raised by the Obama Foundation, calls for the closure of Cornell Drive, a six-lane road that cuts through the western side of Jackson Park. It's hard to argue against the rationale for closing the road, which skirts the eastern edge of the proposed presidential center campus. Plans call for open space dedicated to sledding, picnicking and nature-walking.

Cornell Drive, however, serves as a vital link for South Side motorists moving between South Lake Shore Drive and the Chicago Skyway. To alleviate the impact of Cornell's closure, Obama center plans call for Hayes Drive to replace Cornell as a connector between the Skyway and Lake Shore Drive, and for improvements on Lake Shore Drive to accommodate diverted traffic. There would also be improvements along Stony Island Avenue, which runs along the western border of the park. How much will all of that cost? And will taxpayers shoulder most or all of that price tag? No word yet from City Hall.