GSWNH_ArcherParkDefacedSignPage1_071522

From ‘disgraceful’ to hopeful

Spread the love

Crews get busy at Archer Park

By Tim Hadac

A situation that looked sour is starting to look sweet, thanks to a quick response by new leadership at the Chicago Park District.

GSWNH ArcherParkDefacedSignPage1 071522

A sign welcoming all to Archer Park is defaced by gang signs. –Supplied photo

Two weeks ago, no fewer than 17 complaints about conditions at Archer Park, 4901 S. Kilbourn, were made by the Archer Heights Civic Association to new Chicago Park District General Supt. Rosa Escareno and other Lightfoot Administration officials.

Two weeks later, about half of them have been addressed to the AHCA’s satisfaction.

  • Weed-choked planter boxes—some with weeds as high as six feet tall–have been cleaned up.
  • A cracked window in one of the doors of the fieldhouse’s main front entrance—broken since as far back as November of last year —has finally been fixed.
  • Cracked glass in a door at the fieldhouse’s north side entrance, used by children to gain access to the splash fountains, has been replaced.
  • Weeds on the two-block stretch of fencing at the park’s eastern edge have been torn out and removed.
  • Gang graffiti on two posts and a guardrail have been painted over.
  • Two exposed metal sign posts with jagged tops have been pulled out of the ground and removed.
GSWNH ArcherBoxBoxJumpPage 071522

A USAgain donation box stands ransacked, with donated items, lying all around it. –Supplied photo

Also, a donation box placed by the USAgain organization—chronically overflowing and ransacked by scavengers—has been removed, after Baliga contacted the organization and requested the situation be addressed.

AHCA President Thomas S. Baliga, who had described the park’s condition as “disgraceful” last month, was quick to praise Escareno.

“As far as I know, she has not responded directly to us, but actions speak louder than words; and what has been done thus far is a good start to address months and even years of neglect by the administration of her predecessor (former Supt. Michael P. Kelly, who resigned last October in response to the scandal involving sexual abuse of Park District lifeguards),” Baliga said. “I trust her team, as well as the Chicago Department of Transportation and the Department of Streets and Sanitation will see to it that all our concerns are addressed satisfactorily.

“Through our taxes, the community pays for public parks to be operated efficiently and properly maintained ,” he continued. “We deserve way better than what we’ve gotten in the past—especially at a park our civic association fought so hard to establish back in the 1940s and improve in the decades since.”

What remains to be done at Archer Park, according to the AHCA’s 25 pages of documentation sent to Escareno, as well as CDOT Commissioner Gia Biagi and Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Cole Stallard, is:

  • Remove two traffic signs lying in park grass.
  • Fill a pothole in the fieldhouse driveway.
  • Fixed cracked curbing and cracked/sunken sidewalks.
  • Replace the Archer Park sign that is defaced with gang graffiti.
  • Remove and replace, this year, the seven dead trees in the parkway on the Kilbourn Avenue park’s perimeter and those dead and/or dying trees along the 48th Street side of the park.
  • Remove the jagged steel remnant of a signpost that is sticking out of the ground.

“I have not met her personally, but I’ve heard good things about her,” Baliga said of Escareno. “At this point, we are encouraged by her response. We may be inviting her to one of our general membership meetings this fall.”

Baliga said the AHCA’s action “shows the value of a community standing up for itself, of neighbors not settling for decay, decline or bureaucratic sluggishness from government. It also shows the value of having an experienced, effective, non-partisan civic association not afraid to stand up to City Hall or anyone else. There is strength in numbers, and people in every neighborhood need to realize that.”

Local News

Chicago Christian’s Holland Winthrop eyes a high fastball during an at-bat last week. Photo by Xavier Sanchez

Softball | Jocelyn Hovanec scores two runs, Ks 12 in Chicago Christian win

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Chicago Christian  is working to find its footing in the inaugural season of the Chicagoland Christian Conference. The Knights entered this week 6-8 overall and 4-6 in the CCC, putting them in fifth place with just two conference games to play among their final seven regular-season contests. The Knights…

Chicago Christian players celebrate after a point during a match agsint St. Edward. Photo by Xavier Sanchez

Boys Volleyball | Chicago Christian finishes April strong, takes second at Ridgewood Invitational

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent A busy and largely successful final seven days of April saw Chicago Christian briefly climb back to the .500 mark after a tough first month of the season. The Knights (11-12, 4-4 Chicagoland Christian Conference) have won seven of their past 10 matches, all of which were played over…

MP Roof Repair 2 (1)

Work moving forward at Marquette Park

Spread the love

Spread the love. Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 . In the March 29 edition of the Greater Southwest News-Herald, I wrote a story about a town hall meeting at Marquette Park, we learned of some of the upcoming plans the Park District has for…

Marist middle hitter Jack Meador attacks against Glenbard West  in the championship match at the Lincoln-Way East Invitational on April 27 in Frankfort. Photo by Jeff Vorva

Boys Volleyball | Marist hands Glenbard West first loss of season

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Marist was scary good in the first set. The RedHawks won it 25-12. Even by Marist standards, that’s pretty impressive. Complete dominance. What’s even more stunning is that it came against the second-ranked team in the nation. The RedHawks, who came into the match ranked sixth in the country…

Red Stars forward Mallory Swanson (left) looks for a pass from Penelope Hocking on April 27. Photo by Jeff Vorva

Sophia Smith’s brace sinks Red Stars

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Home has not been that sweet lately for the Chicago Red Stars. The team lost its second straight game at SeatGeek Stadium with a 2-0 setback to Portland in front of an announced crowd of 4,443 on April 27. Portland star Sophia Smith scored in the 10th and 26th…

Nazareth Academy Principal Therese Hawkins and football offensive coordinator Casey Moran pay close attention to the drafting of J.J. McCarthy at The Stadium Club. (Photos by Steve Metsch)

Nazareth Academy celebrates ‘special talent’ J.J. McCarthy in NFL Draft

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch Dennis Moran has no doubts that J.J. McCarthy – the former Nazareth Academy quarterback who is now with the Minnesota Vikings – will succeed in the National Football League. Moran was among about 60 or so Nazareth Academy fans, friends and coaches who gathered Thursday night at The Stadium Club…

Al Perez

Brother Rice names Al Perez next soccer coach

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent A few new coaches are dotting the area high school athletic scene. One of the more notable hires was Brother Rice bringing Al Perez aboard as the soccer coach. Perez led Chicago Public League power Washington to a Class 2A state championship in 2013, a fourth-place finish in 2015…

2023-age-one-ounce-obv__68220

First Secure Bank to host American Eagle gold coin sale

Spread the love

Spread the loveFrom staff reports First Secure Bank & Trust of Palos Hills announced its annual May sale of 1-ounce and ¼-ounce American Eagle Gold Coins, produced by the U.S. Mint, will take place from 10 a.m.to noon on Saturdays, May 4, May 11, May 18 and May 25. The sale will take place at…

Peggy Zabicki

Donate teddy bears to our local police

Spread the love

Spread the love. Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place •  (773) 504-9327 . Have you ever seen the 1955 movie The Night of the Hunter?  The children in this movie show such bravery and acceptance in what life has thrown at them.  They have to deal with unimaginable events and sadness. …

Mary Stanek

Boy Scouts collecting tattered flags for disposal

Spread the love

Spread the love. By Mary Stanek Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon 3808 W. 57th Place •  (773) 517-7796 . Goodbye April, hello May. Our American Flag, the symbol of our country, should always be treated with respect. But after bearing Chicago’s brutal winters and hot blazing summers along with being in the…

Neighbors

Lawmakers pitch sweeping changes to energy industry and Chicagoland transit system

Lawmakers pitch sweeping changes to energy industry and Chicagoland transit system

By ANDREW ADAMS  Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com A group of lawmakers and influential environmental advocates are calling for broad changes to the state’s energy industry and a massive increase in state oversight of Chicagoland’s transit system – which faces a projected $730 million budget shortfall.  Advocates for the policy platform, which is broken up into…

Democrats flex muscle to kick off final month of session as revenues remain on track

Democrats flex muscle to kick off final month of session as revenues remain on track

By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – With about three weeks to go before the Illinois General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn its spring legislative session, supermajority Democrats showed their strength this week as fiscal forecasters noted state revenues remain on track. April is typically a make-or-break month for state coffers, as income…

Former state trooper who caused fatal crash halts effort to get driving privileges restored

Former state trooper who caused fatal crash halts effort to get driving privileges restored

By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com The former Illinois State Trooper who pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter of two sisters in 2007 has abandoned his efforts to have a hearing into the restoration of his driving privileges – for now.  Matt Mitchell, 45, requested at least two delays in the hearing after he failed…

Capitol Briefs: Senate advances elections bill, measure targeting ‘predatory’ lending

Capitol Briefs: Senate advances elections bill, measure targeting ‘predatory’ lending

By PETER HANCOCK & HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A bill that would put more controls on certain kinds of high-cost loans to small businesses cleared the Illinois Senate Thursday. Senate Bill 2234, known as the Small Business Financial Transparency Act, targets a relatively new kind of nontraditional lender in the credit…

Law enforcement community honors fallen officers at Illinois Capitol

Law enforcement community honors fallen officers at Illinois Capitol

By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Six fallen police officers were honored at an annual memorial service outside the State Capitol Thursday. The Illinois Police Officers Memorial occurs annually on the first Thursday of May to honor officers who died in the line of duty and to support their families.  “No one…

Democrats muscle through changes to ballot access, advisory questions

Democrats muscle through changes to ballot access, advisory questions

By JERRY NOWICKI HANNAH MEISEL & PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Supermajority Democrats in the Illinois House moved quickly Wednesday to push through a change to state election laws that partially limits ballot access and adds three nonbinding referendums to the 2024 general election ballot.  It’s a move that caused minority party…

After 3 years, state poised to enforce law aiming to end lending discrimination

After 3 years, state poised to enforce law aiming to end lending discrimination

By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – In 1977, then-President Jimmy Carter signed into law the Community Reinvestment Act, a federal law that sought to wipe away the last vestiges of racial discrimination and redlining in America’s home mortgage industry. The idea was simple. By requiring lenders – primarily banks – to make…

Capitol News Illinois partners with ‘Illinois Lawmakers’ program to bring it back to air

Capitol News Illinois partners with ‘Illinois Lawmakers’ program to bring it back to air

Capitol News Illinois announced today it will produce the long-running “Illinois Lawmakers” program this spring, in partnership with longtime host and producer Jak Tichenor.  “This new partnership is absolutely critical to providing Illinois residents with reliable, independent, in-depth, up to date coverage from the Illinois Capitol after many newspapers and broadcasters shuttered their Statehouse bureaus over…

Election officials to weigh whether Darren Bailey and GOP operative Dan Proft illegally coordinated

Election officials to weigh whether Darren Bailey and GOP operative Dan Proft illegally coordinated

By ANDREW ADAMS & HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – A year and a half after Republican Darren Bailey lost his campaign to challenge Gov. JB Pritzker, state election officials are weighing whether he illegally colluded with conservative radio show host and political operative Dan Proft in the 2022 campaign. The State Board…

Immigrant advocates tout new report showing benefits of state-funded health plans

Immigrant advocates tout new report showing benefits of state-funded health plans

By PETER HANCOCK  and JERRY NOWICKI  Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Immigrant rights advocates on Friday continued to push for one of their top budget priorities: full funding for state-run health care programs that benefit noncitizens, regardless of their immigration status. Those programs offer health coverage for low-income individuals who would otherwise qualify for…