Friday, June 27, 2008
News / Clout City The land bank?
Posted by Mick Dumke on Fri, Jun 27, 2008 at 6:28 PM
Political disputes in Chicago are, of course, always about who has power, money, and clout. But two of the biggest battles of the last few months erupted over questions about the appropriate use of public park space. I recently sat down with Erma Tranter, president of the advocacy organization Friends of the Parks, to get her take on the ongoing discussions about the Park District’s partnerships with the private sector, the system’s funding and infrastructural needs, and her organization’s own controversial proposals to create an uninterrupted public lakefront from the far north to the far south sides of the city. (Listen to the full interview: )
You’ve got a news clipping in front of you about the Lincoln Park-Latin School soccer field controversy. Critics are saying that, along with the Children’s Museum’s plan to move into Grant Park, it would have set a precedent for turning public land over to private entities.
On the Lincoln Park soccer field, Friends of the Parks opposed that proposal when it came before the community in 2003, when a different [Park District] administration talked about a soccer field at the same site, with a quarter-mile track around it. And there was opposition for a number of reasons, number one that this site is fairly small. It was a meadow and it was intended to be a meadow. In addition to that, this was not a public-private partnership that was in the best interest of the public. There are some partnerships that do benefit the public, such as when the Cubs or Sox build a new baseball field for kids, or when Nike sponsored soccer fields on the south side—they’ll pay for it but not use it themselves. In this case it was building and using taxpayer dollars for a private institution that should be looking to buy its own land.
So it died in 2003, and when it was resurrected without any community involvement in October of 2006 no one had a clue at first. I was really taken aback—I only saw it because we saw the agenda on a Tuesday for a Park District meeting on Wednesday.
It resulted in a new group being formed to litigate, and they got a judge who saw this as a public land deal that was bad for the public. So that’s a case that shows that the Park District has to really rethink this kind of public-private partnership where you give public land to benefit private institutions. It’s wrong, and it’s been declared wrong by the courts.
You do want the recreational fields—we have great need for them. Soccer, for example, is a growing sport. But you need a plan—how large a space will it need? What areas of the city really need it? Is there accessibility for people to get to the location?
The Children’s Museum is a little different. Museums historically are part of our park system. For Friends of the Parks—and it was different for a variety of groups—we were looking at legal precedents that govern Grant Park and say no above-ground buildings can be built. We wanted to protect those covenants.
The museum did agree to put more of the new building underground.
We saw three iterations of their design, and after every one of them we met with them and said, “It’s still a building.”
Why does the Park District need to rely on private partnerships? Is the money coming in just not enough?
We have an aging park system and they have a lot of capital demands in almost all neighborhoods. For example, they have like 500 children’s playgrounds. They were all rebuilt between ’88 and ’93, but the life expectancy for a children’s playground is 15 years, so hundreds of their playgrounds have exceeded their life expectancy—hundreds. And we have limited park space—7,000 acres for the whole city. So the parks we do have are overused.
It makes sense for the Park District to look for these partnerships, but to discern between those they should be working toward and those they shouldn’t even have a discussion about. I don’t see in their budget that they get a whole lot of private grants, and I think that’s something they could grow. [Superintendent] Tim Mitchell has been looking to find state support. And they are looking for aldermanic money—to say, “The park advisory council wants a new playground, and you, alderman, need to kick in for it [out of your menu budget].” And what we’ve been saying is that the district needs to push for its share of TIF money—they should be getting 7 percent of it.
Now there’s another issue with the public use of park land. The Park District recently approved two new schools being built in public parks. We need good schools, but the Board of Ed should be looking elsewhere—there’s a lot of vacant land in the city. This is an encroachment on limited green space.
The second trend that’s emerged in the last few months is that the city’s Department of Aging has capital dollars, and they apparently didn’t get land to build senior centers on so they’re negotiating with the Park District [to build] one at Wildwood, on the northwest side, and a second one at Warren Park up north. Why is parkland free land for them? We do really think the Park District is beginning to be considered the local land bank. We need our Park District to stand up right in the beginning—the commissioners should be our protectors.
We do think the park facilities themselves should have top-of-the-line senior programs right within our park buildings. We used to have them and lots have been cut back, but most of these buildings are vacant until kids come in around 2:30.
Is there anything the Park District has been doing well?
They’re doing more natural areas—planting more native grasses and things so you have more habitat for small critters and certainly migratory birds, and they’re beautiful to see. They have some spectacular gardens in regional parks. I think their overall maintenance and beach cleanup is good. And the last several years the Park District’s summer activities—the movies in the park have been terrific, and there have been more concerts in the park.
Why does it seem that some of the facilities are so much better in some places? Lincoln Park is the obvious example—it’s strikingly different from Garfield Park or Washington Park just in the way it’s kept up.
Parks on the west side and south side are receiving capital dollars. In Washington Park they just did a huge playground initiative and they did the lagoons. They spent millions of dollars restoring the Garfield Park conservatory, in partnership with Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance, an organization that we formed, and it’s because there’s a powerful community there. It takes a strong community to work with the Park District to really maximize the use and benefit and look of a park. Lincoln Park has all kinds of stewards, they’ve got volunteers, they’ve got two advocacy organizations—there are a lot of citizens involved. Washington Park does too—the Washington Park Advisory Council has started a conservancy, and there are capital dollars going down there.
But I’ve walked each of these places recently and the differences jump out at you.
It takes a lot of volunteers, I guess. I’m trying to think of some of the greatest parks—one is Wicker. It’s tiny, but my god, they have a garden club, they have an advisory council, they have a force of nature there named Doug Wood, and I can’t believe how much time he devotes to that park. Just this Sunday they had 2,000 people in this tiny park because they had a farmers' market, they had garden walks, they had historic tours, they had a trio—a jazz band—and it was all community-based. There’s another one, Commercial Club Playground, further west off Chicago Avenue. They do yoga classes—they raise the money. They do art classes for kids, and no holiday passes without a party for the kids there. So I think it does take a strong community to work closely with the Park District. The Park District can’t just go into some place and say, “We’re going to restore this playground” without the community. You need the volunteers, you need citizens who care, you need citizens to be the voice and the advocate, and the Park District needs to recognize those people and facilitate their work.
Speaking of community voices, you heard quite a few of them in meetings the last couple of weeks where you presented your plans for the far north lakefront. And a Sun-Times columnist wasn’t particularly charitable about the exercise. What’s going on?
The Burnham Plan’s anniversary is coming up next year. Well, we have 30 miles of lakefront from the Indiana border to the Evanston border. Over time people have decided the lakefront is going to remain free for everyone—it’s not going to belong to the rich and it’s not going to belong to industry. It is public land. But in the beginning those parks weren’t there—they’re all lakefill. The lake came to Michigan Avenue here; it came to Clark Street up at North Avenue. You go west to Marine Drive at Foster—that’s all lakefill.
So we’ve done 26 miles and we’ve got four to go to complete the lakefront plan—two on the south side [starting at 71st Street] and two on the north side [starting at Ardmore]. Our goal is to show what the city would look like if we had the ability to accomplish this now or in 50 years or later. So starting in 2005 we went out to the community and had countless meetings. What we came up with is not a Friends of the Parks plan; it’s a community plan. And our architects, working pro bono, came up with something on the south side so that you could ride your bike south of 71st Street. And then on the north side, because you’ve got Edgewater with high rises and Rogers Park with low-rises, [we came up with a plan for] minimal connection of the beaches.
On the north side, the community in Rogers Park was the most vehement. Most people said, “We have these street-end beaches and we want to keep these street-end beaches.” The problem is that people from the west of Sheridan think of those beaches as private because they perceive the community as thinking of those as private. We heard from the community who wanted nothing—they like Rogers Park as it is. We also heard from people who weren’t intimidated by the shouting that “Yes indeed, we want it if it’s a minimal parkland that’s created—we certainly don’t want Lake Shore Drive [extended north of Hollywood], we want no marina, we want no commercial development.”
So you’re saying you’d like to see this open lakefront from border to border.
We want to produce a concept plan by 2009 for finishing the last four miles of the lakefront. We will have engineering studies done to support the feasibility of it. Ultimately, future generations are going to complete the lakefront, and we think this is an assist.
Have you heard from the city about this?
Before we started this, we met with the city’s planning department, the Park District, all the aldermen along the lakefront, and the U.S. congressmen. We talked about completing the lakefront being part of the Burnham Plan. They were supportive of us going ahead with it because we were going to the community with it.
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Lil Mick, You look lonely. Don't worry, my fans will follow!!! Someone should ask Erma Tranter,about the Park Grill Deal. O'malley fronts for Joyce and the Boys. What do we the taxpayers get?
Frank Coconate got $75,000.00 from the taxpayers for shakman. Stop acting like a victim Coconate, ya,all got some big cash! Did you pay your debts back?
Daley and his secret order have conspired to take over the nation. The "Hamburgs" They are riding a dark horse. This is the reason these inbreds are so loyal and willing to fall on their swords for our mentally challenged lackluster mayor.
Frank lemonhead coconate deserved every dime he got. Unforuately he was paid out of the public treasury instead of Daley's personal slush fund.
Local Parks are screwed because of the yearly up keep of Millinuim Park. Just so mayor daley can say " World Class City". But do you know how many workers were laid off because of the mismangement of this mayor? Thousands of good jobs and all area parks suffered!
Beach zoning sux http://morsehellhole.blogspot.com/2008/06/current-beach-zoning-allows-grifter-to.html
the park near my house sucks. The local neighborhod group does all the upkeep and spring cleaning while a bunch of fatasses show up once in awhile to pick up some litter and act like they are mowing. It sucks. We pay all this money for them to sit at the field houses and do nothing, all the money goes to downtown and is mismanged and our local parks look like crap unless neighbors actually do the work. But they like their Millieium park
Daley has coopted many sellout individuals with his land grab schemes. Even so-called progressive elected officials have bought into this great Chicago land rush. TIFS and the olypmics are the vehicles. I agree there is a sinister group of power hungry and greedy groups involved, I don't know if they are called Hamburgs or Boule, there is a consortium that crosses racial ,and ethic lines.
Go to this website and rock the mike! http://coconate.blogspot.com/ Frank Coconate shouls have got millions!
This is an excellent article Mick and Ben--very thought-provoking. The interview technique worked well here. It's refreshing to hear some other well-informed points of view about familiar controversies. Thank you.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/brown/1029755,CST-NWS-brown29.article#
Congressman Schancreamer and Commissioner Debra Shore should have spoke up for the people of the Northside not getting the proper equipment at area parks!
Rahm and Shancreamer get ready to spend$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. You will have Candidates next time out!!!!
Whoever runs vs. Shankowsy or Emanuel needs $1 million maybe more to have a chance. Baby Avila wants a seat so sez Stewart but he would go up vs. Big Mouth Louie. Baby Avila has the $$$ so sez Stewart cuz he got it from the city suit vs gangbanger he represented. That's a joke too. That's as good as stolen money. Baby Avila for Big Mouth Louie is a pip sqweek for a pimp. Baby Avila is just as big a villain as Big Mouth Louie. Baby Avila won't go for Shankowsky seats cuz she wants Shore and the man Coco & McDonough call holy man Avila needs Shore to shore up votes to be prez of Met Water. Avila is no holy man cuz hiz playin with the lesbian to side with him which is not too approved behavior.So who will oust Shankowsky??? Enamuel??? Lets talk it up.Who is up and coming to run??? It's not Baby Avila. The pip sqweek.Who ???
Even though Congress's approval rating is 11%, Schankowsky and Enamuel are winners this time around. But after two years of a Obama presidency and a Democratic congress it will be house keeping time. Things will be so bad that their sure seats will fall before Obama is not reelected.
I have long had problems with the people on this board. The topic brought up here is very legitimate and something worth an intelligent conversation. But based on the ridiculous comments here, it seems a well thought out opinion here would die in a vaccum. Damn Shame, Avy Meyers ntnm.org
"I have long had problems with the people on this board. The topic brought up here is very legitimate and something worth an intelligent conversation. But based on the ridiculous comments here, it seems a well thought out opinion here would die in a vacuum." The only way these miscreants can create a vacuum here is for intelligent commentators to abandon commenting here intelligently. There are some who, being members of that sub-species of humanity bereft of honor, integrity, honesty and intelligence, seek to rouse the rabble, said rousing being for the sole purpose of distraction. To refrain from posting thoughtful comments here would be to allow oneself to be successfully distracted. Hopefully, you are not that gullible and easily manipulated.
Avila could not win for alderman in his 41st ward but he can win any city wide office because of the minorit vote not due to honesty or intelligence but because he his Hispanic.The smart people stay out of public office and the people are stuck with poor representation.
The congressional district may be 85% Christian but not 85% Catholic. Maybe 30% Catholic.The candidates mentioned are poor examples who happen to be Jewish. There is nothing wrong with citing based on performance. There are far more poor Irish candidates who may be Catholic in Chicago who are way worse.
Much of Shankowsky's district belonged to Annunzio. Annunzio was more moderate and representative of the whole district. The other part belonged to Yates. Although liberal he was also more of a centralist. Shankowsky is a terrible choice for senate and should be voted out of congress because she ignores the wishes of the people who elected her.
Read Frank Main's story in today's Su n Times about attorney Avila Jr being sued by gangbanger Wallace. Avila Jr represented gangbanger Peterson and won $5 million of tax payers hard earned money.Avila Jr is another piece of work.I hope this arrogant bottom feeder loses this battle.
"Jan ... Neither reprsent [sic] the district they serve." well, let's see here... Jan Schakowsky 2008 primary 87% 2006 general 74.6% 2004 general 75.7% 2002 general 70.3% looks like the district disagrees
"You will have Candidates next time out!!!!" We'd like to hear more about your challengers. In fact, here's a suggestion: why don't you start your own blog in support of your candidates? Or are you afraid no one will read it? Is that why you post here, out of context?
SHE NEVER HAD A SERIOUS OPPONENT WITH CASH TO BURN 1
oh, ok, so who's your serious candidate w cash to burn?
Hugh , GFU ! We don't need a blog to run against your phony reformers. All we need is a Irish Catholic Woman, and your reformers are screwed!
"All we need is a Irish Catholic Woman ..." not sure if I agree with your astute analysis there, good neighbor someone who consistently gets 70%+ generally will tend to test well with Irish-Americans, Catholics, and women I am of Irish descent and live in the 9th and I am not aware of any pent-up groundswell of discontent among Irish-Americans, Catholics, and/or women waiting to be channelled by the right challenger, but good luck to you anyway, who is your Irish Catholic Woman from the 9th w/ cash to burn? will you keep your challenger's name a super top secret like you did in the 2008 primary? In the 2008 primary it was such a well-guarded secret the incumbent took 87% of the vote! that worked out well
in fact, the only discontent in the 9th I am aware of is extremely localized, limited to the back room of Berny Stone's ward office, where his PAC the Patronage Club of the 50th Ward meets, you should hook up with those guys, good luck
We all hate Jan Schakowsky in the 9th. All she cares about is illegal aliens. But for whatever reason, Daley has decided she stays, no Dem will challenge her & the Republicans won't go out & find themselves a credible opponent. And credible opponent means they have to find a Jewish Republican with money to burn. There are Jews with money to burn & Republicans with money to burn, but there aren't many Jewish republicans, especially with the money to get rid of her.
"We all hate Jan Schakowsky in the 9th." oh, really? who is this "we?" how do you explain this? 2008 primary 96,057 votes 2006 general 122,852 votes 2004 general 175,282 votes 2002 general 118,642 votes
Schakowsky is not an issue this election. She already won.Too bad.Two more years of the absolute worst congresss person and her crook husband that the media treats with kid gloves. Avila Jr is today's hot story. He is being sued by a gangbanger. What a joke. He is getting his due for siding with another gangbanger and ripping off the taxpayers with his giant settlement. Now he is in dispute with the other attorney.What a surprise. Crap breds crap. Avila Jr is a trouble maker. He uses Coconut to start his shit. Now he is getting it back and deserves it. Nobody likes him except Cocobut and Patrick.What a joke.
seen him on tv. he is a wise ass punk.
Frank Avila Jr is the brightest young Attorney in Chicago. He has saved the taxpayers millions in uncovering corruption in the daley Administration as well as a corrupt Cop who enjoyed playing with the African Americans penus!
Shut up Frank. You are a idiot. Avila and you use each other. He gives you free legal service and he uses you to do his nonsense and disruptions because he like you has no balz. Give it up and get a job instead of your stupid posting 24/7.
Avila lives in the 4th and should run against Luis Guttierezz Patrick McDonough almost beat Billy Playboy Marovitz (check out his downtown development) McDonough should run against Jan Shakwosky , he could win
Jris dumb to rep a gangstra in court and dumber to get sued by one! Did he check the white box or the hispanic box to get into law school?
It's about the shittiest mosh pit around.
Dis summer at da Taste at Gwant Pakk. Dere will be wack owf seeting, Smehhy port-o-potties, Pwanes fwing ovuhed, Wocked bathooms, Cwoses uhlee, Fwee awteedinse, Powice detwoying the wawns. So come end joyn usss.....
why would Avila pay a gangbanger 70gs a year ?
www.suntimes.com/news/1031015,CST-NWS-gator30.article www.suntimes.com/news/1031015.CST-NWS-gator30.article read this careful. this guy is not honest. he was paying off gator for the case then he didnt pay and this is all about protecting another gangbanger. this is not ethical by any law standards.
It also sucks ass royally......
......Like the Pillsbury Doughboy snob who has a squeaky timid voice????????.
Or what Underdog accuses me of????????, With the Pillsbury Doughboy pipsqueek???????????????.
.....Wit Gwant Pakkss Chiwdwens Moozeeum????????????.
......Asshole extrodinaire to the max, That fucking idiot wanted to legitimize gangbangers & felons into politics.
"...Asshole extrodinaire to the max, That fucking idiot wanted to legitimize gangbangers & felons into politics." Don't he (gator) know dat's Daley's area of expertise?
When Will This Liar be Disbarred? "Angry, Job Hoppin' Tranny" is an incredible bit of slander written by mechanics liens attorney Thomas J. Westgard, who "works" and resides in Rogers Park, Chicago. The post by Westgard (which has been archived, of course) is a sadly typical piece of writing by him. In the post linked here, he claims that I am a Canadian national (not true), formerly a female (not true) and that I was fired from my last two jobs (not true). Additionally, the "progressive Democrat" Tom Westgard engages in vile hate speech with that post, by using the term "tranny," which he knows to be offensive to transgendered people. In order to slander me in his May 15 post, he is quite happy to slander an entire group of people - people that his Democrat Party claim to be compassionate towards. Is this any way for an attorney to act? Westgard is a close associate of Jim Ginderske, for 49th Ward aldermanic candidate. Westgard was Ginderske's campaign chair from 2006 until Ginderske was defeated in February, 2007. Ginderske is currently a crony of Alderman Joe Moore. Westgard has also slandered a Pritzker and a project associated with him, The Morse Theatre in Rogers Park. The theatre is the project of Andy McGhee. James Pritzker is involved financially. Westgard manages to slander the project, Pritzker and McGhee in one post (also archived, of course). When will somebody have the balls to sue this bastard and get his sorry ass out of the Illinois Bar? When will his associates realize how evil Thomas J. Westgard is?
Go fuck yourself, Gangbanger coddler.
Da fwee edmisshin will continue to da Taste. We have wots of camehwahs patwolling da Taste.
And more.....Fights between gang wivils, Like da wone cought ahn camewah. FWEE EDMSHIONN!!!!!. It's like da okey cowalle.
The immigrant, English as distant 2nd language, Daley ass sucking, lead member of the mayor's troll patrol is back. Mister 'to the first degree'. Daley's version of the dynamic duo, 11th man and mister 'has my visa expired yet?', along with their loyal gerbal 'orion', aka 'oreo boy', are warming up for the big bullshit push leading up to the November Elections. How touching, all this syncronicity. How impressive, how heart warming, how quintessentially Daley. Stroger, Mell, Beavers, Banks, Jones, Madigan, Jackson Jr., Burke, the retarded Daley twins, Billy and Johnny, and all the assorted cronies, minions, whack jobs and wheeler dealers, united in their one, common purpose, finding the answer to the question: 'WHERE'S MINE'? With you, the taxpayer, footing the bill. Had enough yet? THEY don't think so. THEY think that you haven't 'given' enough. THEY really believe that you, the taxpayer, will put up with 'giving' MORE. THEY are sure that you've GOT more to 'give' and, by all that is holy, (to them), you're gonna 'GIVE IT UP', one way or another, because, after all, the GREEDY are NEVER SATISFIED. Get ready for that flood of fetid stench known as political advertising, it's coming your way, big time. It's ELECTION SEASON, and the maggots breed heavily during this time of year.
....Quoting some famous political retort. Mick Dumbfuckee, The political wonk twiddling his.....Well THAT'S typical of that Pro-Detroit asshole himself, The one who would suck on Kwame's earring ear.
Who has that voice like he says "Ehfrickin Emericin", The one who loves that Taste shit.
Once again Hugh,the man in two Wards(49&50)THINKS that he has the pulse of the 9th Congressional District. As an obvious SCHAKOWSKY-CREAMER supporter ,the intrepid Hugh thinks that "Jan" is "Beloved" She's not.As one moves away from the "Liberal/Progressive Lakefront portion of the District, including "Hyde Park North",Evanston,her home ,and home to some of the BIGGEST LEFT-WING WHACK-JOBS in the country,She is less and less popular. Those who live in the 9th district who love our country are Appalled at SCHAKOWSKY-CREAMER'S neglect of this country's needs in favor of the "LEFT-WING" Agenda, her favoring our enemies over us(as those of her ilk do),and her RANK OPPORTUNISM in announcing her desire to fill Barack Obama's Senate Seat before he is even the official Democratic nominee, MUCH LESS the Victor. In Shilling for "Jan", Hugh shows himself to be the TOTAL HYPOCRITE his posts on several blogs reveal him to be,where he plays the WHINE game to the hilt ,and/or Public Meetings all over town where he usually goes on an ANTI-OFFICEHOLDER Rant over nome NIT he's picking.
Jesse Jackson Jr's peeeeeeenussssss........
Erma Tranter is not telling the truth about her "last 4 miles" deal. Here's the truth: stopthelandfill.org
No need to be polite about it. Tell it like it is. Erma Trantor lied. Therefore, Erma Trantor is a liar. Thus, she's no different than all the other many liars, both elected, reelected, appointed, hired, contracted or otherwise engaged in lying for a living. Said living being paid for by, you guessed it, taxpaying citizens, which, in case you hadn't noticed, is us.
Erma Tranter is not telling the truth nor is she presenting the entire picture to the taxpayers, supporters of FOTP, or the citizens of the lakefront. I attended the Rogers Park and Edgewater community meetings last month and it was incredible to hear so many voices rail against these wasteful plans. To learn more, please visit: www.stopthelandfill.org
Really has a secret fetish for the Mayor, That's why they both fight, Ho-Ho!!!!!.
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