State of the 'hood
At forum, aldermen say Wicker Park and Bucktown are ready for stimulus
By IAN FULLERTON
Contributing Reporter
Chicago Journal
Two area aldermen believe the federal stimulus package could mean upgrades for transportation infrastructure in Wicker Park and Bucktown, and the CTA more generally.
"We are ready," said 1st Ward Alderman Manny Flores, during a State of the Neighborhood address Feb. 4 at the Wicker Park-Bucktown Library.
At the forum, Flores and 32nd Ward Alderman Scott Waguespack met with neighborhood residents to discuss infrastructure, development, crime, parking and other local issues. The Wicker Park Committee hosted the gathering.
Waguespack said that he and Flores have put together a list of projects that could benefit from stimulus funding, including street, transit and sewer line renovations.
"Wicker Park and Bucktown have some of the oldest infrastructures in the city and they haven't been maintained very well," Waguespack said. "We need to sink a lot of money into this in a good way."
"The entire CTA is shovel-ready," added Flores.
Flores said at the top of his agenda is job creation and pro-environmental initiatives like the Green Exchange, a business incubator near Diversey and Campbell slated to open later this year.
Such projects, Flores said, are "not only related to environmental stewardship, but are also needed to help build the green economy in our city, especially in a time when we are facing an economic crisis and we need to expand more jobs for members of our community."
Waguespack said his office is working toward implementing building codes that will incorporate green products into the area's developments, like audits on new construction to ensure that the buildings meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certification.
"It will set a standard in the city and show how we can start transitioning into green building," he said.
Flores and Waguespack's call for stimulus funding for the Near Northwest Side came after the city and CTA lost a $153 million federal grant in January. The grant was aimed at easing congestion in the city, and would have paid for "Bus Rapid Transit" along Chicago Avenue, which cuts through both of the aldermen's wards, among other projects.
"The $153 million that was lost was a travesty," said Waguespack. Mayor Daley had blamed federal officials for the loss, saying they were inflexible in the grant's deadline.
"It's an embarrassment," said Flores. "In a time when we need to improve our transit system, we lost out on this opportunity."
Other forum panelists included executive director of the Wicker Park-Bucktown Chamber of Commerce Paula Barrington, 14th District Police commander Lucio Martinez and the newly-seated Wicker Park Post Office manager Sherman Jones.
Barrington expressed her support for some of the proposed developments in the area, including the two parking garages developers hope to build just north of the Damen, Milwaukee and North intersection.
"With this area becoming more popular, we do see that there will be a greater need for these garages," Barrington said.
If built, the two garages - one at 1616-26 N. Milwaukee and the other at 1611-1619 N. Damen - would add around 270 parking spaces to the area. But Waguespack said that he continues to oppose the garages "from an urban planning perspective."
Some residents at the meeting voiced concerns over steady crime rates in the area.
Commander Martinez acknowledged that theft remains an issue. He said Wicker Park and Bucktown had seen 31 more armed robberies than in 2007, and 56 more home burglaries.
"Many of these were financial crimes," he said, suggesting that the numbers may correlate with the economic recession. "It's all money related."
Waguespack said with stimulus money going toward infrastructure projects, more money would be freed up for the police department.
Residents at the meeting asked about the long history of shortcomings in neighborhood postal service.
"I know you have a lot of issues with the service," said Sherman Jones, the new manager of customer services at the Wicker Park Post Office. He said recognized that mail delivery in the area has suffered from job cuts and a lack of funding.
"What am I going to do about it?" he said. "I'm going to talk about talk to the leadership about making changes I deem necessary."