Upcoming
SLN Events
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South Loop Trivia Night 7 pm, March 12 Bar Louie (Back Room) 47 W. Polk Condo President's Roundtable 6:30 pm, March 14 899 S. Plymouth Ct. Members Dinner April 7 More Details to Follow |
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7 pm, March 12
Bar Louie (Back Room), 47 W. Polk
Last year was so much fun that we're having a second South Loop-themed trivia night.
There is no cost to participate in this event, nor do you need to be a member of SLN (but you should consider it!) Food and drink are at your own expense. Come with a whole team, or meet your neighbors by pooling your knowledge. (
So we can arrange enough fabulous prizes for the winners, only 4 persons to a team, please.) Email Info@southloopneighbors.org to reserve your spot!
Condo Presidents Roundtable
6:30 pm, March 14
899 S. Plymouth Ct.
Are you a condo board president? If so, join us (or send a representative) to meet other area board members, discuss happenings in the neighborhood, discuss avenues to potentially pool resources for optimal results/savings and help foster a sense of community.
Members Dinner
April 7 - Save the Date!
The details for the Annual Members Dinner are being finalized but mark your calendar for this date for this great event!
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15th & Clark Red Line Station
At a Jan. 31 meeting, Related Midwest announced that they would be able to build the proposed Red Line station on the west side of Clark. Originally, engineers had thought that location would be impractical due to curvature of the track, and because west of Clark the tracks are on a slope. However, both the curvature and slope (of 0.8%, within ADA requirements) appear to be acceptable to CTA. The station's primary entrance will be within a building that is part of Related Midwest's project, which they call "The 78."
Residents of Dearborn Park II had loudly objected to location of the new station near them, and to the temporary closure of Cotton Tail Park during construction.
Harrison and Polk bike lanes
At her Jan. 14 Town Hall, Ald. King listed "removal of bike lane barriers on Harrison" as an "Infrastructure Improvement." Since the marked bike lanes themselves have not been removed, this would seem only to endanger cyclists by making easier illegal standing and parking by motorists and delivery trucks. The alderman provided this explanation by email: "
I asked for the protective barriers to be removed until CDOT provided a solution that would protect bikers, pedestrians and motorists alike. I have asked that CDOT review the feasibility of a two-way bike lane on Harrison, similar to the ones on Dearborn, as a way to address some concerns. In addition, we are looking at pedestrian crosswalk signals and other adjustments to protect pedestrians."
With regard to the short two-way cycleway on Polk Street first proposed in 2018, the alderman says "My office is still working with CDOT regarding the proposed implementation of the Polk Street bike lanes, but until the concerns of my residents are addressed, the lanes are on hold."
Congress now Ida B. Wells Drive
On Feb. 11, a ceremony at Harold Washington Library Center unveiled new signs that rename Congress Parkway in honor of Ida B. Wells, the African-American journalist, civil rights crusader, and educator. She and Ald. Reilly (42nd) chose Congress because of the few businesses that have Congress addresses-even though we now have the confusing corner of Wells and Wells. Our sympathy to international travelers emerging from the Blue Line at LaSalle, trying to figure out which Wells is the location of the Harris Family Hostel.
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THANK YOU ALL WHO ATTENDED
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SLN Public Meeting Held on Feb. 13
Thanks to all who attended our annual roundup of South Loop development, presented by Dennis McClendon, our Vice-President for Planning and Development.
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"LIKE" and "FOLLOW" our Facebook Page!
Improvements to the Grant Park Dog Friendly Area
The South Loop Dog Park Action Cooperative invites you to a meeting of purpose to discuss improvements to the Grant Park Dog Friendly Area. At the meeting, the cooperative will discuss the possible installation of a large artificial strip in the asphalt area, installation of artificial turf to replace the 'pea gravel' area, installation of clustered seating areas and the addition of a water source/water fountain outside the dog park fence. The meeting will take place
Thur., Feb. 21 at 6 P.M. at the Maggie Daley Park Fieldhouse, 337 E. Randolph.
Lyft Offering free rides to select museums during Black History Month
Lyft will be providing one free ride up to $10 to black history museums, memorial, and relevant cultural sites in the communities in which they serve. They have partnered with the following locations in Chicago: A. Phillip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum, Black Ensemble Theater, DuSable Museum of African American History, and Gallery Guichard. To take advantage of this program, use code BHMCHI19
Wintrust Arena and Soldier Field events
New 311 System
Test out the new 311 system. The City of Chicago is upgrading to a new 311 Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. If you'd like to test the new system, sign up, register at
www.whatsthe311.org and provide your name and email address.
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Other Neighborhood Events |
CAPS meetings for 2019
Meetings will be
held the 2nd Wednesday of every
month
at 6:30 pm, with two exceptions: Jul. 9 & Oct. 8.
The meetings are held at 525 S. State Street.
The next meeting is March 13, 2019.
Beat 132
Meetings will held the 3rd Tuesday of every month at 6:30 pm. The meetings are held at the 1st District Station, 1718 S. State Street.
The next meeting is March 19, 2019.
Beat 133
Meetings will be held the 3rd Wednesday of every minty at 6:30 pm. The meeting are held at Prairie Shire, 2901 S. Martin Luther King Drive.
The next meeting is March 20, 2019.
The South Loop Dog Park Action Cooperative invites you to a meeting of purpose to discuss improvements to the Grant Park Dog Friendly Area. At the meeting, the cooperative will discuss the possible installation of a large artificial strip in the asphalt area, installation of artificial turf to replace the 'pea gravel' area, installation of clustered seating areas and the addition of a water source/water fountain outside the dog park fence. The meeting will take place
Thursday, February 21 at 6 P.M. at the Maggie Daley Park Fieldhouse (337 E. Randolph Street).
South Loop Business Exchange Networking Event
March 14, 5 - 7 pm
Fatpour
2606 S. Indiana
Great event hosted by the South Loop Business Exchange at the new Fatpour in the South Loop. $30 includes your drinks and appetizers. Come out to network, meet new people and have a great time! Click here to purchase tickets
Museum Free Days
Field Museum:
February 1-28
Adler Planetarium:
February 18-21, 26-28
Shedd Aquarium
Every weekday in February
Art Institute of Chicago
In addition to the free admission on every Thursday evening from 5 - 8 pm, all daylong free admission is available every weekday from January 7- February 15 and February 19-20.
Museum of Science and Industry
February 19-21, 25-28
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Benjamin Cottrell - Vice-President
Benjamin heads up his own firm - Benjamin Cottrell Designs, which is an innovative, full-service design firm, specializing in Interior Design and Event Production. Benjamin joined the board in 2012 and has served as both our secretary and vice-president, and for the past four years has served as the Chair of Loft Walk. Always the innovator, he took on the photo show in 2017 and over the years has set-up various collaborations with local businesses.
Robert Degnan - Secretary
Rob joined the board of South Loop Neighbors in 2014. He is an alumni of the University of Illinois at Chicago where he earned Bachelor's and Master's Degrees and is now working on a PhD. He is a veteran having served 8 years as a reservist in the U.S. Marine Corps, and has worked for the City of Chicago since 1994, currently for the city's Department of Transportation. He served as secretary this past year and played a dual role of Membership Chair which had him organizing the annual member dinner. He has also been involved in various ways with all of our projects.
Christine Hunt - Director
Christine is an attorney in private practice in the South Loop and is an adjunct professor at The John Marshall Law School. Christine joined the board in December 2014 and has been extremely active in the operations of SLN. Christine previously served as President of the Association where she oversaw all of the organization's external relations and internal and external communications. She has also been deeply involved with the annual Loft Walk, and organized the Night Out at Sox Park.
Roger joined the South Loop Board in December 2016, and has taken on several projects this past year. Those of you who were at the candidate's meeting might remember his impressive presentation on charting the voting patterns of residents in the 4th Ward. He's done similar studies on crime in our area as well. He has been involved with a variety of our projects, especially outreach-related ones such as passing out ice cream and public information the farmer's market, as well as at the Spoke and Bird.
Dennis McClendon - Vice-President of Planning & Development
Dennis probably doesn't need much of an introduction, expect for those who are new to South Loop Neighbors, as Dennis is pretty close to being the face of South Loop Neighbors, for his long tenure with the organization and its predecessor - Historic Printer's Row - and has held multiple positions, including President and Vice-President over the years. He is an attorney and the proprietor of Chicago CartoGraphics, a design firm that specializes in maps and information graphics.
Dorothy Miaso - Treasurer
Dorothy joined the board in December 2013 and has served as Treasurer for the past two years. She has spearheaded the annual Night at Jazz Showcase, assisted with most of the organization's activities, and, like all of the board members has been involved in various ways with the Loft Walk. She is the Executive Director of the Literacy Volunteers of Illinois, and a past community member of the Local School Council of Jones College Prep.
Jim worked in law enforcement administration for over 30 years and for 20 years has been an adjunct faculty member at a suburban community college. He is a retired chief of police for a suburban community and is very active in Rotary, where he serves as an International Service Advisor regarding volunteer service projects another countries. After retiring from law enforcement, he settled in to the South Loop and is a Realtor with the South Loop office for Baird & Warner.
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