UPDATE JAN 2023

Questions/Comments: KeepWinnemacGreen@yahoo.com

Petition: Click Here or https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/keep-winnemac-green

https://www.facebook.com/KeepWinnemacGreen (see recent updates here)

Petition can be signed by any Chicago resident, but prioritized signatures are from within 5-6 blocks of the park--that means you can sign even if you live in the 47th ward.

UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2022

Representatives from each stakeholder group met with Michael Lange of the Chicago Park District on September 28. All attendees, including Chappell and Amundsen representatives, approved the use of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funds for turf and drainage remediation for the ball fields in the northern area of the park and refurbishing both tennis courts. All present with the exception of the representative of the DFA Committee voted against locating a dog park anywhere in Winnemac, citing the reasons discussed below, including the price tag of $650,000 in TIF funds for a DFA (this is in addition to $100,000 in people's budget funding). The Park District will make a decision after letters and petitions are submitted by the end of the month. We need your signature and address on the petition! Your emails will not be shared.

September 28 meeting at Chappell Elementary School Summary:

After a bit of a break, we had another meeting on 9/28 with Michael Lange, who works in Planning and Construction for the Chicago Park District, along with representatives from each of the stakeholder organizations connected to Winnemac Park. We want to provide you with a quick overview of this meeting, what the next steps are, and what we hope to have accomplished.

First, though, since relevant materials regarding opposition to a dog park in Winnemac need to be submitted to the Park District by late October, we want to push to gather as many more signatures as we can at https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/keep-winnemac-green/ through October 14. We especially would appreciate signatures from residents who live within a five-block radius of the outer boundary streets of the park (Foster, Damen, Argyle, Leavitt). Please: if you have neighbors or friends or tenants who you think would be willing to sign, share the petition. It is important to have a complete address with zip code, so that (for example) if neighbors in a two-flat sign, they are counted separately. Anonymous signers will probably be weeded out by the Park District. We will be sending our petition signatures with names and addresses (not emails), along with our letters of opposition, to the Park District in October. These names will not be made public; they are for internal review by the Park District.

Meeting summary: Tax Increment Financing update as first agenda item Currently the proposal created by the park district in response to the DFA proposal is in the Park District “internal process” pipeline. The TIF funding proposal expires at the end of 2024. The screenshot (above in blue) lays out how the $2.5 million dollar request was allocated. Note that the money for a DFA is in addition to the $100,000 from the Alderman’s People’s Budget.

If the funding for the DFA is denied, the money can go elsewhere in the listed improvements (for example, to upgrade both tennis courts or provide additional improvements to the ball field), or it is simply unspent. Nothing new can be added to this proposal so bathrooms or a fieldhouse would have to be suggested through an entirely new process. Even if the City Council approves this request, this will not determine the Park District’s decision.

Role call of organizations as second agenda item Michael Lange asked for responses from everyone at the table regarding their yes or no vote on each component of the three-part funding request—ball fields, tennis court, DFA. With the exception of the DFA rep, every other person attending, representing an organization or constituency, confirmed that the desired outcome for the park was to upgrade the ball fields, rehab both tennis courts, and deny the use of any part of the park for a dog friendly area. (We will note that Warren Park, which is now in the 40^th ward, was suggested as a better alternative for a DFA.)

Both principals of Chappell and Amundsen were in attendance and spoke strongly of their opposition to a dog park in Winnemac for all the reasons we have outlined at Keep Winnemac Green and on our petition site and Facebook page. The Director of Sports Administration for Chicago Public Schools also attended and is opposed.

Possible survey as the decision maker as third agenda item The Park District and the DFA Committee had proposed doing a yes/no survey to make the decision about a DFA. This was opposed by everyone else at the table, including the schools. Our belief is that the decision is far too complicated in terms of the implications of a DFA to be presented as a “for or against” proposition, and the question of how such a survey would be worded and distributed and how the data would be analyzed would be next to impossible to agree upon. As a result of this conversation, there will be no survey.

Which gets us back to…… next steps On our end, the organizations in attendance at the meeting will be finishing up official letters laying out the case against a DFA in Winnemac to send to Park District officials. They will also be checking in with other groups that utilize the park to see if additional letters can be sent or if those groups are willing to be included in current stakeholder responses.

You can help, again, by doing whatever you can to add to our petition list at https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/keep-winnemac-green/ All signatures are welcome but Michael Lange made it clear that the five-block radius from the park is an especially important group of residents. Having said that, he also acknowledged that Amundsen and Chappell students and families, as well as those students and families who attend events at Jorndt Stadium, are represented by the leaders of the two schools…. So that is a good thing.

And then we wait to see what the Park District has to say. It’s hard to imagine given the level and amount of opposition to a DFA in Winnemac that it will get the go-ahead… but you never know. We will keep you posted. Thank you again for your support.

UPDATE AUGUST 2022

KWG has rescinded its support for use of the tennis court. Next steps are outlined at Facebook page (see above). See "What Can I Do to Help" at bottom of this page.

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What is happening? (May 2022)

Just over 20 years ago, Winnemac Park was renovated into the gem it is today. Now, Alderman Andre Vasquez has allocated $100,000 to push forward the development of a dog friendly area (DFA) on Chicago Park District property in Winnemac, and has formed a committee to develop plans, raise funds, and build support. This will significantly impact the landscape and ecology of the park. He indicated in an April 4, 2022 40th Ward Zoom meeting that he is not interested in hearing from opponents of a DFA; he wants a dog park in Winnemac.

Have proposals for a DFA in Winnemac Park been considered in the past?

Yes. Past proposals have not been funded by previous aldermen or supported by the Winnemac Park Advisory Council primarily due to community opposition, based on the desire to support recreational spaces for all rather than permanently altering green space for exclusive use as a dog park. Both Chappell Elementary and Amundsen High School have also opposed a DFA in the past. To date, we are unaware of any DFAs which exist in campus parks that share space with Chicago Public Schools.

Is there broad consensus in the neighborhood community now to support the development of a DFA in Winnemac Park?

Unknown; the community meetings that have been held so far in spring 2022 have been marketed as "Come Show Your Support" for the DFA. Many neighborhood residents are unaware of the Alderman’s proposal to use Winnemac Park property to develop a DFA. The heavy use of the unstructured open spaces in the park during the pandemic, especially given how much of Winnemac is already spoken for (see second map below), highlights the importance of these spaces. Dog parks on Park District property typically require the removal of grass, trees, and other landscape features with a permanent hard surface and they are fenced off from the rest of the park.

In addition, the 40th Ward already has a dog friendly area in River Park at 5100 N. Francisco. It is not clear why the 40th needs two dog parks.

Who will be responsible for the maintenance and enforcement of rules at the DFA? Park District guidelines require dog parks to be maintained by a volunteer committee. The Park District will not be responsible for the dog park after construction—not for cleaning or maintenance, or for policing its use. DFAs are reliant on committed and available dog owners to take responsibility.

How was $100,000 allocated toward the development of a DFA in Winnemac Park? According to Chicago Board of Election Commissioners data, there are approximately 31,000 voters in the 40^th ward. At the end of 2020, 679 people in total--who had signed up to receive Alderman Vasquez's newsletter--voted regarding the 40^th Ward “People’s Budget." Of those, 426 voted for a dog park.

The only sites in the ward being considered are the ones in Winnemac; the money must be spent only there. Dog parks can cost anywhere from $300,000 to $650,000, depending on the complexity of the location. The remainder of the necessary funds will need to come from contributions raised from the community.

Has a site for the proposed DFA in Winnemac Park been selected?

Three sites in Winnemac Park have been identified as possibilities (marked on first map below).

∙ Site #1 (green space east of Jorndt Stadium, adjacent to a nature area; targeted as the preferred location by the committee):

o Currently used for picnicking, sunbathing, free play, and socializing.

o Serves as home base for Park District summer camp groups due to proximity to park supervisor’s office and Winnemac’s only permanent bathrooms.

o Features mature trees that could be removed, floods easily in spring, and is adjacent to a nature area which could be adversely impacted by construction and dog waste runoff.

Site #2 (grove between the baseball diamonds at Seeley and Argyle):

o Currently used for picnicking, sunbathing, free play, and socializing.

o Overflow area for parents, siblings, coaches, and players who utilize baseball diamonds spring, summer, and fall.

o Close proximity to residents; potential for traffic and parking congestion at Argyle & Seeley.

∙ Site #3 (tree grove bounded by Chappell Elementary, Jorndt Field, northernmost baseball diamond).

o Busy area near Chappell, school playground, and baseball diamond.

o Significant traffic already in surrounding area due to location between Jordnt Stadium and baseball diamond.

What can I do to help?

• Sign a petition against locating a DFA in Winnemac Park

• ∙Get the word out to your neighbors who care about Winnemac Park; if possible, create an ad hoc block club that can speak on behalf of

you and your neighbors.

• Let us know if you would like petition signing sheets that we can manually add to the main petition. Email KeepWinnemacGreen@yahoo.com

• Contact Alderman Vasquez to voice your opposition. 773.654.1867 or Andre@40thward.org ∙

• Contact Michael Lange at the Park District, who is the point person on the turf sports fields/tennis courts/DFA proposal. michael.lange@chicagoparkdistrict.com

• Share your questions, comments, and concerns with KeepWinnemacGreen@yahoo.com