Editor’s note: The “Update” section provides the latest information on news items that the Gazette has covered in previous editions.

City scrambles  after Costco - police station switch revealed

After a Gazette article on July 7 about a City proposal to build a Costco store on Ashland Avenue between 14th and 15th Streets instead of the new 12th District Police Station promised for the location, official City signs at the site promising a new police station there quickly were removed.

"Big box" retailers such as Costco require an enormous lot and ample parking, and so additional land in the area, under the jurisdiction of the Illinois Medical District (IMD), would be needed for a Costco. According to IMD Executive Director Sam Pruett, conveying additional IMD land to the City for a Costco may not be forthcoming. "To be clear, the IMD Commission's chief concern and priority remains the construction of a replacement 12th District police station," Pruett told the Gazette in July.

Some community residents also have expressed opposition to the proposed replacement of plans for a new police station with plans for a Costco based on the extreme need for a new 12th District station and because of increased traffic congestion a Costco would bring to the area. Others worry a Costco would harm smaller local competitor businesses.

At a meeting at Fosco Park at 1313 S. Throop St. on May 27, Alderman Robert Fioretti (2nd Ward) said he favored locating a Costco store in the Illinois Medical District because the discount chain has a "good history of pay, health insurance, and does not drive out small businesses" and because the project would create about 220 jobs. More recently, when contacted by the Gazette, a Fioretti spokesperson explicitly said, “the alderman has no comment on this topic.”

Neighborhood resident Eric Sedler, president of the West Loop Community Organization, expressed a pro-Costco view, saying he thinks the store “could serve as an important retail hub for residents of the West Loop, University Village, Pilsen, and other local areas. I am certain local residents would enjoy having a Costco in the area.

“I also believe that there are many local retailers that have unique and personalized products and customer relationships that will continue regardless of whether there is a Costco," Sedler continued, noting the area "is fortunate to have the 12th District located in our neighborhood. Of course we hope they will stay here. But we strongly support CPD [the Chicago Police Department] and know that we can work with them on West Loop issues regardless of where they are located.”

                --Mara Perlow and William S. Bike

Dearborn Park residents fencing over fence

The Dearborn Park Community Group (DPCG) is proceeding with a lawsuit over erection of a fence around Mary Richardson Jones Park, 1240 S. Plymouth Ct., located adjacent to South Loop Elementary School. DPCG contends installing the fence was illegal because the developer of Dearborn Park II donated the land for the park to the Chicago Park District (CPD) for public use.

According to the CPD, the fence was built to create a secure playing area for the school children. The DPCG maintains the fence deters local residents from frequenting the park.

“Previously, the park functioned as the ‘village green’ of the neighborhood," said Elaine Szujewski of the DPCG. "As a fenced visual extension of the South Loop School, it no longer serves that function.”

Local residents formed the DPCG "to protect the park, and its petition garnered 700 signatures two years ago to prevent the fence from being placed there,” said Michael Shapow, a member of the DPCG and 15-year resident of Dearborn Park II.

Chris Karabis, chief of staff and spokesperson for Second Ward Alderman Robert Fioretti, offered a different perspective when he stated the alderman's office has received "innumerable" comments from residents and parents of the school children who are pleased to have the fence “to protect the children.”

“The alderman was in favor of the fence being erected,” Karabis said, noting South Loop School was "one of only a few" Chicago Public Schools without a fenced recess area. South Loop School’s administration was instrumental in having the fence erected.

DPCG, according to two of its officers, Szujewski and Candice Mattson, maintains the park’s condition has deteriorated since the fence went up—trees are broken, the grass is worn down, no mulching has been done, and the fir trees look sickly, they allege. Nor is the park readily available to the community at large, they said. DPCG believes children use the park too strenuously during the summer with day-long activities and during the school year when the park is used as an extension of the school.

“I’m certain that this situation is not what they intended when the parents of the students and the school administration insisted on a fence around the park,” Shapow said. "Now there are consequences of having alienated the people who have nurtured and maintained the park for 15 years. Just like a community is better off with a successful school, a school is better off with the support of the community that surrounds it. To be at odds with one another diminishes us both.”

Mattson said, “DPCG hopes to reach a compromise and agreement with all of the parties involved.” 

A court date is "imminent" noted Thomas Hartmann, another DPCG member. 

--Marie Balice Ward

Cubs plaque to be placed September 6 

Members of the Way Out in Left Field Society have finally hit their home run.

            On Saturday, Sept. 6, the society’s three years of hard work will be rewarded when area officials place a plaque at the corner of Taylor and Wood Streets to commemorate the Chicago Cubs' former West Side Grounds baseball field, which was located at that corner and saw plenty of historic baseball action before the Cubs moved to Wrigley Field in 1916.

“We are really excited that this day is finally upon us; we were able to pull together what we believe to be a very appropriate event,” said Brian Bernardoni of the Way Out in Left Field Society. “This couldn’t have been done without a partnership from the University of Illinois at Chicago [UIC], the Illinois Medical District [IMD], and the Chicago Cubs. We are grateful for their interest."

The ceremony will run from 10 a.m. until noon, with a celebration at Hawkeye’s at 1458 W. Taylor St. afterward. “We are keeping it in the neighborhood,” Bernardoni said. At the ceremony, officials from UIC, the IMD, and the society will speak. Bernardoni hopes officers of the West Side Rooters, another historic Chicago Cubs/West Side Grounds fan group, also will make presentations.

            “For me this is the end of a commitment I made to the community.” Bernardoni said. “I think the community will reap some local benefits and some historical credentials.” A film crew will be on hand for the unveiling as well.

“We are just thankful to everyone who made this possible,” Bernardoni said. “It’s going to be a nice event, and we hope to see everyone there.”

            --Nadeen Nakib

Old-timers and newcomers flock to Festa Italiana

An elderly woman brought her family from a suburb to Festa Italiana, making a detour one block away to show them the apartment building that was her childhood home. A man who grew up in the neighborhood also brought his family in from the suburbs, but he said his old home was long gone, demolished to make way for the University of Illinois at Chicago.

            Locals and suburbanites ate, drank, and made merry at the festival on Taylor Street Aug. 8 through10. So did more than 20,000 other people, who polished off the entire supply of eggplant sandwiches at one restaurant booth well before Saturday night’s entertainment was over. Italian beef and sausage were available until the last visitor went home, however.

            Deana Martin drew a standing room only crowd to the main stage Saturday night. The cast of Jersey Boys entertained as the featured attraction Sunday evening.

            Men strolling through the crowd tossing pizza dough raised eyebrows. Children lined up to win plastic baseball bats at a fast-pitch booth. At a bocce ball tournament, competitors took the festival seriously.

“The responses from attendees have been overwhelmingly positive,” said Chris Provenzano, executive director of the University Village Association, a key player in the fest. “People gave high marks for the variety of food and the extensive list of entertainment. The addition of several activities for children proved helpful for families as well as more merchant vendors. Most importantly, the weather cooperated with us.”

"We worked very hard on it, this being our first year [with Festa Italiana], and really tried to over-deliver," said Ron Onesti, whose entertainment company put the fest together on the street where he grew up. "It seemed like people really enjoyed it. The crowds got bigger each night."

Apparently, people who attended the festival the first day told their friends how good it was, Onesti said. "It created a ''buzz' situation, with people spreading the word."

Some times people attend a fest for just one evening, but Festa Italiana drew people back each day. "It was nice to see people come early, often and stay late," Onesti said.

            Last year’s fest was the first in a decade, after the annual event had been suspended because of crowd-repelling problems such as poor weather. Provenzano said plans already are being made for a fest next year. "We look forward to building upon the success of our 2008 festival and hope 2009's will be even bigger and better," he concluded.

--Susan S. Stevens

R & R Medical Center moves

A pediatrician and a heart specialist have moved from a concrete block structure they built for themselves as a clinic to a Victorian era building, vacating their property to allow expansion of the Roosevelt Square development.

            R & R Medical Center recently relocated to the first floor at 1301 S. Ashland Ave., a few blocks from the old clinic at 1231 W. Roosevelt Rd.

            Jagish Shah, MD, a heart specialist, and his wife, Shobah Shah, MD, a pediatrician, in December 2006 lost their court challenge of the City’s condemnation case concerning the Roosevelt Road site. They rented and moved to the storefront on Ashland in July after more than a year of negotiations over compensation.

In 2006, the physicians rejected the City’s original offer of $450,000 for the building and three adjacent lots. Now, the City is giving the couple more than what a lawyer for the Shahs called “fair market value.” A Roosevelt Square source said the Shahs would receive about $800,000, plus relocation expenses. The Shahs would not discuss the price.

The couple said they were forced to move from the development area; renting space in Roosevelt Square would cost $6,000 to $7,000 a month, Shobah Shah said. She said she and her husband could not pay that much rent with the income they receive from Medicaid, which covers most of their patients.

-- Susan S. Stevens

Engine Co. 18 moves to new firehouse 

After moving from the city’s oldest firehouse to a state-of-the-art fire station, Chicago Fire Department Engine Co. 18 is settling in at 1360 S. Blue Island Ave, just around the corner from the landmark station built in 1873 at 1123 W. Roosevelt Rd.

The new firehouse was dedicated exactly 150 years to the day after the Chicago Fire Department was created. “This day, Aug. 2, is our 150th year of serving you," Fire Commander John W. Brooks said at the ribbon cutting.

“We’ve come a long way since then, but as our city grows and changes, one thing remains the same—our commitment to revitalizing our neighborhoods,” Mayor Richard M. Daley said. Ald. Robert Fioretti (2nd) and others also spoke at the ceremony.

The $9.5 million, 16,000 square foot firehouse stands out for its energy efficient components, which include ten solar panels on the roof and an exhaust heat recovery system. Also, workers used recycled materials during construction and created drought-resistant landscaping.

A curved driveway lets fire trucks and ambulances depart for fires and other emergencies faster and more safely. The building also includes a staff training area for teleconferencing and remote instruction and a meeting room that can accommodate about ten people and will be available for community events.

No decision has been made about the old firehouse’s future, but landmark status prevents it from being demolished. Some have suggested converting it into a fire museum.

-- Susan S. Stevens