2 Gazette www.gazettechicago.com eedition.gazettechicago.com December 6, 2019 By Rodrigo Hernandez Bridgeport Alliance, a grassroots community organization, hosted a community development forum at Taylor-Lauridsen Park, 704 W. 42nd St. on Oct. 30. Martin A. Gleason, Cook County juvenile probation offi- cer and member of the alliance, helped organize the forum and fa- cilitated small group discussions. Before the forum, Gleason shared his insight. Bridgeport Alliance encourages community members to work and collaborate to make their neigh- borhoods better. "I think I'm here for the reason that everybody else is going to be here: to work on ways of a ward community fo- cused development plan and then encourage more community en- gagement and development that is reflective on what the neighbor- hoods want-not just what other interests may have," Gleason said. He also mentioned the Ram- ova Theatre, a beloved vacant the- atre in Bridgeport that residents want renovated. (See related arti- cle, page 1.) He said the meeting would allow community mem- bers to discuss the theatre's future. "It would be a big thing, and we want to make sure that it is repre- sentative of what the community wants," Gleason said. Charlotte Piwowar, a high school teacher and Bridgeport Al- liance chair, hoped to hear rich ideas from neighborhood res- idents during the meeting. "We can bring those ideas to the al- derman [Patrick Thompson] and other key players and from there also do more research on how we can make those dreams become a reality in our neighborhood," said Piwowar. Like Gleason, Piwowar com- mented on the Ramova, saying it "is going to be potentially rede- veloped, and that's a neighbor- hood gem that we'd like the com- munity to offer input on. The goal is to try to bring community voice to people that have power to do something." Discussion topics The forum also covered the MAT Asphalt plant, located across from McKinley Park at 2055 W. Pershing Rd. The plant allegedly operates on a permit expired since the summer, neighbors said, and another grassroots organization, Neighbors for Environmental Jus- tice (N4EJ), released a petition online demanding official shut down and relocation of the MAT plant. Neighbors allege dust and fumes from the plant pollute the neighborhood. Attendees also discussed the Chicago Helicopter Experience at 2420 S. Halsted St. It opened in the community with approval from former 11th Ward Alderman James Balcer, but those at the meeting said he and the City gave little at- tention to public input at the time. Bridgeport Alliance encouraged residents to call 311 if they no- tice helicopters operating outside the flight pattern and hours out- lined in the company's legal cov- enant, which dictates helicopters may fly only over I-55 (the Steven- son Expressway) and out to the lake-not over houses-and not past 10 p.m. Concerning the planned Star- bucks development at 31st Street and south Halsted Street, meet- ing participants alleged it resulted from selling City-owned land at less than market value without op- portunity for public input. That concern led Bridgeport Alliance to create a survey gauging public opinion regarding area develop- ment alongside the Starbucks de- velopment. The group presented survey results to Alderman Thomp- son at a meeting in the spring but has gained little traction with him over the issue, neighbors alleged. Residents also discussed ideas for community development. Afterthoughts After the meeting, Bridgeport Alliance member Mary Mercer said, "I think it went well. We were really engaged, and I felt that I got a lot of information and that peo- ple were able to really spread the word on what we should do next." She emphasized the forum was productive. "We weren't just com- miserating," she noted. "I feel like we have a lot of concretes, actually." Kelly Chen, Bridgeport resi- dent and project analyst for the non-profit organization Full Circle Communities, said of the meet- ing, "This is something that I think that I would want to go to because it's about Bridgeport, and I want to be more active in my community." Like Mercer, Chen felt satisfied with the result. "I thought it was a generally good meeting," she said. "I personally like to include other people who are from the neigh- borhood, other people who care about the neighborhood, and who are trying to be more politically active." Attendees' evaluation forms indicated participants felt positive about the meeting overall. Said Piwowar, "We wanted for people to feel what a community-driven process could look like and begin to plant the seed that this is what the norm should be, and not the exception. People also had very robust and thoughtful visions of what they hoped for the commu- nity, and it is encouraging to know that there are so many engaged individuals committed to making their voices heard in order to build a stronger neighborhood for all." A subsequent meeting to dis- cuss the Ramova Theatre site took place Nov. 19 at Nativity of Our Lord Church hall. The developer interested in the theatre and Al- derman Thompson attended. The neighborhood also held a kickoff meeting Nov. 16 at First Trinity Community Center, ex- ploring ways for residents to offer input into development processes and discussing what other com- munity groups have done con- cerning zoning and conversations with experts. To contact Bridgeport Alliance, call Anna Schibrowsky at (312) 316-6508. To contact Neighbors for Environmental Justice (N4EJ), email neighbors4environmental- justice@gmail.com.
Photo by Christopher Valentino
Bridgeport Alliance brought area residents together on Oct. 30 at Taylor-Laurid- sen Park. Among the many items on the agenda was the future plans and impact of a renovated Ramova Theatre.
Bridgeport Alliance discusses community issues and development at recent meeting
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