Third Annual RPGG Garden Meander

"Come join the RPGG and explore special single family and multi-unit gardens east of Sheridan, ending with a tour of new and old gardens on the Loyola campus and a reception."

Tuesday July 28th 6:00p-8:30p.

Start at 1059-1103 W. North Shore.

MORE INFO

Future Site of the Schreiber Park Community Garden

It's happening! They better get started before the season gets too far ahead, but I'm looking forward to the transformation of this dull space into a lush garden.

PHOTO

Classic RP Photo

LINK

Two cops, victims nab robber in West Ridge

I don't like to focus on crime and negativity but this story speaks to me after recently being a victim of a crime and not having anyone come to my aid when they easily could have.

"A man who allegedly held a corkscrew to a woman’s neck during a robbery was nabbed after the woman, her companion and two Rogers Park District police officers chased him and made an “outstanding arrest"..

LINK Sun-Times

Against the Last Four Miles, or at least the last two on the North Side

Bill Savage responds to Friends of the Park and their plans to expand lake access in Rogers Park:

"I attended one of the meetings Friends of the Park held a couple of years ago to discuss this plan. The crowd, when asked 'How would you like to see these last two miles of parkland created' overwhelming said 'We wouldn’t.' When asked, 'Ok, if something were to be built, how would you want it built,' we replied 'We don’t want it built.' The Friends of the Park clearly had its agenda and the 'engagement' with the neighborhood was a dog and pony show of the first order." - Bill Savage

LINK to Tribune article.

Western Avenue Development Survey

West Rogers Park Community Organization (WRPCO) and Lakeside CDC are conducting a residents survey concerning the future redevelopment of Western Ave. from Peterson to Howard Street. The survey results will be used to guide community planning efforts along Western Ave.

You can access the survey by clicking the link below. Survey results will be collected and shared at a community meeting on Wednesday, July 1, at the Indo American Center.

TAKE THE SURVEY

For more information on the survey,

contact Brian White at Lakeside CDC,

(773) 381-5253 or brian@lakesidecdc.org

A Possible Future For Our Beaches

The group Friends of the Parks has been making a plan since 2006 to open private beaches and the expand lakefront park space along all of Lake Michigan from Evanston to Indiana.

"North of Lincoln Park’s terminus around Ardmore Avenue, it would build 70 to 111 acres of parks and beaches. A basic design calls for a strip of parkland east of Edgewater’s high-rises, extending northward to knit together the small, street-end parks and beaches set amid Rogers Park’s apartment buildings. A more ambitious plan would add peninsulas that would jut into the lake off Edgewater, enclosing lagoons where parkgoers could kayak in calm waters. Neither alternative includes a northern extension of Lake Shore Drive, marinas or commercial development." - Chicago Tribune.

LINK

Ethnic Book Fair & Artist Market

Saturday July 18th 8:30am - 3:30pm 1615 W Morse Ave.

Book and art vendors wanted:

For more details contact

Selena 773-761-7306
selenaderry@sbcglobal.net

Rogers Park Gets Chicago's Theater Neighborhood Award

"At Monday night’s Joseph Jefferson Awards—the annual fete that honors the best work of the year in Chicago’s non-Equity theater—the thriving arts district around Morse Avenue on Chicago’s Far North Side did very well.

Fred Anzevino’s Theo Ubique Theatre Co. production of “Evita” (through June 27; 773-347-1109 and theoubique.org) took most of the honors in the musical categories. And Lifeline Theatre, a longtime neighborhood anchor at 6912 N. Glenwood Ave., walked away with many of the play-category kudos."

- Nice words from Chris Jones at the Tribune

LINK

Schreiber Park Community Garden

A new community garden is starting. Approximately 30 4x8’ raised bed plots will be available for organic vegetable and/or ornamental plant growing. Applications are available online or may be picked up at the Schreiber Park Fieldhouse, Monday through Friday, 2-7 p.m. Plots will be awarded and assigned by lottery. More info.

Farmer Fridays Farmer's Market

An evening farmers market began last Friday at Uncommon Ground (1401 West Devon Avenue) and will continue every friday through October 30th, 4:00-8:00pm.

LINK

Rogers Park Peace March

There are some interesting crime stats in this article from ABC7 WLS about a peace march which took place June 10th.

"Rogers Park ranks in the middle of its peer group neighborhoods, according to the statistics. In terms of violent crime, the Austin neighborhood has seen 599 incidents; in Englewood there have been 304; in Rogers Park there have been 119. In Lincoln Park, there have been 62 incidents and Hyde Park has seen 44 incidents since early March. These are numbers organizers say can be reduced with more anti-violence events."

Rev. Jesse Jackson pulls some intriguing numbers:

"We need to revive the ban on assault weapons. It does not make sense to be fighting a war in Iraq and have them here. The number of people killed here in Chicago are Baghdad numbers, those are Afghanistan numbers. We need the governor to intervene and the president to honor his commitment to revive the ban on these semi-automatic weapons. The murder rate, we lost 603 in Iraq in four years, and hundreds here and it is a state of emergency...We need intervention,".

LINK

Rogers Park Lakefront Parking Bailout

News coverage of the Chicago Park District Superintendent Tim Mitchell and Alderman Joe Moore's deal to keep lakefront parking free has been positive. The Alderman has agreed to pay the Park District $89,000 a year in order to maintain two hours of non-metered evening parking from 7:00-9:00pm for 123 spots in Loyola Park, and keeping overnight parking in these spaces free until 9:00am the next morning.

"I agreed to pay the Park District $89,000 from my aldermanic "menu" fund to compensate the District for its lost revenue. The aldermanic menu is a fund of $1.3 million to $1.5 million that each Chicago alderman receives annually to spend at his or her discretion on ward infrastructure, such as streets, alleys, sidewalks, street lights and the like...I believe this constitutes an acceptable expenditure of menu money--it works out to about $69 a month per parking space." - Alderman Joe Moore.

This means 6.84% of the 49th ward infrastructure improvement fund will go to the Park District to fund the parking of roughly .07% of 49th ward residents. This cost to the ward does not even necessarily fund park improvements within it.

Is this too high a cost for free parking? What about residents who don't drive? Are there greater infrastructure projects which need this funding?

16th Annual Artists of The Wall Festival

The theme this year is "Midsummer Day Dream". June 20th and 21st, 9:00am in Loyola Park at Farwell. Register early through June 14 at Loyola Park Field House, 1230 W. Greenleaf Ave. Late registration at 9 am Saturday June 20th.

Cash prizes of $50-$300.

Judging at 2 pm Sunday.

PHOTO CREDIT

Rogers Park Neighborhood Yard Sale

The office of Alderman Joe Moore is organizing a neighborhood garage sale for Sunday June 27th from 9:00am-4:00pm.

"Need extra cash? Trying to clean house? Got too much stuff? Looking for some cheap items and want to support "green living" ?

RECYCLE * REUSE* RENEW!!!

Put your stuff out on your yard, walk, alley, or garage on Saturday June 27th-- 9am til whenever. Or, come out and see what goods others may have!
Please contact Rachel to sign up! 773-807-4572" - LINK

Trash to Treasure Free Swap June 27th

Alderman Joe Moore's 49th Ward Green Corps are putting together a free swap at 1557 W. Howard. Drop off your "Trash" on Saturday, June 27th from noon to 4pm. Return Sunday and take home "Treasures". People who donated will be allowed to select "treasures" from noon to 2pm. Then, from 2 to 6pm, everyone is welcome to take home a "treasure".

For more information, visit 49thwardgreencorps.org. To volunteer, call (773) 338-5796.

(click photo for larger view)

Petition to Create a Green Dog Space in Schreiber Park

An online petition has been started in an attempt to bring a Dog Friendly Area (DFA) to Schreiber Park in south RP:

"For over two years, the dog owners in the Schreiber Park Area have self- policed, beautified and maintained the East Schreiber Park lot to provide running space for their dogs and build a strong community of dog owners in the South Rogers Park/ North Edgewater neighborhood. We are committed in designating this lot as an official City of Chicago Dog Friendly Area, (DFA). We are also committed to establishing the area as Chicago's first GREEN DFA. That is, we want the area to remain a natural grassy space free from concrete and costly trappings associated with other City of Chicago DFAs."

LINK to petition

Photo via flickr

Non-profit Bike Shop and Repair Center Moves to Rogers Park

The Recyclery shop from Evanston is moving south to 7628 N. Paulina Street to a more customer-friendly and convenient space. The Recyclery receives bike donations, and repairs them for resale. It also regularly hosts bike building and repair workshops free of charge.

This Chitown Daily News post about the move features some interesting transportation facts:

"According to the most recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey, Americans spent an average of $8,758 on vehicle ownership in 2007, including $2,384 elusively for gas and motor oil purchases.

This figure does not include other miscellaneous expenses such as auto insurance or maintenance and repair costs. Those purchases added about $2,000 more.

On the other hand, the average person spent $538 on public transportation."