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Dear Friends,
I hope this newsletter finds you well. If you weren't able to make it to this month's 2nd Ward meeting, below is a recap of what you missed.
Please share this information! My goal is to keep all neighbors in our ward informed about upcoming events and opportunities they can benefit from. If you have any questions, concerns or comments, please feel free to contact me directly at pbraithwaite@cityofevanston.org, or 847-801-9386.
A special thank you is due to the guests and residents of the 2nd Ward who came to our meeting this month, including Evanston City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz, Director of Public Works Suzette Robinson, 2nd Ward PST Officer Reggie Napier, Goldfish Swim School General Manager Sally Anderson, Brue Coffee Owner Peyton Brooks, and Patrick Hughes of the WestEnd Business Association.
I ask that you please spread the word in the community about this newsletter. If you or someone you know would like to be added to this newsletter, please follow the link: cityofevanston.org/newsletter.
I wish you all a safe and meaningful Memorial Day weekend.
Take care,
Ald. Peter Braithwaite
“We Are One Community”
Enjoy great jazz music in our community this Friday, May 22, at 7 p.m., in the Skylight Room at Heartwood Center, located at 1818 Dempster St. The concert by "Offlines" will feature Yinon Muallem and Guy Mingus with Donovan Mixon. Tickets are $15 for adults; kids are free. The first 50 people to buy tickets will get two for the price of one!
 The City has announced facility closures and refuse collection schedules for the Memorial Day holiday weekend, Saturday, May 23 through Monday, May 25. Click here for more information >>>
I encourage all to attend the community reflection and ceremony, hosted by Evanston American Legion Post 42, honoring America's fallen heroes at Fountain Square, located at Orrington Ave. and Davis St., on Monday, May 25. The assembly will begin at 10 a.m. and the ceremony will start at 10:30 a.m.
 Thank you to City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz for providing an update on the exciting economic development activity in our 2nd ward.
Evanston Plaza
- Valli Produce is continuing its buildout in Evanston Plaza, and is slated to open this July! Valli will host a job fair at the new store on Tuesday, June 2 and Wednesday, June 3. View more information about the job fair below.
- AT&T will be opening in the former RadioShack
space.
- Dance Center Evanston will also be expanding their
footprint within the Plaza.
- Play It Again Sports is coming soon to the former EcoDirect Dry Cleaners space.
 Save the date for Valli Produce's job fair on Tuesday, June 2 and Wednesday, June 3, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Evanston Plaza, 1910 Dempster St. Employment opportunities will be available throughout the store! An employment application form is available on the Valli Produce website.
Thank you to Goldfish Swim School General Manager Sally Anderson for providing us with an update on the new facility, located at 2008 Dempster St. I invite all of you to join me in celebrating the ribbon cutting of this exciting new 2nd Ward business on Thursday, June 4 at 11 a.m.
Goldfish Swim School is a leading water safety and swim lesson
school offering infant and child swim lessons. In addition to swim lessons, Goldfish will also offer weekly family swims and birthday party packages. More >>>
Peyton Brooks, owner of Brue Coffee, stopped by our meeting to introduce himself to the 2nd Ward community. The new, independent coffee shop will replace the Starbucks in the Main St. Shopping Center, located at 2438 Main St. All of Brue's beans are hand-roasted, and food will come from local vendors. Mr. Brooks hopes to open the store in the next six weeks. For information and updates, visit bruecoffee.com.
Play It Again Sports is opening soon in the former EcoDirect Dry Cleaners space, and is currently accepting gently used sports equipment to stock the store. Please welcome Play It Again Sports to our 2nd Ward!
 City of Evanston Director of Public Works Suzette Robinson shared an update on planned 2015 Capital Improvement Projects in the 2nd Ward. Projects include water main replacement, street resurfacing, traffic signal modernization, bike lane construction and lighting improvement. Below is a listing of 2015 2nd Ward projects, along with a tentative schedule for when these projects will take place. Please note: All timelines are tentative and subject to change.
- Dempster St. Water Main – Fowler Ave. to Dodge Ave. (April - June)
- Pitner Ave. Water Main – Nathaniel Pl. to Dempster St., including street resurfacing (August - September)
- Dempster St. Traffic Signal Modernization - Fowler Ave., Hartrey Ave., Shopping Center Access Dr., and Dodge Ave. (4 locations total) (Summer)
- Dempster St. Resurfacing – North Shore Channel to Ridge Ave. (Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) Project) (July - September)
- Hartrey Ave. Resurfacing – Cleveland St. to Washington St. (May - June)
- Davis St. Resurfacing – Fowler Ave. to Pitner Ave. (May - June)
- Dodge Ave. Protected Bike Lane – Howard St. to Church St. (mid-June - mid-August)
- Bike Path through Mason Park – Davis St. to Church St. (Fall)
- ETHS/Church St. Bike Path – McCormick Blvd. to Dodge Ave. (TBD)
- ETHS/Dodge Ave. Pedestrian Lighting – Lake St. to Church St. (June - July)
Street resurfacing projects include street curb repairs as needed, construction of ADA accessible ramps at the intersections, grinding/milling the asphalt pavement, street base repairs, manhole frame adjustments and final asphalt paving.
For questions about these projects, please contact City of Evanston Senior Project Manager of Construction and Design Dan Manis at 847-448-4311, or dmanis@cityofevanston.org.
 On Tuesday, May 26, the City of Evanston’s Public Works Department will begin a project to rehabilitate the Morton Civic Center parking lot, located at 2100 Ridge Ave. The project, which is expected to be completed by late September 2015, consists of constructing Evanston’s first City-owned sustainable public parking lot, using various permeable pavements, rain gardens and native plantings to substantially reduce storm water run-off.
The parking lot will continue to be accessible throughout the project; however, approximately 50 parking spaces will be displaced at all times. In order to better accommodate the parking needs of Civic Center visitors, designated staff and City vehicles will be required to park at the Service Center. Community members visiting the Civic Center are encouraged to use public transportation, bike, or car pool, when possible. When driving to the Civic Center, please allow for extra time to park, and use caution when entering or exiting the parking lot. More >>>
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Streets are maintained by the City, but the repair and replacement of damaged sidewalk slabs are the responsibility of the homeowner or business whose property is adjacent to the sidewalk. To help with that responsibility, the City offers property owners the opportunity to improve the appearance and safety of their homes and neighborhoods with the 50/50 Sidewalk Replacement Program. Under the program, the City pays half the cost of replacing the eligible sidewalk with the property owner paying the other 50 percent. The program covers all public sidewalks in the city including those in front of homes, businesses, religious institutions and schools.
Sidewalk repairs and replacement will begin in late summer or early fall. Learn more and sign up >>>
 2nd Ward Problem Solving Team (PST) Officer Reggie Napier stopped by our 2nd Ward meeting to provide us with an update on safety in our community.
Crime Report
There were nine burglaries reported in the 2nd Ward from February through May 14, 2015. There was no distinct pattern to the crimes, which included incidents where garages were targeted for bicycles or landscape equipment. To view up-to-date crime information, please visit CrimeReports.com.
Help protect your home and property by following the Evanston Police Department's (EPD) general door and lock recommendations. More >>>
Don't Forget to Register Your Bike!
We’re heading into the season where an increase in garage burglaries is expected, with bicycles being highly targeted. If your bike is not registered, the chances of recovery and/or an arrest are very low. To reduce bicycle theft, Officer Napier encourages residents to register their bikes with the Evanston Police Department.
EPD Front Curb & Lobby Available for Online Transactions
Recognizing a trend throughout the United States of citizens being victimized during the transaction of items where the sale was arranged over the Internet, the EPD is offering residents the use of the front curb parking area of the police station as well as the police lobby to complete these transactions. The police department is located at 1454 Elmwood Ave.
The use of the police station is meant to provide a safe environment and to deter crimes from occurring. EPD employees will not take part or assist in any civil transactions between private parties. Transactions related to weapons of any kind are prohibited. Transactions for any large or bulky items should be conducted in the front curb area of the police station and not brought into the lobby.
 The CTA will begin a six-week pilot program on June 1 to test an additional evening round-trip Purple Line Express train between Linden in Wilmette and the Loop. The purpose of the pilot is to address a need for later express service for employers in Evanston, as well as Chicago. The pilot is currently set to begin Monday, June 1 through Friday, July 10. The pilot run will make all local stops in Evanston and run express between Howard and Belmont. Below is the schedule from the CTA:
- Linden - 7:58 p.m.
- Davis - 8:05 p.m.
- Howard - 8:12 p.m.
- Belmont - 8:29 p.m.
- Fullerton - 8:34 p.m.
- Clark/Lake - 8:48 p.m.
- Adams/Wabash - 8:54 p.m.
- Washington/Wells - 9 p.m.
- Fullerton - 9:15 p.m.
- Belmont - 9:20 p.m.
- Howard - 9:37 p.m.
- Davis - 9:44 p.m.
- Linden - 9:50 p.m.
CTA estimates 468 daily weekday customers round-trip on the Purple Line Express in order to justify maintaining the service.
A number of events will be planned to promote use of the later express train. Downtown Evanston will make a presentation of events and activities at the City Council meeting on Tuesday, May 26.
 Summer is fast approaching, and that means block parties are just around the corner. If you're planning to host a block party in our 2nd Ward this season, please let me know and I will do my best to attend. City of Evanston block party applications are available online, and should be submitted at least 10 business days prior to your planned event. I'm looking forward to a great summer in our community!
 The last day to file a 2015 property tax appeal with the Cook County Assessor's office is Wednesday, May 27. The City's Property Tax Assessment Review Office acts as a taxpayer advocate for residents, and can answer questions and help in exemption and appeal applications. For assistance, please contact Tax Assessment Reviewer Mitzi Gibbs at 847-448-8168. More >>>
 I would like to congratulate all of the City staff who received this month's Outstanding Employee Award. Please see the message below from Director of Parks, Recreation & Community Services Joe McRae, which details their tremendous achievements:
"Please join me in congratulating Kevin Brown, Porschia Davis, Nathan Norman, Maurice Wilkerson, Chris Bull, Stacey Moragne, Jermey McCray, (not pictured: Petra Belcher, Martha Logan, Karen Hawk, Chris Carter, Miguel Abonce, James Faedtke and David Aragon) on being the recipients of the City’s Outstanding Employee Award for their efforts on the 2015 Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program Job Fair at ETHS. More than 600 ETHS students participated in the job fair held on March 28, 2015, which was three weeks earlier than last year. In planning for this early event, the staff secured access to 600 jobs--more than 100 more positions than last year. What makes this number remarkable is that it occurred with $300,000 less grant funding support than was received in 2014 that secured additional jobs. The staff increased the participation number of private employers by literally soliciting Evanston businesses door-to-door. The support from the local business community has been overwhelming. The staff also targeted Great America Amusement Park and secured their participation in the job fair; a novel practice for that company.
In addition to these efforts, while planning the 2015 job fair, the staff implemented the hiring of 79 Evanston youth into the year-round Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program supported with Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management funding. This required the formal planning and recruitment of both participants and local employers to support that portion of the program. The staff worked many hours with great passion to support the youth and young adults of the community. Karen Hawk and the outreach team, along with the Youth Job Center and National Able Network, also organized a job fair for Evanston adults 18 years and up on April 30, 2015. All of these efforts occurred in addition to the staff’s regular employment responsibilities."
 I encourage all Evanston high school seniors, first-year college students and trade school students to participate in the City's Human Relations Commission and First Bank and Trust essay contest, celebrating diversity and inclusion in the Evanston community. The winner will receive a $1,000 scholarship!
Applicants must live in Evanston or attend public or private school in Evanston, and will be judged on academic achievement and writing skills. The submission deadline is Friday, May 29 at 4 p.m., and the winner will be announced mid-summer. The submission form, rules and guidelines for the scholarship can be found at cityofevanston.org/essaycontest.
For questions, please contact ICMA Fellow Jonathan Williams-Kinsel at 847-448-8103 or email jwilliamskinsel@cityofevanston.org.
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