Neighbors:
The Carmen Winona Block Club met on Wed, April 3, 2008.
The meeting was called to order by President, Don Brown at 7:05pm.
Don began by welcoming new attendees and quickly explaining that all were welcome, we are a NON-dues association and people may attend meetings on specific topics only and still have a vote, unlike many of the other associations in the area which have many qualifiers for membership before allowing an individual to vote.
- Garage/Street Sale: It was held on June 9, 2007. We would ask the general community to weigh in on whether to keep a June date or move it back to the pre-2007 month, September. We cannot schedule due to conflicts June 27-July 6th and September 6th is out. Please email us with your thoughts on the matter.
- OUR FIRST Block Party was a success last year, and the intent is to make it even better this year. We did run into an unexpected scheduling problem last year, as we held the party during an observed fasting month for our Middle Eastern neighbors. We will endeavor to correct that this year so all may participate in the food as well as the fun. We learned that the observance begins on September 1, 2008; so we will be securing a permit for an earlier month. Mike Krystyn has agreed to head it up again and the need is to get the organizational planning started, please email Mike if you would like to volunteer through mkrystyn at juno.com.
- The Garden Club, headed by Ned Read will start becoming active the next few weeks as the weather begins to warm. The Block Club agreed to donate $150 to the Garden Club to help defray some of the costs of the plantings. The Garden Club is a volunteer organization and tends to the bump out gardens, strip gardens on the park side of marine as well as the Native Garden in the park. Because of neighbors like Ned who give of their personal time and effort, we have small garden areas, well tended throughout our community. In addition to Ned, the Block Club would like to recognize Greg & Stewart; Tom Spieth, Don Brown along with all the others who take the time to care for the gardens in the neighborhood.
- The Block Club has new officers:
- Don Brown, President
- Diana Rudoy, Vice President
- Mike Krystyn, Secretary
- Steve Warnelis, Treasurer
- Ned Read, Garden Club President
- Joe Trendl, Zoning & Planning
We wish to thank Sylvia Moore, Charmaine Stilinovich, Deborah Uhlman for their past service.
Mike Krystyn volunteered to begin a community newsletter, please email Mike with any thoughts, items or interesting stories at mkrystyn at juno.com
Joe Trendl offered an Admiral update:
Cleanslate is performing a perimeter clean-up of the site daily. (I'll drive past the site today to check on their work)
We need only about 20 more deposits until we can finance the project. We already have approval from the Illinois Finance Authority to issue the necessary revenue bonds.
We have essentially agreed to terms with Bovis for the construction agreement. We're now working with Bovis to hold their price until construction begins.
We received approval from the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board to include the 36 skilled nursing beds in the project.
We recently reviewed and approved customization packages (e.g., countertops, flooring, cabinetry, etc.) from which depositors may choose to eventually personalize their apartments.
We're working to plan a 150th anniversary celebration later this year, not to conflict with a groundbreaking ceremony, which we're hoping to do sooner.
Additionally, we will be attempting to work through the ward office to get the utility companies to bury the service lines in the alley between Winona and the Admiral---more on that as we move forward.
The Day Labor facility has been approved to open on Sheridan, the Block Club had voiced its opposition to the facility in alignment with our neighboring organizations to the south between Sheridan & Marine.
Don explained that all should remain vigilant in the neighborhood, the has been a recent rash of crime and we MUST DIAL 911 WHENEVER we feel the least bit threatened or if something just seems suspicious\u2014better to err on the cautious side,
- Edgewater Historical Society, represented by LeRoy Blummert, gave a presentation on the historical value of some properties in the Edgewater area and how through the efforts of the 48th ward there is a movement to designate the area bounded in part by Sheridan/Hollywood, on Kenmore and on Winthrop as a Chicago Historical Preservation site. There are 15 historically/architecturally significant homes in the area. Please see the Historical Society for more details at 5358 N Ashland or www.edgewaterhistory.org There will be NO tif money used for this initiative. After a 15 minute presentation, it was explained that the matter will come to a vote at the Zoning & Planning committee in May. The Block Club took a vote on the matter and declared its support for the initiative and we will vote in the affirmative when it is called.
- 5030 N Marine (CO-OP) asked the block club to support its initiative to eliminate all curb parking on the Carmen side of its building. Don proposed an alternative plan, keeping permanent parking at the same time, allowing the building greater flexibility with its loading area. The CoOP association approved of the compromise plan and will letter the block club, so that we may then help push the initiative through the ward office. The plan was approved by voice vote of the Block Club. More details will follow.
- 5040-5060 N Marine Drive, presented to the block club a proposal to move a current no parking sign 4 feet westward on the north side of Carmen directly outside its exit/entrance gate to the parking lot. The reason is that the current sign is not being obeyed and cars parking in that space are making it impossible for scavenger trucks to make clean, safe turns onto Carmen. While the neighborhood recognizes that we will lose 4 feet of parking space, we also recognize the good neighbor status of the association, their past works and the fact that the sign movement could be looked at as a safety issue. The motion was brought to allow the movement of the sign and it was approved. We will be working with the association to get it through the ward office.
- 930 W. Winona presented a case for better management of parking and traffic flow using its property as the focus point. There has been an issue raised on the reserving of space for move ins/outs of the property and the information used by 930 over the years--- approvingly by the ward and the community--- had been called in question. Steve Warnelis, property manager of 930 Winona and Joe Trendl have agreed to form a small committee to discuss the matter in greater detail over the next few months and seek an equitable solution to a large problem of parking and traffic flow in our neighborhood. We welcome others in the community who wish to join the committee to add input. We will report the results of our discussion to the ward and the community toward the end of summer. For those who wish to join in this discussion please email joseph at trendl.net for further details.
Meeting was adjourned approx 9:10pm
The Block Club thanks Grace and 5040-5060 N Marine for again allowing us to use its meeting room.
Joseph R. Trendl
President & CEO
Trendl Associates, Ltd.