Thursday, September 5, 2024 | View in browser
Hello Fourth Ward friends and neighbors,
How was your summer? Did you get out of town for a bit? Did you Enjoy Evanston? There was certainly plenty to do: free beaches, Downtown Summer Sounds, Custer Street Oasis, Starlight Concerts, and so much more…what a cool town we live in! The fun continues this weekend with the Evanston Folk Festival, which I’m looking forward to attending. A special shout out to Fourth Ward residents The Sullivan Sisters who are performing on Saturday. Read more about Soraya and Luciya in the RoundTable.
Good news on Main Street—the looong and at times painful construction project is in the home stretch! The final layers of asphalt are going down today, pavement striping is happening tomorrow, and then we’ll be almost done. There will still be some remaining work with signage, lighting, and other stuff but the barricades should come down and Main Street will be back, looking better than ever. For updates on other construction projects you can check the presentation from the ward meeting on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, I want to extend an invitation to anyone who’s interested to the quarterly meeting of the Margarita Inn Good Neighbor Advisory Committee tomorrow at noon. All are welcome at this regular convening.
See below for more news:
- $10.9 million grant for building electrification
- Main Dempster Mile Wine Walk
- Main Street Fall Fest
- Downtown Summer Sounds Continues
- Bulk Trash Pickup Reminder
- Wheel Tax Reminder
With kind regards,
Jonathan
Upcoming Meetings
Margarita Inn Good Neighbor Committee
Friday, September 6, noon to 1:00 pm
Margarita Inn, 1566 Oak
September Office Hours
Saturday, September 14, 10:00 am to noon
Berry Pike Café, 1100 Davis
October Ward Meeting
Tuesday, October 8, 7:00 pm (note: this is the second Tuesday)
Robert Crown Community Center
October Office Hours
Saturday, October 12, 10:00 am to noon
Reprise Roasters, 710 Main St.
$10.9 Million Grant for Building Electrification
 The City of Evanston is excited to announce its selection as one of 19 communities to receive the Inflation Reduction Act Support for Building Energy Codes and Innovative Codes grant. This $10.7 million award, subject to negotiation with the U.S. Department of Energy, will support the adoption and implementation of building performance standards that will reduce building emissions. The initiative will also prioritize equitable decision-making, ongoing affordability, workforce development opportunities, and energy cost savings.
The building performance standards legislation, or “Healthy Buildings Ordinance,” builds upon the existing requirement that the City’s largest buildings disclose their annual energy usage through the 2016 Benchmarking Ordinance. Just under half of the community-wide greenhouse gas emissions in Evanston come from the 500 largest buildings. The proposed legislation would require these buildings to phase out onsite fossil fuel combustion and become more energy efficient by 2050 while supporting renewable electricity sourcing.
Stay informed about the Healthy Buildings Ordinance by:
Main Dempster Mile Wine Walk
 Sip & Stroll Southeast Evanston
Enjoy wine tastings in dozens of locally, independently-owned shops on Main Street and Dempster Street next Thursday, September 12 from 5:00 to 8:00 pm for wine, small bites, and live music along the way.
This year's event benefits the Hive Center for the Book Arts, a brand new Evanston-based non-profit celebrating book and literary arts.
More information here, including a list of the participating shops and a suggested route.
Downtown Summer Sounds Continues
 Downtown Summer Sounds continues—summer isn’t over! This free outdoor concert series runs through September 26 on Thursday evenings from 5-7 PM at Fountain Square.
For nine of the twelve weeks, Downtown Evanston is collaborating with a different local nonprofit (see below) to select the band, activate the Fountain Square Plaza, and help us to ensure that the concert series reflects the diversity of our community and features a wide range of musical genres and performers.
On the three remaining nights of the 2024 concert series (July 11, August 1, and September 5), Downtown Evanston will also host an outdoor Thursday Night Market, featuring artists, makers, and retailers from the regional community.
During the concerts, there will be beer for sale from Sketchbook Brewing Co., and wine, cocktails and soft drinks for sale from Five & Dime. There will also be several food trucks, and ice cream for sale from the C&W Market & Ice Cream Parlor.
After the music ends, be sure to make plans for dinner in Downtown Evanston!
Here’s the remaining lineup:
- Sept 5: Blue Line Blues Band (Thursday Night Market)
- Sept 12: Funkadesi featuring Pavithra Anand (in partnership with Evanston ASPA)
- Sept 19: Ida y Vuelta (in partnership with Evanston Latinos)
- Sept 26: Rosalba Valdez and Mariachi Sirenas (in partnership with Evanston Pride)
This series is presented by Downtown Evanston with help from the following sponsors:
- City of Evanston
- Northwestern University
- UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement
- Rotary International
- Core & Rind Hospitality
- Golub & Company
- ZS
Bulk Trash Pickup Reminder
 The City of Evanston's Public Works Agency will offer residents the free removal of up to six cubic yards of bulk garbage this fall as part of its Bulk Trash Pickup program.
If your regular pickup day is Wednesday, your bulk pickup day is Friday September 13.
If your regular pickup day is Thursday, your bulk pickup day is Friday September 20.
If your regular trash pickup day is Monday or Tuesday, you’ve missed the fall bulk pickup and you’ll have to wait until spring.
More information here.
Reminder: 2025 Wheel Tax is Due by September 30
 The payment period is now open for Evanston residents to pay their City of Evanston wheel tax, residential parking permits, and residential parking passes for 2025.
All owners of vehicles registered to an Evanston address through the Illinois Secretary of State are required to pay an annual wheel tax. The 2025 wheel tax covers the period of October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2025. The deadline to pay the 2025 wheel tax is Monday, September 30, 2024.
You can pay online, by mail, or in person at one of the community centers: Robert Crown, South End, Chandler-Newberger, Fleetwood-Jourdain, and Levy Senior Center. Residents should bring their vehicle registration showing an Evanston address and/or renewal letter.
More information here.
Jonathan Nieuwsma
Councilmember, 4th Ward
jnieuwsma@cityofevanston.org
www.cityofevanston.org
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