Title
REQUEST TO OFFICIALLY NAME
PARK #572 AS BLOOMINGDALE TRAIL 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 #572 Bloomingdale Trail Park.
Park name: Park #572
Location: 1600-3750 West Bloomingdale Avenue
Community Areas: Humboldt Park, Logan Square, and West Town
Wards: 1, 26, and 32
Proposed Name: Bloomingdale Trail 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 #572 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 wards in which the park is located.
The notice period of forty-five (45) days soliciting public input regarding the naming proposal was initiated on February 12, 2020. There has been positive support for this proposal from -the community. Staff recommends that the Board approve the request to name Park #572 to Bloomingdale Trail Park.
IV. Explanation
In 2004, the City of Chicago in collaboration with the Chicago Park District completed the Logan Square Open Space Plan, which identified strategic opportunities to develop open space in a community area that was recognized as the most underserved park communities in the City.
In 2012, the Chicago Park District began the design improvement plans for the Bloomingdale Park and Trail that would ultimately lead to the transformation of a piece of Chicago’s industrial heritage into an actively used recreational greenway. The conversion of a 2.67-mile under-utilized freight railroad embankment along Bloomingdale Avenue (1800N) from Ridgeway Avenue (3800W) east to Ashland Avenue (1600W) provides a grade-separated park with a multi-use recreational trail. The design of the Bloomingdale added approximately 13 acres of open space that serves the greater Logan Square, Humboldt Park, and West Town Community Areas.
In 2015, the new park open that included a new multi-purpose path, rehabilitation of thirty-eight bridge structures, replacement of three (3) bridges, and up to thirteen (13) universally accessible access points. The Bloomingdale is an expression of art and is intended to represent a cultural expression, invoke participatory arts, be innovative urbanism, and involve art and sustainability. Integrated Arts in the Bloomingdale include the Phenological plantings, Ridgeway Observatory, and the Damen Arts Plaza.