32nd Ward Newsletter May 16, 2025

Dear Scott,

There are a few updates on road closures due to construction projects, and changes to the Kennedy timeline that may also push more traffic into side streets throughout the north side of the City. See below for IDOT information on closures and impacts.

Several aldermen and I have called for the need for transparency in the selection process for riverwalk restaurant vendors. Last year, Beat Kitchen was locked out of their Riverwalk space after being approved for a vendor space. The City not only locked them out after they built out the utilities but as we found out this week, then gave the vendor space to another business. We will be having a hearing on the selection process and transparency of vendor contracts.

Chicago investor conferences are annual events where city officials can discuss our finances with investors looking at potential projects to invest in, and members of the media who often write about the City's financial pitch at the conference and the general state of financial affairs. This week, for the first time at such conferences, Mayor Johnson blocked the media from attending and covering the event. While we may learn what happened at a later date, it's unfortunate that anyone outside the room won't hear the plan for next year's budget and what the concerns are from our potential investors, our business community and taxpayers. Today the Mayor unveiled his mayors task force on the budget and immediately created another controversy by appointing Ishan daya. The Mayor's appointment shows a lack of concern in governing all people of Chicago. By appointing someone he knows was called out for anti-semitism by the Jewish community and others and forced out of his company is tone deaf. Although I've been made aware he is now out of the working group due to backlash, I am extremely frustrated by the mayor’s continued insistence on appointing unqualified and offensive candidates to city boards at a crucial time in our city’s history.

Also in the newsletter, a note on the never ending parking meter deal that has hit about $2 billion in profits and many upcoming events benefitting neighborhood organizations that you may enjoy attending.

Have a nice weekend,

Alderman Scott Waguespack

2025 Street Cleaning Calendar

Next week, street sweeping will occur in sections 1, 2, and 3 (Roscoe Village and West Lakeview). Click on the map above to see your section's schedule.

Please be on the lookout for signs and make sure to move your vehicle on your scheduled day (south and east sides of the street are normally done on the first day, north and west on the second; please watch for signs). Sweepers will do more than one pass on the block in their initial cleaning but will not come back to clean sections outside of their officially scheduled day.

Please take the time to help clear the curb in front of your property to keep the sewers flowing well. Any landscaping debris should be bagged and put in the alley by your trash cans. Please do not sweep landscaping debris into the street. Piles of leaves and heavy garbage also clog the sweepers and will cause significant delays. Other large objects like branches and metal will also damage the sweepers, so please remove them from curbs.

Residents can view street sweepers in real time using the Sweeper Tracker online tool. 

Public Safety Section

Lincoln Park Sewer Main Project #7158

Weekly Update

Water Department and Contractor Project Status: The concrete restoration on Greenview and Altgeld streets should be completed next week followed in the next couple of weeks by the asphalt.

The concrete restoration work on Wayne and Lakewood streets should start by May 19. There is still underground work being done on Schubert; restoration will start there once this is completed. Repaving of the street is expected to be completed in early-mid June.

While we apologize for any inconvenience, the work is necessary for the City to come into compliance with laws on lead service lines. When crews are not working, it can be due to weather or to allow a couple days for seals to cure on water or sewer pipes. Working in open pits of any kind is dangerous work so crews have to take extra care on any underground project.

Kennedy Expressway Ramp Closures

In 2023, IDOT began rehabilitating the Kennedy Expressway (Interstate 90/94), from the Edens Expressway (I-94) junction to Ohio Street. The project consists of rehabilitating 36 bridges and the Reversible Lane Access Control system, replacing overhead sign structures, installing new signage and modernized LED lights, pavement patching, and structural painting. 

The work has taken place over three consecutive construction seasons. The project is now into its final stage. 

Here are some things you can expect this through mid-July:

Traffic Impacts

• Reversible express lanes will remain outbound only.
• Outbound express lane users must exit onto Edens Expressway. First exit will be Edens Expressway at Foster Avenue.
• Outbound O’Hare Airport traffic must stay on mainline; there is no O’Hare exit from the express lanes.

Upcoming Ramp Closures

May 19, 2025 

• Ogden Avenue to outbound Kennedy, anticipated to reopen in approximately one week

May 21, 2025

• Ogden Avenue to outbound Kennedy, anticipated to reopen in approximately one week
• Outbound Kennedy to Division Street, anticipated to reopen in approximately one week

May 26, 2025

• Outbound Kennedy to Ohio Street, anticipated to reopen in approximately one week

May 28, 2025

• Keeler Avenue to outbound Kennedy, anticipated to reopen in approximately two weeks

Motorists should follow the posted detours. Sequencing of ramp improvements is being done throughout the project to help accelerate construction. Additional ramp closures for varying durations will be required to complete the project. All ramp closures are weather dependent and are subject to change. 

Click here for more info and to stay current with the project.

The latest in the parking meter debacle 

Next week City Council will be voting on a $15 million settlement with Chicago parking meter owners CPM.  This settlement came about when the City tried to make changes to the 75 year parking meter deal during the deadly COVID pandemic. The settlement confirms just how ironclad this parking meter privatization deal is and will be for another 58 years. 

In 2008, Wicker Park and Bucktown had a parking problem around the six corners. Parking meters were set at 25 cents per hour, allowing people to park in spaces for an entire day and take the train downtown. Business owners often complained that among other lack of turnover. Additionally, dozens of loading zones contributed to the clogged up parking freezing out potential customers for businesses. I made the decision to consolidate loading zones and double the rates of the meters with other adjustments to infrastructure that helped businesses in the WPB area. The overnight change in parking behavior had an immediate positive benefit to the area businesses and residents. 

Not long after, we received notice that the administration was going to sign off on a parking meter deal for 75 years and we had just a couple of days to review it and vote. The annual revenue for citywide meters was roughly 20 plus million dollars per year. Simply doubling the rates throughout the city would have put an additional $20 million dollars a year into City coffers. Coupling that with infrastructure changes throughout the city could have mitigated some of our financial woes while allowing us to modify and improve the parking meter system by ourselves. 

At the time the deal was presented by the Daley Administration, we were given two business days to review the deal. Over the weekend my staff and I drafted a counter argument to the deal. We noted that the city could simply raise rates and do consolidation of zones as we had already done. We also reviewed the finances being proposed by the consultants, city lawyers and finance team. Our estimate of the parking meter deal  showed the parking meters were worth at minimum $5 billion dollars, instead of the lower $1.15 billion pushed by the consultants.  The vote to sell off Chicago's parking meters flew threw council after a hearing and we ended up with our meters in the hands of foreign interests almost overnight. 

You can read background on the meter deal came from Ben Jarovsky & Mick Dumke from the Chicago Reader, and Dan Mihalopolous from the Chicago Tribune. They covered stories like how we found out the meter system profits ended up in the hands of a group in Abu Dhabi. You can also read the attempts people made to break it down, including one by Clint Krislov and Tom Geoghegan.

When the vote comes up next week to give CPM another 15 million, I will vote to pass the settlement because the lawyers fighting the complaint did well to reduce the amount. CPM initially demanded $322 million in compensation for lost revenue during Covid. The city fought back and won on one of the three issues related to meter enforcement. This lowered settlement has been the first upside for taxpayers on the meter deal since 2008 yet it is still our loss.

The most recent financial audit of the parking meters shows that the company has made about $2 billion. The stories that have come out of the parking meter deal are endless and they will continue well beyond the end of the deal structure. Over the past few years, I have spoken about the perils of rushed or non-transparent deals with elected officials from around the world, in classrooms and with infrastructure and watchdog experts. While the city council did eventually pass legislation that slowed down some of these deals, good governance requires more.

These deals require city council to scrutinize each deal. We have to demand transparency and accountability as good governance and sometimes vote against bad deals for you the taxpayer.

Weekend Events Include Beyonce at Soldier Field, Cubs v. Sox Crosstown Classic, Spring Half Marathon and More

The City of Chicago will have citywide deployments for the weekend to ensure the safety and security of the public. OEMC will monitor weekend events and weather conditions citywide from the Operations Center and public safety resources with the Chicago Police Department, Chicago Fire Department and City of Chicago infrastructure departments.

Residents should be aware of possible delays in areas around events, parades or marches in neighborhoods and the Central Business District.



Spring Boat Bridge Lifts

As a reminder, expect bridge lifts on Saturday, May 3, beginning at 8 a.m. with the raising of 27 bridges from South Ashland Avenue to DuSable Lake Shore Drive.

Beyonce at Soldier Field

Saturday, May 17 and Sunday, May 18

Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter Tour will make a stop at Chicago’s Soldier Field. Parking lots open at 3 p.m., gates open at 5 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m. For details, visit

soldierfield.com/events/detail/beyonce-cowboy-carter-tour.

Spring Half Marathon

Sunday, May 18 – Grant Park and the Lakefront

The Chicago Spring Half Marathon starts at 7 a.m. and the 10K starts at 7:45 a.m. The start and finish lines are located on Columbus Drive. Street closures are primarily limited to race day Sunday, May 18 early morning and all closures are expected to reopen by 6 p.m. For race course, click HERE.

Street and Lane Closures for Sunday, May 18

• Monroe, all lanes from DuSable Lake Shore Drive to Columbus from 3 a.m. until 6 p.m.
• Columbus, NB lanes from Randolph to Monroe from 3 a.m. until noon.
• Columbus, SB lanes from Randolph to Monroe from 3 a.m. until 9 a.m.
• Columbus, all lanes from Monroe to Jackson from 3 a.m. to 9 a.m.
• Columbus, all lanes from Jackson to Roosevelt from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.
• Randolph, NB exit lane from DuSable Lake Shore Drive to Randolph from 6:30 a.m. to noon
• Intermediate Randolph, EB lanes from DuSable Lake Shore Drive to Columbus from 6:30 a.m. to noon
• For additional details, visit ChicagoSpringHalf.com

Cross Town Classic: Cubs v. Sox

Friday, May 16, Saturday, May 17 and Sunday, May 18 at 1:20 p.m.

Chicago’s Cross Town Classic is on the North Side at Wrigley field, Friday through Sunday. For details, visit mlb.com/cubs/ballpark

Mayfest, Lincoln Park

Friday, May 16, 4 p.m. - 10 p.m., Saturday, May 17 and Sunday, May18, noon - 10 p.m.

Lincoln Park Mayfest kicks off Chicago’s festival season, bringing three days of music, food, and community fun to the heart of Lincoln Park. Held at Armitage & Sheffield (1000 Armitage). For details, visit chicagofests.com/event/chicago-mayfest-2025/.

Lincoln Roscoe Art & Craft Fair

Saturday, May 17, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. and Sunday, May 18, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

The fair takes place on Lincoln Avenue between Roscoe and Melrose. For details, visit amdurproductions.com/lincoln-roscoe-art-and-craft-fair/

Renegade Chicago

Saturday, May 17 and Sunday, May 18, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Springtime fair in Andersonville on Clark Street between W. Bryn Mawr and W. Edgewater. For details, visit RenegadeCraft.com/event/chicago-spring/

Grant Park and Lakefront Poles Markers/Location Identifiers: For public safety on the lakefront, residents are reminded to be aware of the numbers attached to the poles throughout the Grant Park area, along various points on the lakefront path and on DuSable Lake Shore Drive from 5700 North to 6600 South to help them reference their location along the lakefront and within the park if you call 9-1-1 in an emergency. OEMC call takers and dispatchers will be able to provide the location for first responders. They can also be used between friends and family members as meeting point if you become separated. For complete details click HERE .

Chicago OEMC App

Residents are encouraged to download the Chicago OEMC app in order to have the latest information on weather conditions from the National Weather Service in Chicago, event information, street closures and more. To download the app, visit Chicago.gov/OEMC or the Apple or Google Play stores.

Report Suspicious Activity: If You See Something Say Something. The City reminds the public to be aware of their surroundings and to report suspicious activity. If you notice something suspicious, notify onsite security or call 9-1-1. If You See Something, Say Something™ is a national anti-terrorism public awareness campaign that emphasizes the importance of reporting suspicious activity to law enforcement authorities. For public safety information and tips, visit Chicago.gov/OEMC.

Weather

OEMC advises Chicagoans to be aware of weather conditions, follow instructions and heed all warnings from public safety officials. We encourage residents to check the weather before heading out. For the most up-to-date weather information, please tune into local media or download the Chicago OEMC app. 

OEMC will monitor all citywide events through a collaboration with public safety partners and will issue several alerts and notifications to keep residents up to date on weather conditions, street closures and emergencies:

• Notify Chicago: Sign up for emergency alerts at NotifyChicago.org
• CHILAKE: For lakefront notices, TEXT “CHILAKE” to 7-8-0-1-5
• CHIBIZ: For alerts affecting businesses, TEXT “CHIBIZ” to 6-7-2-8-3

For information on the Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC), we encourage residents to download the Chicago OEMC app, visit the OEMC website at Chicago.gov/OEMC. Sign-up to receive Notify Chicago alerts Follow the Office of Emergency Management and Communications on Facebook(@coemc), Twitter (@ChicagoOEMC), Instagram (chicago_oemc_911), Bluesky (@chicagooemc.bsky.social) and Threads (@chicago_oemc_911). 

Shred It Event Tomorrow!

Bucktown Shredding Event

On Sunday, June 8th from 9am – noon, the Bucktown Community Organization (BCO) along with Alderman Scott Waguespack will be hosting a shredding event to include onsite destruction and recycling of documents and personal electronics. Additionally, the Cook County Sheriff's Office will be on hand as part of their Prescription Drug Takeback program to safely dispose of your old Rx’s.

As a special part of the free Shredding Event, stop by the BCO tent to meet members of the BCO Board, learn more about upcoming events in the neighborhood like the Bucktown Garden Walk and Movies in the Park, and get your raffle ticket to win a rain barrel compliments of Commissioner Garcia and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District.

Come by with any papers and electronics that you would like to have securely destroyed and recycled. There is a limit of 2 boxes/containers per household and we ask that you please remove all heavy-duty staples, paper clips, metal fasteners, and rubber bands ahead of time.

Don’t let your paper and electronic data fall into the wrong hands and don’t let your old Rx’s contaminate our water. Come out and get Shredded!

Chicago Parks Foundation Presents IT'S YOUR PARK DAY(IYPD) on Saturday, May 31st. It’s Your Park Day is a community clean-up day across dozens of Chicago parks! Free, fun, and family-friendly. Join the Chicago Parks Foundation in celebrating their 10th annual IYPD at a park near you to kick off the summer season! 

How to Volunteer: Click here for a list of participating IYPD parks and register online for the park of your choice. Each park has its own start/end time and additional details on its registration page. Activities may include trash pickup, tree mulching, playground woodchip resurfacing, and more. 

Questions? Contact volunteer@chicagoparksfoundation.org. See you in the parks! 

Equity Arts' Shared Prosperity Community Dinner

Equity Arts invites you to their inaugural Shared Prosperity Community Dinner on Saturday, May 17th. Commemorate our 7 year journey to protect the cultural legacy of Wicker Park!

Equity Arts is a center for the creative economy that advances racial equity and wealth-building for artists and entrepreneurs. This reparative ownership model preserves space for synergistic exchange that fuels commercial abundance and enriches authentic cultural experiences. Their goal is to create a cultural flagship and community hub that introduces a new economic model for value-aligned arts organizations and local businesses. The event will celebrate our progress and raise funds to help advance our mission of community ownership of impactful real estate.

Their Shared Prosperity Benefit will feature cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and an artfully curated three-course sit-down dinner by local food stylist Arden Kelley. Peruse artwork by local Chicago artists such as Allison Reimus, Tish Noel, and more in a silent auction. Heaven Gallery is always the best place for a dance party! Please join us for an afterparty on the dance floor with DJ Emerylee.

7 PM - 10PM: Cocktails & Dinner / $100

10 PM - 12AM: Dance Party / $25

Eventbrite Tickets Link Here

Help Keep Crucial SSA Services in West Lakeview

West Lakeview Special Service Area (SSA) 27’s 15 year term ends 12/31/2025, and must go through a renewal process throughout 2025 in order for West Lakeview to keep crucial SSA services such as Litter Pickup, Landscaping, Holiday Decor, Outdoor Furniture Maintenance, Community Events (such as Lincoln Brunch Fest and the Lakeview Tree Lighting Ceremony), Public Art, and more.

To keep West Lakeview safe, beautiful, and fun, they will require 20% of signatures representing all Property Index Numbers (PIN) within the SSA 27 boundaries by August 1st, and you can help. 

SSA 27 Boundaries include:

• Southport: 3150 to 3880 (Byron to Belmont)
• Lincoln: 2800 to 3599 (Addison to Diversey)
• Ashland: 2800 to 3599 (Addison to Diversey)
• Belmont: 1200 to 1799 (Racine to Ravenswood)
• Any side-street intersecting the above-listed streets, up to the first alley or 100ft if no alley is present

For more info, please refer to lakeviewssa27.com/reconstitution and/or reach out to robert@lrvcc.org to inquire on how to sign for your PIN.

NEW: Illinois Information Hub!

On May 14th, 2025, the Resurrection Project, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, the National Immigrant Justice Center, the Chicago Mayor’s Office of Immigrant, Migrant and Refugee Rights, and the Illinois Department of Human Services are proud to launch a new website with centralized resources for immigrant families across the state. 

Illinois constituents can now stay updated on the latest changes to federal policy and how it will impact their communities by visiting IllinoisImmigrationInfo.org. The website includes up-to-date information on immigration and labor rights, how to access free and low-cost legal services, as well as several other resources on housing, discrimination, public benefits, and how to get an ID. 

Illinois Extension Wants to Hear From You!

Updates to Chicago Labor Laws Starts July 1, 2025

On July 1, 2025, updates to Chicago’s labor laws will go into effect. These include the annual minimum wage and tipped-minimum wage increase and updates to the Paid Leave and Paid Sick and Safe Leave ordinance. In the upcoming weeks, BACP will host webinars, update informational flyers, and compile a list of frequently asked questions. For more information, please visit Chicago.gov/LaborStandards. 

Upcoming Webinars

Tuesday, 05/20/2025 from 10:00am to 11:00am

Labor Protections for Domestic Workers

Register

Jueves, 05/22/2025 de las 10:00am a las 11:00am

Protecciones laborales para los Trabajadores Domésticos (trabajo de hogar)

Registro

The free Chicago Small Business Expo will be held on Saturday, May 31 from 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at Kennedy-King College, U Building. The keynote address will be by Zack Day, Co-Founder and Director of Brewing Operations, Funkytown Brewery. To learn more and to register, visit Chicago.gov/BizExpo.  

City News

• Member of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget group out amid Israeli hostage poster backlash
• IDOT: Outbound Kennedy Expressway Ramp Closures Rescheduled, Will Begin Wednesday, May 21
• ‘Eyes in the Sky’: Rise in Drone Use by Chicago-Area Law Enforcement Improving Safety, Surveillance
• Pup Social, a Club for Dogs and Their Humans, Takes Over Former Green Dolphin Street
• Why Was Beat Kitchen Booted From the Riverwalk? City Won’t Say as Haire’s Gulf Shrimp Takes Over
• Find a Lost Pet? Scan Them for Free at City’s New 24-Hour Microchip Scanning Station
• Chicago River Cleanup Attracts Record-breaking Number of Volunteers
• PAWS Chicago Aims to Find Homes For 120 Animals During Spring Adoption Event