April 28, 2008

It's Raining Meetings!


Commercial Art & Illustration

If you are a resident of Park Ridge, but especially a resident of the 5th Ward, you may be interested in two meetings scheduled for this evening.

First up is the
St. Mary's PADS Community Information Night. The 6:30 pm meeting is billed as informational, but the PRU Crew believes this is one of those evenings designed to accomplish two things; 1) allow St. Mary's and the Park Ridge Ministerial Association to sell, sell, sell their PADS homeless shelter idea to the St. Mary's neighbors, and 2) gain forgiveness from the community for St. Mary's and the PRMA's having failed to ask anything resembling permission for this project from the St. Mary's neighbors.

We hear that St. Mary's and the PRMA were asked if it was possible to reschedule the PADS Community Information Night because there is also a
7:30 pm Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting this evening, but St. Mary's and the PRMA declined to accomodate that request.

The Planning and Zoning Commission will be discussing a rather important change to the zoning ordinance that would allow for an expansion of high-density R-5 zoning into more areas "adjacent to" the "Central Business District".

If you love very tall and highly dense residential developments, then R-5 is for you! Show up at the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting tonight and give them your heartfelt support and thanks for this proposed change.

Post addendum -- resource provided by a PRU reader: A Guide to Counting Unsheltered Homeless People Second Revision -.pdf

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Whatever happened to "Charity begins at home?" If there are residents of Park Ridge who have become homeless, let's identify them and try to help them. If every community did that with their own homeless, we wouldn't need these chains of flophouses.

Anonymous said...

Finally, I agree here.

Anonymous said...

PRU got it right. The PADS and Saint Mary's are looking for forgiveness because it is easier to ask for than permission. I for one will not be giving my forgiveness or my permission even if the big shots don't care how the residents feel. The place they chose is a very bad one in an area with way too many children living. I read where some person was saying that if they can't find a different place then the PADS should open at Saint Mary's anyway. NO! Are these people stupid? A PADS at Saint Mary's is not right.

Anonymous said...

i love very tall and highly dense residential developments...in places like chicago, arlington heights or des plaines. but since i have no desire to move there, what can we do to prevent the pro-development money grubbers (like frimark and his gang) from ruining our town? and don't say "go to the planning & zoning meeting" because most of those commissioners are frimark tools and the same rubber stamps who keep on giving the developers variances and other goodies.

Anonymous said...

The meeting tonight is for neither permission or forgiveness--it is an opportunity to educate people on the FACTS about homelessness and PADS, rather than letting people believe the hysteria (and misinformation) printed in this space and in the PR papers. St. Mary's does not require permission to carry out their ministries. Focus on the REAL dangers to our children here in Park Ridge--how about the multitude of speeding, running stop signs, talking on cell phone, drivers who prevent our kids from walking to school safely? They are a far bigger danger to our kids than 12 homeless people coming to stay on a Sunday night.

ParkRidgeUnderground said...

Your arrogance is impressive.

And here's a fact for you -- PADS is not a religious ministry, no matter how much you, St. Mary's, and the PRMA insist that it is.

But we're sure the parents of Park Ridge deeply appreciate your conern for their kids wellbeing.

Anonymous said...

I am a parent, and the concern is real.

Helping those in need IS a religious ministry, and PADS is a vehicle to deliver it. They provide the support and case management to these individuals once they leave the center.

Thank you for the compliment on my arrogance. I have been working with the homeless and disenfranchised for almost 15 years so, yes, I know more about homeless people than most.

ParkRidgeUnderground said...

Thank you to our anonymous contributor for the HUD link -- we've added it as an addendum to today's post.

Anon@3:13, that's great. Invite the homeless into your own home and make yourself dizzy with the spirit of giving, whippersnapper.

And just for good measure, certain members of the Crew would like to give a shout out to the atheists who also help those in need. Watch yourselves or you're going to get conscripted into heaven for all that old time religion you've been practicing.

Anonymous said...

FYI... Many people help those in need without the tenticles of the church. Call it was it really is, a simple good deed done by those with good hearts. Believe it or not there are people willing and able to do good things and don't need a church or ministry as guidence. It's done with their very own hearts and brains. So poo-poo on your ministry. Pads is a money maker on the back of the ministries volunteers. Good luck with that.

Anonymous said...

To "April 28, 2008 3:13 PM":

Your story about your 15 years of working with the homeless is obviously b.s. How do I know that? Because if it was true and not b.s., then you and the rest of the holier-than-thou PADS fans would have already shown your collective commmitment to the homeless by taking them into your own homes, and we wouldn't be having these discussions (unless your neighbors started b*tching about your occasional "guests" peeing on their petunias).

But you haven't and you won't - because you people can't/won't walk your own talk.

Anonymous said...

Why is it that all these PADS supporters are so compassionate for homeless adults but not the innocent children that will be put in harms way?? Oh, that's right they don't live by St. Mary's.

Anonymous said...

they don't even live in PARK RIDGE!