The Chicago Police Department will be holding a Community Conversation for the consent decree required 2023 Strategic Plan later this month, on 10/25 and 10/27 @ 6pm for the 17th District.
For details, visit chicagopolice.org/convo. You can search for our police district (017) to find the meeting registration link, including dates, times, locations, and the Zoom meeting link.
You can register for either in-person, virtual attendance, or both by clicking here.
On 9/11, Mayfair and surrounding neighborhoods experienced heavy rain that exceeded the city’s capacity for water intake through the drainage systems in place. This heavy rain caused water intrusion in the homes of some neighbors. There were multiple factors that contributed to the water intrusion in affected homes.
For information on the flooding event, factors that contributed to water intrusion in home, and who to contact for assistance, please see this notice from Alderman Nugent.
Below are the documents shared by the Alderman about the heavy rain event, from the Chicago Department of Water Management, Municipal Water Reclamation District, and the Office of Emergency Management & Communications. These documents provide details on the severity of the rain event, the public and private systems that affected where the rain water went, and who to contact about possible assistance with damages.
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.
September 8 Zoom Meeting
Our next meeting will be held via Zoom at 6:30pm on September 8. Please plan to attend to discuss any topics of interest regarding the neighborhood of Mayfair. Zoom meeting attendance details will be sent out to our email list before the meeting. To join our email list, visit https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/mayfair-civic.
Letter from the President
Ron Duplack
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.
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
Lawrence Avenue Community Garden Bump Outs
Gabby Lambesis
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.
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.
In the Neighborhood
Mayfair Park Events
Pop-up farmer’s market at Irish American Heritage Center
The Northwest Side Farmer’s Market Collective is holding the last pop-up market of the year at the Irish American Heritage Center, at 4626 N Knox in the north lot. The market is scheduled for October 30 at 9:30am-1:30pm.
CAPS meetings for Beat 1722 are back in-person, and there is no Zoom or hybrid option. Meetings are held on the 3rd Wednesday of each month. The meetings for beats 1722 and 1723 are combined. The next meeting is on September 21 at 6:30pm in the Community Room of the 17th District Police Department at 4650 N Pulaski.
St. Edward School kicked-off the 2022-2023 school year with a slew of welcome week activities, including an open house, backpack blessing with ice cream social, Pre-K and Kinder family meet and greets at Mayfair Park, and a music-bumping grand entrance, complete with balloon arch, for the first day of school.
Ice cream socialFirst day entrance
The school is excited about its new partnership with NextWave STEM for K-8 STEM classes. Some of the class offerings will include an Introduction to Artificial Intelligence for K-2, Discovery of Unmanned Aviation for grades 3-5, and an Exploration of Robots for grades 6-8. This will be a year-long partnership that is sure to add great opportunities and enrichment for our students.
Grab some great food plus some “Deals on Wheels”
St Edward’s Parent Organization is hosting a Food Truck Fest (flyer) on Friday, September 9, from 5 to 9pm in the Parish parking lot. Featured vendors include Harold’s Chicken, Da Pizza Dude, and Kona Ice.
During the fest, you can also take advantage of St Ed’s Green Team’s “Deals on Wheels,” (flyer) where donated, gently-used bikes and scooters will be offered for sale from 6–8pm along with free biking activities and resources from local organizations.
See the linked flyers for more information about the fest and how to donate a bike or scooter in advance.
Save the Date: St. Edward Parish’s Harvest Bash & Pig Roast on Saturday, October 1
St. Edward School celebrates 113 years of providing award-winning Catholic education to children in grades PK3 – 8th grade.
Registration continues to be open for the 2022-2023 school year. You can contact office@stedwardschool.com to schedule an in-person tour or individual Zoom tour with our principal. St. Edward School is a 2017 National Blue Ribbon Exemplary High Performing School with small class sizes and attention to each individual student. For more information, please visit our website at www.stedwardschool.com or call the office at 773-736-9133 to learn more about our outstanding academic programs and extended care.
Mayfair Civic Association 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, contact MCA President Ron Duplack at rduplack@rieckcrotty.com. Thank you for your support!
