Horner Park Advisory Council
Meeting Minutes
May 4, 2015
The HPAC meeting was called to order at the Horner Park Fieldhouse at 7:10pm.
Previous Minutes:
The minutes of the April 2015 meetings were approved, pending changes.
Under-bridge Connector:
Bob Foster presented the background of the project, which was begun in 1999. In 2000 HPAC created a plan and in 2002 CPD created a master plan. All plans included an under-bridge connector so that there would be no interruption in the path from Montrose to Belmont.
Moira Coughlin of the Chicago Deportment of Transportation (CDOT) reported that the project is federally funded and, pending approval from the state, construction will begin in 2017.
John Brent of Bowman, Barrett and Associates (BB&A) presented the current plans for the construction phase. During construction, there will be 2 lanes in each direction on Irving Park Road during peak hours; because of this, construction will be done in 3 stages and require 2 construction seasons for completion. There will not be any bike lanes because Irving Park is not a CDOT approved route. The original bridge was built in 1914; the new bridge will be a standard concrete and steel bridge. The bike path under the bridge has always been an integral part of plan. The preliminary design is finished and work is underway on detailed design.
Srijan Adhikari of EJM Engineering described the integration of the bike path into the park. One criteria was to make sure the footprint of bike path is not too large. Another criteria is to keep the grade of the path as low as possible; the bike path will have a grade of 6%, which is a fairly shallow grade. A wood chip walking path will be relocated to avoid crossing at the bike path at its steepest descent. The lighting under the bridge is on the city grid and will be on all the time.
John O said that we have been waiting for 16 years for the under-bridge connector and thanked the CDOT representative. Peter added that HPAC supports this project.
Bob asked that HPAC write a letter of support.
A vote was taken and passed unanimously that HPAC write the letter.
Treasurer’s Report:
The following funds are in HPAC accounts:
Checking $27,450.73
Savings $14,726.02
PayPal $5,955.05
Total $48,131.80
QuickBooks has been reconciled with these accounts.
Dog Friendly Area Committee:
Representative Mike Quigley gave $1000 to the DFA. The Ravenswood Animal Hospital also gave $1000. Their generosity is greatly appreciated by HPAC.
The DFA Committee is holding a silent auction on-line from June 21 – June 28. The auction will include such items as Cubs tickets, Sox tickets, and Vet services. They are still looking for donations.
Erica would like a presence at the farmer’s market at least 2 times per month.
Concert Committee:
29 businesses sponsored ads for a total of $4655. 66 households sponsored ads for a total of $2995. John is approaching Alderman Mell regarding sponsorship of some of the concerts.
John has 14 permits for the 14 shows and are ready to be given to Tom. The first concert is June 12.
Farmer’s Market:
The market starts June 6 ends Oct. 3. There are 24 spaces and musicians for every week. In fact, everyone who played last year is coming back. There is not going to be a HPAC tent but there will be a Farmer’s Market tent. Gretchen is working with Lynn to create a space for the dog park committee. Gretchen is looking for market volunteers to staff tables and hang banners. They can be contacted at their email address.
Their available cash is $4432.05 but there are several purchases that need to be made.
Park Briefs:
Horner Park:
Tom has ordered new basketball rims. The ones put up 2 weeks ago have already been damaged. Steve Bronkema is now working here 2 days a week, and it will be full time soon.
Ravenswood Manor Park:
New playground equipment has been installed at the park. John thanked Tom for having the pergola stained and the benches painted. The light is still out though.
There was discussion about the grassy area. Erica asked that the area stay as a play area and suggested a ground cover for the area around the tree.
Jacob Park:
Tom distributed a proposal for the changes to the park. Peter is going to email the proposal to Nate to get his comments.
Buffalo Park:
John asked for $200 for planters for Buffalo Park and Ravenswood Manor Park. Susan is taking care of Buffalo Park. A vote was taken and passed unanimously.
Sunken Gardens:
River Day is May 9, Luke is the captain.
Website Committee: No Report
Stewardship Committee:
7 people volunteered at Manor and Buffalo Parks for Earth Day. Horner Park had 3 volunteers. Peter thanked all the volunteers.
John has spoken with Liz O’Callaghan at the CPD. She has asked for pictures of Horner. The idea is to get a plant swap going.
John O Reported that there is now a $106 fee to access city hydrants.
New Business:
River Day – May 9
Farmer’s Market Opening – June 6
First Concert: June 12
The meeting was adjourned at 9:00pm
Respectfully Submitted,
Lisa Cleveland Co-Secretary
Attendance:
Peter Schlossman – President , John Friedmann – Vice-President, Kevin Anderson – Treasurer, Amy Jahnke – Co-Secretary, Lisa Cleveland – Co-Secretary, Tom McManamon – Park Supervisor, Gretchen Helmreich – Chair, Farmer’s Market, Erica Beutler – Chair, DFA, John O’Connell – Chair, Concert Committee, Carol Maher – Neighbor, Srijan Adhikari – EJM, Moira Couglin – CDOT, Bob Foster – CPD Project Manager, Brent Kunz – BB&A
