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What's Right, What's Wrong about Hyde Park? A Public Discussion Held by Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference October 19Kenwood

Go to reports in the What's Right/Wrong page.

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This page will contain the reports and the Community Recommendation Document from the October 19 Public Discussion, "What's Right, What's Wrong about Hyde Park?" Please come! Be prepared to engage with small groups that will develop and rank answers to the questions, "What do you like that you would not like to lose," "What do you want changed," and "What should the Conference be doing about these matters?" We will develop a community paper of recommendations arising from the meeting. We have already prepared summaries of views and conclusions reached at the meeting. Now comes the hard part of preparing a deep and meaningful report.

Here, ahead of the meeting, is a descriptive article from the October 12 issue of the Hyde Park Herald, based on what Editor Brian Wellner learned at the HPKCC October board meeting. Also, see our ad in the Herald, page 16.

October 19 event organizers want to hear from residents

What's wrong with Hyde Park, What's right with Hyde Park?

Those questions are at the root of a workshop on Oct. 19 inviting residents to share their views on issues pertinent to the neighborhood. The event is organized by the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference and will be held a t7 p.m. at the Hyde Park Neighborhood Club, 5480 S. Kenwood Ave.

The moderator, James Withrow, said the conference wants to understand the issues that are important to people living in the neighborhood. "There could be something out there we haven't thought about," he said.

Promontory Point, Co-op Markets and safety, especially in west Hyde Park, have dominated Herald news pages. the [C]onference is hoping residents discuss these and other issues in a small group discussion format.

"If there is a concern or set of ideas that seem to be widespread that we feel the conference can play an active role in promoting, this event can alert us to that and get us going," Withrow said.

As HPKCC's Transit Task Force chairman, Withrow organized a series of workshops last year in which residents exchanged ideas with Chicago Transit Authority officials, which eventually influenced local route changes. The Oct. 19 workshop is modeled after the Transit Task Force small group discussions, which were themselves modeled after earlier Chicago Transportation and Air Quality Committee workshops.

HPKCC President George W. Rumsey said the conference hosted a packed workshop on the future of 53rd Street five years ago. "One service we perform well is the public forum," he said.

He anticipates a large crowd next week. "A lot of change is occurring in the neighborhood," he said. "Who's paying attention to what the residents think?"

This will not be a gripe session, Rumsey promised, but "something constructive." As to the vagueness of the idea, he said, "Rather than us set the agenda, we want to see what people come up with."

Results from the workshop will appear on the conference's website at hydepark.org. Further information about the event is posted on the website.

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