TITLE
REQUEST TO OFFICIALLY NAME PARK NO. 514 AS FILLENWARTH (PATTY) PARK
BODY
To the Honorable Board of Commissioners of the Chicago Park District
I. Recommendation
Pursuant to Chapter VII, Section E of the Code of the Chicago Park District (the “Code), the General Superintendent recommends that the Board of Commissioners (the “Board”) approve the request to officially name Park No. 514 as “Fillenwarth (Patty) Park.”
Proposed Park or Park Feature: Park No. 514
Location: 1434 N. Monticello Avenue
Community Area: Humboldt Park
Ward: 26
Proposed Name: Fillenwarth (Patty) Park
II. Authorization
The Board hereby authorizes and directs the General Superintendent or their designee to perform, or cause to be performed, all such acts, including, without limitation the placement of signs with the official name, and to execute and deliver any and all agreements, documents, instruments or certificates as the General Superintendent deems necessary, advisable or appropriate, to effectuate this official naming.
III. Explanation
Park No. 514
Park No. 514 is located in the Humboldt Park community. This small, passive park is 0.68 acres and features a community garden and green space. Though there is no structured programming at this location, it is an active community park.
This park property is owned by Metra. The Park District entered into a licensing agreement with Metra in 2001 to utilize the land to create and operate this park.
Proposed Name: Dunning Read Natural Area Park
The proposed name of Fillenwarth (Patty) Park recognizes the extraordinary contribution that Sister Patty Fillenwarth made to civic betterment locally. Sister Patty was a Sister of Providence and ministered to the people of the Humboldt Park community for forty-two (42) years. In its twenty-four (24) year history, Providence Family Services served almost 10,000 people.
Among many accomplishments and contributions to the community, most notably, in 1994 she opened Providence Family Services, a center providing bilingual family counseling. Over time, Sister Patty incorporated community input and added to the center’s offerings to include an after-school tutoring program for children, adult English language classes, computer literacy classes for adults and children, and citizenship classes. Providence Family Services was an anchor in the community that welcomed all regardless of faith, race, or socioeconomic status.
Sister Patty passed away in June 2020 at the age of seventy-nine (79). She had been a Sister of Providence for sixty-two (62) years.
This proposal to officially name Park No. 514 as Fillenwarth (Patty) Park was submitted by Maggie Martinez, an active member of the Humboldt Park community and has the support of Alderman Jesse Fuentes, State Representative Lilian Jiménez, State Senator Omar Aquino, Pastor José Maria García-Maldonado of the San José Sánchez del Río Parish, and additional members of the Humboldt Park community. During the forty-five (45) day notice period initiated by the Board on April 8, 2026, the Chicago Park District received twenty-three (23) comments; of which, twenty-two (22) were in support of the proposed name and one (1) was in opposition. The Chicago Park District also received a letter of support from Cardinal Blase Cupich, the Archbishop of Chicago.
The proposed name follows the criteria set forth in Chapter VII, Section E.2 of the Code for naming a park, which states, in part, that: “[i]f a proposed name is of a person, then (i) the person shall have been deceased for at least one year prior to consideration; and (ii) the person shall have demonstrated a continued commitment and made an extraordinary contribution to civic betterment, locally, nationally or internally.”
IV. Park Naming Procedures
Pursuant to Code, this request to name the park feature had been forwarded to the Secretary of the Chicago Park District, who filed a copy of this request 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 alderperson 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 April 8, 2026. There has been positive support for this proposal from community members, with twenty-two (22) comments in support of the name and one (1) in opposition. The General Superintendent recommends that Park No. 514 be named Fillenwarth (Patty) Park.