Title
REQUEST TO OFFICIALLY NAME
PARK #557 AS NORTH BOUNDARY PARK
Body
To the Honorable Board of Commissioners of the Chicago Park District
I. Recommendation
It is recommended that an order be entered authorizing the General Superintendent or his designee to officially name Park #557 as North Boundary Park.
II. Park Naming Information
Proposed Park: Park #557
Location: 7211 N. Kedzie Ave., Chicago, IL, 60645
Community Area: 2- West Ridge
Ward: #50
Proposed Name: North Boundary Park
III. Park Naming Procedures
Pursuant to Chapter VII, Section E (1) of the Code of the Chicago Park District, this request to name Park #557 was forwarded to the Secretary of the Chicago Park District, who filed a copy of this request with the Committee on Programs and Recreation and initiated a notice period to solicit public input. Notices were posted in parks and sent to advisory councils located within a one-mile radius of the park site. Elected officials were also notified of the proposal, including the alderman of the ward in which the park is located.
The notice period of forty-five (45) days soliciting public input regarding the naming proposal was initiated on August 15, 2014. There has been positive support for this proposal from the North Boundary Home Owner's League, Advisory Council, West Ridge Chamber of Commerce and Alderman Debra Silverstein of the 50th Ward. Staff recommends that the Board approve the request to name Park #557 as North Boundary Park.
IV. Explanation
Stretching along Kedzie Avenue, just north of Touhy Avenue, Park #557 is a 1.6-acre passive park located at the northern boundary of Chicago. The site was acquired by the Chicago Park District property only in the last decade. In years prior to that, the North Boundary Home Owners League (NBHOL) maintained the site at its own expense. The organization had paid private landscape companies for spring clean-ups, fall clean-ups and mowing during the growing seasons for many years. As the green space serves as the western border of the NBHOL neighborhood and the city limits, organization has always upheld that the Park #557 serves as the gateway, providing visitors with "first impression" of the neighborhood.
The North Boundary Home Owners League first incorporated in 1945. At the time, the group's biggest challenges related to noise and air pollution caused by a former brick company. Since that time, the NBHOL has continuously worked and advocated for improvements particularly relating to safety, noise, beautification, public services, recreational facilities, as well as the appropriate maintenance of the area's landscapes, streets, alleys, and utilities.