Thanks to everyone who attended the Jackson Park Advisory Council meeting Monday evening. About 45 people were there, many JPW supporters.
We presented for discussion a proposed process to enable community review of the specific proposals being advanced by Project 120. The first step would be to convene representatives from key organizations and groups to plan the best method of getting inclusive community input from a wide range of sources.
The need for such broad community review has become even more pressing now that we have a copy of the July 2014 MOU between the Park District and Project 120. This MOU envisions replacing the 1999 Jackson Park Framework Plan that was developed through a multi-step, inclusive process involving a wide range of organizations and individuals with a Revised Framework Plan that incorporates Project 120’s plans. For this Revised Framework Plan and the Project 120 plans it includes to have any legitimacy, its key components clearly must be submitted to the same sort of inclusive community review.
There was broad support for the community input process we presented. Importantly, Project 120 president Bob Karr was at the meeting. He reiterated his support for an inclusive community input process. He further said that he would not move forward with the pavilion plan if there was not community support for it.
We will continue working to get an effective community input process in place, reaching out to the Park District and Project 120 and others, and will keep you posted. At the same time, with your help, we can begin to develop a list of the key elements of Project 120 plans that need community review and input. We would welcome your thoughts about the top three to five items that should be on such a list. Please send your ideas to jacksonparkwatch@gmail.com .
Another piece of JPAC business: The minutes of the January 11 JPAC meeting were corrected to accurately reflect that motion that was made and adopted at that meeting: “Moved that JPAC should reconsider its vote in support the Project 120 concept of a pavilion east of the Darrow Bridge and should provide a forum for more open discussion and community input on the pavilion concept and other aspects of the Project 120 proposals.”
Communication problems: We are aware that there transmission difficulties with the March 11 Update due to the size of the attachments. If you were unable to receive or access the attachments, you can download the MOU or the 1999 Jackson Park Framework Plan here.