July 21, 2025

Dear Neighbors, 

Last week at City Council I introduced a resolution announcing the “Rat Contraceptive Pilot”, an innovative program using non-toxic contraceptive pellets to reduce the rat population in the 43rd Ward. To administer and measure the results of the Rat Contraceptive Pilot, my office will partner with experts at the Chicago Bird Alliance, Lincoln Park Zoo, the Lincoln Park Conservancy and the Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation. Our office has been working with these groups for the past several months (written about in past newsletters here and here) to get this pilot off the ground and we’re excited to say the pilot will begin in early August of this year! 

During the pilot, there will be 4 contraception blocks and 4 control blocks in the southwest corner of the Ward. These blocks were selected for use by the Department of Streets and Sanitation and researchers at the Lincoln Park Zoo based on rat activity, commercial activity and 311 submissions. We will be sending out more information on the exact pilot locations in the coming weeks. My hope is that the use of rat contraception in Chicago achieves the same positive results as in Boston, and if the data shows that to be true, I will work to scale this as a citywide approach. If you are interested in learning about this pilot program, we invite you to join our Webinar on July 30th at 6PM. To join the zoom meeting, please click here. 

Alderperson Knudsen touring potential alleyways for the pilot earlier this year. 

Last week in the Committee on Zoning, I voted in support of an ordinance that would permit additional dwelling units (also known as “ADUs”) to be constructed in Chicago. ADUs include coach houses, which we have many of in the 43rd Ward, and “granny flats”, which allow a part of a home to be built out as a separate self-contained living space (often for aging family members). This ordinance would generate a natural increase in the Chicago housing stock while giving more flexibility to homeowners. As a past coach house resident in the 43rd Ward, and as someone focused on increasing housing options in our community, I look forward to voting ‘yes’ when the ADU ordinance comes to a full vote in City Council. 

On Thursday I joined neighbors to celebrate the new and improved Trebes Park. This project has been in the works for almost 8 years; accordingly, I want to give a special thank you to the Trebes Park Advisory Council (led by Scott Kaeser) for their endurance in getting it done. Our office was proud to support funding of this $1.9million renovation, which addressed crucial water drainage issues, upgraded the baseball field, added a walking path, and beautified the community space.  

As a final note, yesterday a group of us alderpeople played a softball game versus the Chicago Police Department’s “Chicago Knights.” It will come as no surprise that the Knights won by a double-digit margin; however, it was a fun day fundraising for the Chicago Knights’ charity, which strengthens community and police relations through baseball events. 

Sincerely,

Alderperson Timmy Knudsen 

P.S. This past week in City Council, we bid farewell to 27th Ward Alderman Walter Burnett on his last council day after 30 years in office. Ever since serving my days as the Chair of the Zoning Board of Appeals, I have learned significantly from Walter’s style of advocating for his community.  He is a true statesman who increased housing, tourism and business exponentially in his communities of West Loop, Fulton Market and the near West Side. Walter’s work for our city may not be done yet, but I wish him some well-deserved time off with his family. 

P.S.S. This past week in City Council, we recognized the retirement of DePaul women’s basketball coach Doug Bruno. Coach Bruno’s retirement comes after 39 years, wherein he led DePaul to win 786 games and compete in 25 NCAA Tournaments. As noted in the remarks, very few people on earth have done as much for women’s basketball as Coach Bruno. Lucky for our city, he will continue to do so as the Special Assistant to the Vice President/Director of Athletics for Women's Basketball. Thank you, Coach!

Alderperson Knudsen with neighbors during our infrastructure ward walk with RANCH Neighborhood Association 

To view the full July schedule, click here. For the August schedule, please click here. 

Avoid a ticket or tow order by signing up for email street sweeping alerts. And on weekdays, from 9am to 2pm, this Sweeper Tracker map will show real-time locations of city street sweepers.

If you are interested in learning about this pilot program, we invite you to join our Webinar on July 30th at 6PM. To join the zoom meeting, please click here. 

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. As a reminder, these statistics represent 100% of the 18th & 19th Police Districts; accordingly, they represent an area much larger than our ward.

For 18th District (south of Fullerton)  Week 28 Compstat.

For 19th District (north of Fullerton) Week 28 Compstat.

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.

2025 43rd Ward CAPS Meetings:

Beat 1811 (5 PM) & 1813 (6 PM): September 2nd, & November 4th. 

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. 

Beat 1812 (5 PM) & 1814 (6 PM): September 4th & November 6th. 

Beat 1812 and 1814 are hosted at Wintrust Bank located at 100 W. North Ave. The meetings are hosted on the 2nd Floor of the bank. Elevators are on site.

Beat 1824 (6 PM): July 17th, September 11th, and November 13th. 

Beat 1824 meets at 1201 N Clark St in the Clark St Apartments.

Beat 1932 (6:30 PM): August 5th, October 7th, and December 2nd. 

Beat 1932 is hosted in the sanctuary at New Life Church located at 1110 W Lill Ave. 

Beat 1935 (6:30 PM): August 20th, October 15th, and December 17th. 

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

• If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.

• The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is a free, 24/7, confidential service that provides support and connections to resources for those in distress. Call or text 988 or go to 988lifeline.org/chat to start a chat with a trained listener.

• Some areas of Chicago are covered under the CARE program, which connects trained mental health professionals to 911 callers experiencing a mental health crises. Mental health professionals can respond to calls with on-site support, help directing the caller to mental health care and follow-up calls. See those areas here. 

• Chicago area support resources for mental health crises can be found here.

• The Chicago Department of Public Health Mental Health Centers offer care that provides support for emotional, traumatic, or behavioral difficulties. All Mental Health Centers provide outpatient mental health services for adults, children and adolescents including intake/screening, individual therapy, group therapy, case management, and medication management (same-day medication appointments). Support is based on needs identified by the consumer, including goals, objectives, and specific mental health services. These services are provided free of charge to all Chicagoans. 

• Chicago and suburban Cook County residents can access 2-1-1 and get connected to critical health and social services. 2-1-1 is a free, local, 24/7/365 service that connects all  Cook County residents to essential health and social service support and information during times of non-emergency crisis and for everyday needs.

• Lincoln Park’s Leon Hotel, A Former SRO Building, Could Be Redeveloped Into Apartments
• Rat birth control? Chicago tries poison-free fix for its rodent problem
• Chicago rat birth control pilot program expanding to Lincoln Park on North Side
• S.K.Y. 2.0 Set to Open This Weekend In Lincoln Park 
• Lincoln Park Zoo’s Serpentine Soirée slithers to success with record-breaking $1.8M raised
• Taste of Lincoln Avenue Returns to Lincoln Park Next Weekend

Fri, July 25, 2025 | 4pm to 10pm

Sat, July 26, 2025 | 12pm to 10pm

2500 N Lincoln Ave., Chicago, IL

In a city of street fests, one would be hard-pressed to find one more iconic than the Annual Taste of Lincoln Avenue. This year’s fest includes: An amazing line-up from bands all over the Midwest. Local food favorites that you’ve definitely missed over the last year. Arts & crafts galore! An afternoon whiskey and spirits tasting, tasting tickets can be purchased here. Kids’ Carnival with non-stop activities for your littles including inflatables, games and entertainment from Noon to 6pm on Saturday.

RSVP for a Dog Parade on Saturday, where you and your beloved pet can strut their stuff!

The Lincoln Park Farmers Market’s 44th annual season is up and running! The Lincoln Park Farmers Market’s 44th annual season is up and running! In 2025, the market will run on Saturdays from 7:00 AM to 1:00 PM, for a total of 31 consecutive weeks, through to Saturday, November 22, the Saturday before Thanksgiving, rain or shine. The much-loved neighborhood market is located in the parking lot of the Lincoln Park High School, 724 W Armitage Ave, just east of the intersection of Armitage Ave and Halsted St.

Who Can Participate: Anyone entering 2nd to 8th grade! Based on the popularity of last year will have 2 sessions!
Coaches: Josh Anderson, Head Coach of the Lincoln Park High School team, and the entire coaching staff at Lincoln Park
When is the camp: Session 1: June 30 -July 3
Session 2: August 4- 7 Time: 9:00am to 12:30 pm each day
Location: Lincoln Park High School Gymnasium
2001 N. Orchard St. Chicago, IL 60614
Cost: $250 per session / $450 for both sessions
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 Chicago! Funds raised will support the Lincoln Park basketball program

The beloved Kids Concert Series returns to Adams Park this summer! See the graphic for the schedule. 

The Department of Finance (DOF) announced that City residents now have the option of reporting the following parking enforcement violations: Bus Lane Parking, Commercial Loading Zone, Commercial Vehicle Parked on a Residential Street, Disabled Parking, Fire Hydrant Parking, Residential Parking, Rush Hour Zones, School Safety Zones, Vehicle Parked in Bike Lane, Other (Semi-trucks parked on streets, etc.) Neighbors can report parking violations by calling 311, using the CHI311 app, or through the 311 website. The request type is “Finance Parking Code Enforcement Review.”

With the weather finally warming up, and summer event season in full swing, the city has been seeing more e-scooters, e-bikes, and Divvy bikes in use. Our office wants to remind riders they must be locked to a fixed object or in a Divvy docking station when your ride ends. Fixed objects do not include places like private fences or fire hydrants. Please do not leave them in the street, on the sidewalk, or in a bike or curb lane as this creates issues for neighbors with mobility issues, folks who are older, and slows down everyone trying to get somewhere. 

Issues with e-scooters can be reported via 311 here, and Divvy bike and e-bike issues here. Once a request is submitted, improperly parked scooters must be addressed within 2 hours during operating hours, or by 7am the next day if reported overnight. CDOT closely tracks each company’s performance on 311 parking issues. CDOT has told us that this is the fastest and most efficient way to get an e-scooter or Divvy device removed from its public way violation. 

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-Thurs 9am-5pm, Fri: 9am-2pm & Sat 10am-12pm

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

unsubscribe from future communication