July 26, 2024

Dear Neighbors, 

This Monday morning, I joined Chicago Parks Superintendent Rosa Escareno, Chicago Parks Foundation Executive Director Willa Lang, VP of the Oz Park Advisory Council Stephanie Munger, State Rep. Margaret Croke, and 100’s of kids to ‘cut the ribbon’ of the new and improved “Dorothy’s Playground” at Oz Park. This iconic, and well-loved, playground has been under construction since early Spring to improve it for decades to come. The new playground stays true to the magical theme of our park, and I hope you take a walk this weekend to check it out. 

This $1.25million project was funded through a private-public partnership between the government, the Oz Park Advisory Council (OPAC) and neighbors. We owe a significant amount of gratitude to OPAC, who has been a steward of this special park for decades. Whether it is the statues, the playground, the gardens or the new pickleball courts, we thank OPAC President Judy Johanson, VP Stephanie Munger, and the board for their advocacy. 

This ribbon-cutting was particularly special for me, as I celebrated with my nieces Julia & Claire, and nephew Archie, who have all become Oz Park aficionados. 

Also this week, we joined the Old Town Triangle Association on a Ward Walk throughout the Triangle to discuss infrastructure and constituent service needs in the area. Nearly 15 neighbors joined us to discuss our aldermanic menu projects, such as investments in lighting and public art projects. These walks have taken place in almost all of our neighborhood groups over the course of the Spring and Summer. 

Our office will be hosting two upcoming walks focused on Community Safety. Please join us on July 31st at 6 PM for our walk in the Gold Coast Neighborhood with the 18th District Police and the 18th District Police Council. We will meet at Goudy Park. Secondly, August 6th at 5:30 PM we will have our larger Lincoln Park 18th District Walk starting at the corner of Webster and Lincoln in Oz Park. These meet-ups provide an opportunity for neighbors to connect with their local officers, District Councillors, and fellow residents to discuss and ask questions of the day.

We have seen an uptick of commercial and residential robberies occurring this summer season. These home invasions aren’t only a loss to personal property but an invasion of privacy and an impact of an overall sense of safety and security. The Chicago Police have several “tips” to help protect your home from burglary that we’ve linked here. You can also link your home security cameras to the Police’s system which helps in investigation for break ins at your own or your neighbors. Find more information here.

The city is well underway in their preparations for the upcoming Democratic National Convention. The convention will be held from August 19th to the 22nd at the United Center but the impact of the tourism will reach the entire city with 1000’s of people coming into our local businesses, cultural attractions, hotels, and through Midway and O’Hare Airport. There are many precautions being taken but we want to highlight just a few to you.

1. A pedestrian-only restricted zone around the United Center from Washington Boulevard to Seeley Avenue to Adams Street, ending between Wood and Paulina streets. This zone will only be accessible to people with the appropriate credentials.

2. 500 additional police officers from across Illinois, will assist CPD during the convention. The addition of these officers will help continue to have CPD officers in our neighborhoods during these days.

Finally, the 43rd Ward business corridors thrive more each day. Recently, Neon Gardens opened up at 2580 N Lincoln Park Ave. Taking over the space previously known as Broken English, Neon Gardens includes grab-and-go pizza by the slice, full service dining and a bar with a 90’s inspired nostalgic game room. It is a great addition to the neighborhood for kids and adults alike. In addition, S.K.Y. Restaurant just announced that they will move from their Pilsen location to Lincoln Park 2300 N Lincoln Park West. S.K.Y. is a long-time personal favorite and is an exciting addition for ‘foodie’ 43rd Warders. 

See you this weekend at Wrightwood Neighbors Association’s Taste of Lincoln and Midwest Buddhist Temple’s Ginza Holiday Festival 2024!

Sincerely,

Ald. Timmy Knudsen

On Monday, August 5th, please join our office on a Ward Infrastructure Walk with the Sheffield Neighborhood Association and Ranch Triangle Neighborhood Association. This year we have increased our Ward Walks to monthly, and they have become an essential way for us to talk directly with neighbors about service requests, upcoming projects, and to assess potential projects we can use our infrastructure menu dollars to fund. These Walks also feature an “educational” moment on how to use the CHI311 app, a great tool for any resident to submit a city request directly. I am a great believer of the importance of innovation in all aspects of government, and am introducing legislation next month to improve and expand the CHI311 app. For Monday’s walk, please meet us at 6:00pm at Armitage and Kenmore. 

A Message Related to Cook County’s Recent Property Re-Assessments: Recently, the Cook County Assessor’s Office re-assessed properties in the City of Chicago. When a property is reassessed, the property owner is mailed a Reassessment Notice. The Reassessment Notice reflects the estimated Fair Market Value based on sales of similar properties. The notice also contains important information such as the property’s characteristics, neighborhood code, and past assessments. An increase in a property’s assessment does not cause the same increase in the property owner’s taxes. Learn more about a reassessment notice vs property tax bill.

Property owners are given an opportunity to appeal their assessment if the property characteristics listed on an assessment notice are incorrect, or if the estimated market value of a property is significantly more than what it could sell for in the current real estate market. Learn about assessment appeals here.

As this is a county process (and not one that our Aldermanic office has any say on), if you have any further questions, please reach out to your Cook County Commissioner's office. Most of the 43rd Ward is represented by Bridget Degnen in the 12th District, but a few blocks are in the 10th (Bridget Gainer) or 3rd (Bill Lowry). If you are unsure, enter your address here. 

Street Sweeping season is here! Click here for the Street Sweeping Schedule.

As our city government and safety leadership transition into the next Administration, crime, and safety remain top of mind for our community. Each week, the 18th and 19th District post Compstat numbers that reflect changes in indexes for key crimes. In an effort to keep residents informed on these trends, we will publish those weekly updates in the newsletter’s public safety section. As a reminder, these statistics represent 100% of the 18th and 19th Police Districts; accordingly, they represent an area much larger than our ward.

For 18th District (south of Fullerton) Compstat, Click Here

For 19th District (north of Fullerton) Compstat, Click Here

We work closely with the 43rd Ward’s local CAPS districts, which include the 18th (Near North) and 19th (Town Hall) Police Districts.

Our office is in frequent contact with officers from both of these districts and their local CAPS officers, who host a variety of community forums and events including beat meetings, informational settings, and expert panel discussions, as well as sending out community alerts when a pattern of crime is detected.

Beat Meetings are part of the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy and an excellent way to hear directly from CPD about your neighborhood. Meetings are held in the evenings every two months. Click here and find out your Police District and Beat number.

2024 43rd Ward CAPS Meetings

Beat 1811 (5 PM) & 1813 (6 PM): September 3, November 5.

Beats 1811 and 1813 meet at St. James Lutheran Church located at 2050 N Fremont St. They are in the basement of the Church and you should enter through the northernmost door on Fremont St. There is residential parking on the street with applicable zone parking restrictions.

Beat 1812 (5 PM) & 1814 (6 PM): September 5, November 7.

Beat 1812 and 1814 are hosted at Wintrust Bank located at 100 W. North Ave. There is very little parking on site but it is near the North and Clybourn Red Line stop and the Sedgwick Brown Line. It is also en route to the Clark St Bus. The meetings are hosted on the 2nd Floor of the bank. Elevators are on site.

Beat 1824 (6 PM): September 12, November 14.

Beat 1824 meets at 1201 N Clark St in the Clark St Apartments. It is very close to the Clark and Division Red Line Stop.

Beat 1932 (6:30 PM): August 8, October 1, December 3.

Beat 1932 is hosted in the sanctuary at New Life Church located at 1110 W Lill Ave. There is street parking with applicable zone parking restrictions. New Life Church is within walking distance of the Fullerton Red and Brown Line and the Diversey Brown Line.

Beat 1935 (6:30 PM): August 28, October 16, December 18.

Beat 1935 is hosted at Chabad East Lakeview located at 615 W Wellington Ave.

As you know, the Democratic National Convention is taking place next month from August 19th-22nd.  We want to ensure that you and your constituents have the most up-to-date information regarding this event.  Kindly see the DNC toolkit at this link, or attached QR code.

This toolkit contains perimeter maps, ways to stay informed, and a link to the OEMC website, which contains additional information including a FAQ regarding the DNC.  We also encourage you to download the OEMC app as another source of information.  The OEMC app can be downloaded from both the Apple and Google Play stores.

We will continue to keep 43rd residents up to date with information as we receive them from CPD, OEMC, and the DNC. To learn more about security around the immediate areas where the DNC is occurring, please check out this Block Club article. 

Please note that there are two Community Safety Walks with separate dates, times, and meeting locations. 

Below is a list of Mental Health resources that are available locally here in the City of Chicago.

• City of Chicago Mental Health Centers 
• NAMI Helpline
• Illinois Department of Human Services
• Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Call 988
• Mental Health America (MHA)

Register for her party here! 

Returning for the second year, DePaul Athletics has announced the date for the 2024 DeBlock Party. The event will be held Saturday, Aug. 10 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. underneath the L tracks next to DePaul's Wish Field.

DeBlock Party is an event for all fans, alumni and community to attend that includes a wide variety of free family-friendly activities including music, face painters, inflatables, yard games, enter-to-wins and an opportunity to interact with DePaul staff, coaches and student-athletes.

The event will be held in conjunction with a pair of DePaul soccer exhibition games with the women's exhibition against Michigan State at 1 p.m. followed by the men's against Bradley at 4 p.m. Admission to both exhibition games is free.

The 40th Anniversary of The Taste of Lincoln Ave is for everyone, especially the kids! Once again, the Kids Carnival provides an incredible place to play and experience the best our community has to offer. 

Fri, July 26, 2024 | 3pm to 10pm

Sat, July 27, 2024 | 12pm to 10pm

Sun, July 28, 2024 | 12pm to 10pm

2500 N Lincoln Ave.

Art on Clark returns with live chalk drawings by Chicago artists and led by the talented artist Cheri Lee Charlton. There will be interactive opportunities available for all ages. Listed below is this summer’s schedule:

• Saturday, August 17, 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. in front of Target (2650 N. Clark)
• Sunday, August 18, 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. in front of Dad’s Park (2224 N. Clark)

The Office of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Chicago's Office of Budget and Management invite you to help shape Chicago's 2024 Budget through a series of community engagement roundtables scheduled during July. You will be joined by representatives from the City's departments and sister agencies who are excited to hear directly from you and your priorities for making a Better, Stronger, Safer Chicago in a series of small group roundtable discussion. You can also leave public comment at any time here. 

The small business community and advocates for neighborhood revitalization are calling on policymakers to cut red tape, streamline processes, and reduce the costs of launching and expanding Chicago businesses. The following reforms will support small businesses, foster economic growth in neighborhoods, and improve the Chicago economy. 

We Are One SEC, The Elizabeth Wood Senior Garden Family, and LAC are proud to share the wonderful hobby of our vibrant seniors, who contribute to beautification and healthy food for invigorating minds and bodies. It is an honor to share the wisdom of our elders with the youth. Our mission and dedication to intergenerational sharing of knowledge foster universal growth for humanity.

Chicago Public Schools will be holding three virtual Public Hearings to discuss the draft Capital Improvement Plan. The public will have access to the meeting via live stream at youtube.com/chipubschools, and the public participation will be held via Zoom. Members of the public may submit written comments related to the FY25 Tentative Capital Plan via cps.edu/capitalplan2025 until 7:30pm on July 18, 2024.

SING, DANCE, & PLAY! Enjoy a live performance with our friends from Stages Chicago every Saturday morning. 

JULY:
July 13 - Frozen, July 20 - Tarzan, July 27 - Rent

AUGUST:
August 3 - Cinderella, August 10 - Wizard of Oz, August 17 - Moana, August 24 - Grease

REGISTER HERE.

The big screen in your backyard, Movies in the Parks returns this summer, bringing Hollywood movies and local films to local parks for the twenty-first season. Join us in the parks for classics from the Golden Age of Hollywood, retro childhood favorites, and the best family-friendly box office hits.

Check out the schedule below or download our summer schedule as an Excel spreadsheet or a PDF or add events to your own calendar from our Google Calendar.

The Chicago Department of Planning and Development is accepting applications for Community Development Grants for more than $250,000 until August 9th, 2024. Community Development Grants support small businesses, nonprofits and property owners for local commercial, mixed-use and light manufacturing development.   

These grant programs are open to businesses, nonprofits, community developers and property owners.   

If you or your organization is interested in applying, you can find more information at bit.ly/chicagocdg. Please reach out to fid_intake@cityofchicago.org with any questions. 

If your child wants to play high school basketball, is preparing for tryouts for a team in the fall, or just wants to play the game, this is a great opportunity to learn from one of the best coaching staffs in the Chicago! Each session will be limited to 60 players. All proceeds go to fund the basketball program! Learn more & register here. 

Have questions about street work happening in your area? The Department of Transportation has a wonderful tool to look up street work in your area called the Chi Street Work Portal. Here you can input an address and see all surrounding permits for projects on that street.

Recycle By City is a great resource where residents can look up their garbage and recycling pickup day here.

Here is your reminder on the City's Blue Cart Basics.

For more info on recycling in Chicago, visit recyclebycity.com/chicago

I want to keep spreading the good word of how powerful a tool CHI 311 is to address non-emergency services in our Ward. Via the CHI 311 website and mobile app, you can:

• Create new service requests and check the status of existing requests (such as on timing and completion).
• Snap a photo of an issue to submit it with a request to improve location accuracy.
• Get local and relevant information/tips regarding the 43rd Ward including visibility into what other requests are being made in your neighborhood. The free CHI 311 mobile app is available for both iOS and Android devices and may be downloaded in the Apple App Store or Google Play.

43rd Ward Office Hours: M-T 9am-5pm & F 9am-2pm & Sat 10am-12pm

 773-348-9500 | yourvoice@ward43.org | 2523 N. Halsted

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