Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in the Gazette’s letters column are those of the letter-writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Gazette’s editors. We also reserve the right to edit letters for space.
Thank you for article
Dear Editor:
I would like to thank you for the lovely article about my father, Larry Byrne, who passed away in early August. He served as a Chicago police sergeant for 35 years and loved Chicago. He also liked and was impressed by your newspaper as he served on the West Side of Chicago for part of his tenure and was interested in all the changes on the West Side of the city. Since the article, I have received at least ten calls from your readership (from the staff of Taylor Street restaurants where my dad dined, to Bridgeport friends and colleagues) who saw and read the article and learned even more about my dad’s life in Chicago. Thank you again!
Sincerely,
Mary Pat Byrne
Interesting Woman
Dear Editor:
I really liked the article for September’s Living in Harmony. Jane Addams was an interesting woman. I knew that she had started Hull-House, and that was about all. She had so much perseverance to get things done, it is incredible. It amazes me all the things she accomplished in her lifetime. She certainly didn’t waste it. Thanks for sharing her this month. I enjoyed it a lot.
Shelley Wiegmann
Fence and property values
Dear Editor:
I have attended a couple of the South Loop School/fence community meetings in the past. I felt there was great opposition against the fence. I also walk in the neighborhood and see the fence as another waste of tax payers' money.
I also felt the newly elected Alderman, Robert Fioretti, would support the people. I am disappointed in this outcome.
I always thought fences were like jails, constructed to keep the unwanted
in, not out. I have lived in the neighborhood for seven years and the
area around the school should not be a safety concern, when there are
so many other areas to focus on.
I only hope
this does not change the property values of all those homes that border the
park and school.
Wendy Cobrin
Fence took courage to build
Dear Editor:
I would like to thank Chicago Public Schools CEO Arne Duncan, CPS
Spokesperson David Pickens, Mayor Richard M. Daley, and Alderman Bob
Fioretti for having the courage to do the right thing and ensure that a
fence was built around Mary Richardson Jones Park so that the children of
South Loop Elementary School can safely have recess.
While studies have shown that having recess
can dramatically improve academic achievement, for me the
proof is in my experience. I cannot believe the difference that having
recess has had on my son's attitude toward school and his academic
performance already this year. Opponents of the fence would like everyone to
believe
that the fence was not necessary, but I witnessed near misses due to
children running into the street and
common sense tells those willing to compromise that the fence will certainly
enhance the safety of all
children who play in the park.
Assertions that input about the fence was not
obtained from the community are false. The school community waited patiently
for over a year to hear if the fence was going to be built while input was
obtained from a number of community representatives. In the end, an
attractive black wrought-iron fence, like those found
all around the neighborhood, was built. The fence has openings at all four
corners allowing access to neighbors and school children alike.
As a proponent of the fence, I encourage
those readers who have been following this story to drive or walk by Mary
Richardson Jones Park and judge for yourself just how "damaging" this fence
has been to the neighborhood. I believe you will find that it is attractive
and does not detract any more from the neighborhood than the surrounding
neighborhood fences. While you are there, stop by and sit in the park for a
while, because contrary to what the opponents would like you to believe, the
park is open to the public and has plenty
of green grass. Once in the park, I believe you will find that the fence
nicely frames the space, creating both a safe play area for children and a
nice gathering place for adults.
Jacqueline Toepfer
Dearborn Park
Against Fence
Dear Editor,
I have lived at the southern edge of Dearborn Park II for over seven years. This neighborhood is an oasis to walk through, rather than facing the noisy hustle and bustle of State Street, on one's way to the El, downtown, or just out for a meal or cup of coffee. The open green space one encounters when passing through this oasis is limited, however; there are just a few small parks in Dearborn Park I and II.
Over the past few years I have come to really appreciate the beauty of this limited green space and have noticed in particular that Mary Richardson Jones Park, near the South Loop School, was especially well kept, yet not by the Chicago Park District, but rather, by the neighboring community which surrounds it. These people have spent their own money and a lot of their time sodding, seeding, and watering the lawn, and trimming and mulching the trees. They keep in touch by e-mail to ask one another to move the sprinklers throughout the day when nurturing the new grass each year. Although I live a couple of blocks south of this park, I have chosen to join this on-line community.
No doubt that for some time the South Loop School has been eyeing this gem of open green space, Mary Richardson Jones Park, and in the past year they have attempted to usurp it and were initially halted, and have now jailed it inside of a fence. This stunning green space is now shackled, in a shallowly veiled attempt to rationalize its use for "recess." Apparently the principal and teachers (and mostly commuter student parents) feel that the fence is better able to supervise the students than they are. Clearly adult supervision is not a priority as there have been several occasions in the past couple of years where I have yelled at unsupervised kids who are beating on or badgering another, or hanging from and nearly breaking large branches off of the trees. At these times I saw no responsible adult presence in the park. That the teachers and other school officials have a fence as a handy excuse for even less supervision of the students is clearly a recipe for disaster.
But let's get back to the beautiful open green space that Mary Richardson Jones Park is. It was intended and deeded as an open green space by the developers of Dearborn Park II. There are many mature trees and lush grass in the park. This public park should not be held hostage behind the fence hastily erected by the South Loop School, who I might add resisted working with the neighborhood community to find some kind of compromise plan, despite the continued good will of the residents of this neighborhood who have contributed to the school in many ways, including helping direct the daily commuter traffic, which consists mostly of parents who don't live in Dearborn Park II (or they could walk their children to school) as the children are dropped off and picked up, to insure their safety.
If we allow Mary Richardson Jones Park to be seized from this caring community for the alleged benefit of the South Loop School, what precedent is being set for other scarce green space and Chicago Park District land to be taken over by whomever is able to push permits past City officials, who are apparently turning a blind eye to what is being done?
Sincerely,
Pamela J.
Focia, Ph.D.
Molecular
Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry
Feinberg
School of Medicine
Northwestern
University
Fence was crucial
Dear Editor:
I would like to express my thanks to Mayor Richard M. Daley, Arne Duncan,
David Pickens, and Alderman Robert Fioretti for the recent construction of a
fence surrounding the park and school play lot at South Loop Elementary
School. The fence was crucial to ensuring the safety and security of our
students, and for providing an outdoor recess program. It has also aided our
traffic flow, as parents now are willing to drop their children off within
the safe enclave of a fence and drive on, instead of clogging the local
streets. Most importantly, however, it demonstrated a commitment by the
City, Chicago Public Schools, and our Alderman to support local public
schools. This is a welcome change at a school where the prior Alderman had
never attended a single LSC meeting or school event, ignored many requests
for help, and after promising that she would support the fence, blocked its
completion for almost a year.
As I finish my third two-year term on the South Loop Local School Council I look back proudly on the accomplishments of this school, one of which is the increasing level of community support. In 2002 we went door-to-door in the South Loop encouraging parents to take a chance on this school. This year we had to open a second kindergarten class in our neighborhood program to handle the incoming neighborhood students, and we know that the flow of children into our entry grades will only continue to grow. We have seen test scores go from 70% of the students failing to meet State goals to 84% of our students meeting or exceeding State goals. Six years ago we longed for the day when overcrowding and growth would be our biggest problem. Well, those days are now upon us and we will need the continued support of Mayor Daley, Arne Duncan, and Alderman Fioretti as we steer the future course of this school. Hopefully, as we do we will be able to mend our fence issue with the surrounding neighbors, and will continue the gains we have made in terms of community and local support. Nothing in this city is more important than the grade school achievement of our children. It sets the stage for everything else they can accomplish in life. It is very gratifying to see the politicians and the community recognize this, and lend us the support we need to get to yet another level of achievement.
John Jacoby
Vice Chair,
South Loop LSC
Fight the fence
To the community:
Join the Dearborn Park Community Group and fight against the fence and possible loss of Mary Richardson Jones Park.
Misunderstanding #1: CPS requires a fence for the school to conduct recess. Fact: It is in the school administration's sole discretion to offer recess. The main barrier to recess is not the fence, but the teachers' union contract that doesn't allow them enough time to supervise students at recess without sacrificing curriculum.
Misunderstanding #2: The opposed residents don't want a fence of any kind. Fact: The opposed neighbors offered a compromise plan, which they offered to pay out of pocket to effectuate. Neighbors and DPCG have tried to meet with the school for a year with no success.
Misunderstanding #3: The residents are hostile to the school. Fact: The majority of the residents in this community-- even those strongly opposed to the school's fence--wish for and work for a productive neighborhood/school partnership.
Misunderstanding #4: The park belongs to CPS anyway. Fact: The land for Mary Richardson Jones Park was given to the Chicago Park District by the developers of Dearborn Park II as "open green space" for the community to enjoy. It is not now nor has it ever been the property of CPS or the South Loop School.
Misunderstanding #5: The residents' concern about the fence is "aesthetic." Fact: Fencing this park potentially allows for eventual lawful closure of the park to residents.
Misunderstanding #6: Opposition to the school's plan for a fence is limited to a few vocal individuals.
Fact: Over 700 residents signed petitions in opposition to the school's plan for a fence.
Donate, help fight the cause, or offer your time to get
our park back and stop the land grab. Write us at
dpcginformation@yahoo.com and
tell Chicago officials what you think:
mayorsoffice@cityofchicago.org,
Timothy.Mitchell@chicagoparkdistrict.com,
ward02@cityofchicago.org.
Dearborn Park Community Group
Opposition perplexing
Dear Editor:
We were extremely relieved when the City of Chicago and Chicago Public Schools decided to install a fence around Mary Richardson Park. When I drop my two children off at South Loop School in the morning and pick them up in the afternoon after school it is now far easier for me to monitor where they are and to ensure that any games they are playing do not inadvertently lead them into the street. I have also noticed that since the fence was installed there are far fewer children (both community and school children) in and near the school gutters and running out in front of my car.
The community opposition to the fence has been deeply saddening and perplexing to our family. There is no evidence for some of the community assumptions (that the fence is part of a plan by the school to "steal" the park and lock the community out and that it is soon to be destroyed and blacktopped, etc). One suggestion made by a community representative was that the school should keep our 400 children (and growing) in the back parking lot (about one third of the size of Mary Richardson park and entirely concrete), moving the faculty cars under the bridge. Another was that the kids be kept within the confines of a fence to be erected around the tiny "little kid" play area. The sheer meanness of these suggestions is both shocking and disheartening. Children are not cattle to be corralled into tight spaces but human beings with growing bodies who need room to run and play. How could it possibly be fair to quarantine public school kids so that the children and dogs who belong to families who own property in Dearborn Park can have freer rein in a public park?
Why can the community not seem to accommodate the idea of a "shared" park (particularly since they do not own it)? It is the community, rather than the school, that has made the fence issue into a war of "us" versus "them." For our family the only issue has always and ever been to secure the safety of all of our children (both the children from the school and the ones using the park from the community) in a large, growing, unruly, and public city. What could possibly be more important?
Sincerely,
Aili Bresnahan
Like Meigs
Dear Editor:
It's happening again--it's Meigs Field all over again. Instead of sneaking in heavy equipment by cover of night to shred runways and blatantly steal an airport, the Chicago Machine has sent in truckloads of workers in broad daylight to fence in our lovely park for what will become the exclusive use of South Loop Elementary School.
Mary Richardson Jones Park was created from land donated by the developer of Dearborn Park for use by the Dearborn Park residents and the community at large. It was meant to be enjoyed as open green space for all and not for exclusive use by the school, to which it is adjacent. For the last 15 plus years, it has been lovingly tended by its neighbors, been witness to countless games of tag and softball, Easter egg hunts, leisurely picnics; its border of maturing trees and evergreens have provided sanctuary to a multitude of songbirds and given shade in the summer heat. But this will all come to an end soon.
In a stunningly arrogant announcement at the
school during what was billed as a Parent/Community Update Meeting," David
Pickens told the room packed mostly with local residents (who thought they
were there for a discussion of the matter) that the fence as going up
immediately, with no discussion. Democratic process? Public hearings? What?
Where? And to add insult to injury, our newly elected Alderman, Bob Fioretti,
who waltzed into a win last May with promises of supporting the community's
strong opposition to fencing in the entire park (with an acceptable
compromise for fencing in just the playground), has done a complete
turnabout. In a letter dated 8/1/07 to the principal of South Loop
Elementary, he voiced his support for fencing in the entire park!!!
Though numerous, angry residents have tried to contact him to discuss this
change of heart, he has not responded. He has shown us his true colors with
this action.
Here are a few things to consider for those
of you who wonder what all the fuss is about: Big Local Government (Chicago
Public Schools) is taking the first steps at a land grab, pure and simple.
Imagine it is a kind of slow and quiet eminent domain without the necessary
public hearings and due process. The once lowly attended school is now
growing in leaps and bounds because of its coveted magnet school status, and
over the next few years, the school will slowly start to steal our public
park by locking us out during certain hours, dogs will no longer be allowed
inside the fence, we will eventually all be locked out and the school will
have the space to expand.
Idealistic young parents who support the fence, thinking it will make it
safer for their kids will see this too late--there will no longer be a park
for their kids to play in at all! More parking will be needed and traffic
will undoubtedly swell. Our trees will be cut down, the grass will be
covered with asphalt. Many people will be wondering "how did this happen?"
And others, will cynically say, "oh well, we couldn't do anything about it
anyway--if the City wants it, they'll take it." Well, I for one am voicing
my anger and frustration loud and clear, and to borrow a little from Ronald
Reagan's famous words, I say "Mayor Daley, tear this fence down!"
Luci Morgan
Dearborn Park
Resident
Continue SLS support
Dear Neighbors of South Loop School:
As we embark on the school year, we hope that you continue your support of South Loop Elementary School. We are very excited about the coming school year and all its possibilities for continued improvements.
Five years ago we began a transition at SLS that has been successful beyond the dreams of most. A failing school on the watch list has blossomed into one of the top elementary schools within CPS. Last year over 84% of our students met or exceeded State goals, up from 31% just six years ago. We know that part of our success is the neighborhood location of the school, within a peaceful setting next to a community park.
Recently we installed a fence around the park on the south end of the school. We are very excited about the fence as we believe it will enhance security for children throughout the community. The fence stands four feet tall and is open at each corner for easy access. We are also delighted to have added high-end wrought iron park benches to the park where our neighbors can sit and enjoy the park.
We have addressed traffic concerns through regulation of one way school traffic and creation of a volunteer parent patrol. We will continue to work with our neighbors, the Chicago Department of Transportation, and our Alderman to seek creative solutions. We also hope to expand the many programs already open to non-school members and look forward to offering community use of the building in non-school hours for any program where the activity is appropriate and the use is dollar neutral for the school.
We care about being a good neighbor. We look forward to community participation in our LSC meetings and on our Community Relations committee. We hope to engage with our neighbors in collaborative planning for maintenance and upgrading Mary Jones Richardson Park. While the needs of our students will always be our top priority, we will continue to try and coordinate those needs with the needs of our neighbors.
Sincerely,
Tara Shelton Patricia Adams
John Jacoby Mary Oakes
Todd Jungenberg Maria Munoz
Ta-Tanisha White
Bash on Wabash needs revision
Dear Editor:
Don’t get me wrong; I love a good party.
The Bash on Wabash over Labor Day weekend is the Greater South Loop Association’s effort to create harmony among South Loop residents. There isn’t much harmony in my home when the music, which is about 40 yards from my front door, blares so loudly that my children can’t go to sleep until the party is over. I had to resort to earplugs so that I could work on a manuscript for which I was on a deadline.
Why does the Greater South Loop Association have to plan their party in front of my house with music that blares so loudly that I cannot enjoy my home? No one, absolutely no one from the association has bothered to seek input from the neighbors who are right next door to the party. By the way, why was the music the loudest from 9 to 10 p.m.?
Go ahead and have your party; it is good for the neighborhood. But, not until 10 p.m. with music blaring! The lack of consideration isn't very neighborly.
Katie Siewert
South Loop Resident for Nine Years and Counting
Dominick’s first
Dear Editor:
I was disappointed by last month's article about grocery stores in the South Loop. At first glance, I wondered why the article seemed to prominently feature the Jewel at Roosevelt and Wabash. Upon reading the entire article, I realized that the reporter had failed to check her facts about the South Loop grocery timeline.
Dominick's arrived many years before Jewel. When I moved to the neighborhood in December 1997, the Dominick's at Roosevelt and Canal had recently opened. There were a few small stores sprinkled about, including one that used to occupy the space at State and Polk currently leased to Ace Hardware, but the Dominick's was the closest major chain grocery store for the South Loop and many residents on the near South and West sides. I think it drew customers from an even larger geographic area because it was open 24 hours.
The Jewel has been a great option since it opened, and I have already taken advantage of the new Whole Foods on multiple occasions. Please just take greater care in the future.
Genita C. Robinson
South Loop
