Parks

To the Parks web home of hydepark.org

The Parks Committee of HPKCC This page brought to you by Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference, its Parks Committee, and HPKCC's website, www.hydepark.org. Join the Conference! Contact the Parks Committee Chair: hpkcc@aol.com, attn. Gary Ossewaarde.

Index

• Latest meetings and actions
• Mission, areas of attention
• From the March 2008 Reporter: Kenwood Park, Guidelines, and Olympics
• Other HPKCC board resolutions and actions on parks
• Some needs of the committee
• Sample past reports from the Reporter (locator for more from 2004 > browse Reporter index page.
• Report on the November 3 2006 meeting
• Report in December 2007 Reporter
• HPKCC letter on proposed new guidelines for councils. (Coverage of issue-
  Park Issues page.)
  
  
  

Recent

A Letter was sent in February 2007 to the Mayor and Olympic Committee setting forth principles, concerns, questions needed through study, and insistence upon community consultation before the Olympics in our area can go forward. View it in the HPKCC Olympic letter page. See the Olympics page which includes report on meeting with Park District (in December 2007 Reporter).

February 2008, the Committee sent a letter calling for consistent policies consistently applied for councils, in light of the dissolution of the Kenwood Park Council. The park district replied favorably, but the committee, as well as park councils that have seen draft guidelines are very disturbed by the contents. See letters, replies, in Park Issues. A meeting was held April 4 between some of the councils, CPD and Friends of the Parks, putting the matter on a slow burner, backing off from most PD proposals, and setting up a joint review committee.

Kenwood Park's disputes and decertification of the council over alleged missing paperwork prompted the preceding-referenced letter, and two large public meetings, as well as offer of the Conference president, with encouragement of the council and Ald. Preckwinkle to chair one of three committees loking toward a renewal of the council. Report pending.

Here is the report published in the HPKCC Conference Reporter March 2008.
View from the Parks: Kenwood Park and Kenwood Council Dispute Affects Community

by Gary Ossewaarde

A dispute over expansion of one of the baseball diamonds in Kenwood Community Park (Farmers Field, at 50th and Dorchester) ended in challenges to the validity of the advisory council. The HPKCC parks committee (chair, Gary Ossewaarde) was asked to lok into the matter by council leaders, one of whom answered questions from the Conference board in February.

While the Conference has not taken a position on the expansion of t his diamond for league play by 11-13-year olds, we wrote Park District General Superintendent Timothy Mitchell of our concern about status of the council, allegedly over lost registration paperwork, and the likely role of an absence of consistent, objective and transparent procedures and environment for establishment, accountability, listening to or dissolution of park advisory councils.

We in fact found differences even in Hyde Park that could not be accounted for by park sizes, needs, or offerings. And we found that when this particular dispute led to deadlock between two powerful sets of park neighbors and users that could not be resolved with satisfaction to both parties by the council with help from the local alderman, it was all too easy for some party to inquire into the council's standing via filed paperwork, which was then not found.

"As is often the case," we wrote the Superintendent, "the informal and inconsistent operating practices of the Park District were not a problem until a dispute erupted. This is exactly the time when a transparent and empowered Advisory Council should be available to help resolve the issue." We concluded that consistent, objective, and transparent policy "is necessary for us to be confident that the seven Park Advisory Councils currently in Hyde Park and South Kenwood are properly and with confidence" able to do their jobs.

The Park District was indeed aware of such problems and preparing a new set of guidelines at the time, subsequently submitted to select councils for review. Widespread reaction was that the document needs revision lest it seriously damage local oversight and participation in our parks.

Meanwhile, the Kenwood council has continued to consult with the District and local officials and to plan for clean up days, fundraising for park programs, and new elections. The Conference believes park councils should be forums for conflict resolution, not bodies to be controlled.

Our Parks Committee notes these among issues and possible solution highlighted by the Kenwood Park disputes:

1) Too often new, or changes to existing, facilities desired by user groups or park officials are executed with insufficient or no advanced vetting or negotiation with park councils, neighbors, and the wider community. Helpful is insistence by public officials that fait accompli and lack of public input will not stand.

2) Demands on park space are constantly growing throughout the city. First, parks should have framework plans that are living governing documents. Second, there should be careful broad-input review of proposed uses that sequester parks in whole or in part. Planning needs to keep in mind that parks are first and foremost public, open, general use lands. Also, every effort should be made to accommodate, with safety, competing uses (and near neighbors) within parks and among parks of various sizes.

On the Olympics...

The Conference has received virtually no response on requests for information on Olympic planning and impact.

In general, not much information on plans to accommodate the Olympics and provide lasting facility legacies has come forth from the Chicago 2016 Committee, and little local planning is being done. Mayor Daley did announce a program of transit and related upgrades apart from Olympic considerations and generally thought needed in any case--and requiring state and federal help. Foundations have set up some small funds to study, with communities, impacts and legacies. But most commentators (and a recent forum at the University on Displacement) point to little local positive economic or development results from recent Olympics. They also see little evidence of detailed and collaborative planning underway in Chicago, but much evidence that some parks and neighborhoods will be unduly affected and left ill-prepared for the Games and their aftermath.

 

Addressing the parks:

• Our local parks are among our most important community assets. When they work well and look good, they are a delight. When they do not, they can seriously harm their communities. The smaller and mid-sized parks and the Lakefront north of Jackson Park have seen much for us to celebrate and some frustrations in recent years. Is the bucket filling up or springing leaks?

  We started a conversation on various parks and what common concerns we can work on. We are considering a survey to and build relationships with the various councils and see what we can do together. A report is forthcoming. Report below.

• At a follow up meeting January 30, 2007, we concentrated on developing a set of questions, concerns and principles regarding Olympics use of area parks for 2016 Olympics venues. This was framed into a cover letter and document sent to Mayor Daley, the Chicago 2016 Committee, and Park District Supt. Tim Mitchell. Text is in HPKCC Olympic letter. We wil post responses if any.
  
• Around the Parks Update-from the Spring 2005 Conference Reporter, below
  

The Parks Committee of HPKCC works with local park advisory councils and city-wide advocacy and interest groups to

• maximize upkeep and quality experience and programming in our parks,
• make sure the Park District fulfills its obligations and encourage the district to plan consultatively,
• make sure parkland needs and value are visible in community planning decision-making,
• put our weight behind the councils, publicly or in negotiations and consultations, and provide logistical, database, or mobilization support.

  Starting from almost the formation of the Conference in 1949, the parks committee has been highly active. In the 50's and 60s it was concerned with gaining and figuring out how to use, with real community design input, parks greenspace for the community as one outcome of urban renewal, combating crime and gang and drug use of the parks, preserving the trees where they existed in areas slated for parks. Its spinoff Sculpture Committee held sculpture fundraising and design competitions led by some of the community's major leaders. By the 1970s and 1980s it locked horns with a then-inattentive park district over conditions in the parks and beaches. Barbara Fiske was one of its chairs. In the 1990s it was revived and a the end of the decades brought most of the parks together into a consortium for common concerns. It was very active over getting the new Nichols/Murray gym and fieldhouse right and Promontory Point, for example. It is especially concerned with needs of smaller parks.

Since the Conference is the nonprofit umbrella for the Nichols Park Advisory Council, and for LILAC (concerned with the Metra embankment), the Parks Committee has special relationships with these. We also maintain databases and do considerable work with the Jackson Park Advisory Council, including maintaining its website.

The HPKCC Parks Committee has also convened informal community and regional meetings of council leaders and parks advocates and held forums under the name South Side Parks Consortium.

Some current common issues are park cutbacks, trash collection and maintenance breakdowns, ensuring ongoing community input in park/school agreements and in planning for new facilities, encouraging avenues for community participation and volunteerism such as through the Hyde Park Garden Fair.

Localized issues of area-wide importance include Promontory Point; lake shore reconstruction, access, and amenities; crime and Nichols Park upkeep, communications incl. with the school, facilities; Olympic venues; natural areas policies.

The Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference Board has these standing parks resolutions (since 2003), sought by the Parks Committee:

1. Concerns and objections to deep budget cuts and their impacts on children's programming, staffing, and parks upkeep. (See more on the budget, recently up again, in the Park Issues page.)
2. Support for the work and plan of the Promontory Point Task Force and now process under Sen. Obama (thrice reaffirmed and continuing).
3. General support for a class A-1 fieldhouse north of HPK.
4. Support for the efforts of its Nichols Park Council affiliate to achieve a balanced approach to the park's entry face at 53rd Street and the fit of the Murray gym addition to the existing gardens, also general support for continuing role of the Garden Fair in planning and planting the formal garden.
   December, 2004: Reiterates support for Nichols Park Council's pursuit of a design including space for public activities in the plaza, good passage and sight lines, and for better procedures facilitating strong, predominant public/neighbor's input into decisions via their voice the councils, noting councils are the best voice for their parks. Notes that NPAC is an affiliate committee of the Conference.
5. Recommendation that Dept. of Environment et al move beyond warnings to learning causes and applying solutions to beach pollution and swimming bans.
6. Supported Harold Washington Council in is opposition to placing a parking lot in Harold Washington Park (successfully).
7. Directed a letter stating concerns, prinicples adn questions regarding a 2016 Olympics stadium in Washington Park be sent to the Mayor, Olympic Bid Committee, and the Park District.

What we need:

• We need Consortium/committee planning subcommittee members to revitalize the consortium around common or well-chosen issues and get busy when councils need support or volunteers or when major controversies or opportunities arise.
• We need liaisons to the various park councils who will attend council meetings (or help set up a regular schedule of meetings) and participate in their activities while reporting council needs and positions timely to the chairman (including for our website parks page and the Conference Reporter ) and at Parks Committee meetings. Alternatively, we need persons willing to undertake the difficult work of organizing a park council where needed near their home. At present we need representatives to Dyett, Kennicott, and especially Midway Plaisance and Washington Park councils.
• We need researchers to help with issues or documents for councils or HPKCC.
• We need persons who will help with occasional tasks, such as mailing or publicity or who will observe and report or photograph in the parks.
• And, yes, we need Parks Committee members who are parks- and nature-aware or are involved in park-using groups. We especially include our friends in the Garden Fair Committee in this invitation.

  Chairman: Gary Ossewaarde (direct email), telephone (773) 947-9541, Conference email hpkcc@aol.com
  

  Around the Parks

  From the Spring 2005 HPKCC Conference Reporter. By Gary Ossewaarde, Parks Chairman

  The parks and their advisory councils have both good and disappointing news to report over the past few months. The best news is vigorous councils that residents, organizations, and groups with special needs or wants seek out for an ear and a hand. The sad news is that the Park District lacks funds to put much funds or staff in the parks. But the local staff is outstanding and many of the administrators supportive. The HPKCC parks committee mainly works with the councils—supporting special and parks-common needs and concerns, publicizing meetings and activities, providing “back office” services for some, mainly Jackson and Nichols. And we maintain the parks pages, a major presence in the Conference website resource, www.hydepark.org.

  A common concern we expressed to the Park District recently, in support of Nichols and Kenwood Park councils, was the change in the boundary between the district’s South and Central regions to run right through the neighborhood at Hyde Park Blvd. (51st Street), with likely detriment to parents, kids, and park staff. Another was budget cuts reducing staffing at local parks (at first disproportionately on the South Side)—especially, it turns out, at the new Nichols fieldhouse, mandated to ratchet up on kids camps but without adequate staff. (There were also severe cuts at Midway and Kenwood.)

  At Nichols, we also continue to support their concern at homeless persons, drinkers and troublemakers in the park, inadequate trash containers creating an eyesore and possible health hazard by Murray school and 53rd Street, and at violations of the Intergovernmental Agreement by the school’s administration. Nichols Council, the park and others held a spectacular dedication and ‘Eggstravaganza’ March 19 for the return and re-siting of Cosmo Campoli’s ‘Bird of Peace.’ Save time this summer for the 4th on 53rd and the Sunday concerts.

  Harold Washington council under the leadership of Irene Sherr and others, from its formation has gotten the ear of district officers, downtown and region, even though this park, one of the most heavily used in the city, has no fieldhouse and a marginal comfort station. Many improvements have already been made with more on the way, including, they hope, to the regional-draw tennis courts. And, with help from SOM architects, the council has been honing a framework plan to rationalize and improve the park. The park has problems accommodating large numbers of picnics (which sometimes set up loud sound systems they aren’t supposed to), accommodating parking demand, and with unsavory activity late nights, lighting, walks, and trash. Recently, a large contingent came to ask the council to find room in the park for a dog park. It seems a place can be found, although it’s a long road to get approval and, as for all major facilities in parks these days, the group will have to organize, convince neighbors, and raise much of the cost.

  Jackson has recently seen the long-desired naming of the upper pavilion of the recently-landmarked 63rd St. Bathing Pavilion for Eric Hatchett, former council president who advocated for restoration of the facility and for teen programs. The park will soon be settling down from the Lake Shore Drive reconstruction: at the north end of 57th St. beach, the seawall connection and protection for the new underpasses is being topped with limestone blocks, the underpass under 57th will open about Memorial Day, and the historic granite-paver beach (extended) north of 63rd beach finished this summer. The Museum of Science and Industry will soon open the new U-505 exhibit under the northeast lawn. That area (with the underpass area) will be beautifully and historically landscaped. The council has also won an appropriate and historic landscaping plan for the Music Court lot and Columbia/Science Drive, as well as new bike/walking connections to the 59th underpass and in Bob-o-link Meadow. The council is cooperating in efforts by the Korean 1893 monument group to plan and fund an open-air temple-like facility south of the lagoons*. The council supports a budget item for a council ring for drumming groups east of 63rd beach, helps underwrite program needs at the fieldhouse and holds monthly 2nd Saturday workdays to clear out overgrown invasives in the natural areas. [*Ed. since re-sited south of the Driving Range.]

  Spruce Park council has reorganized and pushes for park upgrade, cleanup and safety. First goal is to remove the street-side fence that it believes impedes these goals. The council meets 2nd Wednesdays 6:30 pm at the Nichols fieldhouse and needs you.

  Midway council, which works out the hefty summer program of Wednesday night movies and concerts and advises on the skate-season program, has issues with wear-and-tear on the fieldhouse/warming house, trash, care of the new gardens, and overuse of the playing fields. The University of Chicago has funded many of the facilities and programs in Midway Plaisance.

  Two matters we are watching and ask citizens to watch also are:
  1) How to make pocket parks safe, nice and useful for neighbors if we expect these parks to remain,
  2) Resolution of quality issues for Washington Park. Neighbors and the council find the summer festivals intolerable, the playing fields not kept up, and an endless problem with trash and unacceptable behaviors. The Park District is coming around on ball fields and some other needs, but moving the festivals, especially to the southern, more natural and passive part of the park, clashes to the Park District recently with other park goals and uses....

  And the missing item? The Point. ...

  
  
  HPKCC Parks Committee hosts a Small Parks Networking Event Nov. 3

  From the December 2006 Conference Reporter

Members of park advisory councils and HPKCC board members serving on the Parks Committee met November 3 at Nichols Park field house for socializing, fine refreshments, and serious discussion of our smaller, interior parks- successes, what's working or not, and issues and opportunities we can address jointly. Nichols Park Advisory Council was our sponsor at the park facility.

We identified and got a feel for the particulars of most of the smaller parks, and agreed to prepare material with maps, descriptions, staff, and council contacts and meeting dates and places. The committee will send the councils a letter and a survey for their members to fill in and will use the responses to prepare a community report on the status of our small parks.

Needs that the small parks focus may concentrate on, in conjunction with councils include:

• Growing the council participation and volunteer turnout in parks,
• Helping organize and provide publicity for cleanup days and park festivals and neighborhood events (This and the preceding may need door-to-door campaigns.),
• Opening lines of communication and mutual assistance to schools, CAPS and others,
• Joint programs with the Hyde Park Garden Fair in gardening seminars and projects that benefit parks,
• Security and safety issues: Identifying and advocating for what works,
• Bringing focus on such issues as best lighting, benches and child-safe play equipment,
• Working with park neighbors to start up councils and projects where they don't yet exist,
• Facilitating solutions to dog friendliness.

The following "small parks" have active councils. Note that some do not meet every month. Here are their meeting dates and leaders. To find out how to reach them, contact the Conference office at 773 288-8343 or hpkcc@aol.com or visit hydepark.org/parks/councils.htm.

• Bessie Coleman. 54th and Drexel. Meets 4th Thursdays 7 pm, usually at Nichols Park fieldhouse. Peter Cassel. Note: now mainly meeting with the West Hyde Park block club first Mondays? Information pending.
• Kenwood (aka Farmer's Field). 49th to 50th, west of Kenwood to Dorchester. Meets last Wednesdays 7 pm at the park's field house (312 747-6286). Julie Lemon.
• Nichols. 1355 E. 53rd Street. Meets second Thursday 7:30 pm at Nichols field house (312 747-2703). Stephanie Franklin.
• Spruce. 54th and Blackstone. Meets 2nd Wednesday 6:30 pm at Nichols field house. Sach Diwan.

There is a larger roster of parks that have no council or group of active supporters. We would like to hear from neighbors who would like to explore forming one or joining with those individuals who have adopted a park: Bixler, Butternut, Cornell, Elm, Ma Houston, Sycamore.

And please contact parks committee chair Gary Ossewaarde via the Conference contacts to join the small parks focus.

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Report from the December 2007 Conference Reporter:

View from the Parks:

Gains, Pains, and Olympic Sweat

by Gary Ossewaarde

Our parks saw completion this year of some long-awaited projects:

· Restoration of Laredo Taft’s Fountain of Time and reflecting basin (west of the Midway and Cottage Grove. Funds are still being assembled for lighting and security. This work showed exemplary collaboration between federal, state, local, and private entities and elected officials and individuals and of ingenuity in locating now-rare materials and in engineering.
· Restoration of the Model Yacht Basin in Harold Washington Park with Virginio Ferrari’s sculptural construction Ecstasy (E. Hyde Park Blvd. and Lake Shore Drive). This project, like the previous, involved broad collaboration including in this case the sculptor, who still lives in Hyde Park, and Bruce Clinton, still active in Hyde Park. Mayor Daley dedicated both these projects at gala celebrations.
· A commemorative boulder incised by Hyde Parker Walter Arnold was given a celebratory dedication in Kenwood Community Park (50th and Dorchester), honoring Lester J. Dugas, a major community leader from the 1950s to 70s and the first African American to serve in high rank at Commonwealth Edison.

Frustrations continued with a growing backlog of deferred parks maintenance and regular upkeep, staff that is not increased enough and efficiently enough deployed, communications/IT that haven’t caught up, and inadequate funding compounded by a high debt load. Superintendent Mitchell and staff spend much time squeezing funds from Springfield and Washington. Yes, our representatives there and in City Council have found scarce funds for projects in our parks. But one wonders how Chicago proposes to undertake an Olympics with such poor investment in parks, transit and infrastructure.

The Conference submitted to the Mayor, the Olympic Committee, and the Park District a full catalogue of needs to be studied and addressed with public input, if the city is to undertake and the citizens to support an Olympics in 2016—and even if Chicago’s not selected. Our delegation discussed these with Park District staff but have yet to receive a reply. And no general community meeting for Hyde Park concerns is in sight.

The Chicago 2016 Committee has held a well-attended first stage meeting with the Washington Park community, has held discussions with several stakeholder organizations and councils, and has at least four members from the mid South Side.

The Committee, accompanied by experienced Olympic planners, presented and answered questions with the Jackson Park Advisory Council (JPAC) September 10 on the Olympic field hockey facility. Here is a brief summary, based on JPAC’s newsletter:

Presenters stressed their intent to keep impacts very temporary and very localized and to leave a lasting legacy improvement, principally two artificial surface, fully accessible soccer fields. Otherwise the park would be returned to present state and uses. They promised continuing engagement in an open, fair, collaborative process. Q & A:
· The youth soccer league commissioner said modern artificial surfaces offer significant advantages and are needed in the Jackson Park fields regardless.
· Hayes Drive (63rd) and the facilities north of it including the golf driving range will be closed from late 2015 to late 2016.
· The Committee was shown what proposed features are too close to natural areas and where crowd access barriers may be necessary.
· No improvements or major changes to the larger park or community are expected.
· Intent is to discourage autos coming into the area.
· Past precedents will be used to accommodate displaced sports team. Team reps stressed this as critical.
· Many were concerned about impact on parking and congestion with little long range to see for it. Some asked for at least a distinctive feature during the Olympics. Many questioned the projected short timeframe or that Olympic needs will trump regular maintenance or improvement needs.
· Full design starts after Olympic award in late 2009; this was suggested as the window for heavy community input. An archeologist said the impact area is full of significant remain, including the Columbian Exposition, and since the law requires pre-reconnaissance, an early start is needed.

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HPCCC Letter to Chicago Park Disrict, March 26, 2008 related to the guidelines and park councils.

Timothy J. Mitchell, General Superintendent and CEO and
Timothy M. King, Legislative and Community Affairs
Chicago Park District
541 N. Fairbanks
Chicago, IL 60611

Dear Mr. Mitchell and Mr. King:

Thank you for your reply of March 6, 2008, to our letter of February 19. We were surprised to learn that you have been seeking comments and suggestions on revision of the 2000 Guidelines and are nearly ready to adopt a final document. The role of the Conference is to promote the good of parks in collaboration with councils, staff, and elected officials and to bring together community groups and organizations such as park councils to share their experiences and strengths. While we encourage parties such as park councils to be open and to function well and collaboratively, we do not recommend or support conformity to particular rules of internal operation.

You will recall that our letter was written in response to an ongoing park council issue in our area. We asked that the Park District have and apply, consistently and fairly, an internal policy for such circumstances. We were not thinking of a new set of guidelines, and certainly not a code for every procedure, such as may be suggested by the enumeration in your letter. Because we agree with you that PACs are separate entities, we are concerned that this kind of micromanagement could make it hard for councils to be formed and long-lasting and would dampen resident work and support for their parks. Perusal of your proposed document online confirms our concerns that this may be a turn for the worse. We hope and expect that all the councils, not just a few, as well as relevant stakeholder groups, will be given ample time to review and comment.

We believe that any guidelines should be guiding recommendations and should build and clarify a reciprocal partnership of collaboration. Guidelines need to include the Park District’s support for councils, such as a structure of communication and structure of full consultation in advance on projects and other park changes. While councils cannot set park policy, they are elected, and ideally representative of the community.

We stated that councils representing parks of different sizes, reach of constituency, or circumstances need room to adapt operations to their needs, not just needs of the Park District. Councils ebb and flow as issues and opportunities gain community attention. CPD Policy needs to make sure the varied councils can function and can operate in an open manner, and that policies do not themselves block communication or become an occasion for abuse or advantage within councils, by third parties, or staff within the District. We suggest that the District internally should have its own clear internal policy for what happens when there is a challenge to a council, allegation of abuses by any party, or unresolved disputes, with possibly a well-thought-out review body that could include rotating membership from various councils.

We should be in agreement on some important parameters for councils:

· They should be first and foremost a way for residents to come together freely for the good of their parks through an independent body,
· They need mutual open communication with and respect for and from park authorities local and citywide,
· They be need to be open to all interested parties, not a restricted set of constituents, and be confident that views and requests will receive an open hearing and response,
· Leadership needs to be democratically elected and act in that spirit,
· They need to meet openly and frequently and operate according to basic but reasonable, performable, flexible guidelines.

Our expectation is that the District will not enact policies that skew who may be member or officer in a council or inhibit or kill the councils and their ability to attract volunteers and raise appropriate funds for park needs. Rather, we hope that the District, through a period of input, will arrive at a document that promotes trust, reciprocal partnership, and fair dealing.

Sincerely,

George W. Rumsey
President

Gary M. Ossewaarde
Vice President and Parks Chair
Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference

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