We know that Lincoln Park and all of Chicago is becoming a national culinary destination. Chicago Restaurant Week lets you join the trend with set menus for lunch and dinner at Chicago's great restaurants. The following restaurants in the 43rd Ward are participating:
The Lincoln Park Conservancy will be offering its annual training to volunteers age 18 and older who are interested in learning how to survey for frog calls in Lincoln Park or anywhere in the Chicago Region.
Advance registration is required. Contact Aaron Hammond at (773) 883-PARK.
I think we can all agree that rodent problems are more than an annoyance -- they're a public health nuisance. That's why I authored, and this week succeeded in passing, an ordinance that imposes new, aggressive requirements to combat the rodent population.
Currently, the City of Chicago's Municipal Code only requires rodent abatement inside a building that is to be demolished. However, we all know rodents live in the ground. Excavation activity invariably disturbs underground rodent nests, sending rats into neighboring yards.
I have been working for months with the Departments of Buildings and Streets and Sanitation to draft an ordinance aimed at mitigating this issue.
The new ordinance, which was passed at Wednesday's City Council meeting and which will become law this spring, mandates that anyone obtaining a permit for new construction must have on-site rodent abatement from the time excavation begins until all excavation is complete and the foundation is laid, or risk heavy fines, citations and stop-work orders from the City.
The Department of Streets and Sanitation has been at war with rodents for years and this ordinance provides the Department the ammunition necessary to bring the fight to the source and eliminate rodent issues before they arise, at no cost to the Chicago taxpayer.
Everyone, from residents to small business owners, shares the responsibility to address rodent concerns by implementing abatement measures. It follows, too, that developers should be held to the same standard of accountability and be an active participant in the efforts to rid our City of rodents.
Please continue to call 3-1-1 or my office at 773-348-9500 to request rodent abatement when the need arises, and we can work towards reducing the rodent population in our neighborhood.
Property Tax Exemption Applications Now Available
The Cook County Assessor's Office has released property tax exemption applications for tax year 2014 (for tax bills payable for 2015). This month, the Assessor's Office has made available the homeowner, senior and senior freeze exemption applications. The Long-Time Occupant Exemption Application is to be released in February 2015 by the Assessor's Office. Senior citizen homeowners must complete their senior exemptions (senior citizen & senior freeze) every year. Exemption applications are available at www.BridgetGainer.com.
