Weekly Update from Your Alderman – October 26, 2012

October 26, 2012
Dear Neighbor,

I want to thank everyone who attended Tuesday night’s public safety meeting. Community members joined me, District Commander Lucy Moy and CAPS leadership to discuss recent investigations and safety initiatives around Bryn Mawr and the surrounding area. Many community members attended our third Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday, held at Goudy Elementary School, at which we had the opportunity to discuss issues specific to the Argyle Street and Uptown area. The first-ever Town Hall Webinar takes place today at 2:00pm. You can still register by clicking here.

This week, the 48th Ward is full of exciting Halloween-related events.
The 2nd annual 48th Ward Halloween Parade and Festival will be held this Saturday, October 27, 2012 from 10:00am – 4:00pm. The event will be a free fun day filled with activities. Click here for the flyer.
First, we will gather at 10am at the Peirce School Playground (1400 W Gregory) for fun activities provided by Dream BIg Performing Arts and other local artists.
The parade will begin at 11am, and will run from Peirce School to Gethsemane Garden Center on Clark Street.
Finally, we will enjoy activities at Gethsemane’s Halloween Festival from 11:30am-4pm. Activities will include face painting, pony rides, beanbag toss, a hal bale maze, performances by Julie K. and Scales & Tails, and much more!
After the parade and festival, there will be more events at Cheetah Gym and the Raven Theatre.

Also on Saturday, check out the Berger Park Pet Costume Contest. Arrive with your furry friends around 2:30pm, and judging will begin around 3pm. I will be one of the judges for this event, and I hope to see you there!

Finally, we will be hosting a Trick-or-Treat on Bryn Mawr event this Monday, October 29 from 4-6pm up and down Bryn Mawr Avenue. Join Alderman Harry Osterman and Bryn Mawr Businesses for this special kick-off to Halloween. This is a family-friendly event geared to kids ages 2-13. Start at the Alderman’s table on the northwest corner of Bryn Mawr & Winthrop (in front of Nookies) and pick up your first piece of candy and a list of participating businesses. Then enjoy a trick-or-treat walk down Bryn Mawr with your family, friends and neighbors! Costumes are not required. Click here for the flyer and list of participating businesses.

I hope you can join my staff and I at a few of these fun events in the upcoming week. Read on for important updates in Education, City Council, Construction, and more.

Sincerely,

Harry Osterman
Alderman, 48th Ward
Ward Update

Final 48th Ward Town Hall Meeting
The final Town Hall will take place next Tuesday, October 30 – Hayt Elementary School – 1518 W. Granville. Held at different locations throughout the Ward, these meetings provide a forum for me to share updates from my office and for constituents to share ideas, concerns and questions. All meetings begin at 7:00pm.

Help Us Keep Leaves Out of the Street
Please help us keep leaves out of our streets, curbs and gutters by removing any leaves that fall into the street in front of your residence. You can use them for mulch in your yard or you can bag them and place them in your garbage carts to be picked-up by City crews. Raking or sweeping leaves into the street is a violation of City Ordinance and can clog the sewer system. If you see any neighbors. Thank you for your help!

Vote on Bike Share Locations
In 2013, the Chicago Department of Transportation will roll out a city bike share program citywide. Alderman Harry Osterman is looking at funding 3 locations within the 48th Ward. Your input is important! You can suggest bike share locations to help CDOT identify bike share homes. You can also support locations that have already been listed. Please suggest and support the locations that would best suit your daily lives! www.chicagobikes.org/bikeshare

Care for Real Holds Annual Coat Drive
Care for Real is now accepting coats and winter clothing donations. Their office is located at 5339 N Sheridan, Chicago, IL, 60640. Drop off hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00AM-3:45PM, and Saturday, 9:00AM-12:45PM. If you have any questions, please call 773.769.6182 .
City Council Update

2013 City of Chicago Budget
Budget hearings for the 2013 City Budget Recommendations continued this week. Highlights from this week’s hearings:

Police
Superintendent Garry McCarthy outlined a plan to increase the number of police officers on the street. An additional 457 recruits will be hired by the end of 2012. In 2013, 125 new recruits will be hired each quarter. I will work diligently to request that our community receives more officers as a result of this increase in recruits.

Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection
BACP announced their new Small Business Development Center which will assist small businesses in starting and sustaining a business in the City of Chicago. Since their new streamlined restaurant start-up program was started, the average time of restaurant licensing and inspections has decreased from 22 days to 19 days. BACP has been working closely with the police over the past year to enforce problem businesses at night. Their enforcement after 7pm has increased by 37% in 2012.

Next Wednesday, October 31, is the final vote on the 2013 budget. I hope to collect as much constituent feedback as possible throughout the budget process, so please contact me at 773-784-5277 or Harry@48thward.org with your thoughts on the Budget and its programs. As neighbors and friends, your thoughts on this budget are extremely important to me.

New Businesses

5600 N. Ridge Seeks Your Input
5600 N. Ridge has come under new ownership and will experience some minor cosmetic upgrades by the end of the year. The new property owners believe that people that live and work in the area may have a better sense of what should go there than anyone else. The building owners have created a web site as well a text number where people may post their thoughts. Please share yours at www.5600ridge.com, or send a text to 312-854-2332 . If you have leasing inquiries, please contact Sara Dinges at Sara@48thward.org or 773-784-5277 .
Lao Sze Chuan Grand Opening
On Thursday, October 18, I joined Tony Hu for the grand opening of his newest restaurant Lao Sze Chuan at 4832 N. Broadway. Tony is a well-known restauranteur who owns 7 other Chinese restaurants in Chinatown and the South Loop. It is exciting to welcome him to our community.

M Kafe Grand Opening and Discounts
M Kafe at 1136 W. Thorndale has come under the ownership of Patty Neumson, a 48th Ward resident and owner of Satay Restaurant at 936 W. Diversey Pkwy. Patty has updated the menu with healthy and fresh Thai and Asian options, including new juices and organic options. The new M Kafe is currently open for dinner and is offering a complementary appetizer with a purchase of $15 or more or free delivery with a purchase of $15 or more.
Arts & Entertainment
In celebration of Chicago Artists Month, we are pleased to announce the new 48th Ward Arts & Entertainment webpage: www.48thward.org/arts. Enjoy the numerous events happening throughout the Ward during Chicago Artists Month.

Spotlight on Edgewater- Performing Arts Showcase
Edgewater Development Corporation is hosting a month long festival highlighting twelve local performing arts organizations and four events featuring artists.
Some highlights include an Arts Showcase –Scary Ice Cream- Saturday Oct 27th 12-2pm at Lickety Split; The Apart Art Show –Tuesday Oct 30th at Apart Pizza; and Half Air in a given space by the Museum of Contemporary Art.
Click here for the full schedule of “Spotlight”.
Scary Ice Cream flyer
Apart Art Show flyer
Education Update

News from Senn High School
On October 17th, Senn was honored to be a host site for the national Arts School Network conference on “Urban Arts Education Landscapes.” Administrators and educators from around the nation toured Senn and visited arts classes.

Congratulations to the following teams and students:
The Senn sophomore football team won the conference championship
The boys’ cross country team has advanced to the state sectionals
The freshman girls’ volleyball team took 3rd place in the Joel Anderson Freshman Citywide Tournament

Senn’s brand new debate team competed Saturday in the first tournament of the 2012-2013 Chicago debate league, junior varsity AA conference.
Senn won both 1st and 2nd places
Congratulations to:
Lishon Carpenter and Eric Harrington took 1st place
Karla Almazan and Jackie Mauleon took 2nd place, and
Lishon Carpenter won 1st place for JV top speaker.

CPS Parent Survey
If you’re a CPS parent, the City of Chicago is trying to gather information on why you chose a CPS school for your child and is CPS meeting your expectations.

Click here to complete this survey (also available in Spanish and Polish). Results will be published November 13th at the website www.CPSparents.org in addition to being shared with CPS. The purpose of this survey is to provide CPS a reflection from parents on whether the schools are meeting our expectations on the same day Track R students receive their report cards.

The deadline for completing the survey is October 31 at 3pm. This survey is produced by CSF Parents, a group dedicated to creating empirical visibility to parent opinions. Please register at our website to receive invitations to participate in future polls and surveys.

Contact Karen Dreyfuss at my office if you have any questions or comments regarding Education in our neighborhood at (773) 784-5277 or via email to Karen@48thward.org.
CTA Update

Berwyn Station
During the six week closure of the Berwyn station, customers will be directed to use either the Bryn Mawr or Argyle stations. As an alternate to rail service, bus service options are available within two-blocks east of the Berwyn station along Sheridan Road (#147 Outer Drive Express and #151 Sheridan) or a half-block west on Broadway (#36 Broadway). In addition, while the Berwyn station is temporarily closed #92 Foster, #144 Marine/Michigan Express, #146 Inner Drive/Michigan Express and #151 Sheridan (Owl) buses will be rerouted to serve the Bryn Mawr station.

Street Closures
Berwyn – Full street closure from Broadway to Winthrop – 8:00a.m., Friday, October 26 – Noon, Monday, October 29
Lawrence – Full street closure Broadway to Winthrop – 8:00a.m., Friday, October 26 – Noon, Monday, October 29

Please contact Sara Dinges at Sara@48thward.org or 773-784-5277 with any questions related to the CTA.
Construction Update

Edgewater Library Construction Update as of 10/26
Completed items include: roof drain downspouts, roofing Mock Up and Interior CMU partitions
In Progress: Cast Stone/Brick veneer – East Elevation (55% complete) and South Elevation (35% complete); Layout & framing for 1st (30% complete) and 2nd floor interior partitions (60% complete); Layout & framing for parapet & eyebrow (15% complete); Electrical rough-in 1st floor (40% complete) and 2nd floor (40% complete); HVAC Rough In 1st floor (25% complete) and 2nd floor (40% complete); Plumbing Rough In 1st floor (40% complete) and 2nd floor (25% complete); Roofing Prep & installation (20% complete); Spray-on Fireproofing (80% complete); New Gas service installation (20% complete)

There has been coordination of the north half of the alley closure with the Alderman’s office and the neighborhood. This portion of the alley is scheduled to be closed once ComEd has provided aerial cable protection.

Resurfacing Projects
Clark St., Edgewater to Ardmore, is scheduled to be paved on Friday, 10/26 – street markings and punch list items to follow.
Sheridan Rd., Lawrence Ave. to Foster Ave., is scheduled to be paved early next week – street markings and punch list items to follow.

Kenmore Water Main Project
The new watermain installation from West Thorndale Avenue to West Granville Avenue is already installed except that of the side connection on West Glenlake Avenue and West West Granville Avenue. The new watermain passed pressure test and completed chlorination by Water Quality. Service transfer on North Kenmore Avenue from West Glenlake Avenue to West Granville Avenue is already transferred to the new watermain. The service transfer is completed 51% as of Thursday night, October 25, 2012. Next week, the crew will continue to work on service transfer until completed. The buildings affected during the service transfer will be notified 24 hours prior to transfer and will be posted on the front of the buildings. The side connection at West Glenlake Avenue is scheduled by Thursday next week and connection to existing watermain at West Granville Avenue will follow by Friday.

For more information on these and other 48th Ward construction projects, please contact Dan Luna at Dan@48thward.org
Upcoming Events – This Week

Metropolis Halloween Party for Kids
Friday, October 26th at 4pm:
Lil Buds Theater group will be reading spooky stories. Treats and crafts as well.

20th District Haunted House
Friday, October 26 & Saturday, October 27
6:30-9pm, rain or shine
5400 N. Lincoln Ave
$3 donation per person
Click here for more information

NCA Basketball Coaching Clinic
Featuring Doug Bruno
Saturday, October 27, 12pm – 5pm
1401 W. Granville, $20
Click here for more information

Halloween Pet Costume Contest
Saturday, October 27, 2-5pm
Berger Park Cultural Center
6205 N. Sheridan Road
Click here for more information.

2nd Annual 48th Ward Halloween Parade and Festival
A fun day filled with activities!
Saturday, October 27, 10am-4pm
Click here for more information

Spotlight on Edgewater: Scary Ice Cream
Saturday, October 27, 12-2pm
Lickety Split, 6056 N. Broadway
Tickets $5
Click here for a flyer
www.edgewaterdev.org

Pack the Car
Saturday, October 27th from 9:00am till Noon.
100% of donations benefit Care for Real!
Please look out for the grey Subaru parked at the corner of Clark and Berwyn with the PACK THE CAR banner (in front of North Community Bank).
Suggested items: Non-perishable food, Toiletries, Children Books, Diapers, Baby essentials, and Monetary donations (please make checks payable to Care For Real)
A full list of 2012 events can be found at http://www.packthecar.org/.

Loyola’s 5th Annual Trick-or-Treat
Sunday, October 28th 1-4pm
Loyola University- Dumbach Hall
Questions- email loyoladop@gmail.com
Visit www.luc.edu/dop for more information or click here for a flyer

Electricity Aggregation Referendum Public Meetings
Truman College
October 30th, 7pm
1145 West Wilson Ave
Click here for more information

The Apart Pizza Art Show
Tuesday, October 30, 5-8pm
5624 N. Broadway
Tickets $15.00
For more information call 773-506-4016
Click here for a flyer
www.edgewaterdev.org

Upcoming Events – Save the Date
Click here for 48th Ward Arts Calendar

Events at the Swedish American Museum of Art
5211 N. Clark
Wednesday through Sunday, October 31 to November 4- Trunk show and sale of custom-made Clogmaster footwear

Thursday, November 1- 1 and 7 p.m.: Free showing of a Swedish film, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.: Hejsan after-school program for ages 5 to 10 on Swedish history

Friday, November 2- 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.: Early bird Christmas Preview and Sale of seasonal merchandise, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: International Day program.

Saturday, November 3- 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Mulle’s Andersonville Adventure, with stories, crafts and an urban nature hike.

Click here for more information

ALL ARE CALLED, ALL ARE HEARD: SING OUT FOR JUSTICE
Sunday, November 4, 2012 – 3:00pm
Senn High School Auditorium
5900 North Glenwood, Chicago
Free to the Public
(Donations Accepted at the Door)
Click here for more information

Ongoing Events
Strindberg play reflects family troubles
“The Father,” one of John August Strindberg’s controversial plays, will be performed on 12 evenings in the Swedish
American Museum by Rendition Theatre.
5211 N. Clark St.
Curtain times are 7:30 p.m.
Thursdays through Saturdays, October 25 to November 17
General admission is $20, or $15 for students. Seating is limited.
For ticket information, visit www.renditiontheatre.org

The Enduring Designs of Josef Frank Exhibit
Friday, September 21- November 25
Swedish American Museum of Art
5211 N. Clark St.
Click here for more information

Care for Real Job Club
Thursday evenings, 6:30pm
5341 N. Sheridan Road

World Sport Chicago Scholarship
World Sport Chicago has announced scholarships for high school student athletes with college aspirations. Eligible students are high school juniors who 1) live in Chicago and attend a Chicago public, private, or parochial school, or are homeschooled in Chicago, 2) are participants in an eligible Olympic or Paralympic sport for a minimum of two seasons in the last three years. Applications must be submitted by December 12, 2012. Click here for more information.