The New Eastside Association of Residents is hosting their annual meeting on Tuesday, January 31 at the Buckingham (360 E. Randolph).

• NEAR President Alice Harper will not be returning to the board but will remain in an emeritus capacity
• Annual dues will be collected.
• Speakers include Anna Sitzloff, Eva Weir, Breelyn Pete, and a Chicago Park District Representative.

For more information view the flyer posted in the forums section –

NEAR Information

Current NEAR President Richard Ward’s web site is located at http://www.neweastside.org.

Crain’s Chicago writes that Reilly will make a decision next week about whether to present the Children’s Museum’s plan to take over Grant Park. He is quoted –

“This has been a tough one,” he said. “One the one hand, I have a responsibility to my constituents, and on the other, Grant Park is the city’s front yard. What benefits (Grant Park) benefits all of the city.”

We should add that it is up to debate about whether the proposed relocation offers any benefits to Grant Park or the rest of the city.

Discussion and more information can be found on WindyChat.com at http://www.windychat.com/reilly-make-decision-next-week-childrens-119.html

The architectural critic of the Chicago Tribune wrote an article that was published yesterday on why the Children’s Museum should not be located in Daley Bicentenniel Plaza.

Regarding the Plaza itself the critic writes: “Though Daley Bicentennial is not without merit — its rigidly symmetrical layout does frame views of Buckingham Fountain, and residents of nearby high-rises prize its quiet ambience as an antidote to Millennium Park’s throngs — its design is as outdated and outmoded as one of the John Travolta leisure suits that were in fashion when Chicago dedicated the 19.5-acre park in 1979.”

A discussion about the article and link to the full article on WindyChat.com. http://www.windychat.com/childrens-museum-has-yet-make-case-120.html

Mehta Brown writes on the Friends of Daley Bi blog on three ways to save the Daley Bi park from the Children’s Museum’s attempts to relocate there.

Three Easy Ways to Save the Park

“1) Call Mayor Daley’s office at (312) 744-3300, let him know where you live, and tell him that you are opposed to museum construction Daley Bicentennial Plaza.

2) Email Arnold Randall, Chicago’s new Commissioner of Planning and Development, arandall@cityofchicago.org , let him know where you live, and tell him that you are opposed to museum construction Daley Bicentennial Plaza.

3) Call a friend (or two,three…) who lives in Chicago, and ask your friend to take these same steps!”

The Save Daley blog is at http://savedaley.blogspot.com/.

She writes: “I’ve lived near Daley Bicentennial Plaza since 1984. Like many other others in the neighborhood, I’ve chosen to remain a Chicago resident and taxpayer as I enjoy family life.”

From the Chicago Tribune - “Aside from protecting the park, this project raises questions of safety and quality of life. This area of the city already is teeming with pedestrian and vehicle traffic, with much more to come via residential buildings planned. The museum site would add hundreds of thousands of visitors annually, descending on a three-tiered section of Randolph Street that can be difficult to navigate. Downtown Chicago, already so gridlocked and stressed that a proposed fee for driving there drew serious discussion, doesn’t need more school buses and cars on Randolph, Michigan Avenue and Columbus Drive.”

Full article - http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0902edit1sep02,0,6286821.story 

Reilly’s comments at a Friends fo the Park meeting last month regarding the plans to move the Children’s Museum to the north end of Grant Park -

From ArchitectureChicago PLUS - “On the proposed move of the Chicago Children’s Museum to a new building in Grant Park -
Reilly: That’s been a bit of a political football. . . . That’s something that will be thoroughly vetted, building by building, in the [New Eastside]. I find it curious that there are certain organizations out there, that have in their charter a mission statement of preserving open space, that are actually advocating for additional building for Grant Park. I don’t understand that. How these folks can look [you in] the eye and say, yes, we’re here to preserve Grant Park, but please put this building in, I don’t understand that.”

http://arcchicago.blogspot.com/2007/06/chicagos-downtown-aldermen-pushovers-no.html

There is a meeting scheduled at North Harbor Tower tomorrow, July 10th. 

The Children’s Museum has gone back to their original plans to relocate the the Daley Bi Fieldhouse along Randolph St.

The Monro / Columbus location was opposed by Grant Park Conservancy and Friends of the Parks.

By the way, Richard Ward has been helping area residents stay informed about this topic. If you are interested in keeping up with news about the Children’s Museum relocation plans, you can sign up for his e-mail list at www.neweastside.org.

From ChicagoBusiness.com -  Bob O’Neill, president of the Grant Park Conservancy, “says [traffic] concerns are unfounded, saying Randolph Street is not swamped with cars because it does not feed into Lake Shore Drive and all buses and cars would access the Chicago Children’s Museum on Randolph Street’s mid-level.”

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=25188

On another note, in a recent e-mail from newly elected Alderman Brendan Reilly, he quoted a recent Chicago Tribune article that does a good job in summarizing events up to now.

From the Chicago Tribune - “Alderman Reilly is keeping his pledge to give local residents a meaningful voice on important issues affecting their neighborhoods, and he is telling local residents and the Children’s Museum that “plans would need approval by neighborhood residents for his support.”

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/west/chi-museum16may16,1,922305.story

Regarding CRITICAL Children’s Museum Neighborhood Meeting on Monday, Sept. 10, 5:30 PM at the Daley Fieldhouse 

Editorial - We at New-Eastside.com have witnessed a variety of ever-increasingly aggressive tactics to characterize the New Eastside neighborhood (which includes the Lakeshore East development) as being partially supportive of the Children’s Museum’s proposed move to the current site of the Daley Bicentenntial Fieldhouse.

The recent meetings at each building presented only one side of the issue - i.e. Children’s Museum staff and representatives proposing the new location for the building.

Nearby public facilities such as the Family Fun Festival in Millenium Park has had boxes for people to write letters to the Alderman in support of the move, with no place to mark or record opposition to the move.

Roving college-age petitioners have been spotted in the neighborhood and surrounding areas who were hired by the Children’s Museum and who clearly upon questioning had no clear idea about what was involved in the proposed move.

A firm in Topeka, KS has been calling neighborhood residents at odd hours to solicit support for the move from central Chicago residents.

In the latest move, the Children’s Museum organization is expected to bus in hundreds of supporters in advance of the upcoming “neighborhood meeting” hosted by NEAR to take all available seats and shut out real neighborhood residents from expressing their opposition to the proposed move ( see http://blog.new-eastside.com/final-meeting-on-the-childrens-museum/, especially the comments). This was originally intended to be a meeting (again it is hosted by NEAR) open only to neighborhood residents.

While I can’t fault the Children’s Museum for being aggressive about what they think could be a good move in location for them — their blatant attempts to mis-characterize our neighborhood is regrettable.

While we hope the best for the Children’s Museum (our own children love it), we must condemn the current administration’s recent activities and hope the neighborhood is able to prevail in this issue and prevent the Children’s Museum from relocating across the street in Grant Park.

Peggy Figiel writes - “Hi All,

As you may already know the FINAL meeting on the Children’s Museum issue will be held this Monday, September 10 at 6:30 PM at Daley Bicentennial Fieldhouse.  This is a NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING hosted by NEAR. You must be bring the postcard you may have already received in the mail from Alderman Reilly or some form of ID to admitted!!  This is in response to the mass email the Children’s Museum has sent out telling people to have their family and friends get there early, take all the seats and pack the meeting!!  If they do not live here they will not be admitted!!

Reilly’s entire staff will be on hand to check the doors ALONG WITH MEMBERS OF THE CHICAGO POLICE DEPT.!!

We are asking everyone to attend this very important meeting even if you have previously attended your building meeting!  We need a HUGE turnout of opposition!!  We will have signs available and we ask you to get there as early as possible.

The CCM will present yet another design for the museum, this one apparently completely underground.  I hope everyone read the Tribune Editorial Board’s piece in Sunday’s paper opposing a museum in Grant Park.

We ARE being heard and need to make the FINAL EFFORT FOR VICTORY!!  There will be a lot of media present and we want to show a strong, final united front!  This issue has brought this neighborhood together like no other and that’s why it is such a great place to live!

We appreciate all the work everyone has done writing & e-mailing letters, making phone calls, and attending meetings.  AFTER THIS MEETING ALDERMAN REILLY WILL MAKE HIS DECISION PUBLIC AND THIS ISSUE WILL BE OVER!

PLEASE PLAN ON ATTENDING AND GETTING THERE AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE.

Thank you and see you on Monday.

Peggy Figiel”

Dear Friend of Grant Park,
 
We do much to improve the quality of life in the central city lakefront and Grant Park areas and our hard work shows in proven results.  Grant Park is Chicago’s front yard to the world and needs to be world-class in all of its 325 acres.  Along with the Chicago Park District, we have done much to green up Grant Park,  Chicago’s front yard, as well as promote and work on many environmental, architectural, art and design projects. 

You can support us by purchasing tickets to our Wine Down the Park event described below.  It is very convenient to purchase tickets and can be done on our web page described below. 

As you know, your support is very much appreciated and needed! In fact, our work in improving Grant Park and the surrounding area was publicly acknowledged this year by Mayor Daley and Superintendent Timothy Mitchell.

There is much information below about the event and a listing of our Board. 

Any help and support that you can offer are greatly appreciated.  Please spread the word about this event. 

Thank you! Bob. 

Please save the date, September 6, 2007, to be green and support the great work that the Grant Park Conservancy is doing in Chicago.  We invite you to be a part of our continuing environmental efforts to plant trees, help create greenspace, encourage environmentally-friendly living and “green” up Chicago’s front yard to the world, Grant Park.
To purchase tickets or to get further information on the Grant Park Conservancy please go to:  http://grantparkconservancy.com. 

In the lower right corner of the home page there is an icon to purchase tickets on line or you can mail a check to:
Grant Park Conservancy
410 South Michigan Avenue, Ste 467
Chicago, IL  60605

Food provided by the Art Institute of Chicago/Bon Appétit  
Chicago Park District
InPLAY 
Binny’s Beverage Depot
Entertainment provided by Roosevelt University and The Latino Cultural Center

A meeting with Alderman Reilly will be held at the Daley Bicentenniel Plaza Fieldhouse on Monday September 10th at 6:30 PM.

Notices have been posted in buildings and the Alderman’s office is reportedly sending a notice to everyone in the community. Reilly has help at least eight meeting with residents in various buildings near the Fieldhouse and this final meeting it being hosted by NEAR. In the previous eight meetings, only the Children’s Museum staff and representatives were given time to present the plan, in the meeting next Monday NEAR will present their analysis and views of the proposed development.

Mark your calendars! as this will be an important meeting. Monday September 10th at 6:30 PM.

In this month’s edition of the Economist’s Chicago City Briefing:

The City of Chicago’s $5.5 billion dollar budget proposal is almost a quarter of a billion dollars in the red due to lower than expected real estate tax receipts. It is suspected that Mayor Daley may have to renege on a campaign promise not to raise property taxes. Otherwise, the city might close the gap with a combination of spending cuts, other tax increases such as cigarettes and layoffs of city employees.

The town of Bensenville has won a recent round in its fight to block the O’Hare expansion plans and the city has withdrawn the army of bulldozers and contruction equipment that was poised to demolish about 350 homes and empty businesses.

Elvira Arellano has been deported. She spent a year in sanctuary in Adalberto United Methodist Church on the Chicago West Side. Back in 2002, Ms. Arellano had been convicted of working under a false social-security number at O’Hare in 2002. She was supposed to appear before immigration authorities last year but instead hid out in the church for a year. She was arrested while speaking at a rally in Los Angeles.

The Chicago Reader has been sold to a Florida outfit - Creative Loafing. They intend to lay off Chicago Reader staff and cut the paper down to a single section from three. The sale includes the building on East Illinois Street near Snicker’s Deli.

The Chicago CTA is planning to raise fares and cut service. More information in the Chicago Sun-Times. http://www.suntimes.com/news/transportation/501808,cta080807.article

Each month’s edition of the Chicago City Briefing can be found here — http://www.economist.com:80/cities/briefing.cfm?city_id=CHI

The Children’s Museum has scheduled meetings at many of the buildings in the neighborhood to present plans for the Children’s Museum along the south side of East Randolph at the site of the present Daley Fieldhouse. The first meeting was held last night at North Harbor Tower (175 N. Harbor Dr.) and additional meetings are scheduled as follows. More meeting times at other buildings to be posted later.

360 Randolph, Wednesday, July 18 @ 6 pm

195 Harbor, Thursday, July 19 @ 6 pm

155 Harbor, Monday, July 23 @ 6:30 pm

400 Randolph, Wednesday, July 25 @ 6:30 pm

Local residents had expressed concerns about the Children’s Museum locating along Randolph last year so the museum considered moving to a location at Monro and Columbus, however this location was opposed by the Friends of the Park and the Grant Park Conservancy Council.

Now the Children’s Museum is looking back at their originally proposed location at the site of the Fieldhouse much to the ire of those who thought the plan was dead last year. Be sure to attend your buildings meeting to see the detailed proposal and presentation and have a chance to express your opinion to the new Alderman who will be in attendance at each meeting.

In the past week a bunch of planters have appeared along Randolph St.

On the east end of the street on the south side across from Outer Drive East this presents a problem as the sidewalk was not very wide to begin with and now more than half the sidewalk has been claimed by the behemoth planters. 

Click on the thumbnail to view the full photo.

I just missed it in this photo but picture the “weave” pedestrians must now engage in when passing others along the sidewalk. Our family’s double stroller barely fits on the remaining strip of sidewalk. You can imagine with passing groups or during special events such as the Fourth of July fireworks how sidewalk traffic will have to spill out into the streets potentially causing obstacles for drivers.

Also, in this photo you can see a city worker or contractor picking up a beer can that has already been attracted by the planter. Not only do they block the sidewalks, but they also serve as garbage bins by passers-by.

Click on the thumbnail to view the full photo. 

In talking with several other residents about the poorly planned decision to place planters on this sidewalk, one person mentioned “where’s Natarus when you need him?” Well, we do have an Alderman who the majority of voters in the Ward voted for in the last election - Ald. Brendan Reilly who just recently took office.

You can call his office @ (312) 642-4242. Tell him to look at the photos at http://blog.new-eastside.com or come out and watch the “Randolph weave” himself. By the way, Mayor Daley’s office number is (312) 744-3300. I’m sure it would not hurt to call his office as well.

Bob O’Neill writes that there will be a Grant Park Conservancy meeting on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 - 6:30 p.m.

The meeting will be at Daley Bicennteniel Plaza (337 E. Randolph just east of Columbus Drive) regarding the Children’s Museum Plans for relocating to this area.

He invites that you “Please come out and give us your input on the newest plans for the museum.”

There will be a New Eastside Association of Residents (NEAR) on May 1st at 222 N. Columbus Dr.

 Present will be Brendan Reilly, Alderman-elect of the 42nd Ward as well as the Executive Director of the Loop Alliance Ty Tabing.

 Other presenters will talk about Grant Park and Daley Bicentennial Plaza summer programs as well as city-wide summer programs and events.

 More information — http://forums.new-eastside.com/index.php/topic,110.0.html

Earth Day Celebration with ComEd and Exelon

This Saturday from 9 to 11 am volunteers are welcome to help mulch trees and cleaning Grant Park. Meet at Daley Bicennteniel Plaza.

“We will be mulching trees (by working with the Chicago Park District, we have worked to get 1000’s of trees planted in Grant Park, close to two thousand in the last year). We will also be picking up left-over winter litter and debris.”

More information - http://forums.new-eastside.com/index.php/topic,109.0.html

Third of five questions presented to the Aldermanic candidates at a NEAR meeting last week. 

What plans do you have with the Chicago Park District to secure funding to improve the physical condition of they Daley Bi-Centennial Plaza Fieldhouse and do you have any timetable for the improvements?
 
Reilly recommended that he would try to get money from the state for the renovation and mentioned that he has a good relationship with our State Representative.
 
Natarus was careful not to make promises he could not keep but pomised to be creative about finding a solution for this. He suggested that the developer of the next high-rise that is put up in the area could be asked to chip in with a contribution for the renovation. He mentioned that the Park District does not have a good funding mechanism. He said that this is a top priority but that he will make no false promises.

This is the first of five questions presented to the Aldermanic candidates last week at a meeting hosted by NEAR and moderated by NEAR President Richard Ward. Stay tuned this week as our complete report is posted. 

What plans do you have to minimize disruption of the neighborhood during the Monro Street garage renovation?

Richard Ward presented photographs of the state of the garage’s deterioration and reported that from his observation it was his opinion that there is a need to rebuild the garage. The garage was originally constructed back in 1976 or 1978. The garage is rectangular and encompasses the entire block bounded by Randolph St., Columbus Dr., Monro Dr., and the walkway where Lake Shore Drive used to be twenty some years ago, i.e. the Cancer Survivors Plaza. The northeast corner is approximately where the playground is next to the skating rink and the Daley Fieldhouse.

It is a large area and during the construction all of the following will likely be disrupted at one point or another: the children’s playground, skating rink, tennis courts, the BP/Gehry bridge and possibly access to the Daley Fieldhouse.

Reilly noted that the Fieldhouse will not be torn down or displaced as part of the garage reconstruction. His suggestion was that he would recommend to phase in reconstruction of the garage if financially feasible.

Natarus stated that the reconstruction will be done in phases under the supervision of the transportation department and that he will do everything he can to minimize the dust and debris caused by the construction.

The New Eastside Association of Residents will be hosting a meeting to review neighborhood events in the past year. The meeting will be helpd Wednesday night at 7 PM in the 400 East Randolph Hospitality Room.

The three candidates for 42nd Ward Alderman will also be present and will address questions on the following topics: Monroe Street Garage Renovation, Chicago Children’s Museum Relocation, Daley Bi-Centennial Fieldhouse Renovation Plans, and the Pedway Extension.

See more information in the Announcements board –

http://forums.new-eastside.com/index.php/topic,98.0.html