3659 S. Halsted | Chicago, IL 60609 | 773.254.6677

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Hello, Neighbors!

Friday marked the end of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and what a packed month it was! I was honored to participate in so many celebrations, panels, talks throughout the month here in the 11th Ward and throughout the Chicagoland region. From the United States Railroad Retirement Board and Jesse Brown Veterans Association Hospital to the Metropolitan Peace Academy and Soho House, it has been an eventful month! 

The end of May also concludes Jewish American Heritage Month. Members of the Illinois Holocaust Museum joined us in City Council this month, and made their virtual reality storytelling educational programming available to our members. We were also joined by Holocaust survivor Lin Novitsky. I spoke in City Council last week honoring both AAPI Month and Jewish American Heritage Month. I'm grateful to live in such a diverse ward and city where we can celebrate so many different cultures. 

This week in the ward, Mark Sheridan Academy hosted their first 5k "Summer Sendoff" to kick off the summer season and raise money for the girls running club. This first year event at Armour Square Park and the White Sox Parking lots welcomed more than 120 runners and the best part is that they completed the run before the rain!

I also joined residents at a celebration that the rain couldn't stop for the 25th Anniversary of Ping Tom Park in Chinatown. Congratulations to the Ping Tom Park Advisory Council for the first of three celebrations to take place this year. Despite the rain, we were joined by Darryl Tom (son of Ping Tom), South Paw, Park District CEO, Rosa Escareno, Ernie Wong who designed the park )and Palmisano Park), performers from the 168 Dance Club, Xilin Association and others to mark the occasion.

Public Safety 

My office has received a number of calls in recent weeks with concerns regarding an increase in gang activity and package thefts in the ward. I want you to know that we hear you and are working with the 9th District Police, CDOT and the Department of Streets and Sanitation to address public safety concerns.

As we approach the summer months, I want to emphasize the importance of taking all possible measures to ensure your safety including:

• Following CPD’s recommended safety tips.
• Reporting any alley and/or street lights out on 311 or by getting in touch with our office.
• Registering your household’s or business’s cameras with CPD here so detectives know to request your footage if a crime occurs in your area.
• Creating a Smart911 profile to receive community alerts, and so 911 operators can see critical info about your household such as health information, members of the household, pets/service animals, vehicle, and other notes you wish to provide.

I will also be starting safety walks alongside CAPS officers and community members in months that we do not have CAPS meetings in order to ensure that community members–especially those unable to attend a CAPS meeting–are abreast of the latest public safety news and tips. Our first safety walk will take place on June 8th. 

I had the opportunity to tour the new Lake Shore Recycling Exchange, a state-of-the-art material recovery facility (MRF), which is located in the Stockyards. This newly opened facility processes 25 tons of material per hour and has created 50 new permanent jobs and 95 construction jobs. I toured the site with Streets and Sans Commissioner Cole Stallard and First Lady Stacie Johnson.

This week in City Council

Committee on Transportation: Quarterly CTA Hearing 

This week was the quarterly public hearing for the CTA. CTA President Dorval Carter spoke to the City Council about the issues facing the CTA, as well as strides the CTA is making to reach their services to pre-pandemic levels. He also discussed the $500 million fiscal cliff facing the CTA, which is a serious issue. I have pressed and will continue to push for accountability for the CTA, including making sure our trains and buses are safer, cleaner, and more reliable. 

Housekeeping 

Ramova/Morgan Arts Complex RPP

Thank you to residents who have continued to reach out to express their views on the Ramova/Morgan Arts Complex proposed RPP. Resident viewpoints remain mixed with constituents expressing opinions both in support and in opposition of RPP. Given the lack of consensus, I announced at the community meeting last Thursday (5/23) that I will be leaving the proposal open for at least an additional two weeks to ensure as many resident voices are heard. 

We have extended this deadline to June 14 to allow the City Clerk’s office to provide my office information regarding the number of registered vehicles in the proposed zones to gain a block-by-block understanding of vehicle density in the proposed zone, and help our efforts to ensure that resident parking is protected as new developments like Ramova and MAC continue to further drive economic activity in our neighborhood. 

We ask that you continue to reach out to ward11@cityofchicago.org or call our ward office at 773-254-6677 to share your thoughts.

Italian Beef Festival - Community meeting

In advance of the upcoming Italian Beef Festival scheduled for June 15-16 on Morgan between 31st and 32nd, we will hold a meeting with the event producers and community members to address any concerns or questions neighbors have about the festival. We plan to hold the meeting at the ward office and virtually on Friday, June 7 from 6pm to 7pm.

Ward office: 3659 S. Halsted

Zoom Link: https://bit.ly/ItalianBeefFest-ComMtg

Meeting ID: 829 5064 5482

Passcode: 170977

Jumping Jack Applications Now Available 

The City provides inflatable bounce houses, free of charge, to Residential Block parties. The online application can be found here or by logging into ChicagoNeighborhoodFestivals.us.

Construction Season is Underway!

For full details about upcoming construction in the ward, please see the section below.

Participatory Budgeting Group

We are still looking to add members to our participatory budgeting group, especially from regions of the ward other than Bridgeport, which is the most represented in the makeup of our current group. If you’d like to put your voice into action in helping decide the distribution of our annual ward spending, please sign up by emailing us.

Sox Parking 

Anyone who did not receive stickers in the mail or require courtesy stickers are welcome to drop by the office. 

If you are dropping by our office for guest parking passes or decals, please don’t forget to bring a photo ID with your address on it. If you’re new to the neighborhood and you haven’t updated your ID, please bring a copy of your lease or a utility bill to verify your address. Only vehicles registered with the City of Chicago may receive a Sox parking decal. Note: as a courtesy to all 11th Ward and Canaryville residents including those in the 15th Ward, we provide a decal for each vehicle registered with the city, to ensure folks can come into Bridgeport on game days to park their cars and access local businesses. 

For your calendars

Mobile City Hall - June 12 - 10am-1pm

Swing by the Ping Tom Park Fieldhouse to renew your city stickers, pick up more residential parking passes among many other services provided by participating sister agencies like the Chicago Park District, Chicago Police Department, Chicago Public Library, Chicago Treasurer’s Office, Chinese American Service League, Cook County Assessor’s Office, Cook County Board of Review, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Department of Streets and Sanitation, Department of Water Management, the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office, Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities and the Secretary of State’s Office.

CityKey Event - June 12 - 1pm-4pm

After Mobile City Hall at Ping Tom Fieldhouse, we will be holding a CityKey event alongside the Office of the City Clerk. CityKey is a free, 4-in-1 municipal ID for Chicagoans. It serves as an in-state ID, Ventra (CTA), library card, and Chicago Rx prescription discount card. The CityKey program now requires you to make an appointment to streamline this application process. To make an appointment or learn more about the CityKey program, click here: https://www.getcitykey.com/

Donovan Park Community Meeting - June 12, 2024

Join my office and the Chicago Park District at 6pm at Donovan Park (3620 S Lituanica Ave) for a community meeting about forthcoming park improvements. All are welcome. 

Joint 11th Ward & 15th Ward Flag Day Ceremony - June 14 

Mark your calendars for our 11th Ward Flag Day Ceremony happening at 10AM on June 14 at 4500 S Halsted Street. All are welcome. Please drop off flags to be honorably disposed of at the 11th Ward Office, 3659 S Halsted, or the 15th Ward Office, 2640 W 51st St. 

SBIF 

Small Business Improvement Fund (SBIF) applications are open to business-owners within the 47th/Ashland TIF district. All interested should apply here. You may also register to attend an informational webinar hosted by the Department of Planning and Development and SomerCor to review program requirements and the application process. Applications close on May 30. 

Farmers Market Season

Farmers market season has begun! Pick up some local produce and enjoy the tastes of Spring. More information about Chicago Farmers Markets can be found here. Closer to home in the 11th Ward, Ramova Theatre will be hosting a monthly Community Market with local artists, makers and farmers with goods for purchase in their theatre lobby + beer garden. They will also feature local non-profits and kids activities at each market. Interested in vending? Fill out the application here.

Summer Office Hours

Please be advised that our office will be changing to summer hours in June. Beginning on June 7th, our office will be closing at 3pm on Fridays. We will maintain summer hours until after Labor Day.

Have a great week ahead! 

Nicole

I know residents of Parnell have been waiting for the Department of Water Management (DWM) to complete the sewer main replacement between 35th St. and Pershing Rd. It must be frustrating not to have the end in sight, just as it is frustrating not to be able to repave Parnell despite the condition it is in. This past week I was notified why this project has been paused. The explanation below is a summary of the information that was provided by the project's coordinating engineer.

The original scope of the project was the reconstruction of the sewer on Parnell to increase its size. However, due to the date the previous sewer project started, the estimated duration of the sewer project would extend into 2023 which would mean that any lead service lines crossed by the sewer would need to be replaced to comply with the state law. Due to the large number of water services on Parnell, the project needed to be redesigned to include the water service replacement within the sewer project. For this reason the project is being readvertised for bid.

The redesign and readvertising of the Parnell project will allow DWM to competitively bid not only the planned sewer work but also the lead service line replacement. This means that not only will the residents on Parnell have a new, larger sewer, they will also have new copper water service lines as well as a fully resurfaced street without the need for a separate future contract to reconstruct the water service lines.

DWM will be working closely with me once the new project is awarded to notify the residents and encourage their participation in the Lead Service Line Replacement from the water control valve into their homes. I hope that with improved outreach and encouragement there will be a larger number of residents that will agree to the “private-side” replacement.

Thank you for your patience and understanding!

26th St from Canal St to Stewart Ave

Late Friday I received an update about the closure of 26th St. from Canal St. to Stewart Ave. Railroad repairs will be performed from May 28 to June 24. Only one direction of 26th St. will be closed at a time and detours have been established for the duration of the repairs.

Westbound detour: westbound 26th St. to northbound Wentworth Ave., to westbound Cermak Rd., to westbound/southbound Archer Ave., to southbound Canal St., and back to westbound 26th St.

Eastbound detour: eastbound 26th St. to northbound Canal St., to eastbound/northbound Archer Ave., to eastbound Cermak Rd., to southbound Wentworth Ave., and back to eastbound 26th St.

Traffic on Canal St and Stewart Ave. will be allowed throughout repairs. Local, business, and driveway access is not expected to be affected. The CTA has not contacted my office about possible bus reroutes or stop relocations, but I will make sure to relay any information I receive.

Now that construction season is underway, our office will be updating you on the scheduled Department of Transportation Projects that are occurring throughout the ward and are expected to impact you the most. Please take note of posted parking restrictions that may already be in place or of any that will be posted prior to upcoming construction. NOTE: dates are estimated and all construction is weather permitting.

Ongoing Projects

The following projects are already underway and we have received notice of the scheduled start dates on which asphalt will be poured.

Paving date of streets

15 May - 19th St., from Clark St. west to railroad tracks.

15 May - Grove St., from the Chicago River west to Canal St.

17 May - Union Ave., from 34th St. south to 35th St. Completed

Paving date of alleys

15 May - Between 29th Pl./30th St. and Shields Ave./Stewart Ave.

16 May - Between 29th St./30th St. and Lowe Ave./Union Ave.

16 May - Between 30th St./31st St. and Halsted St./Poplar Ave.

17 May - Between 32nd Pl./34th Pl. and May St./Racine Ave.

20 May - Between 41st Pl/Root St. and Normal Ave./Wallace St.

Upcoming Projects

The following projects are scheduled to begin in the following month. These streets and alleys will be ground down and utility lids will be adjusted as necessary to lay flush with the new asphalt.

Projected grind date of streets

27 June - 29th St., from Wells St. to Wentworth Ave.

27 June - Stewart Ave., from 25th Pl. to 26th St.

28 June - 27th St., from Wallace St. to Canal St.

Projected grind date of alleys

27 June - Between Canal St./railroad tracks and 30th St./31st St.

27 June - Between Cermak Rd./22nd Pl. and Princeton Ave./Wentworth Ave.

The Chicago Office of Inspector General (OIG) announces the launch of its newest data dashboard, City Services by Address. This dashboard is a one-stop shop to see City services and service area designations as they apply to any Chicago address. Users can input an address, and the dashboard retrieves valuable information related to that location, including ward, community area, zoning information, schedules for City services, and more.

The City Services by Address dashboard will, for example, allow users to find the police district and beat in which a specified address falls, trash and recycling pick-up days for that address, voting precinct, and whether a specified address is part of an Industrial Corridor or historic district, among other data points. Updated 2023 ward designation and community and neighborhood areas are reflected in the dashboard, and a terminology glossary and a user guide overlay are included for ease of use.

This new dashboard initiates the creation of a new category of dashboards on the OIG website, Transparent City.

OIG’s dashboards were created to make City data more accessible, understandable, and engaging. The data for this dashboard comes from multiple sources, including the Chicago Data Portal, internal City of Chicago databases, and a list of valid Chicago mailing addresses. OIG follows a rigorous protocol to validate and clean data before presenting it in our Information Portal.

Visit the dashboard

The 11th Ward office is happy to announce has a free ‘Constituent Education Resource Card’ available to residents wishing to visit select museums and zoos in the Chicagoland area. Constituents can reserve our Constituent Education Resource Card on a first come first serve basis (more instructions below), to visit any of the following museums in 2024:

• Adler Planetarium
• The Art Institute of Chicago
• Brookfield Zoo
• Chicago Botanic Garden
• Chicago Children’s Museum
• Chicago History Museum
• Dusable Museum of African American History
• The Field Museum
• Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center
• Lincoln Park Zoo
• Museum of Contemporary Art
• Museum of Science and Industry
• National Museum of Mexican Art
• National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture
• Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
• John G. Shedd Aquarium

Only one group of up to four (4) can reserve the pass at a time. The pass must be picked up and brought back to the 11th Ward Office. Constituents need to call for an appointment to come to the office to pick up the pass before visiting the museums. We recommend calling two business days before your scheduled visit. 

It is strongly recommended that families utilizing the card contact the museum they plan to visit to learn if pre-registration is required to visit. 

Richard J. Daley Branch

Canaryville Branch Library

Recordings of Beat meetings can be found on our YouTube channel here.

The office has extended hours on Monday nights until 7:00 p.m., is open on the first Saturday of each month from 9:00am - 12:00 pm, if it's a holiday weekend, the office will

be open the following Saturday and/or Monday.

Alderwoman Lee will be happy to see residents on Monday nights from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. If you'd like to make an appointment, please call the ward office at 773.254.6677.

11th Ward Office| 3659 South Halsted Chicago, IL 60609 |

773-254-6677