Bring on Spring!

At our last meeting, we noted that Pulaski Elston Business Association (“PEBA”) and SSA#79 will provide funding and management of bump-out and garden maintenance within the SSA service zone, which extends primarily along Lawrence and Pulaski. This aligns with Lawrence Avenue streetscape improvements that were approved in the last round of the 39th Ward’s Participatory Budgeting program. It leaves us responsible for just a few community gardens outside that zone. Thank you PEBA, SSA#79 businesses, and Alderman Nugent! Thanks also to our many volunteers, especially Wally Eliasen and Tom Keating, who have worked tirelessly for decades on our bump-outs and community gardens!

We also discussed efforts to assist relocation of the Thai Town Sculpture currently located on Pulaski Avenue just north of Montrose. Now that Thai Town has ceased operations, the owner would like to move the Sculpture to an appropriate location within the community. We have been working with him, Chicago Sculpture International and the Park District, with support from Alderman Nugent, PEBA, the North River Commission, and others, to find a proper home. Mayfair Park was proposed, but the Sculpture was considered overwhelming to the site. Current discussions focus on the portion of Eugene Field at the south-east corner of Foster and Pulaski, which has fencing, gates, walkways, lighting, and benches, making it a protected and inviting space to relax and view the Sculpture. We will continue discussion at our next meeting.

Finally, remember that April is National Poetry month, with celebrations throughout the City. We have worked with the North River Commission, Chicago Poetry Center, and local educational institutions, including NEIU, North Park University, Volta Elementary and Lawrence Hall, to coordinate storefront poetry installations and a series of Poetry Slams. Rany Management has generously provided storefront locations and installations will begin soon. Keep your eyes open and let us know what you think.
 
We hope to see you at our next Zoom meeting. See access information posted elsewhere herein.

2023 Meeting Schedule

Mayfair Civic Association meetings are generally held on the second Thursday of every month. No meetings are held in January, July, or August. These are the remaining dates for 2023. These are suggested meeting dates and topics, subject to any comments you may provide, but will be followed in the absence of alternative suggestions. Our Board generally meets quarterly as determined by Board members.

April 13 Zoning & Development	June 8 TBD	November 9 Annual Party Planning
May 11 Mayfair Park	September 14 Traffic & Parking	December 7 Holiday Party
	October 12 Elections

Membership Meetings

Here are some details from the February and March meetings of the Mayfair Civic Association.

Thanks to the neighbors, as well as to the offices of Alderman Nugent for Ward 39, Representative Mike Kelly for District 15, and Congressman Quigley for Illinois 5th District, for attending.

Reminder: The MCA is looking for a new treasurer!

If you or someone you know has accounting skills and would like to get more involved and contribute directly to your neighborhood, Mayfair Civic Association is looking for a new treasurer. Those interested can contact MCA President Ron Duplack at rduplack@rieckcrotty.com. Thank you for your support!

Public Art

Ron Duplack, MCA President, has been talking to a number of people about various initiatives to get public art installed throughout the neighborhood. Last year, plans by Mayfair Civic Association and Mayfair PAC to co-sponsor a sculpture installation with Chicago Sculpture International fell through. Duplack said that CSI is willing to present alternative sculptures again this year.

Duplack has also been in talks with Arun Sampanthavivat, who owns a beautiful Thai sculpture installation at the former location of the Taste of Thai Town restaurant at 4461 N Pulaski.

The sculpture is of a Thai figure and was made in Thailand. With the restaurant now being closed, Sampathavivat has agreed to make the sculpture available to the neighborhood if we could find an appropriate location. The sculpture has a figure inside a housing structure, and the whole thing has a fairly large footprint (approximately 7 1/2′ wide and over 12′ tall in the housing structure) that limits the number of places it could be located. However, the figure and the housing are separate, so it may be possible to reduce the footprint by having the figure without the housing. Meeting attendees considered multiple possible locations at both meetings, including:

• The area near the garden-lined entrance into the neighborhood from the Montrose blue line El station, or other similar vacant strips of land along the interstate or El line which are owned by different parties (IDOT, CDOT, etc.). Ownership of these locations would need to be determined.
• The garden at the corner of Elston and Lawrence, which was later determined to be too small.
• The southeast corner of Foster and Pulaski, which used to have a CTA bus lot, but is now part of Eugene Field Park.
• Mayfair Park or Gompers Park

Since our last meeting, we have been working with Chicago Sculpture International and the Park District, with support from Alderman Nugent, PEBA, the North River Commission, and others, to find a proper home. Mayfair Park was proposed, but the Sculpture was considered overwhelming to the site. Current discussions focus on the portion of Eugene Field at the south-east corner of Foster and Pulaski, which has fencing, gates, walkways, lighting, and benches, making it a protected and inviting space to relax and view the Sculpture.

Another public art project that Duplack has been working on is getting written poetry on banners that could be installed for display around the neighborhood for National Poetry Month in April. He was working with North River Commission and area real estate companies to coordinate with area schools for poetry to use and find locations to install them for display. The goal is to get the poems installed in mid-April.

Mayfair Park

Basketball court and baseball field updates

Gardeners wanted!

Other topics

Montrose Blue Line escalators

Some attendees mentioned that they’ve had to help people with mobility issues carry their luggage down the stairs at the Montrose Blue Line station. The station has two escalators, but they both go up. Instead, people thought it’d make more sense for one of them to go down instead of up, to address the mobility issue.

Barking Barrel location troubles

Due to delays in making progress with the property under consideration by Barking Barrel, discussed in the last issue’s President’s Letter, the company has decided to look for a different location.

The following are some highlights from the Alderman’s newsletters and other communications.

Participatory Budgeting Cycle 4

The 4th Cycle of Participatory Budgeting (PB) has begun! Please submit a proposal, and consider joining the committee.

Visit and Subscribe!

Visit https://aldermannugent.com/ to subscribe to Alderman Nugent’s newsletter and learn about what she’s doing for the 39th Ward. My office is open Mondays from 9am to 7pm, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9am to 5pm and Fridays from 9am to 3pm. While the office is open for walk-ins, appointments are encouraged. We ask that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, wear a mask and maintain social distancing. Please reach out should you have any questions, comments, or concerns at 773-736-5594 or via email at Ward39@CityOfChicago.Org.

In the Neighborhood

Local Events and Information

Mayfair Park Events

Mayfair PAC meetings are held on the first Monday of every month at 6:00pm at the field house. The meeting in April is moved to April 10th due to Elections day.

We hope you are all well and coping with the winter weather.

Our last event was a community gathering held in December at Marie’s Pizza in lieu of a meeting. It served as our traditional holiday celebration and a welcomed chance to visit in person to conclude 2022 on a high note. Several photos are included in this Newsletter, highlighting festivities and the fabulous holiday decorations always on hand at Marie’s. Many thanks to Nadine!

We recently co-sponsored the 39th Ward Candidate Forum held at the Irish American Heritage Center. Turnout was substantial. We hope that you were able to attend and gauge candidates’ positions and platforms. Elections are being held on February 28 and April 4. We encourage you to exercise your voting privileges and civic duties to support your candidate.

During our winter break from meetings, we were busy working with the Pulaski Elston Business Association to coordinate efforts to maintain attractive community amenities. PEBA represents community businesses and acts as the service provider for SSA#79 which was created in January 2022 to provide services within the business district that supplement those provided by the City. PEBA has graciously agreed to provide funding and management of bump-out and garden maintenance within the SSA service zone. This will leave us responsible for just a few community gardens outside that zone, greatly diminishing our financial and volunteer commitments. PEBA is also supporting our efforts to bring more public art to the community, including murals and sculptures. We will provide an update at our next meeting.

Another discussion item for our next meeting is a development proposal that was referred to our attention by Alderman Nugent. It involves The Barking Barrel, a potential new brewery/dog care concept proposed for 4300 W Montrose. It will need a zoning change and we have been discussing the project with its owners. If preliminary plans are available, they will attend the meeting; if not, they will present at a later date.
 
We hope to see you at our next Zoom meeting. See the enclosed schedule of this year’s meeting dates.

2023 Meeting Schedule

Mayfair Civic Association meetings are generally held on the second Thursday of every month. No meetings are held in January, July, or August. These are the remaining dates for 2023. These are suggested meeting dates and topics, subject to any comments you may provide, but will be followed in the absence of alternative suggestions. Our Board generally meets quarterly as determined by Board members.

February 9 Planning	May 11 Mayfair Park	October 12 Elections
March 9 Kedvale Playlot/Gardens	June 8 TBD	November 9 Annual Party Planning
April 13 Zoning & Development	September 14 Traffic & Parking	December 7 Holiday Party

Membership Meetings

Here are some details from the November, 2022 meeting and holiday party of the Mayfair Civic Association.

Reminder: The MCA is looking for a new treasurer!

If you or someone you know has accounting skills and would like to get more involved and contribute directly to your neighborhood, Mayfair Civic Association is looking for a new treasurer. Those interested can contact MCA President Ron Duplack at rduplack@rieckcrotty.com. Thank you for your support!

US Congressman Mike Quigley, Illinois 5th District

US Congressman Mike Quigley of the 5th District of Illinois attended the November membership meeting. He was re-elected to his position during the 2022 midterms in November, and thanked the community for their continued support. The Congressman started with a reminder that community service in the district is always the most important thing that his office does. To contact the Congressman’s office, please refer to his website at https://quigley.house.gov.

District boundary changes, lost part of Mayfair

Congressman Quigley mentioned that he lost part of the neighborhood due to the district boundaries changing; the area is roughly north of Elston, west of Pulaski, south of Lawrence. The Congressman said that 40% of his district is new to his office, following the changes. For a comparison of the district before and after the boundary changes, see the following maps from the census:

• Before: https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/cong_dist/cd109_named/cd_based/Illinois/cd109_IL05_3.pdf
• After: https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/cong_dist/cd117/cd_based/ST17/CD117_IL05.pdf

The Mayfair neighborhood boundaries are also available for comparison on this website at About Us.

Gun violence protection

Congressman Quigley said that President Biden’s administration is a return somewhat to past norms and levels of civility except that, ironically, they now had to walk through metal detectors to get onto the House floor. On the topic of gun violence, the Congressman mentioned passing the first gun violence measure in decades. As a vocal advocate of gun violence protection, he was recently named Vice Chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. For more information, see the announcement.

Earmarks for FY23

The Congressman was able to get a number of community projects funded with earmarks approved in 2022. For Fiscal Year 2023, he has proposed a number of new projects, including:

• Chicago Park District Lincoln Park, Conservatory Renovations
• Chicago Park District California Park, Multi-use Trail Connection
• Carole Robertson Center for Learning in Albany Park, Capital Improvements
• Chicago Public Schools, Art Supplies and Equipment
• Shedd Aquarium, Pathways to Environmental Education
• Chicago Police Memorial Foundation Get Behind the Vest Program, 1000 Bullet Proof Vests for Chicago Police Department

For a full list of community project submissions, requested funding amounts, and detailed project descriptions, visit the Congressman’s Community Project Funding page.

Inflation Reduction Act

In August, Congressman Quigley voted for the Inflation Reduction Act. He highlighted that the Act, among other things:

• Ends the ban on Medicare negotiating prescription drug prices: allows Medicare to negotiate the price of prescription drugs, prevents excessive price hikes, and caps out-of-pocket costs to $2,000.
• Lowers energy costs and delivers largest-ever climate action: invests in domestic energy production and manufacturing, while reducing carbon emissions by roughly 40 percent by 2030 with historic investments in energy security and tackling the climate crisis.

For more details on the Inflation Reduction Act, refer to https://quigley.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/quigley-votes-fight-climate-change-reduce-inflation.

Questions for the Congressman

A meeting attendee was concerned about Medicare Advantage. Their parents were on regular Medicare, but were getting “swamped” by ads for Advantage. The advertising was of concern because it created confusion about Medicare Advantage being private rather than public healthcare, and because of recent findings that the program denies needed care to 1000s of authorization requests annually (see the New York Times article). The Congressman said that he’s been concerned about the program for a long time, agreed that the ads confuse people, and also pointed out that doctors are pressured to prescribe drugs. There are things that can be done, Quigley said, but it depends a lot on who becomes Speaker and the balance of power in the House.

Alderman Nugent

Alderman Samantha Nugent was in attendance at the November meeting, and said that the Chicago Department of Transportation had a list of the 21 bump-out gardens in need of repair for the Lawrence Avenue Revitalization project that was funded in 2022 by Participatory Budgeting Cycle 3 and that more info would be forthcoming on these repairs. An attendee expressed concern that work hadn’t started yet on these bump-out repairs, and it was agreed that a schedule of CDOT’s repair plans it would be useful.

Alderman Nugent also mentioned that the new flags on Lawrence Avenue were put up by the SSA #79 Lawrence/Pulaski/Elston.

Questions

An attendee asked about the future of the site formerly used by Suzie’s, which closed last year. A sign was posted on the property, but with no information on plans. The Alderman didn’t know, but said that she would find out.

There was another question about the details of what would be put in at 4433 N Elston. This location was formerly a 2-story retail commercial building, but has a building permit to make the 1st floor an “artisan work space”. You can find public data about building permits at https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/bldgs/dataset/building_permits.html.

Mayfair Park sculpture updates

Mayfair Civic Association President Ron Duplack informed the attendees that, due to health issues, the designer of the sculpture that was chosen to be installed at Mayfair Park (see Volume 26, Issue 4 for details) was unable to be on-site for the installation. Duplack asked for input on whether or not to move forward with the sculpture installation without the designer, or try again later. It was agreed that the sculptor should be there for the installation, and also given how late we were in the year already, it was decided to hold off on an installation until maybe Spring, even though it means that this particular sculpture may not be available at that time.

Holiday Party

Here are some photos from the MCA holiday party in December at Marie’s Pizza. The decorations were amazing!

Dear Neighbor, 

I hope you had a relaxing holiday season spent with family and friends. 

The holiday decorations installed by Special Service Area 79 on the main streets throughout Mayfair made Lawrence, Pulaski, Cicero, and Montrose feel especially festive. I am looking forward to seeing the work the SSA will do this spring with the Civic Association to landscape and plant in the bump-outs along Lawrence Avenue. Thank you to the Pulaski Elston Business Association and the Commissioners of SSA 79.

The Chicago Department of Transportation has been out to survey Lawrence and is expected to begin concrete repairs to the bump-outs this year. Last fall, ironwork began on some of the fences. This work is part of the winning $50,000 Participatory Budgeting Project from the last cycle. 

At City Council in January, I was proud to present six appointees to the newly formed Urban Forestry Advisory Board (UFAB) on behalf of the Committee on Environmental Protection and Energy. UFAB brings city departments and private partners together to care for, enhance, and protect the urban tree canopy. The tree-lined streets of Mayfair are one of the things that make the community so special. The board will work to ensure existing trees are protected, and new trees are planted, and if critical infrastructure work has to be done in the parkway, it is done in the least invasive and disruptive way. 

As always, my office is here to help. We are located at 4200 W. Lawrence Ave. and are open to the public Mondays from 9 am to 7 pm, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9 am to 5 pm, and Friday from 9 am to 3 pm. Please contact us at 773.736.5594 or ward39@cityofchicago.org if you need any city services or have any questions. 

Very Truly Yours,

Alderman Samantha Nugent

In the Neighborhood

39th Ward Aldermanic Forum for Feb 28 Municipal Election

The 39th Ward Aldermanic Forum for the upcoming Municipal Election on February 28 was held at the Irish American Heritage Center on January 19. Incumbent candidate Alderman Samantha Nugent and challenger Denali Dasgupta discussed topics of interest to the community.

For more info, here are a few links:

• Video recording of the forum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlcXQSYdnlM
• Nadig coverage on forum: https://nadignewspapers.com/alderman-nugent-dasgupta-discuss-variety-of-issues-at-39th-ward-candidates-forum
• Candidate profiles on Block Club Chicago: https://blockclubchicago.org/2023/01/17/ald-samantha-nugent-faces-data-researcher-in-bid-for-2nd-term-representing-northwest-side
• Info on the Municipal Election: https://blockclubchicago.org/2023/01/25/chicago-2023-election-mayor-alderman-voting-everything-you-need-to-know-for-election-day-feb-28

Local Events and Information

Mayfair Park Valentine’s Events

North Park Village “Building for the Future Campaign”

For the first time in 40 years, you, your family, friends, and neighbors are invited to offer their opinions on where N V goes for the next 40 ears – Take the “Your Voice Still Counts Survey” and also, check out information about North Park Village History as well.

For more information and to take the survey, visit https://northrivercommission.org/npvbuildingforthefuture.

At our last meeting Alderman Nugent addressed a variety of community issues, including Lawrence Avenue improvement efforts.

The Alderman will report again at our next meeting, and we have invited Congressman Mike Quigley to visit with us while he is in town for other business. We expect both will have lots to say about the midterm elections which conclude just two days before the meeting.

Because of Covid it’s been over a year since we have had a physical meeting. We discussed the possibility of having one in December, perhaps an informal social event in lieu of our Annual Party, similar to the event held last November at Marie’s outdoor, heated plaza. Attendees would have to provide proof of vaccination, boosters, etc., masks would be available and other state health guidelines would be followed. This will be a discussion topic at our next meeting, as will the status of the sculpture installation for Mayfair Park.

Please mark your calendar and be sure to attend our next meeting on Thursday, November 10. Contact information is provided elsewhere in the Newsletter.

Finally, and perhaps more importantly, please be sure to vote next Tuesday.

The Mayfair Civic Association now has a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mayfaircivic. We’ll post announcements there as well as to our email group at https://groups.google.com/g/mayfair-civic, including announcements of new issues of this newsletter.

If you would like to contribute an article or other content to this newsletter, please reach out to me at mayfair-civic-newsletter@googlegroups.com. We have a distribution of 100s of Mayfair neighbors and growing. For more information on contributing to the newsletter, visit the Newsletter page.

Membership Meetings

Here are some details from the September and October meeting of the Mayfair Civic Association.

Reminder: The MCA is looking for a new treasurer!

If you or someone you know has accounting skills and would like to get more involved and contribute directly to your neighborhood, Mayfair Civic Association is looking for a new treasurer. Those interested can contact MCA President Ron Duplack at rduplack@rieckcrotty.com. Thank you for your support!

Alderman highlights flooding impact and infrastructure work

At the October membership meeting, Alderman Nugent discussed the impact of the recent flooding on the neighborhood due to sudden heavy rains, saying that Mayfair had been hit “pretty hard”, along with Sauganash Park and Forest Glen. The Alderman said that the water department was out non-stop. The system has limited capacity for water intake, and that capacity was reached in some areas, causing the flooding. For more information, see the earlier post focused on the details of the flooding event.

On the topic of infrastructure, Alderman Nugent said Kedvale and Kasson were being resurfaced, along with the sidewalks from Keeler to Tripp. Additionally, Participatory Budgeting is starting up again soon. During the last session, we were able to get some pretty great things funded for our neighborhood, being granted $50,000 for Lawrence Ave beautification as indicated in the April issue of this newsletter. The Alderman urged us to get involved again. More details on the upcoming Participatory Budgeting cycle can be found in the Alderman’s section of this newsletter.

The Pulaski/Elston SSA #79 commissioners have been confirmed in council, and the SSA has secured a snow management contract.

Updates from Representative Mike Kelly’s office

Katie El-Ali from State Representative Mike Kelly’s office mentioned during the October meeting that their office has been working on trailer bills for the “safety act” and the “pretrial fairness act”, which this newsletter assumes is referring to the Furniture Fire Safety Act HB5407 and CD CORR-RELEASEE-REENTRY INFO HB3653, respectively. For more information on HB3653, there is also this nice website for the act. El-Ali also announced that the work is done on the I-94 Peterson Bridge.

If you have questions or would like more info, feel free to contact Katie El-Ali from Representative Kelly’s office via email at katie@repkelly.com or phone at 773-736-0218.

Mayfair Park

Sculptures

At the September meeting, we discussed the sculptures that were mentioned in the September issue of this newsletter. As mentioned in that issue, we asked members via our email list to vote in August on which of 5 sculptures they preferred. The voting resulted in a tie between the two depicted in the September issue. After some deliberation during the meeting, we chose the wooden sculpture by Charlie Brouwer entitled “Happy Wanderers”. At the October meeting, MCA President Ron Duplack provided an update that the sculptures would be installed at the end of that month! Thanks to Ron for leading the effort to install a sculpture, it’s going to be a nice feature in the park!

New Supervisor and park sign

Jon Litwin attended the September meeting and shared that Mayfair Park has a new supervisor: Yesenia Mayén. Jon said Yesenia comes from Portage Park and that everyone is happy to have her, and they wish the best for the former supervisor Jose Mercado.

Jon also mentioned that the park has been having some issues with their sign, which has been stolen a number of times. At the time of the meeting, the park no longer had a sign. The issue has been brought to the attention of the Alderman.

Businesses parking vehicle inventory on the side of the road

At the September meeting, an attendee raised the issue of broken, undriveable cars parked on the side of the road on Elston, perhaps overflow from repair shops in the neighborhood. The concern was that many residents are going to want to use those parking spaces in the winter. Goode Plumbing is also known to use orange cones to block parking spots on the road for their service vehicles, and there is concern about equitable access to the spots. The issue has been raised with the Alderman’s office.

In the Neighborhood

Voting

Early voting has begun. The early voting location in the 39th Ward is at the North Park Village Administration Building – 5801 N Pulaski Road. The site is open weekdays from 9:00am to 6:00pm; Saturdays from 9:00am to 5:00pm; Sundays from 10:00am to 4:00pm; and on Election Day (Nov. 8) from 6:00am to 7:00pm. Your regular Election Day polling location may have changed. You can confirm your polling location at ChicagoElections.gov or by the Board of Elections at 312-269-7900.

Salute to American Heroes Veterans Day Program

It is my pleasure to invite you to the Annual Mayfair Salute to American Heros Veterans Day Program on Sunday, November 6th at 10am at the Mayfair Veterans Memorial at the corner of Lawrence and Keeler. The event honors our neighborhood veterans, first responders, and educators. I hope you will join me and the Mayfair Veterans Committee for this event.

Street lights

I’ve launched a new service request drive for street and alley lights that are out. With it getting darker earlier in the evening, if you notice a light is out, please call my office at 773-736-5594 or email Ward39@CityofChicago.org. Be sure to take note of the address of the light if it is on the street or the address it is behind if the light is in the alley.

Participatory Budgeting

I will be rolling out the 4th cycle of Participatory Budgeting (PB) for the Ward in the coming weeks. PB is a democratic process in which community members directly decide how to spend part of the public budget, also known as the menu. Please be sure to watch my newsletter, Facebook, and check back in this newsletter for more information.

Joining the PB Committee is a great way to get involved with neighbors from across the Ward. The committee meets to review and develop proposals and set the ballot. I would also like to encourage you to submit ideas for the PB process. If you have an idea for an infrastructure improvement in the Ward, PB is a great way to help bring the idea to life.

If you need assistance with any city services or have any questions, please call my office at 773-736-5594 or ward39@cityofchicago.org. We are here to help.

Visit and Subscribe!

Visit https://aldermannugent.com/ to subscribe to Alderman Nugent’s newsletter and learn about what she’s doing for the 39th Ward. My office is open Mondays from 9am to 7pm, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9am to 5pm and Fridays from 9am to 3pm. While the office is open for walk-ins, appointments are encouraged. We ask that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, wear a mask and maintain social distancing. Please reach out should you have any questions, comments, or concerns at 773-736-5594 or via email at Ward39@CityOfChicago.Org.

Local Events and Information

17th District Chicago Police Explorers

17th District Community Room
4650 N. Pulaski Rd.
19 November 2022 at 11:00AM

How to apply – Explorers must be between the ages of 14-20. Complete an application and have it signed by a parent or guardian.

What to expect – Explorers will also have an opportunity to go on a field trips or volunteer for community events. This will require the parent or guardian to sign a permission slip and have two emergency contact phone numbers provided. The Explorer will receive community service hours for events and field trips that are taken. Explorers will learn Police functions and participate in real life Police training.

Who to contact – 17th District CAPS office (312) 742-4588 or email us at caps.017district@chicagopolice.org.

North Park Village “Building for the Future Campaign”

For the first time in 40 years, you, your family, friends, and neighbors are invited to offer their opinions on where N V goes for the next 40 ears – Take the “Your Voice Still Counts Survey” and also, check out information about North Park Village History as well.

For more information and to take the survey, visit https://northrivercommission.org/npvbuildingforthefuture.

I’m trying a new web-based format for this issue of the newsletter. I hope you like it. All the same information should be here as was in the previous PDF format. If there is information or anything from the previous format that isn’t represented here that you’d like to see, or anything about how this information is presented that you have thoughts on, feel free to contact the newsletter committee.

Welcome back from Summer break! We hope that everyone was able to take advantage of the fine weather and relaxed Covid restrictions to spend time with family and friends, both in town and wherever travels may have led you.

We started Summer with the return of Dance Avondale in Mayfair Park during June. They showcased classical, modern, and other dance formats. Turnout was substantial and everyone had a great time. See photos below.

In August, we enjoyed a performance by Barrett Haselwood in the Mayfair Branch Library. Barrett is a Detroit native multi-instrumentalist and vocalist. He served as a cruise musical director, managing on-board live music programming on cruises throughout the world. He moved to Chicago and has been performing individually as Ukulele Barrett and as a member of various groups. His repertoire covered jazz, pop, and classical musical formats.

Also in August, we were disappointed to learn that the Bountiful Bench sculptor received an offer to purchase the sculpture upon closing of the Dubuque River Walk exhibit, making it unavailable for us. Chicago Sculpture International and the Park District worked with us to identify possible alternate sculptures to enable installation along the initial September timeframe. Potential alternates were circulated by email to our members and voting resulted in a virtual tie between Charlie Brouwer’s Happy Wanderers and Todd Whiting’s Buddies. Consequently, we will discuss these two at our next meeting and hope you who have voted so far will attend, with anyone else that wants to cast a vote. Photos of Happy Wanderers and Buddies appear below.

We will meet via Zoom at 6:30pm on Thursday, September 8. Contact information appears above. We hope to see you then.

Membership Meetings

Here are some details from the June meeting of the Mayfair Civic Association.

Reminder: The MCA is looking for a new treasurer!

If you or someone you know has accounting skills and would like to get more involved and contribute directly to your neighborhood, Mayfair Civic Association is looking for a new treasurer. Those interested can contact MCA President Ron Duplack at rduplack@rieckcrotty.com. Thank you for your support!

New prospective business: The Doggy Dojo

Oscar and Carlos, cofounders of The Doggy Dojo, introduced their business to the community as they were under contract to purchase the property at 4207 W Lawrence in order to expand. The Doggy Dojo is an “active day care” for dogs that has been in operation since 2010. They provide crate-free daycare, pick-up and drop-off. They’re staffed 24/7, and even offer crate-free overnight “slumber parties” with a team member.

The Doggy Dojo was working with Alderman Nugent’s office to get B3 zoning approval for the property, and were scheduled to close on the purchase by July 29 if all went as planned. The property is 5,000 square feet and Oscar said that they planned to put in big front windows and skylights, and had the capital to begin construction ASAP.

Kids throwing rocks from Mayfair Metra station

In June we received notice and a call for help from the owners of Chicago Costume and Lake Effect Brewing, located at 4727 W Montrose, about kids throwing large rocks and bricks from the Montrose Metra station platform. The rocks had broken a customer’s car window while they were parked at the business, and damaged other property. There were also complaints of graffiti from those business owners, as well from the owners of Omega Yeast, located on the other side of the Metra tracks from the other two businesses.

Mayfair Civic Association members worked with the Alderman’s office and Chicago Police to make sure that this matter got the necessary attention. The Alderman’s office was quick to reach out to Metra, who had agreed to conduct more patrol at the station in the hopes of deterring any additional damage.

Irish American Heritage Center open again

The Irish American Heritage Center has fully-reopened now (including 5th Province!). The topic was raised of:

• If or when we want to begin meeting again in person, either full-time or some other arrangement.
• If we want to have this year’s holiday party at the IAHC or in person some other way.

If you have thoughts on this matter, please contact MCA President Ron Duplack or bring them to the upcoming meeting for discussion.

Beautification

Our garden bumpouts and flower boxes are looking fantastic this summer! And this is due to the Mayfair Beautification Committee’s hardworking garden volunteers. Our gardens and flower boxes are now ready for the next phase of work to be done and getting them ready for next spring.

Later this month would be a great time to pull weeds or toss your tired-looking, heat-exhausted summer plants into the compost pile (without any guilt). Planting perennials and bulbs next month and in November is another way to get gardens ready for next year. Give your perennial beds a layer of mulch around the crowns of your plants to reduce the change of frost heaving. Taking care of these tasks will save you time in spring and help reduce the amount of pest and disease problems you might have to deal with next spring.

We would like to give a big thank you our amazing volunteers’ contribution and time in maintaining these garden bump outs. Our gratitude goes out to: Lillie Ashbury and Karen Lynn Augustyn, Kathy Payne, Tom Keating, Darlene McDermott, Pam and Ray Sanders, Wally and Bea Eliasen, Eric Skotmyr, and the staff at Garcia Muffler, Mobil Gas Station, Tohle Funeral, Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins, The Chicago Dental Studio, AT&T, and Bertsch Properties.

We also want to thank the following businesses that sponsored the garden bump outs: Laborers International Union – Local #6, Clark Street Sports, Garcia Mufflers Corporation, Halogen Supply Company, Inc., Mayfair Shell, Mendoza Security, Hala In Restaurant, We Wash Car Care Center, Brian J. Grienenberger from www.BrokerBrianG.com, Alderman Samantha Nugent, State Representative Mike Kelly, 15th District, Easy Breezy Laundry & Dry Cleaner, and Dispatch Taxi Affiliation.

Lastly, a huge thank you to the following businesses that sponsored the planters: B & G Auto Therapists, Easy Breezy, The Fish Guy Market, Gerber Collision & Glass, Imperial Lighting Maintenance Company, Laborers International Union – Local #6, Plant Shop Chicago, Schuham Builders Supply, Inc., and Star North Management LLC.

You all help make our community a beautiful place to live! For more information on garden sponsorship and volunteering please contact Gabby Lambesis at gabsterlamb@gmail.com or call 773-593-3093.

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