Minutes – August 1, 2017
ELVN Minutes 8/1/2017
3rd Quarter General Meeting
AC = Alderman Cappleman
AT = Alderman Tunney
2 independent attorneys have advised that our current bylaws are insufficient to attain 501c3 status. The sole reason to reconsider the bylaws is to make sure we get 501c3 status, which will allow us to get donations from large corporations.
46th Ward Update
Cappleman reports:
AC: Redefine the Drive: Put an entrance at Addison. We are now looking at some other practical ideas. Clarendon & Broadway is done, there’s a brick-like triangular pedestrian plaza there. $5,000 funds will go towards sculpture there. Will look to ELVN for input on sculpture.
Montrose, Broadway, Clarendon intersection – they are donating $10,000 for a sculpture there. Real goal is to generate buzz to raise funding for the Entertainment District in Uptown.
Viaducts where homeless live: City released a RFP. 30-day notice will be served to viaduct homeless people, who cannot stay there while the work is being done. Homeless will have to leave by mid-September.
Dave Gassman building (Eagles building) and Vermilion Development (gas station) are both going well.
Marty: To cut down 1 lane on Lake Shore drive is not feasible because of the tremendous amount of traffic that moves through the LSD.
Discussion around making a bus-only lane from Irving Park south.
Terry: Why are we even allowing people to camp out on city property?
AC: The way we’ve been providing services has not been good. We pay agencies based on services they give, not for results. City of Chicago is transitioning to a new way of funding where it’s results driven, such as how quickly we get a group of people into actual housing, and in what time frame. We have 12 difference social agencies providing the same types of help – medication, food, etc. city is trying to transition to a single agency, but progress has been slow.
Federal government has asked cities to not create policies around encampments. We will now be putting more pressure on getting ordinances enforced and to get Park Districts to follow through on ordinances.
Kit: Thanks to AC to get garbage can back at Sheridan and Fremont.
44th Ward Update
Tunney reports:
We are meeting with subset of ELVN (Kenmore, Clifton) about issues about garbage and traffic and other things, had long meeting last night. We’re going to have some recommendation of some future uses of the blue lot. There will always be Wrigley, and always asks from the community, will always need compromise.
Hotel is taller than we expected, but working with neighbors on this. Infrastructure work is scheduled to be done before the end of the year.
Addison Park will hopefully be up and functioning a year from now. Just finished some new sidewalk work on Addison. Tilt on sidewalk, spent some money to fix this. Repaved Addison and Sheffield. Still need finishing touches on Clark. Our roads are in pretty decent shape. But Broadway is a whole nightmare. The area I rep is Addition to Belmont. That project will be finished by end of August from an infrastructure perspective. Been out there with safety issues with the water department and trying to address concerns of business owners. But after August, will need to finish with new asphalt and other items. So won’t be fully completed until end of the September.
Mark: Whoever specs these jobs in the future makes sure never this fiasco never happens again. Who’s managing this project that allowed this type of dangerous renovation to take place?
AT: 2 sewer projects and 1 water main, this was too ambitions of a project. Infra was over 100 years. City decided wanted needed to get this all done during X time frame. But it’s been problematic for everyone, residents and businesses.
Terry: We need to address the Uber/Lyft issues when talking about Wrigley issues. Need designated drop-off areas. There are still party buses dropping off at Grace. Bucket boys are back, were set up on Waveland, this is a returning problem.
Wilton / Sheffield alley (Tom): This has become a makeshift taxi stand.
Jim: These TMAs are still an issue. Sometimes they are vigilant, sometimes they are not. If a party bus lets out, the TMAs aren’t much good.
AT: We did have taxi zone across from 312 where it used to be, this was before Uber, and no one used it. Uber issues have not been solved city wide.
Terry: We should have a drop-off zone at the hotel. How about having officers to sit around and ticket people for illegal drop-offs.
AT: There will be a drop-off area, but can you even get that close during a Cubs game.
AT: The police wants to bring dept of finance here to ticket cars for whatever violations they have. More tickets in 44th ward than any other wards outside of downtown. Tickets have jumped in 44th, more tickets written for a myriad of issues.
Mayor has been a big fan of Uber.
Cubs Update
HWK: We’re here this week, have Arizona and the Nationals. Big numbers will be at ball park. 1 week from Friday, Billy Joel will be back. The next night, more concerts. For the concerts, all regular protections will be in place including additional security 3 hours after the concert. Additional trash pickup. Game day activities tomorrow: Have a musical performance kicking off Lolla, 2 small bands playing. Don’t anticipate overly big crowds for this. Farmer’s market this Thursday afternoon, same next week – from 4:00 to 8:00pm (both on game days).
Fitness classes at Wrigley are going well. Community events have really been taking off.
Cubs share Uber/ride share pains with the neighborhood. Will continue to work with Aldermen and city agencies to solve this issue.
AC: Grace & Sheffield: The daycare there is going to be turned into some kind of residential housing. But anything proposed there will be presented to ELVN first for approval. Nothing has transpired with regards to the property itself.
Oktoberfest 2017
Jim
9/24 this year. Email Jim or Brian Murphy to get tickets (board members). Goal is to sell and turn in money by September meeting. $35 at the door, $30 in advance.
We need to reach out for more items for the silent auction other than sports memorabilia.
Email Jim or Patrick for items you collect to be included in silent auction.
Jim will send everyone an email tomorrow regarding the process for handling donation items/services.
Discussion of Proposed Adoption of Amended Bylaws
We have worked since inception of ELVN with a set of bylaws that have served as well, but 2 attorneys have verified the bylaws are insufficient to 501c3 status. Proposed bylaws are 17 pages law. Current bylaws 4 pages.
Bylaws have been formally proposed.
We will now open floor for discussion.
Mike made 2 small changes to the new 17-page bylaw.
- 1, art 2: “influence lawmakers” – this was taken out.
- 2, art 3, sec 2: added a change: members should not engage in activities that are not in furtherance of our tax exempt status.
HWK: Article 9, Sec 3: Should be a Bylaws Committee to review said bylaws. In general, we need to understand our bylaws before ratifying these so we do not get ourselves in hot water.
Jim: There’s nothing here that’s inconsistent with what we current we have. My fear is that we’re going to get bogged down by reviewing every line of the bylaws.
Chester: I agree with HWK. There are some areas of concerns with the proposed bylaws, such as term limits.
Jim: Let’s make our notes on the bylaws. We will present finalized version to be presented and voted upon in a future meeting.
Terry: Get the vote on Oktoberfest, because that is the only way to get a quorum.
Bylaws Committee: HWK, Chester, invite Mike
New Business/Old Business
Addison / Grace – getting new lights there.
Adjournment