32nd Ward Newsletter: June 23, 2017

32nd Ward Newsletter

June 23, 2017

The City Council tabled a vote in the Rules Committee this week that would allow for a citizen comment period before the monthly city council meetings. While anyone can comment during committee meetings, a circuit court judge required the city to allow members of the public to speak at the main Council meetings. The new rule will be voted on June 28th before the next city council meeting. The latest version of the open comment period puts a 30-minute time limit for the public to comment during full city council meetings. The new rules could be better, but are a step ahead of the opposition to the comment period that took place last year.

The City Council Licensing Committee also voted on the Mayors appointment of the new DBACP Commissioner Rosa Escareno, replacing Samantha Fields, who was Commissioner for a few months.

The Committee on Finance will allow for a hearing on our request for a full accounting of City funds and resources. We've asked the Chief Financial Officer, City Budget Director (who has decided to retire from city government), and the City Treasurer to address the public on the state of City of Chicago finances. This should include information on the state of the Tax Increment Financing funds available to the City.

While CPS has an appointed governing body, you may have heard about the high interest rate ( Lack of bond buyers pushes rates to 9%) they've paid for borrowing the funds needed to make pension payments and maintain operations through the end of the fiscal year.

This weekend is the Pride Parade. Please take care if you are out and about this weekend. Heavy traffic away from the parade route is always a concern; details on the Pride parade route, road closures, and public transportation options are included below.

Have a great weekend,

Scott Waguespack

In this Newsletter

Minimum Wage Increases on July 1st

Suggest Places to Plant Trees in Lakeview!

Registration Information for Kindergarten at Audubon School

Catalytic Converter and Wheel Theft

Abatement Workshops for Landlords and Property Managers

32nd Ward Office Accepting Donations for Veterans

CTA Information for the Pride Parade and Other Major Events

Newslinks

Minimum Wage Increases on July 1st

Effective July 1, 2017, minimum wage increases to $11.00/HR (see ordinance here). On December 2nd, 2014, the Chicago City Council passed an ordinance that will raise the minimum wage for Chicago workers to $13 per hour by 2019. This measure will increase the earnings for approximately 410,000 Chicago workers, inject $860 million into the local economy, and lift 70,000 workers out of poverty.

In 2015, the City began phasing in its new minimum wage, as provided by the ordinance, every July 1 ^st through 2020. To find out more about whether this ordinance applies to you as a business or employee, please click here for more information and a list of FAQ's.

Suggest Places to Plant Trees in West Lakeview!

Friends of Lakeview, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and partner of the Lakeview Chamber and SSA 27, is planning to raise funds to plant more street trees in West Lakeview! Where would you want to plant a street tree in the area bounded by Diversey to Irving Park and Racine to Ravenswood? Site suggestions will be collected through July 10, 2017, and a fundraising campaign to plant the trees will be launched in August. Share your tree site suggestions using this form.

Registration Information for Kindergarten at Audubon School

Neighbors of Roscoe Village please share the information about kindergarten registration at Audubon. So far over 50 children registered! Please try to register early so they can accurately forecast the budget as well as personnel needed for the 2017-2018 school year.

Eligibility:

All children residing within the Audubon School boundaries, who are 5 years old on or before September 1st of the current school year, are eligible for enrollment.

Kindergarten Enrollment Dates:

Starting June 27th, the office will be open each Tuesday and Thursday from 11am-1pm.

ALL students

All children ages 5 and up, residing within the Audubon School boundaries, are eligible for enrollment. You may enroll at any time during the year, but they encourage early enrollment between June and August prior to the start of the school year.

Please bring the following to the school office to enroll your student:

(1) Proof of age. Birth Certificate or any of these documents

(2) Proof of address. Current utility bill or any of these documents, valid driver's license or state ID with your current address within Audubon boundaries

Any questions, please refer to the links for boundaries as well as documents needed to bring in for Kindergarten registration. For more information about the school or registration, please click here.

Catalytic Converter and Wheel Theft

Numerous catalytic converter and wheel thefts have been occurring throughout Chicago. After a catalytic converter has been removed, a car will sound loud and "gravelly" when started.

Catalytic converter and wheel thefts typically occur at night or early morning hours and when vehicles are parked for prolonged periods in spots accessible to thieves. Thieves tend to target older SUVs, because they sit high off the ground and are easy prey. Converters can be cut off your vehicle within a couple minutes. If you hear cutting on your block that just doesn't sound right, try to identify any vehicle you see, get the plate and call 911 immediately.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Always park in well-lit areas
Purchase a vehicle security system and make sure it's set to trigger with just the slightest motion
Visit a local muffler shop and have the converter secured to the vehicle's frame with hardened steel welded to the frame
Install locking lug nuts on your vehicle
Check out the different types of catalytic converter theft deterrent systems at your local auto parts store or online
Do not confront the offenders; call 911 immediately
Report any suspicious individuals or vehicles by calling 911 immediately
Suspicious vehicles include vans or trucks double parked on a street with the engine running
Note any license plates of suspicious vehicles (parked in alleys, parked illegally, etc)
Inform the 911 call-taker that you are calling about a suspicious person in an area with numerous thefts

Abatement Workshops for Landlords and Property Managers

The Chicago Police Department, in partnership with the Departments of Buildings and Law, along with Community Investment Corporation (CIC) hosts a series resource of workshops for the owners and managers of residential properties of varying sizes.

The goal is to assist the managers and property owners in order to increase their personal level of safety and learn how to work with the police and other partners to improve the level of safety surrounding their properties.

Topics include but are not limited to: Screening Prospective Tenants, Tips to Reduce Crime at Your Property, Understanding the Building Code, Best Practices of Property Management, and Personal Safety.

Morning Sessions - City Hall 121 North La Salle Street

Date Location
July 6, 2017	City Hall Room 201 A
September 7, 2017	City Hall Room 201 A
November 2, 2017	City Hall Room 201 A

Evening Sessions- Local Police Districts

Date Location
July 11, 2017	District 010 - 3315 West Ogden
July 18, 2017 - Spanish only	District 012 - 1412 South Blue Island
September 12, 2017	District 017 - 4650 N. Pulaski
November 7, 2017	District 025 - 5555 West Grand
November 14, 2017 - Spanish only	District 025 - 5555 West Grand

To register or to obtain additional information contact William Townsell, (312) 745-5900 ext. 85131 or via e-mail [email protected].

32nd Ward Office Accepting Donations for Veterans

Updated CTA Information for the Pride Parade and Other Major Events This Weekend

Extra service also provided for weekend events; Separately, intermittent and early morning lane closures of Dan Ryan Expressway for 95th Street Terminal work beginning Saturday.

NOTE: In anticipation of heavier-than-normal crowds on Sunday, June 26, the CTA will require all strollers and carts be folded prior to boarding buses and trains. Bicycles will not be allowed on 'L' trains. Bicycles will, however, be allowed on all buses, at all times using the racks on the front of the bus.

The CTA is the convenient and affordable travel option to attend events throughout Chicago this weekend. To accommodate increased ridership, CTA is providing additional rail and bus service for those attending the 2017 Pride Parade on Sunday, as well as the Country LakeShake at Northerly Island and the 2017 NHL Draft at United Center. Separately, construction work associated with the 95th Street Red Line Terminal will require intermittent lane closures of the Dan Ryan during the early morning hours beginning Saturday through Wednesday.

CTA encourages customers to plan ahead and allow extra travel time. We also strongly recommend that customers attending upcoming events purchase fares in advance to decrease travel times and avoid long lines at rail station vending machines. Customers can load ahead of time transit value or unlimited ride passes (1-day, 3-day, 7-day and 30-day) to their Ventra farecards via the free Ventra app, at rail stations, online or at nearly 1,300 local retailers (for locations available or to download the free app, visit: ventrachicago.com). Other ways to pay fares including purchase from CTA vending machines 1-day unlimited ride tickets ($10) or single-ride tickets ($3) that include up to two transfers in two hours. Customers can also pay their fares with their personal contactless debit or credit cards.

2017 Chicago Pride Parade - Sunday, June 25

The 2017 Chicago Pride Parade will step off at noon from Montrose/Broadway and wind its way south via Broadway, Halsted, Belmont, Broadway, Diversey and disband on the west half of Cannon Drive to Fullerton Parkway. In addition, during the parade, reroutes along nine bus routes and several road closures will be in effect.

To avoid crowded areas like Belmont, attendees are advised to consider viewing the parade from areas like Broadway, south of Montrose-a short walk from the Wilson and Sheridan stations on the Red Line. The Diversey and Wellington stations on the Brown Line also offer convenient access to view the parade. For more information, tips and a map and information, visit: transitchicago.com/prideparade.

RAIL SERVICE

Additional rail service on the Red, Blue, Brown and Orange lines will be provided. Following the parade, customers are encouraged to consider making their return trips from stations other than Belmont.

Red Line: From 9 a.m. until 7 p.m., trains will operate with increased frequency.
Brown Line: Longer trains will operate from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Service will also be provided more frequently from approximately 9 a.m. until 6 p.m.
Blue Line: Longer trains will operate from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Orange Line: Longer trains will operate from 5 a.m. until 6 p.m.

BUS SERVICE

More frequent service will be provided on the #74 Fullerton between 10:15 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. The #77 Belmont and #78 Montrose routes will also provide more frequent service from approximately 9 a.m. until 5:30 p.m.

Separately, several buses in the area will be rerouted due to street closures associated with the parade including:

#8 Halsted, #22 Clark, #36 Broadway, #76 Diversey, #77 Belmont, #78 Montrose, #80 Irving Park, #151 Sheridan, #152 Addison

Customers are advised to plan ahead and check individual bus route schedules. Visit transitchicago.com/alerts for more information.

Country LakeShake - Friday, June 23 to Sunday, June 25

CTA will provide additional bus service for concertgoers heading to Country LakeShake at Northerly Island:

#146 Inner Drive/Michigan Express: 3 p.m. until the beginning of the concert and then for approximately one hour after the concert concludes.
#130 Museum Campus: Additional buses will operate from 4 p.m. until the beginning of the concert and then for approximately one hour after the concert concludes.

2017 NHL Draft - Friday, June 23 and Saturday, June 24

Fans attending the 2017 NHL Draft at the United Center can get there via the dedicated #19 United Center Express bus route, or connect with the #50 Damen bus route from four rail lines:

#19 United Center Express: Service will begin approximately one and a half hours before events until one hour after events end. Buses will await customers on the north side of the United Center at Warren and Wood.
#50 Damen: The #50 route is a good option for customers accessing the United Center from the north or south and provides connections with Orange, Pink, Blue and Brown lines. Northbound #50 buses will board customers on Damen at Madison after each event.

Temporary Lane Closures of Dan Ryan Expressway for 95th Street Terminal Work

Work associated with the construction of CTA's 95th Street Terminal will affect highway drivers during the early morning hours beginning Saturday, June 24 through Wednesday, June 28. Red Line service will not be affected by this work and will operate normally.

Between the hours of 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. all lanes of the Dan Ryan Expressway will be temporarily closed for approximately 15 minutes every hour, except on Sunday, when hourly lane closures will occur between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m.

The lane closures are necessary in allowing crews to safely lift and erect steel beams needed for the construction of a new south bus bridge over the Dan Ryan expressway.

STAY IN THE LOOP ON CTA SERVICE

Plan your trip using the Google Transit Trip Planner. Be sure to also check out CTA on Facebook or Twitter (@CTA) for system travel updates and alerts. For details about all CTA service, call 312-836-7000 or visit the CTA website at transitchicago.com.

Roscoe Village Garden Walk

Come see the Village bloom! Hosted by Roscoe Village Neighbors and free to attend, the Roscoe Village Garden Walk is the perfect opportunity to see the best and most creative gardens the "Village within the City" has to offer. Mark your calendars for Sunday, July 30th from noon to 6:00 p.m. to enjoy this fantastic experience.

**EXHIBITORS WANTED!!!**

If you are a resident of Roscoe Village and would like to showcase your garden in this year's Garden Walk, please visit their website to register to be an exhibitor or email RVN at [email protected] for more information about how you can participate.

Cook County Workforce Partnership Job Fair