November: Meeting and Newsletter

Posted on , updated on by Steven Stern

Tuesday, November 12
St. Alphonsus Church basement
1429 W. Wellington
Doors open at 7
Meeting starts at 7:30

We’re back on Standard Time. It’s dark and cold.  Spend a enlightening evening with your neighbors. Warm yourself up with a good discussion.

On the agenda:

  • DIAG BAR – Southport/George St. – neighborhood issues

As previously reported, complaints from neighbors regarding DIAG were on the increase regarding late night noise and patron rowdiness. Eventually, DIAG was paid a visit from the Department of Business Affairs and was found to be in violation of several licenses including its retail food license, outdoor patio license and the use of sound equipment in the beer garden.

A hearing was held on September 20, 2013 regarding these issues. Elizabeth Gomez, Director of Outreach from Alderman Waguespack’s office was in attendance. DIAG agreed to the following: (1) Remove speakers from the patio, (2) Disconnected subwoofers and had a sound person check the bass level (3) Ordered another dumpster and scheduled an extra garbage pick-up (4) Order “Respect your neighbor” signs (5) Power washed alley (6) Will pick up trash near the bar.

Erik Baylis, partner in Big Onion Tavern Group and owner of DIAG will attend the November meeting to discuss improvements that have been made at DIAG. Elizabeth Gomez, Director of Outreach for Alderman Waguespack’s office will officiate this meeting. The immediate neighborhood will be flyered.

  • Affordable Health Care Act (Obamacare)

Wondering how to get Health Care information? Illinois PIRG will make a brief presentation to answer questions about how to gain a better understanding of new health care options in the State of Illinois.

  • Lakeshore Sports Physical Therapy, PC

Angela Wilson Pennisi, PT,MS.OCS will provide  information of the health services offered by  Lakeshore which recently opened on Southport  across the street from the St. Alphonsus Church.

What happened at the October meeting? It’s in the newsletter.

New:  Meeting raffle!

Now your attendance at the monthly meetings can earn you cash. Starting at the November meeting, SLN will begin selling a monthly $5 raffle ticket to meeting attendees only. You can only buy a ticket at the meeting. Additional monthly membership meeting tickets will be sold at the February, March, April and May meetings. As you accumulate more attendance raffle tickets, you increase your chances of winning.

At the May meeting, we will draw a winner from all the purchased tickets for the year. The winner will receive 50% of the total kitty, 25% will go to a local charity selected by the winner from a provided list and 25% will go to SLN for future meeting expenses. Winner does not need to be present at the May meeting to claim the cash prize.

Message from Lathrop Community Partners

Posted on by Steven Stern

We received the following on October 11 from Lathrop Community Partners, the developers for the redevelopment of the Lathrop site:

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Thank you for joining us at the presentation of the revised draft Master Plan for the revitalization of Lathrop Homes. We enjoyed talking with each and every one of you and appreciate the great ideas you provided. The slideshow presentation and the draft Master Plan are now on our website, www.lathropcommunity.org. Please take a look when you have a moment.

More than 240 people attended the July 30th meeting to provide essential input on the draft Master Plan. In addition to the helpful comments and questions provided during the presentation, we received 110 surveys and comment cards with additional recommendations. This information will be considered as we refine the final pieces of the Master Plan.

We are now entering the planned development phase, during which we will meet with various city departments to finalize the Master Plan. Much like the previous phase, public input in the planned development phase will also be critical to ensure project success. Lathrop Community Partners and the Chicago Housing Authority will convene another meeting this winter to begin implementation of the Master Plan.

On behalf of the entire Lathrop Community Partners team and the Chicago Housing Authority, thank you for your interest in this project and your thoughtful comments at our July meeting. We look forward to talking with you soon.

In partnership,

Jacques Sandberg
Lathrop Community Partners
Charles Woodyard
Chief Executive Officer
Chicago Housing Authority

Next Meeting: October 8

Posted on by Steven Stern

Tuesday, October 8
St. Alphonsus Church basement
1429 W. Wellington
Doors open at 7
Meeting starts at 7:30

The weather for Tuesday is set to be somewhat appropriate for fall, with a waxing crescent moon. It will be a perfect evening to come out and meet with your neighbors.

On the agenda:

  • State Representative Ann M. Williams
    Now in her 2nd term, Ms. Williams will update the membership on various issues including Education budget cuts and available TIF funds, marriage equality and, of course, the $100 million unfunded pension liability
  • Dog Training Center – Special Use Permit at Barry/Ashland strip mall.
    Murguia ZR Chicago.LLC, d/b/a Zoom Room Chicago has applied for a special use with the Zoning Board of Appeals for the property located at 3055 N. Ashland Ave., so as to allow the property to be used as a self-contained dog training facility.

We may also hear from the management of the Diag Bar, regarding changes they’ve made since our last meeting. According to Alderman Waguespack’s office, there was a hearing resulting in fines for the bar and promises of corrective measures:

1. Removed the speakers from the patio
2. Ordered another dumpster and has scheduled an extra pick up
3. Ordered “Respect your neighbors” signs
4. Power washed the alley
5. Has disconnected the subwoofers and had a sound person check the bass level
6. Will hire some guys to p/u trash near the bar

What happened at the last meeting?  It’s covered in the October newsletter.

Free Flu Shot October 4

Posted on by Steven Stern

superstickiesAlderman Scott Waguespack is partnering with the Chicago Public Health Department to host a FREE flu vaccination clinic. Come to the 32nd Ward Office at 2657 N. Clybourn on Friday, October 4th anytime between 9 am and 3 pm. No appointment needed! Please call 773-248-1330 if you have any questions. Stay healthy this season! Remember, you cannot get the flu from a flu shot.