32nd Ward Newsletter: March 7, 2025

Dear Scott,

The Lakeview YMCA is hosting a Medicare seminar on March 13. There are cuts to Medicare being worked on in Washington now, so it might be a good time to hear about the state of Medicare and have any questions you have answered at this event.

The City has released the spring/summer major events list so mark your calendars for 2025. Neighborhood events will be posted as we receive the event applications.

The Chicago Small Business Expo will be held on Thursday, March 27th from 9:00am-12:30pm. The US Small Business Administration has closed its doors in Chicago, so you can use this expo and BACP as a resource for small businesses in Chicago. 

Our communities have some great crossing guards trying to keep kids and families safe as they go to and from school. Crossing Guard Appreciation Month runs from February 14–March 14. You can nominate a crossing guard to show them your appreciation for their difficult work. See below for details.

Don't forget to turn your clocks forward an hour before going to bed on Saturday night!

Have a good weekend,

Alderman Scott Waguespack

Public Safety Section

To speak before the Court, please register here.

More instructions can be found in the Court’s Order here. 

All members of the public may join the virtual public hearing without registration: https://afslaw.zoom.us/j/96173711584; phone: 13126266799,96173711584#.

Please email contact@cpdmonitoringteam.com with any questions.

Tax Exemptions

Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi announced at a press conference that property tax–saving exemptions applications for the 2024 tax year are now available online. Exemptions are savings that contribute to lowering a homeowner’s property tax bill. The most common is the Homeowner Exemption, which saves a property owner an average of $950 dollars each year.

Here are some key things that homeowners should know when applying for exemptions.

The Homeowner, Senior, and Persons with Disabilities Exemptions are automatically renewed. Postcards will be mailed to households confirming that no action is needed.

Homeowners must reapply for the Veterans with Disabilities and the “Senior Freeze” Exemptions. Seniors and veterans that need to reapply will be mailed application booklets in the coming weeks.

“If you own and live in your home you are most likely eligible for the Homeowner Exemption, regardless of citizenship status. If you live in your home and don’t claim this and other exemptions, you’re missing out on hundreds of dollars in property tax savings,” Assessor Kaegi said.

“On behalf of our roughly 500,000 members in Cook County, AARP Illinois stands with Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi to remind older adults aged 65 and older to apply for the Senior Exemption, and for those income-eligible, the Low-Income Senior Freeze Exemption,” said Philippe Largent, State Director of AARP Illinois.

New homeowners, first-time applicants, or those that need to reapply can now do so online at www.cookcountyassessor.com/exemptions. Homeowners are strongly encouraged to apply online so there is a digital record of their application. This allows Assessor staff to easily locate the application, provide a status update, and notify the homeowner if missing documents are needed.

This year, homeowners reapplying online will have access to a streamlined application form, reducing the time it takes to apply.

If homeowners are unsure of their existing exemptions, they can review the “Exemptions History & Status” section of the “Property Details” page for their home.

Exemptions forms are available in Spanish, Polish, and simplified Chinese languages.

Applications can be downloaded at www.cookcountyassessor.com/exemptions.

As a reminder, exemptions are only reflected on the second installment tax bill.

Homeowners can join virtual exemptions workshops on Facebook and YouTube at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 18, in English and on Wednesday, March 19, in Spanish. For a list of upcoming in-person and virtual outreach events, visit www.cookcountyassessor.com/event-list.

To receive news and updates from the Assessor’s Office, sign up here.

Chicago Park District Spring Programming

Spring into healthy habits and new hobbies! The Chicago Park District Spring Program session will be available to view on Monday, March 3, 2025. Online registration will open on Monday, March 10, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. for parks west of California Ave. and on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, at 9:00 a.m., for parks east of California Ave. In-person registration will begin at most parks on Saturday, March 15, 2025, or Monday, March 17, 2025; in-person registration times and dates vary by park. Visit this page to view the registration checklist, and visit this page to view programs for people of all ages and abilities.

Lincoln Park Sewer Main Project #7158

Weekly Update

Status: (In progress, sewer side only: 73%)

• Schubert from Southport to Lakewood: mainline sewer installed, installation of catch basins completed, corrective work in progress.

• Lakewood from Schubert to Wrightwood: mainline sewer installed; installation of catch basins and side connections still in progress.

• Wayne from Schubert to 250 feet south: mainline sewer installed; installation of catch basins completed, corrective work completed.

• Greenview from alley north of Altgeld to Lill: installation of mainline sewer and PDs completed, catch basins installed.

• The CDWM sewer crew will complete a cut/cap on the 6” water main of Greenview. The water service will be shut down from Altgeld to Montana starting at 8:00 am to 3:00 pm. Homeowners have been notified.

• On Monday 3/10, the CDWM sewer crew 1 will start the last phase of the installation of the sewer mainline at the intersection Greenview/Altgeld and will continue going east on Altgeld.

• The CDWM sewer crew 2 will keep on working at the east and west side connections at the 2600 block of N Lakewood.

• The Lead Service Line Replacement Program (water crews) will keep working at the 2600 block of Wayne.

Traffic Control: 

• The intersection Greenview/Altgeld will be completely shut down starting Monday 3/10 and it will be most likely open Thursday morning 3/13.

• The 2600 blocks of Wayne and Lakewood will remain closed during working hours. There could possibly be nightly closures during the week.

• No parking signs are posted on all streets.

In recognition of #NationalReadingMonth, we will be collecting new & gently used books, appropriate for 0-8 year olds, to donate to @Shareourspare. 

In particular, they're hoping to grow their inventory of books that include some or all of the following-

• Highlight BIPOC and AAPI characters.
• Feature content about topics of diversity and social emotional learning.
• Are written in Spanish, Arabic, French, or Ukrainian.

ShareOurSpare ensures every Chicago area child, ages 0-5, has the essential items they need to support their health and development to equip them for a strong start.

ALL BOOKS MUST BE APPROPRIATE FOR CHILDREN UP TO AGE 8. Please do not bring books for older readers, as they have no place to donate or store them at this time.

Thank you!

Chicago's Major Events for Spring and Summer

• Chicago Farmers Markets (Citywide including Daley Plaza) – May through October; Division Street Market opening Saturday, May 17 and Daley Plaza Market opening Saturday, May 22. ChicagoFarmersMarkets.us
• Maxwell Street (1330 S. Halsted) – Second Sundays, May through October. MaxwellStreetMarket.us
• Memorial Day Wreath Laying Ceremony & Parade (Daley Plaza and State Street) – Saturday, May 24. Chicago.gov/DCASE
• Millennium Park Summer Workouts (Great Lawn) – Saturdays, May 17 – August 30. MillenniumPark.org
• Chicago Blues Festival (Ramova Theatre, Jay Pritzker Pavilion and throughout Millennium Park) – Thursday– Sunday, June 5 – 8. ChicagoBluesFestival.us
• Millennium Park Summer Music Series (Jay Pritzker Pavilion) – 10 concerts, most Mondays & Thursdays, June 26 – August 7. MillenniumPark.org
• Chicago Gospel Music Festival (Jay Pritzker Pavilion) – July 12. MillenniumPark.org and ChicagoGospelMusicFestival.us
• Millennium Park Summer Film Series (Jay Pritzker Pavilion) – Tuesdays, July 1 – August 26. MillenniumPark.org
• Chicago SummerDance (Citywide, including pop-ups and special events, Night Out in the Parks events: select dates TBA June – September) – Spirit of Music Garden Schedule: Thursday – Saturday August 7 – August 23. ChicagoSummerDance.org
• Chicago Air and Water Show (North Avenue Beach & Lakefront) – August 16 –17, with a rehearsal on August 15. ChicagoAirandWaterShow.us
• Chicago House Music Conference & Festival (Chicago Cultural Center, Millennium Park, Spirit of Music Garden and Riverwalk) – Friday, August 22 – Saturday, August 23. Chicago House Music Conference to take place at Chicago Cultural Center, Friday, August 22. ChicagoHouseMusicFestival.us
• Chicago Jazz Festival (Citywide including the Chicago Cultural Center and Millennium Park) – Thursday – Sunday, August 28 – 31. MillenniumPark.org and ChicagoJazzFestival.us
• Taste of Chicago (Grant Park & Neighborhoods) – Friday – Sunday, September 5–7. Three additional neighborhood Taste events in Marquette Park (Sunday, June 28), Pullman Park (Saturday, July 19) and Albany Park (Saturday, August 9). TasteofChicago.us
• World Music Festival Chicago (Citywide including the Chicago Cultural Center) – Friday, September 26 – Sunday, October 5. WorldMusicFestivalChicago.org
• City Holiday Events (Millennium Park) – Tree Lighting Ceremony, Friday, November 21; Holiday Market, Friday – Sunday, November 21 – 23; Holiday Sing Along, Fridays December 5, 12, 19
• Grant Park Music Festival (presented by the Grant Park Orchestral Association with support from the Chicago Park District and DCASE) takes place Wednesdays, Fridays and most Saturdays, June 11 – August 16 at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. Details at GPMF.org

SSA 27 Security Rebate Program

The Security Rebate Program is funded by Lakeview Special Service Area 27 and administered by the Lakeview Chamber of Commerce to serve the commercial and residential district within the SSA 27 service boundaries. Applicants that meet all Program requirements outlined in this application may receive a rebate of up to 50% of eligible costs, not to exceed a total of $2,500 per project.

Find Out How to Do Work with the City of Chicago!

Free Remote Chicago Small Business Expo

The Chicago Small Business Expo will be held on Thursday, March 27th from 9:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The remote expo serves as a comprehensive resource for Chicago’s small business community, ultimately increasing chances of success and achieving business goals. The expo will feature a series of webinars led by industry experts and government officials offering insights into funding opportunities and growth strategies for current and future business owners. The keynote speaker will be Brenda Palms, President and CEO of the North Lawndale Employment Network (NLEN) and Sweet Beginnings, LLC. To learn more and register for the free remote Chicago Small Business Expo, visit Chicago.gov/BizExpo. 

The interactive remote expo will cover topics such as: 

• Accessing Capital: Funding options and financial resources available to entrepreneurs 
• Navigating Government Resources: Available programs, grants and regulatory support at the local, state and federal levels 

The keynote speaker will be Brenda Palms, President and CEO of the North Lawndale Employment Network and Sweet Beginnings, LLC. For 25 years, Brenda has led NLEN in the heart of the North Lawndale neighborhood, and Sweet Beginnings two social impact businesses beelove® and the beelove café. Through Sweet Beginnings model of providing transitional employment in beekeeping, honey production, packaging, and customer service, Palms has connected more than 800 job seekers with barriers to employment to good local jobs and a stepping stone to long term prosperity.  

To learn more about the expo, workshops, and schedule, click here!

The Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber is thrilled to present the "Spring Wine Wobble - Bucktown Edition" Choose from two distinct routes, "Unscrewed-North Damen" or "Uncorked-South Damen."

Explore fantastic specials, exclusive promotions, and incredible deals at participating small local businesses, including spas, art galleries, jewelry stores, and more.

Light bites and wine tastings will be served at participating businesses, and each guest will receive a commemorative tasting wine glass at check-in!

Thursday, March 20, 6-9 PM

Early Bird - $30, buy by March 3

Regular - $35

Event Day - $40

Get your ticket here!

Chicago Public Schools 2025 Crossing Guard of the Year Nomination Form

Crossing Guard Appreciation Month runs from February 14–March 14. If you are interested in nominating a crossing guard to show them your appreciation for their work, please fill out this form!

Please explain why your candidate has exemplified professionalism and responsibility while on duty. This year CPS will be selecting FOUR Crossing Guards, ONE from each region, to be recognized as Crossing Guard of The Year.

• Nominations are due by 5pm on Monday, April 14, 2025
• Winners will be determined and acknowledged on Monday, May 19th, 2025 
• Crossing Guard Appreciation Day (Rally): TBD

How will the Crossing Guard of the Year be determined/selected?

• Overall attendance for SY 24-25 will be considered
• Mandatory training attendance for SY 24-25 will be considered
• No disciplinary action issued 
• Is your candidate respectful and professional in their school community and with their supervisors?
• Years of service will be considered

All nominations will be accepted electronically. If a paper copy is needed, please contact Crossingguard@cps.edu.

City News

• Week in Review: Trump Scolds Ukrainian President Zelensky; City Council Passes $830M Bond Deal
• Week in Review: Potential Health Care Cuts; City Hall Bond Debate
• Laura Washington: The Mayor’s Choice of an Inexperienced Ally to Lead Chicago Parks Could Backfire
• Happy 188th Birthday, Chicago. Here’s Some City History You Need to Know
• Chicago-Area Food Pantries Navigate Concerns About Potential Cuts to Federal Assistance Programs
• Spring Forward 2025 Starts Sunday, so Get Ready to Lose an Hour of Sleep
• Winner of Public Vote in Illinois State Flag Redesign Contest Is ... the Existing State Flag
• As Big Costs Loom, Chicago’s School Board Plans to Amend Its Budget. But Questions Remain.