Christmas Tree & Light Recycling 1/1 through 1/17/11

The City of Chicago Tree Mulching and Light recycling starts this Sat (1/1) through Jan 17. Natural trees can be brought to locations throughout the city and mulched.

Your closest locations can be found @ www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/streets.html
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Season's Greetings!

Wishing Everyone a Very Happy Holiday Season!

Post Christmas Reminder:

If you have a natural Christmas Tree or will be getting rid of old christmas lights due to upgrading to LEDs or otherwise:  Stay Tuned for Info on The Park District's Christmas Tree Recycling program hours and locations.  Our local site has traditionally been The McKinley Park Service bay after the new year.

Chicago Tribune: Lights out, but Trash No More

Wilson Park Advisory Council Meeting Jan 4th 6:00pm

The Wilson Park Advisory Council (WPAC) will be holding a meeting at the Wilson Park Fieldhouse on Tuesday January 4th at 6:00pm.   The agenda includes orders of business for 2011 including the election of candidates for the Advisory Council.

When:  Tuesday Jan 4th, 2011
Time: 6:00pm
Location:  Wilson Park Fieldhouse
1122 W. 34th Pl
Chicago, IL 60608


Phone: 312.747.7002

A New Costco for the Near South Side, Finally?

The plan for the City's second Costco at 14th and Ashland has been in the works for quite some time.  Talks surfaced again recently when the Sun-Times reported that the Department of Community Development was proposing a plan to incentivize Costco to move forward with the plan with a deal worth $1 million over 12 years in property tax incentives.  On the flipside- the store would bring in an estimated $27 million in tax revenue. 

Many Bridgeporters would love to have a Costco closer to home despite the fact that purchases would be subject to the loathsome Cook County/Chicago sales tax rate- one of the highest in the country.  Current options present trekking up to the Clybourn/Diversey Store , Southwest to Bedford Park (beyond the Chicago Tax hump) or for an even better Tax bump - Out West to The Oakbrook store.

To read more visit: Daley proposing tax break to land second Costco for city- Sun-Times 

Wilson Park Renovation Update

The Wilson Park Renovation is slated for completion next week.  A final punch list is slated for review and the park will be open for use most likely late in the week.  Official ribbon cutting will most likely take place in the Spring when nicer weather graces us again.  Enclosed below are some photos from various stages of the process.

Original Playlot

West Lawn & Old Sprinkler

Fieldhouse (streetview)

Start of the renovation

Demolition of playlot

Intermediate Demolition phase

Sod on West Lawn/Conversion of old sprinkler

New West Walkway

Renovation of walkways

New Walkways. Playground takes shape

New Surface on playlot

New Sprinkler in SE corner

New Southplaylot

New West Lawn-Freshly sodded

New North Playlot area

New South playlot surface

New playlot with pavers area

New south playlot and sprinkler

New surface and playlot

Finished Playlot with commemorative pavers area

Original concept design for renovation (prior to amendments)

Bridgeport Restaurants Receive awards

The Michelin guide announced it's Bib-gourmand winners and on thaT list were two Bridgeport restaurants NANA and Han 202.

To read the full story visit:

http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/thestew/2010/11/michelin-guide-chicago-announces-its-bib-gourmand-winners-.html

Cermak Fresh Market coming to Bridgeport

By Sarah Severson (Chicago Gazette)
October 29, 2010

In just a few months, Cermak Fresh Market will open as a full service grocery store in the former Bridgeport Jewel-Osco space at 3033 S. Halsted St., filling a major void that has existed for the last three years.

Cermak Fresh Market has operated grocery stores in the Chicago area for the last 30 years. It currently runs ten stores, with the new Bridgeport location and another site in the works.

Eleventh Ward Alderman James Balcer worked with Cook County Commissioner John Daley to help bring the store to Bridgeport. With a Cermak Fresh Market in the 11th Ward at Archer and Damen Avenues, Balcer was familiar with the company and the people behind it.

“This neighborhood had a big need for a store like this, and it’s a good fit,” Balcer said. “I’ve always liked their products, they’re very congenial, they work with the community, and it’s a pleasure to have them here.”

The new grocery store is a part of the City’s redevelopment plans for the neighborhood. Cermak Fresh Market is known for its emphasis on perishable items such as produce, meat, and deli items. It will offer a wide selection of groceries, including those with an international flair to reflect the neighborhood’s diversity and ethnic makeup.

“We cater to the neighborhood and carry items that appeal to those who live in the area,” said Michael Bousis, Cermak Fresh Market spokesperson and a member of the family that owns the chain. “We’re aggressively priced and give the freshest and best quality that we can.”

Bousis said the store’s prices often are lower than those found at national chains.

Workers are demolishing the building’s interior while the owners obtain City building permits for the store’s transformation. Once permits are in hand, construction should take four to five months, with the opening expected in February or March.

“It will be the same space, but with a much improved layout over what the Jewel store had before,” said Sakis Karasmanakis, general contractor for S Construction Co., which is handling the renovation.

Workers will leave the structure in place but revamp the inside and reface the outside. They also will install new wall coverings, flooring, and energy-efficient lighting and equipment.

The interior measures about 18,000 square feet, but the sales area will be bigger than at the former Jewel-Osco to permit a larger selection of various foods, including a full array of fish, dairy, meat, bakery, and hot foods as well as non-perishables.

Workers also will resurface the parking lot, remove the wrought iron fence, add landscaping, and install lighting in the parking lot and alley. “It’s going to be a beautiful store from the outside in,” said Karasmanakis.

For the original story

Speigel Building Update

Developer: Landmarking would help stalled Bridgeport project

By: Andrew Schroedter November 04, 2010

(Crain's) — David Dubin hopes the city makes the former Spiegel Inc. administration building in Bridgeport a landmark, a move he believes would help revive his stalled plan to redevelop the brawny structure into residences.

Mr. Dubin, CEO of Dubin Residential, in 2006 proposed converting the vacant, 250,000-square-foot building at 1038 W. 35th St. into loft-style condominiums, but was unable to obtain construction financing before the housing market crashed.

Mr. Dubin is back with a new plan for 158 units — likely to be rental — and 60,000 square feet of office or retail space.

The Commission on Chicago Landmarks on Thursday is scheduled to consider making the six-story, Art Moderne building a local landmark.

Although his plan has changed, Mr. Dubin, who has specialized in moderately priced neighborhood projects, is still facing a familiar problem: He doesn't have a construction loan.

Adding to that challenge, the mortgage used to finance his $6.4-million acquisition of the property came due Monday.

Mr. Dubin says he's in talks with his lender and is confident the two sides can agree on an extension.

"I've worked with banks for years and nothing ever gets done on time," he says.

He hopes landmarking will boost the project's visibility and improve his chances of landing construction financing.

The red-brick and concrete structure, built in stages for the catalog house and completed in 1942, was added last year to the National Register of Historic Places. The City Council would need to give final approval to make it a Chicago landmark.

Suprisingly, Mr. Dubin hasn't ruled out shifting the project back to for-sale housing, despite the neighborhood's backlog of unsold condos.

“There's a glut of mid-rise elevator buildings” in the area, says Jeff Benach, executive vice-president of Chicago-based Lexington Homes LLC, developer of a 39-unit townhouse project about a half-mile south at 37th and Sangamon streets.

In a report recommending landmarking for the building, the city's Department of Zoning and Land Use Planning notes the property's place in the city's history and its unique design, with “the bands of steel windows and vertical columns of glass block.”

Chicago was once the country's mail-order hub and Spiegel one of the city's largest firms, employing more than 10,000 workers at the end of World War II. It was founded in 1865 by Civil War veteran Joseph Spiegel.

Best known for its women's apparel, the company eventually moved its headquarters to the western suburbs. In 2005, the company emerged from bankruptcy protection as Eddie Bauer Holdings after selling off the Spiegel brand name. Spiegel was acquired last year by New York-based private-equity firm Patriarch Partners LLC.

A venture led by Mr. Dubin financed the purchase of the Spiegel administration building in 2005 with a $6.35-million mortgage from Midwest Bank & Trust. That loans was replaced in 2007 with a new loan from National City Bank that was scheduled to come due Monday, property records show.

A spokeswoman for PNC Bank, which acquired National City in 2008, didn't return a message.

To read the original story on Crain's Chicago Business

Lofts at Bridgeport Place: Some activity to come?

Lofts at Bridgeport Place: If You Landmark It Will They Lend?

Originally in 'Curbed Chicago'

It's been a long journey, but Bridgeport Place Lofts hasn't gone anywhere — yet. Dubin Residential first floated the loft conversion of the old Spiegel building on 35th Street in the go-go market of 2006. Then, perhaps capitalizing on the building's location across the street from the popular Zhou B Art Center, they re-branded it as "live-work spaces for artists." Still unable to finance the development, Dubin is at it again, this time seeking to get Landmark status for the building, which the developer hopes will breathe new life into the stalled project. Crain's reports that the Commission on Chicago Landmarks considered granting Landmark designation to the boarded-up building. (No word on the outcome yet.) Dubin's website advertises "true urban rentals," although Crain's reports that the developer hasn't ruled out condos.

To read more.

3rd Annual Block Party is Tommorrow!

3rd Annual 34th Place Block Party

Times:  11:00am to ?

Plenty of Activities for the Kids (Mom and Dad Too!)

Activities: 

Visit the Fire Truck 12noon -1pm

Children's Jumpy Castles:  1pm- 9pm

Facepainter/ Balloon Artist  2pm-4pm

Barbecue- Cook Off              2:00pm until ?

Bags Tournament : 4:00pm

DJ Payback Pabon -spinning music for all ages and Old style Chicago House  2pm- 10pm

Where?  1100 Block of 34th Place in Bridgeport (Between Aberdeen and Racine) 

Click for Directions

Hope to see you there!

Plenty of parking on Aberdeen between 34th Place and 35th Street and in the Chicago Community Bank Parking Lot (after 2pm- you can enter from 35th Street.)

Hope to see you there!

Restaurant's in the Neighborhood: NANA

 

Wilson Park Renovation has begun!

Neighbors:

The demolition phase of the renovation has begun. As a result the park has been draped and closed.

We are on track to having a new and safer park in the near future!

Lou Sandoval
____________________________________
Sent via BlackBerry from AT&T Wireless

Bridgeport Paves Way

Bridgeport paves way

Local artists find community, culture in a new part of town, 1 mile from Pilsen

By Lauren Viera, Tribune reporter

August 13, 2010

Long before Comiskey Park became the Cell, even before there was a new Comiskey Park, two brothers emigrated from China to a Near South Side neighborhood called Bridgeport. They lived on the North Side for the first few months, right on the lake, but they were grand-scale visual artists and needed enough space for a large studio. Not to mention, as non-English speakers, they wanted to be close to Chinatown. Bridgeport was the most logical choice, geographically and economically: It was located within close proximity of native Chinese speakers (and food), and its abandoned warehouses were practically a steal. It was 1987, and the brothers had found their home away from home.

More than 20 years later, Realtors have learned to sell Bridgeport based on its two most significant residents, past and present: Mayor Richard M. Daley and the Zhou brothers.

"We were the first artists in the neighborhood," says DaHuang Zhou (pronounced "joe"), the younger of the two. He's sipping an iced coffee prepared by one of his employees at a cafe in a large art center, both of which bear his name. "We wanted to create a special stage for artists. This was our only dream for a long time."

DaHuang and ShanZuo Zhou's dream came true in 2004, when the brothers purchased an enormous 84,000-square-foot warehouse building on 35th Street and built the Zhou B. Art Center. It houses two vast exhibition spaces, multiple galleries, the cafe, a gift shop and offices. It's the epicenter of their empire, built over two decades.

On the day I meet DaHuang Zhou, I ask him how many lots he and his brother own in the neighborhood. He paused before answering, as if counting in his head. "Nine," he says finally, borrowing my pen to outline little squares on a piece of paper marked with an upside-down T, representing 35th and Morgan streets. He drew a box for the Zhou B. Art Center on 35th, and in the middle of Morgan another to indicate their studio. Another square marked the residential building in which visiting artists are housed. He outlined a lot for the sculpture garden they designed and built in 1997, and next to that the Zhou brothers Art Foundation, established in 1991.

The Zhou brothers, of course, are just two residents in this slowly burgeoning neighborhood.

Slow is the typical pace in Bridgeport. Nestled in a pleasantly low-traffic wedge of the Near South Side (bordered to the west and north by the Chicago River, to the south by Pershing Road and to the east by railroad tracks), it's quietly residential with more than adequate amenities. It is increasingly becoming one of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in the city, yet maintains its Irish Catholic pride and long history of political residents, including five Chicago mayors.

Daley moved out in 1993. But artists have moved in.

Down the street from the Zhou B. Art Center is the newly christened Bridgeport Art Center, known until a handful of months ago as the Artists of Eastbank. Building manager Drago Batar changed the name of his 10-year-old business, located in the former Spiegel catalog warehouse, to reflect its transition to a multidisciplinary building. Painting, drawing and sculpture artists — about 45 of them — have populated the lofty warehouse for years. Batar says the number of photographers is increasing, and in the next few months he plans to lure ceramicists with a brand brand-new clay center on the sixth floor, awash in natural light from the sea of skylights.

Batar says the local artists' community used to be centered in Pilsen, a mile northwest across the expressway. Not anymore. "Five or six years ago, (the community) started shifting to Bridgeport," Batar says. "Pilsen's real estate prices went up, and more artists started coming here."

And why not? The art is the icing.

A modest collection of cafes and historically rooted restaurants are there, including Polo Cafe and Catering, which has occupied a Morgan Street four-flat for a quarter-century. Chef-owner-innkeeper Dave Samber is quick to name-drop the Zhou brothers when quizzed about the locals. But his patrons are mostly suits and families. A chalkboard in the foyer, featuring drawings by artist and former neighbor Jacqueline A. Harrison, features detailed mayoral portraits, including Richard M. Daley — who used to live within walking distance. Samber keeps a piece of chalk with his name on it (literally) to score a signature when the time comes.

Up the street, the neighborhood's next generation of artists down dark Guatemalan brews at Bridgeport Coffee, which hosts live jazz as enjoyable as its BLTA (bacon-lettuce-tomato-avocado) wrap. A few doors down is Co-Prosperity Sphere, an independent alternative cultural center opened in 2008 by longtime local art enthusiast Ed Marszewski as a bricks-and-mortar home to his various endeavors. He bought the building, junk piles and all, from a guy he met at his mother's bar, Kaplan's, up the street. The lofty space now holds frequently rotating art shows, storefront installations and the offices for Marszewski and his wife's nonprofit, Public Media Institute, which produces a half-dozen art-centric publications and programs annually.

Marszewski, like the Zhou brothers, embraces the neighborhood's opportunity. Later this month, he and his brother will re-open Kaplan's as Maria's, in honor of his mother, with a beverage program and potential for more. Meanwhile, he frequents the decades-old, buzzed-in-entry Bernice's Tavern (established 1965, as the sign boasts). It shares a strip of Halsted Street with crate-digging destination Let's Boogie, which continues to stock new (not used) vinyl and tapes, despite the shrinking market; and organic eatery Nana, whose successfully eclectic brunch (chilaquiles, house-made granola, bacon hash) prompted last month's expansion to dinner.

The best place to contemplate all that Bridgeport has to offer is one of the oldest: McGuane Park, which has been in the neighborhood for 105 years. Perched from the lofty hill above Halsted and 29th streets, you can see the whole neighborhood. And it's quite a view.

lviera@tribune.com

Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune


To Read the original article on the Tribune Website

MUST SEE Spots in Chicago's Bridgeport Neighborhood

A Map of Must See Spots:

SAVE THE DATE: 3rd Annual 34th Place BLOCK Party

The Residents of the 1100 Block of 34th Place will be hosting their 3rd Annual Block Party on Saturday September 4th starting at 11:00am.  We wanted to get the date out so that you can mark it on your calendar.  If you would like to get involved on the organizing committee send and email to lsandoval30@gmail.com . 

 Traffic will be limited starting at 10:00a.m until close for the block from Aberdeen/34th Place to Racine/34th Place.

We will have plenty of activities for the whole family and look forward to a fun day among friends and family.

Cork & Kerry At the Park Opens

Cork and Kerry opens near The Cell

June 12, 2010

BY MARK KONKOL, Sun-Times Media

Friday was a great day for Chicago - and the South Side.

The Blackhawks Stanley Cup rally strangled downtown with hundreds of thousands of fans. The White Sox clobbered the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

And back in the shadow of U.S. Cellular Field, Cork and Kerry at the Park opened in the former Jimbo's Lounge at 33rd Street and Princeton Avenue. At about 7 p.m., bartenders poured their first pints in two years at the building.

"We got the city license yesterday and the state license this morning, and we're good to go,'' said Bill Guide, who also owns Cork and Kerry tavern in the Beverly community. "It's a good weekend for baseball in the city despite the lack of good baseball in the city. And it's the Hawks' big day, too. Such a special day in the city.''

Jimbo's Lounge, which was owned by popular tavern keeper Jimbo Levato, was forced to close by clout-heavy landlords Raymond and Donna DeGrazia. At one point, the DeGrazias had a contract to put a Cubs-fan friendly John Barleycorn tavern in the building, but the plans fell through.

Early this year, Guide stepped in to keep the joint a Sox bar. The pub was remodeled, including giant storefront windows aimed at making the place more inviting from the street.

"The big windows make the place look bigger and let in the sound of the neighborhood and the natural light and the sound of the ballpark,'' Guide said as beer trucks were being unloaded. "You can see the park, hear it and smell it.''

The Cork and Kerry menu includes "upscale pub grub'' on a menu that looks like a baseball lineup card. On game days, Guide said they'll offer special food and brews from the town of visiting teams.

"If we're playing the Yankees, we'll have Nathan's hot dogs. We'll bring in the Labatt (beer) when we play the Blue Jays,'' Guide said. "And even when the Bears play. If the Saints are in town, we'll serve gumbo. It's something that people can check year-round, not just baseball season.''

Cork and Kerry at the Park has about a dozen tables and 10 beer taps. Guide said they'll stock the bar with "traditional Irish beers'' and a selection of local craft brews.

"I'm a beer geek at heart,'' he said. "We'll have a bunch of micro brews and craft beers. As much as we can - we're limited on space.''

From the Southtown.

Wilson Park "LEGACY Program" -Buy a Brick

An Example of How nice the Pavers will look at our new Park

Wilson Park Legacy Brick Program

Be one of  Fifty Families to commemorate your child or loved one's names in the renovation of the Wilson Park Playground by purchasing a custom paver engraved with your custom message for the soon to be renovated playground.

Work will begin soon (after the summer program session) on the park.  The park's advisory council hopes to have ALL of the fifty alotted custom brick spots sold by June 30th (just fifteen days away).

The Blue area above indicates the planned locations of the paver pavilions for the bricks.

How Do I buy a brick?

Buying a brick is easy.  You can visit the Wilson Park Legacy Brick program page or download the brick paver order form here.

Mail your payment and order form to John P. Wilson Park Legacy Brick Program c/o The Parkways Foundation, 541 N. Fairbanks Ct., Chicago, IL 60611

How much do the bricks cost?

The 4"x 8" Bricks are $50.00 payable to the Parkways Foundation.

What can I put on the bricks?

Inscriptions are limited to names 13 characters) and subject to approval by the Chicago Park District.  The Paver order form has a full list of specific details.

Is my purchase tax deductible?

Yes,  Parkways Foundation is a 501c3 organization.  Tax deductibility may vary by individual circumstance, check with your tax professional for details.

Bridgeport residents’ nutrition suffers from lack of major grocery store

From the Gazette

June 4, 2010

By Sarah Severson

When Jewel-Osco closed its Bridgeport store at 3033 S. Halsted St. in fall 2007, residents had few grocery options nearby. Today, their food shopping options remain limited, making life difficult for residents, particularly those dependent on public transit.

The lack of neighborhood groceries also has lowered quality of life and compromised nutrition and health for those unable to make regular visits to the grocery store.

Bridgeport residents’ current options include a small neighborhood market, Halsted Foods at 3416 S. Halsted St., and the large chain stores farther away, such as the Jewel-Osco at 34th St. and King Drive or the Dominick’s at 31st Street and Ashland Avenue.

Local resident Barbara Stack, 61, doesn’t own a car and relies on friends to drive her to the store. “It’s hard—you have to go when someone else wants to go, and I don’t like imposing on people,” Stack said. “Sometimes I walk to Halsted Foods, but then I have to pay to have the food delivered, and that store doesn’t have everything that I need.”

Stack shops for food every couple of weeks. As a result, she eats fewer fresh fruits and vegetables and more frozen foods because they last longer.

“I have high blood pressure and cholesterol,” she said. “My doctor recommends eating fresh fruits and vegetables, but I just don’t have easy access to them.”

For 60-year-old Wendy Shviraga, another long-time Bridgeport resident, grocery shopping has become difficult because she works during the day and the major stores are so far away.

“Sometimes it’s hard to get to the grocery store at night after work,” she said. “We end up eating out more often, which is costing more.”

Resident Irene O’Neill has a car but shops at Halsted Foods when she needs just a few things or is in a hurry. Often, she buys her groceries in Indiana, where she works just across the border.

“There is no tax on food in Indiana, and sales tax on the other items is lower, so the savings adds up,” O’Neill said.

She also shops at Jewel-Osco and Dominick’s stores in the city or the nearby Mexican specialty store, but she greatly misses the convenience of walking to a large grocery store in the neighborhood.

As for the old Jewel-Osco location, it likely will remain empty for the time being. Pete’s Fresh Market had considered opening a store there, but Charles Boulakis, regional manager, said his company has lost interest because “Jewel was asking crazy numbers to rent the building. It was too high of a price, so we stayed away.”

When asked if Jewel-Osco would consider re-opening the store, spokesperson Karen May said, “Jewel-Osco consistently seeks new business opportunities, including those in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood. However, details about the 2007 closure of the company’s Bridgeport store and any detailed analysis about whether to open a new store in Bridgeport are considered internal information that—as a matter of company policy — Jewel-Osco does not publicly discuss.”

Recent research shows statistically significant relationships between food access and diet-related disease and premature death.

Extensive studies by the Mari Gallagher Research & Consulting Group show the negative effects of “food deserts,” which are large geographic areas with no mainstream grocery stores. The studies indicate no “perfect distance” to a grocery store; instead, they evaluate different communities’ density patterns and residents’ particular views on driving and walking.

“We often look for things that are closest to you, but these choices add up,” said Mari Gallagher, president. “We can calculate additional life loss based on food environment after we control key contributing factors like income, race, and education.”

Gallagher’s group has found more adult diseases appearing in children. “We have such epidemics on our hands — this will be the first generation of young people whose quality and length of life is worse” than that enjoyed by their parents, she said.

Gallagher’s research shows convenient access to a grocery store can have a very positive impact on a person’s life, gaining years of life back from diabetes, diet-related cancers, and cardiovascular diseases.

Residents in communities lacking a major grocery store can improve their health and lives by recruiting mainstream grocers, improving convenience stores that may lack healthful food choices, and starting community gardens and farmers’ markets to get access to good, fresh foods more easily and regularly.

Gallagher said the City of Chicago has worked to provide better food in public schools, which is a step in the right direction.

Full Story: The Gazette Chicago

Bridgeport—20 Best Towns and Neighborhoods in Chicago and the Suburbs

Bridgeport—20 Best Towns and Neighborhoods in Chicago and the Suburbs

By Dennis Rodkin
Chicago Magazine


Average house price: $314,784


Transportation * * * (out of 4) Well situated to both CTA and main urban thoroughfares


Schools * * * A number of public and private grade schools serve the neighborhood, including the standout Sheridan (elementary) Math & Science Academy.


Shopping * * * Bridgeport is strong on dining; for retail, residents can head up to the new Roosevelt Road shopping centers.


Plus: White Sox baseball and a budding gallery district


Over the past decade, an influx of artists and bargain-hunting homeowners has been adding a new layer to Bridgeport’s old-line ethnic working class. The newcomers are drawn by the neighborhood’s proximity to the Loop and public transportation, as well as by the mix of old ethnic restaurants and younger, artier places, such as the Zhou B. Art Center (and café) on 35th Street. One of the city’s most unlikely parks is here, too: the lovely 27-acre Stearns Quarry Park, a cleaned-up old quarry that was once a dump but now serves as a green space and urban fishing hole.

Read More.

One Week Until Bike the Drive

Just one week until the MB Financial Bike the Drive on Sunday May 30, 2010.   Hoping that a few of our neighbors can band together to enjoy one of our City's best features- The Chicago Lakefront as seen from a Bike.

Information on registration can be found at http://www.bikethedrive.org/

Chicago Tribune: North Side playlots get more money, upgrades

Michael Rivers, a worker with the Chicago Park District, picks up trash on the playground at Memorial Park on West 73 Street. (William DeShazer, Chicago Tribune / May 13, 2010)

34th Place Notes:  Interesting Article.  Not completely sold on the inference that the Southside is neglected as the article hints.  What the North side has that the South side needs is the involvement by the residents in the neighborhoods.

_____________________________

North Side playlots get more money, upgrades

Map reveals fewer renovations on South and West sides

Lobbying By Erika Slife and Lolly Bowean, Tribune reporters

May 16, 2010

The playground across from Kendra Snow's Englewood home is littered with broken liquor bottles, potato chip bags and other trash.

The blue paint on the jungle gym is peeling, and its drawbridge is rusted. On a recent afternoon, a group of men congregated near the fenced-in swing set and drank beer as music blared from their car. On the basketball court, where a torn net dangles from a hoop, teenagers scuffled.

It's no wonder Snow, 34, refuses to take her five children to Memorial Playlot Park at 73rd Street and Vincennes Avenue.

"The swings are broke, and there's nothing for the kids to do because everything is tore up," she said. "It's just tore up and raggedy."

In Chicago, the quality of a play lot depends on the community where it's located. And in communities such as Snow's, where busy roads and gang boundaries confine children to a small radius of their homes, playgrounds may be the only recreational outlet where kids run free.

For the last five years, the Chicago Park District has been aggressively renovating playgrounds across the city with the goal of modernizing all 518 play lots. But a Park District map denoting every renovation over the last decade shows the majority occurred on the North Side.

Officials say the reason for the disparity is because it has been easier to partner financially with city, state and civic leaders on the North Side to renovate playgrounds. Park District records show that of the $8.5 million aldermen contributed to playground projects since 2003, only $1.1 million came from South Side aldermen — and $925,000 of that from two lawmakers: Aldermen Virginia Rugai, 19th, and Michael Zalewski, 23rd. Each alderman is given city funds to support projects in his or her ward.

Ald. Freddrenna Lyle, 6th, whose ward contains the decrepit Memorial Playlot, said she was not surprised by conditions there.

"Every year, I go through this war with the Park District," Lyle said. "I will go through and show them all the programs available in other communities and meet with them, and they will give you 9,000 reasons why the programs are not available here."

Park District officials say playground records don't show a complete picture of how lawmakers contribute to the district because some elected officials donate money for a new field house or other park amenities. General Superintendent Timothy Mitchell said that for its part, "the Park District spends its money evenly across the board."

"They may get more on the North Side, but each one of those state senators, state representatives and city aldermen (in other parts of the city) could do the same thing," he said.

Officials said financial partnerships with neighborhood groups, chambers of commerce and nonprofit foundations have enabled the district to modernize a larger number of playgrounds than ever before — up to 25 a year, compared with five annual renovations just five or six years ago. In the last decade, 175 playgrounds have been renovated, park officials said, with the goal of meeting the highest environmental and disabled-accessible standards.

But nearly 30 years after the Park District signed a federal consent decree to spend millions more in minority neighborhoods, activists, parents and political leaders on the South and West sides said they feel left out.

"Some of these neighborhoods have literally nothing. Even the school may have just (have) a big paved-over space with nothing to play on," said Deborah Puntenney, associate director of the Asset-Based Community Development Institute at Northwestern University. "It's a real concern there in the inner city to have safe, quality places for kids to play."

Dolores Castaneda, an activist in Little Village, said she began pressing city and Park District officials to rebuild a playground in her neighborhood nearly five years ago, after she saw Mitchell on TV showing off a new park on the North Side.

"I wondered, 'Why don't we have anything like that in my community?'" Castaneda said. So she began a letter-writing campaign.

"I sent letters to people because, for so many years, I was asking to fix the park, and they're always telling me we don't have money right now," she said.

Experts note that playgrounds are arenas where children learn social skills and coordination, build muscle and stamina and are a place for kids to blow off steam from the pressures of school or home life.

When playgrounds fall into neglect, they become magnets for loiterers, drug users or gangs, repelling families with kids who might have otherwise played there.

On sunny afternoons, Snow, a single mother in Englewood, gathers up her children, and they'll ride the bus a half-hour south to Tuley Park, 90th Street and King Drive, a place she calls a "real playground."

"Having five kids, I can't take them to places that will cost me every time," Snow said. "I do know (that) playing for kids is what makes them learn and grow. I grew up in this area, and years ago (Memorial Park) was OK. Now it's a hangout for drug dealers."

At 4, her son Torrin doesn't like to visit Memorial Park.

"This park ugly," he said when he visited on a recent morning. "I don't want (to) go to it."

In Little Village, where Castaneda successfully lobbied for a new Miami Playlot Park, kids on a recent evening swarmed the state-of-the-art jungle gym that was installed last summer and chased one another on the rubber surface.

"Before, there was nowhere to play, so the children would play basketball in the alley and run through (the spray of) fire hydrants," Castaneda said. "Here, it's the only place children can be free and enjoy life. They're not going downtown to Millennium Park or the museums (for recreation). They're coming here."

Less than a mile away on Trumbull Avenue, Limas Playground Park, which hasn't been updated in nearly 20 years, was practically deserted. A lone boy swung on the swings, while a woman watching him from a nearby bench chatted on her phone.

The Park District receives dozens of requests every year for playground renovations, officials said. The requests are weighed against the age of the playground, a consideration of geography — such as are people moving to the area — and possible financial partnerships, said Gia Biagi, the Park District's director of planning and development.

One of the biggest city contributors over the years has been Ald. Mary Ann Smith, 48th, who has contributed an estimated $14 million to parks in her North Side ward since 1989. She said one of the challenges of her 1.2-square-mile ward is that it's narrow, long and densely developed.

"Community identity is linked to many things … parks are very much a part of that," Smith said. "Parks can be a negative if they're in bad shape and full of crime … or they can be really effective at community building, enhancing all kinds of activities."

Some South Side and West Side aldermen, with sprawling wards and varied needs, can't help but be jealous of the money their colleagues can afford to spend on parks.

"Our wards are so much larger geographically, so I have to spend my (discretionary) money every year on sidewalks and streets. And I have less money to spend on parks," Lyle said.

eslife@tribune.com

lbowean@tribune.com

To Read the original article in the Chicago Tribune

3/27/10 7th Annual Spring EGG-Stravaganza at Soldier field

Soldier Field Hosts City's Largest FREE Candy Grab on Stadium Field

Saturday, March 27th! Candy Grab for Kids 10 & Under Only.

Don't Forget to Vote Today!

"Bad Politicians are elected by good people who don't vote" 

The quote has never had more significance than in this February Primary and November General Elections of 2010.  A few reminders as to why your vote is important today:   We live In a state whose indicted governors have led us to become the laughing stock of the nation.  We live In a state whose finances border on the brink of insolvency. We live In a county whose sales tax is the highest in the nation (yet fails to efficiently deliver the basic services needed for those that most need them). Our property taxes seem to go up, yet our home values go in the opposite direction

Complaints without action are nullified if you do not vote.  So as a reminder, make the time to vote today.  Polls open at 6:00am and close at 7:00pm. 

Don't know who is running?  Where the candidates stand on the issues?  The Chicago Tribune offers a good pro/con on the different candidates. 

Visit this link for more information: http://elections.chicagotribune.com/

You can build a sample ballot and take it with you to our polling place.  (Wilson Park Fieldhouse 1121 W. 34th Place).

For more information on the election process or polling place information visit the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners website for details.

The status quo would like you to think that this primary election is insignificant.  Staying home and not voting validates that thought.

VOTE TODAY!