Read the newsletter as published (PDF)
A FEW WORDS FROM OUR PRESIDENT …
At our Board meeting, the officers and Board members discussed South Lakeview Neighbors’ opportunity to recognize the many outstanding people in our community. Recognition of these individuals could be acknowledged at our annual meeting in the Summer. Discussion included that SLN honor an outstanding educator, volunteer and merchant who contributed to the success of our mission.
We have this opportunity to work in consort with several of the school principals in our boundaries and to open further discussion with our general membership for such nominees. I ask for your thoughts and input into this matter. Should you believe that an individual deserves this recognition, please contact one of our Board members or myself. Building relationships will only add to the greater cause of our community. Look forward to your suggestions.
Best Regards,
Susan Radzinowicz
Meeting a Glance …
March 9, 2010
Location: Basement of St. Alphonsus Church
1429 W. Wellington
Agenda: 7:00 pm: Coffee & Cookies
7:30 pm: Meeting
1) Neighborhood Bars Public Nuisance Ordinance
2) Walgreens – will start selling liquor again
MARCH 2010 MEETING PREVIEW
RESCHEDULED from the February snowed-out meeting:
Neighborhood Bars-Deleterious Impact Public Nuisance Ordinance (Alderman Waguespack Office and the Liquor Commission)
Elizabeth Gomez, director of Business and Community Affairs for Alderman Waguespack’s office will give a presentation of this ordinance that has been in effect since April 2007. The ordinance is designed to solve issues between businesses and residents through community meetings organized by the Department of Business Affairs and Licensing. The Ordinance is designed to address bars that are public nuisances, protect establishments that operate in a professional and neighborly manner and give residents and businesses a forum to work together to address community concerns. In addition, a representative from the City of Chicago Liquor Commission will address issues related to this Ordinance.
Walgreens – commencing packaged liquor sales
Walgreens – The Pharmacy America Trusts will reinstate the sale of liquor at its Paulina and Belmont store. A representative from Walgreens will present the stores policy for the commencing of the sales.
AT THE FEBRUARY 2010 MEETING
Snow, snow and more snow. Phone calls were made during the day discussing whether the meeting should be cancelled. But Mother Nature cannot stop the SLN bulldozer-like mission and we decided to have the meeting. However, we were unaware that St. Alphonsus closed the school and the rectory due to the snow storm and we could not get the keys to open up. Father Hulbert sincerely apologizes to all members who trudged out in the weather to attend.
While waiting at the door to let members know the meeting was cancelled we talked to some Wellington Tap area residents that are still unhappy with the outside noise at that bar, a representative from All American Bank on Diversey and Southport and newly elected US Congressman Mike Quigley, totally disguised with his hood pulled over his head, dropped in to see what SLN was up to because Washington DC was shut down due to its snow storm. We hope to have the Congressman attend a future meeting.
NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS AND INFORMATION
Alderman Waguespack 32nd Ward News
Neighborhood Safety – Nixle, an alert notification system that sends messages to registered subscribers, now will be used to send public safety information to individuals via email or text message. Residents will have the opportunity to receive by cell phone and Web-enabled device the most recent updates about critical situations affecting the City. To begin, Chicago Police will issue community and business alerts, Amber Alerts for the Cook County area, CAPS beat meeting information and relevant news releases to subscribers. Individuals can register by visiting the Chicago Police Dept’s CLEARpath website at www.chicagopolice.org.
Local School Council (LSC) – elections will take place on April 23. Each school consists of 6 parents and 2 community residents. Nominees can pick up a nomination packet at the Alderman’s office through February or contact CPS at 773-553-1400.
Small Biz Corner – Free Programs
The Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection offers a variety of free programs to help Chicago business owners. Each month they host a
variety of workshops that can assist entrepreneurs to start or grow their businesses. The following is a sample of upcoming workshops, but for a complete schedule, contact Elizabeth Gomez, at 773-248-1330 or egomez32nd@gmail.com
Talk to City Inspectors, Get Answers – every 1st Wed. of each month, 3pm–4:30pm. Inspectors from five different city departments will give you information and insight about how to best prepare for inspections.
Doing Business with the City of Chicago, February 24th: 3:15 pm – 4:30 pm. If you’re interested in doing business with the city or being a certified vendor, this is your workshop. Presented by the Office of Compliance and the Department of Procurement Services (DPS), you’ll learn about the multifarious procurement opportunities.
Get your Taxes done for Free! – Free tax preparation assistance from professionally trained volunteers may be available in your community. The Tax Counseling Project (TCP) and the Tax Assistance Program (TAP) are Chicago-area non-profit programs offering free tax preparation assistance to families earning less than $45,000 and individuals earning less than $20,000. TCP and TAP provide trained volunteers at 30 sites in Chicago. To find a free tax preparation location in Chicago, call 311.
Call the Alderman’s office at 773-248-1330 or email his office at 32ndWard@gmail.com to get his newsletter emailed directly to you.
The Neighborhood Development Review Committee (the NDRC)
The lack of zoning issues over the last few years has eased the burden of the NDRC. We have kept in shape by having zoning quizzes, healthful walks around the neighborhood, playing poker and drinking. However, some items are on the back burner and may come up shortly.
1520 W. Diversey – request to change from RT-3.5 to RT-4.0 for a 3-unit condo building. NDRC is working to get the developer to adjust the shape of the building to conform to the “Diversey Guidelines” set for the 1400-1500 blocks of Diversey.
3132 N. Southport – Request for change from RS-3 (single family home only) to RT-4 for a 3-unit condo building. The NDRC does not support the proposal at this time.
Lathrop Homes Low income housing project at Diversey/Clybourn and Damen : At the invitation of Alderman Waguespack, several SLN board members attended a community meeting at the Melrose Library concerning the proposed redevelopment of Lathrop. The discussion centered on the US Supreme Court mandated mix of housing consisting of 1/3 public housing, 1/3 affordable rental/ownership and 1/3 market rate rental/ownership housing. Some attendees questioned the inclusion of market rate housing given the abundance of such housing in the neighborhood and the need for affordable housing.
Lakeview Chamber of Commerce
WOW (Women Out Working) Networking Group Meeting, Friday, March 26th, 8:30AM – 10:00 AM at the Chicago Photography Center, 3301 N. Lincoln Ave. Have you ever thought about growing fresh food in the city? Organic farmer and Roscoe Village resident Jennifer Borchardt of Harvest Moon Farms will talk about how to “farm” in the city, from starting a small pot of herbs on your window sill to creating a backyard vegetable plot. She will also discuss how to seek out more locally grown, healthful food. For more information visit www.harvestmoonorganics.com.
CAPS Meetings by Sam Samatas
Beat 1932 east of Lincoln : 819 calls for police service with 40 arrests since the December meeting. The SLN area had 4 drug possession arrests. Crimes to homeowners are down compared to last year. Theft from building 19 vs. 13 and forcible entry 12 vs. 5. SAFETY WARNING for Public Transportation pickpockets and thefts : (1) prefer to use an aisle seat, (2) don’t be distracted by arguing persons, they can be a decoy, (3) women carry handbags in front of yourself and not on your side, (4) men keep wallets in inside coat pockets or front pants pockets.
Stupid criminal of the month : arrestee after appearing in court at Belmont and Western got into a fight in the police parking lot with another victim and was rearrested.
Beat 1924:Thurs, March 18th @ 6:30 pm, Lincoln/Belmont Library, 1659 W. Melrose
Beat 1932: Thurs, April 8th @ 7:00 pm, Illinois Masonic, 836 W. Wellington.
City of Chicago Property Tax Relief Program Application Form
As announced by Mayor Daley in various interviews and news conferences, the City has made funds available to assist homeowners whose real estate taxes increased from last year. The relief is based on the increase of your taxes and your income level with the relief being between $25 to $200. SLN will have forms available at the March meeting. You can get a form by going to the City of Chicago website at www.cityofchicago.org and click on the Property Tax Relief Program icon on the left side of the home page. The application deadline is March 31st. You can also contact the Chicago Tax Assistance Center in City Hall.
GARDEN TIPS by Maureen “Dolly” Short and Susan Rad.
Out my back door, with winter still around, there’s not much to do except some cleaning up. Remove dead stubble from ornamental grasses before they resume growth. Think about the season you had last year with insects and diseases. Make sure when it warms up a bit to clean up spent foliage and debris from last season in your vegetable and flower garden. Replace mulch and consider using a dormant or horticultural oil on fruit trees, grapevines and scale infested shrubs. Check labels for application instructions on dormant and horticultural oil. Roses that need a transplant would be best moved mid to late April after you have pruned them. If the temperatures are low, be sure to wrap the root ball and get them in the ground as soon as possible.
Garden Tips by Susan Radzinowicz
Prune just above the ground, all ornamental grasses and perennials that were left remaining over the winter. Start Summer blooming bulbs, tubers and seeds indoors. Attend the Flower and Garden Show at Navy Pier.
100 BEST BARS IN CHICAGO – 404 Wine Bar (Jack’s Bar & Grill) 2852 N. Southport
Congratulations to the 404 Wine Bar for being named to a list compiled by Chicago Magazine (February 2010 issue). The magazine gives the award specifically to the 404 Wine Bar section of Jack’s. It is described as a serene neighborhood spot with about 100 wines by the glass and bottle with an impressive menu. During the winter, patrons can enjoy wine by a fire in the living-room like setting or in the summer on the lush, tree covered patio. Jacks is an advertiser in the SLN newsletter which includes a coupon for a free appetizer and kids under 6 always EAT FREE. 773-404-8400 or www.jacks404.com.
MEMBERSHIP
If you really like your neighbor, give them your newsletter, show them the membership form and tell to join so they can attend the upcoming May election of SLN officers and fun-night and the mid-summer July shin-dig at Will’s beer garden which was awesome last year! Bill H. said so.
RESTAURANT REVIEW by Joni G.
Deleece, 4004 N. Southport, 773-325-1710
This family friendly restaurant has been at the corner of Southport and Irving Park for many years and we have enjoyed it often. Although it is out of the SLN arena, it deserves a revisit by this reviewer and hopefully many readers.
The doors open for dinner early at 5:30 and fortunately we had reservations. By 6:45 the place was full on a Friday evening, with couples, families with very young children (one cried loudly for only a brief time), and what appeared to be a few tables of four singles and multiple couples. You may also opt to sit and dine at the bar, which this evening was robust with patrons. Service is excellent and the atmosphere is casual with a subtle romance to it.
Our starter course was rosemary scented polenta stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes and garlic pesto served on a bed of wilted spinach. I could have eaten it all night. Thank goodness we moved onto one of the soups du jour, creamed carrot and parsnip. Oh so tasty, especially served with crusty bread to dunk in. We raved to neighboring diners to order it as well. Our butter lettuce salad with walnuts, goat cheese and roasted red peppers was served with creamy vinaigrette. This was too much cream especially following the soup. Finally we shared a special of the day. The roast beef tenderloin served with sweet potatoes au gratin and sautéed kale and mushrooms. The beef was tender and the au gratin ruled.
Be ready for large size portions of everything. We shared each dish on this occasion and were quite content with quality and quantity. Every course was beautifully plated separately for us. Besides specials, there are pastas, poultry and fish dishes available. Several appetizers and a variety of salads are offered. We did not have room or time to sample their desserts. Save that for next time. Deleece offers a full bar and several beers and wine choices in both glass and bottle.
Whether you have been to Deleece prior or not at all, go there so you can be fed will. You will leave happy without too much of a lighter wallet.
SLN – WEBSITE = www.slneighbors.org
Visit the site. It is a work in progress. Pictures and information to be added.
Lake View Citizens Council – LVCC
Membership – a reminder to all SLN members. You should join LVCC to get a broader sense of what is happening in Lakeview community. See the webite for an application = www.lakeviewcitizens.org
South Lakeview Neighbors
1505 West Oakdale Avenue
(312) 409- SLN6
www.slneighbors.org
Officers:
President: Susan Radzinowicz
1st Vice President: Ernie Toth
2nd Vice President: Marge Fahrenbach
Recording Secretary: Bill Haderlein
Treasurer: Ann Sychowski
Corresponding Secretary: James Volkober
Web Master: Steven Stern
Directors:
Greg Brown Sam Samatas
Daniel Clifford Joseph Semerling
David Duggan Maureen Short
Missy Frendreis Robert Taugner
Joan Gatz
Newsletter Articles: Bill Haderlein
Newsletter Editor: Jeanne Haderlein
For membership call Ann Sy at 773-477-8840