MOU: JPW coordinators Brenda and Margaret have continued their search for information relating to Project 120’s plans and process. The MOU (memorandum of understanding) between Project 120 and the Chicago Park District seems important as well as elusive, despite requests at the Feb. 8 workshop and subsequently. Further encouraged by a conversation with Erma Tranter (see below), JPW has submitted a FOIA request to the Park District for a copy.
Recent Meetings:
Margaret and Brenda met with Erma Tranter, former president of Friends of the Parks and someone very familiar with much relevant Jackson Park history. She highlighted the importance of MOUs to understanding what private entitites can do in a public park, explaining that an MOU will define very specifically the work area, the timetable, and the scope of what can be done, and that outside entities can raise funds only for things/areas covered in a MOU.
We also met with Project 120’s Bob Karr. Karr repeated the statement he made at the February 8 public workshop about desiring and in fact – he said – needing community input. He said he does not want to move forward with anything that the community does not want, the pavilion being a case in point. We said that JPW completely agrees with the critical importance of community input and participation in decision-making and expressed our willingess to work together to that end. We wait to see if something positive develops and will keep you posted.
JPAC:
- The next meeting of the Jackson Park Advisory Council will be Monday, March 14, at 7:00 pm at the Jackson Park Fieldhouse at 64th Street and Stony Island. We hope that many of you will be there. There is ample street parking close at hand.
- Approval of the minutes of the well-attended January 11 meeting may be contentious, since the resolution that was adopted regarding Project 120 has not been reflected accurately in the draft minutes included in the JPAC Newsletter. We will bring to the meeting copies of the wording of the resolution as we believe it was presented in January and will also distribute that to JPW members with a meeting reminder later this week. We have also asked that the agenda for the meeting include a discussion of the process for community input into the plans for Jackson Park being developed by Project 120.
- Remember that you qualify as a voting member if you have attended two meetings in the past twelve months and have filled out a membership form. Payment of dues is not required.