Fruit of the Crew! -- Park Board update!

1. -- Opportunity!

As we suggested in our post Introductions All Around, certain task force members may want to get to know certain commission members. And as luck would have it, there's an opportunity for certain task force members to get to know certain commission members tonight!

The Mayor's Flood Control Task Force will be meeting tonight at City Hall in the Council chamber beginning at 6:00 pm, and the Park Ridge O'Hare Airport Commission will be meeting tonight at City Hall in the Mayor's conference room on the 2nd floor beginning at 7:00 pm!

Say 'hello' everybody!

2. -- HA HA HA!

In an October 13, 2009 online article in the Herald-Advocate, our favorite local reporter reports the stuffed to the gills! development project proposed for the southeast corner of Touhy and Rose avenues by developer Norman Hassinger of Hoffman Homes is "welcome news for Nan Parson, chairperson of the city's Fair Housing Commission and a proponent of making more lower-cost housing available to senior citizens, young adults, city employees, teachers, hospital workers and others who want to live in Park Ridge but cannot afford homes with starting prices of $500,000 or more."

Truth be told, because that's what reporting is all about, Ms. Nan Parson took her affordable housing marbles and resigned from the Fair Housing Commission back in May. Ms. Parson said as much at the Human Needs Task Force meeting (.pdf) back in June. The minutes of that meeting also let everyone know that despite the City website description of the Human Needs Task Force --

Human Needs Task Force - A group of citizens appointed by the Mayor to concern themselves with the needs of the citizens of Park Ridge and surrounding communities. The Task Force coordinates such activities as food drives, a clothes closet, medical supply closet, job clearinghouse and other related matters. Meets second Friday of the month.

-- Ms. Parson "will continue to help bring affordable housing to this City and will continue to try to educate this community and City Hall about this issue. Nan is hoping to get involved with the Ministerial Association here in town, as well as other communities, and continue to move forward with her goal of having affordable housing in this town. Nan will now be a community volunteer on this Task Force."

Oh joy! Be still our beating, bleeding hearts!

3. -- What the hell has the Park District and Board been up to?

If PRU readers and Park Board wannabes are looking for something to do tomorrow night, there's a Regular Board Meeting, October 15, 7:30 pm in the Board Room at the Maine Park Leisure Center, 2701 Sibley.

But if PRU readers and Park Board wannabes were hoping to preview a Board packet for tomorrow's meeting, you're shit out of luck. You'll have to content yourselves with the board packets of meetings past or guessing the details of the items on the meeting agenda (.pdf).

Addendum! -- Looks as if somebody got somebody's rear in gear!

The Park Board packet for tonight's meeting is here (.pdf)

There Goes The Neighborhood! A Two-fer.

Item #1



Just look at those happy little bastards, especially that one on the lower left. Who needs that in the neighborhood?

Two stories about a local child care center, Christie's Carousel of Learning operating out of the Park Ridge Presbyterian Church, 1300 W. Crescent Ave., caught the attention of the PRU Crew last week.

We first read about the issue of a special use permit for the center in the Journal & Topics: Residents Raise Day Care Concerns; then in the Herald-Advocate: Neighbors object to preschool's relocation, playground plans.

According to the Herald-Advocate report, Alderman Jim Allspaghetti (4th Ward) said that, "the school generates too much traffic and is an inappropriate use for the residential area." The report went on to say that Allspaghetti, "whose ward includes the Presbyterian Church, said he has received calls from many neighbors who are unhappy that the school moved there." Maybe Allspaghetti's constituents told him they would rather have 4-story condominium projects that exceed the new city zoning code for density? We're just wondering...

Both reports included an interesting piece of information about the fact that until recently the "center was located for more than 20 years in St. Mary's Episcopal Church. That church recently asked them to leave because they wanted to use the center's space for other things."

Things that make you go hhhmmmm...


Item #2

The PRU Crew knows how to throw a party. We get together and read meeting minutes and agendas for city committees and commissions. We are nothing if not one helluva rockin' good time!

We hadn't checked in on the Human Needs Task Force for a while, so we decided to make their most recent set of posted October minutes and November agenda part of our party games.

Then we remembered another recent story we read in the Herald-Advocate: Hope for the homeless: Churches hope to start PADS program here

We wonder if the newly available space at St. Mary's Episcopal Church is being readied for a PADS Program? Any knowledgeable PRU readers out there?

Or maybe Aldermoron Allspaghetti thinks his constituents would rather have a homeless shelter in their local Presbyterian church?

All together now -

It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood,
A beautiful day for a neighbor.
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?

It's a neighborly day in this beauty wood,
A neighborly day for a beauty.
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?

I've always wanted to have a neighbor just like you.
I've always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you.
So, let's make the most of this beautiful day.
Since we're together we might as well say:
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?
Won't you be my neighbor?

Won't you please,Won't you please?
Please won't you be my neighbor?