NOH PARKS ADVISORY COUNCILS MEETING

The 3 NOH PARKS ADVISORY COUNCILS

WBW Park, HWM Playground & Triangle Park

Invite YOU to their

Monthly Meeting

7:00 P.M. on Tuesday, March 16th at

WBWhite Park Community Center

1610 W. Howard

Contribute your thoughts & ideas for Parks programing, management and security issues.

Please Join Us and Get Involved!

GALE PARK RENAMED

The Chicago Park District has officially renamed Gale Park. The new name of the park is now Willye B. White Park. For more on the renaming and biographical history of Willye B. White, the person, please link here.

FROM THE CHICAGO JOURNAL.....TOP 10 STORIES OF 2008

#6 SAVE OUR COMMUNITY CENTER

After years of delays and wrangling with the Chicago Park District, work on the new Gale Park field house was finally nearing completion in June. An announcement by Ald. Joe Moore (49th ward) that a new Chicago Boys and Girls Club facility might move into the new field house and oversee programming, caught the Gale Park Advisory Council and many community residents by surprise.
Negotiations to bring the youth organization into the new community center had been ongoing since April 2007. Park advisory council members said they had not been informed of the proposal until several weeks before the community center was scheduled to open.
Community residents quickly mobilized and circulated a petition signed by more than 400 Rogers Park residents to keep the community center as a public space. In July, 75 community residents marched to Moore's 49th ward service office, where they plastered the windows with copies of their petition and signs stating, "Say no to Joe."
In the end, community residents prevailed. The Chicago Boys and Girls Club withdrew its proposal. Moore, in a carefully worded e-mail to constituents, wrote "park district officials simply did not have the stomach for a fight and decided instead to pursue a significantly scaled down version of the original Boys and Girls Club proposal."

For part 1 of 2 on 'The top 10 Stories', go to:

The Chicago Journal/News Star

DON'T FORGET

The NOH Parks' (Gale, Triangle & HWM Playlot) Advisory Council's are holding their rescheduled September meeting TONIGHT, Tuesday the 23rd at 7 P.M., in the meeting room at

Gale Park Community Center, 1610 W. Howard.

Please join us!

REGISTER FOR GALE PARK FALL PROGRAMS

Sign up for programs at Gale Park!
The Chicago Park District fall registration information for Gale Park is here!

There are 46 different program offerings for participants of ALL ages!

MUST READ

History of the Gale Park Community Center: How it all began....setting the record straight!

Initially, the idea of a Community Center North of Howard did not begin with Alderman Moore. It began when the results of a survey done in Feb.-Mar. 1997 by the Howard Area Community Center’s Security Patrollers, were presented to the Neighborhood Safety Committee (NSC) on Mar. 18. The community decided that safety issues could not be resolved with short term solutions, but needed intervention and programming on a much larger scale. The concept of a youth center that could be used by current youth programs and others was born.

Initially, it was the community that invited Alderman Moore, developer Paul Gougen, and other selected persons in a letter of Apr. 7, 1997 to a meeting to discuss possibility for the community to partner with a developer as a way to build and operate such a Center.

Initially, the NSC brought up the idea of a youth center at every meeting by a developer, and researched other funding possibilities, including our legislators.

Initially, the NSC visited 5 other youth centers, three being the YMCA, Boys and Girls Club, and Marillac House, to find out how they designed, paid for, and operated their centers, and how the community was involved in running the programs or serving on their boards. The NSC, with the assistance of Loyola CURL program surveyed the community on types of programming needed, and got space estimates on building size. It looked at the Rogers Park Movers 6 story building on Paulina as a site, and Loyola architects drew up plans as to how it would look if utilized for such a purpose.

On May 20, 1997, Alderman Moore talked about the need for a youth center in his state of the ward address and hinted that it could resemble a park field house. He formed a youth center subcommittee, and on Sept. 22, the NSC received a memorandum from him to come to a meeting at which Rudy Mulder, first developer of the Gateway Plaza pledged $500,000 toward the project. No further youth subcommittee meetings were held, yet on Dec. 10, 1997 the Alderman, without any acknowledgement of the NSC or its work, unveiled the Gale-Kiwanis Park Plan. There was no real discussion or way to negotiate divergent points of view and over the next months groups were forced to vote for the plan up or down.

From then on, it was the Alderman’s plan, his project. The rest is history that everyone knows, and how the community has had to fight for information and for meaningful involvement in the project they conceived and initiated.

Sr. Cecilia Fandel OSM
Former Organizer for NSC

MUST READ

Report from 24/7 North of Howard Watchers, on yesterdays Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners meeting.

Here is the 'letter' sent by certified mail to Tim Mitchell by S.O.C.C.:

Timothy Mitchell, Superintendent August 7, 2008
Chicago Park District
541 N. Fairbanks
Chicago, IL 60611

Dear Superintendent Mitchell,
The Rogers Park Community is very pleased that the Gale Park Community Center has finally opened and is staffed by Chicago Park District personnel. However, we are still concerned that 49th ward Alderman Joe Moore continues to pursue, along with the Chicago Park District, using Park District money to fund programming for the Boys and Girls Club at the Gale Community Center.
In an August 4, 2008 e-mail to 49th Ward residents, Moore stated, "In the end, Park District officials simply did not have the stomach for a fight and decided instead to pursue a significantly scaled down version of the original Boys and Girls Club proposal. Rather than subsidize a permanent year-round Boys and Girls Club presence in Rogers Park, the Park District now says it may be willing to subsidize a summer program in 2009."
Again, the Rogers Park Community SAYS NO to using taxpayer monies to fund this, or any other private organization in the Gale Park Community Center.We want assurances from you that this will not happen and are requesting an official letter, addressed to the Gale Park Advisory Council, with a cc: to Gery Chico, Alderman Joe Moore and S.O.C.C., clearly stating that the Chicago Park District will no longer pursue any type of funding for, or joint occupancy, program, or services with the Boys and Girls Club in the Gale Community Center. They, of course, can request scheduling the periodic use of Community Center space, like any other organization.
We further request that this letter be sent by registered mail and received by the Gale Park Advisory Council President, Eva McCann, 1538 W. Jonquil Terrace, Chicago, IL 60626, by August 19, so that she may present it to Council members and the community, at the monthly Council meeting.
Thank you for your timely attention and response to this matter.
Sincerely,

SOCC Steering Committee: Maryon BanksToni DuncanSr Cecilia FandelDon GordonMichael HarringtonMichael LuckenbachEva McCannJasson PerezCarla Tomino

Cc: Gale Park Advisory Council

S.O.C.C. A Rogers Park Community Organization
7712 North Paulina Street, Chicago, Illinois 60626

MUST READ

Here's the latest article from the Chicago Journal News-Star regarding the Gale Park Community Center.

NATIONAL NIGHT OUT IN GALE PARK

(click on images to enlarge)

NATIONAL NIGHT OUT....TONIGHT!

(click image to enlarge)
Toni Duncan, NoH resident and Gale Park Advisory Council member, urges everyone to come to the

Gale Park National Night Out Celebration & BlockParty

Tuesday, August 5th from 5:30 P.M. until 9:00 P.M.

There will be Music & Dancing, Pony Rides, a Petting Zoo, Face Painting and much, much more!

Spread the word, bring the kids and your neighbors! It's also a great opportunity to tour our new

Gale Park Community Center,

which will be open until 9 P.M. for this special event!

Don't miss it!

GALE PARK COMMUNITY CENTER OFFICIAL OPENING!

The Chicago Park District is pleased to announce the opening of Gale Park Community Center to residents on Friday, August 1, 2008 at Noon.

On Saturday, August 2, 2008 the park will host an Open House from 10 A.M. – 1 p.m. We invite community residents to stop and meet the new park supervisor, Sharon O’Connell and her staff, take a tour of the facility and check out the new fitness center, gymnasium and club room! Kids can create an arts & crafts project and everyone can enjoy light refreshments.

The park will be open to the community Monday – Friday, Noon – 8 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.; and we’re closed on Sunday.

Judith A. Molloy
Chicago Park District
Marketing/Communications Manager

THE GALE PARK COMMUNITY CENTER

Welcome To All!

The Club Room!

Front Desk!

Exercise/Fitness Room!

The Court!

MUST READ

From The Chicago Reader....The Works..."Endless War" ..... 'The latest round in the battle for Rogers Park is over who gets to run a Park District community center.'
By Ben Joravsky

SAVE OUR COMMUNITY CENTER PETITION

This S.O.C.C. petition is for community wide distribution throughout Rogers Park and the 49th Ward. Please print the petition and ask your neighbors to sign it. If you would like copies to distribute, please contact me. Completed petitions may be dropped off at 7712 N. Paulina or contact me and I will pick them up. If you have questions or need information please contact "S.O.C.C." (Save Our Community Center) at luckenbach@rcn.com or call 773-465-2433. Anyone who can help with distribution, please contact us right away. Stay 'tuned' for additional announcements from S.O.C.C.!

(click petition to enlarge & print)

MUST READ: FROM SAVE OUR COMMUNITY CENTER

An open letter to Alderman Joe Moore
Saturday July 26th, 2008
RE: YOUR PLAN TO TRANSFER CONTROL OF GALE COMMUNITY CENTER TO THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS

Alderman Moore,
In your effort to secure a Boys and Girls Club for the Rogers Park Community, you have proposed to the Chicago Park District that they allow the Boys and Girls Club to occupy, operate and manage the yet unopened Gale Community Center at 1610 W. Howard. Many residents of this community and your constituents in the 49th Ward, whom we have polled, find this use of a public park facility unacceptable at the very least and illegal at worst. We strongly urge you to stop this process immediately, withdraw your requests to use the Gale Community Center for such activities and allow the Center to open without delay under its original intent as a public Park District facility for the neighborhood.

Additionally, we strongly urge you to pursue the opportunity to bring a Boys and Girls Club into the Rogers Park community at the free-standing Gale School Annex. Principal Richard Glass has gone on record welcoming the Boys’ and Girls Clubs to utilize the school and Arnie Duncan, CEO of the Chicago Public Schools, fully supports and encourages the Boys and Girls Clubs continued use of CPS facilities. Currently the Boys and Girls Clubs are located in 24 CPS schools in Chicago and over 600 nation-wide. It has been and continues to be a very successful partnership. We highly advise you to focus your time and energy in securing such a facility for the Rogers Park community.

We also insist that you create a community panel, representative of all the stakeholders in this process, to work with you in securing such a facility for the Boys and Girls Clubs in the Gale School. Together, in an open and transparent process, we can have both our new public park field house and a Boys and Girls Club in Rogers Park.

Sincerely,
Committee To Save Our Community Center

S.O.C.C. Steering Committee
Mike Luckenbach
Maryon Banks
Toni Duncan
Sister Cecilia Fandel
Don Gordon
Eva McCann
Carla Tomino

cc: Honorable Richard M. Daley, Mayor
Mr. Tim Mitchell, Superintendent Chicago Park District
Mr. Arnie Duncan, CEO Chicago Public Schools
Mr.Gery Chico, President Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners
Mr. Richard Glass, Principal Gale School
Ms. Erma Tranter, President Friends of the Parks

MUST VIEW & HEAR

Dale Jackson, SEIU, Local 73, speaks at the S.O.C.C. protest rally Saturday! View the video here!

THE S.O.C.C. PROTEST RALLY

A big thanks to the S.O.C.C. Steering Committee and the dozens of community residents who turned out for this first public action to Save Our Community Center. Also, thanks to the SEIU Local 73, in their ongoing support of the overwhelming majority of Rogers Park residents in this effort. And last, but not least, a special thanks to Gale Park Advisory Council president, Eva McCann and SEIU's Jasson Perez for a great job of presenting the facts and the truth of the matter, on the air this morning on 88.7 FM, 'Live From the Heartland'! The people will not be denied their Community Center! For a further report on today's protest rally link here to 24/7 North of Howard Watchers. For an additional report, go to The Broken Heart of Rogers Park. Stay tuned for further announcements and developments from S.O.C.C.!

MUST READ....FROM SEIU....STAY TUNED!

Statement from SEIU, Local 73, making their position on the Gale Park Community Center issue VERY clear! Thank you, Mr. Jackson! Questions, anyone?

REGARDING THE GALE PARK ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING

A big 'shout out and thanks' to the Gale Park Advisory Council for a very well planned, organized and conducted, open community meeting, to discuss the future of the GP Community Center. A special tip of the hat to organizers and council members, Eva McCann, Toni Duncan and Sister Cecilia Fandel, for a job well done to inform the community on the issue. Believe me, your dedication and hard work on behalf of our neighborhood, does not go unnoticed and is greatly appreciated by all. Additional thanks to Jasson Perez, SEIU, Local 73, for his support and comments! FYI; the sentiment of those attending, based on the public comments from about 20 residents in attendance, was 20 to one AGAINST the plan to 'privatize' the new, as yet unopened Gale Park Community Center. And, least we forget, we want to thank Alderman Joe Moore, for NOT making it a priority to get the Community Center opened in time to provide Chicago Park District summer programing for ALL. Another job well done in the best interest of your constituents, Joe. NOT!

(click photos to enlarge)

THE SIGN IS BACK!