Clark Park Boathouse Discussion

Clark Park is a pristine river front park which contains acres of green space and a half mile river front trail, soccer fields, native gardens and a state-of-the-art BMX trail. Also, it has a public canoe/kayak launch and is a recognized butterfly sanctuary and bird watching habitat.


We oppose constructing a 2 acre sized boat warehouse/crewing facility which will negatively impact the park - it will be too large for Clark Park and introduce a 3 story building, surrounded by concrete, increased vehicle traffic, and will interrupt existing activities at the park. The public demands a period of public review to investigate moving the facility to a larger park or a different location.


A much smaller boathouse facility could be constructed at Clark Park, containing canoes/kayak, badly needed washrooms and a public water source, concessios and possible bike rental. Green Space is the most valuable resource in the parks, especially in this one-of-a-kind riverfront park - it must be protected for future generations.


http://www.change.org/petitions/chicago-park-district-and-the-city-... 


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Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on May 17, 2012 at 4:04am

I didn't know Clark Park was named after a fallen orifice.

This changes everything.  I'm now fine with the place being razed, plowed-under, and paved over with concrete.

Bring on the dozen 65-foot long 5th-wheel boat-rack trailers.   

Permalink Reply by Carter O'Brien on May 17, 2012 at 4:24am

My whole family got hit with some nasty stomach ailment so I've been distracted this week, but I did go out and work the river cleanup Saturday morning and got a chance to inspect the whole site.  Bill may come off as a bit crusty here, but he's entitled to have his blood boiling.  As he states, the boat house site is clearly staked out, and it will most definitely irreversibly destroy the character of the park.  It is HUGE.  It is taking prime natural open space and largely paving it over. 

The project also is putting the kayak and canoe rental fella out of business, something I find hard to square with the idea that this boat house is improving access to the river for the public, given that most people can find the scratch to rent a kayak but don't have thousands of dollars to buy and then rent storage space for one of these large rowing boats.

But what I find most sad, possible more so than the lost opportunity of the ped/bike bridge, is that the volunteer group which has spent almost 20 years (going from memory/conversations Saturday) making this park desirable got treated with utter disrespect by the City and whatever this boat house contingency is.  That's no way to respect and acknowledge the hard work they've put in over this time.  And I wonder what kind of unintended ripples/message this sends to the larger volunteer community.

Some people here may not be aware that 20 years ago, very few people thought about the river as an asset.  Most people grew up learning to avoid it, and folks like CPAC who pioneered the concept of cleaning up river front land dealt with everything shy of actual human corpses back in the day.  Now that the area is beautiful and desirable, this is the thanks they get?  Despicable.

I brought a fellow biker and we focused our clean up efforts on the dirt bike park - while we did a good job getting rid of the trash on the surface, there is decades of broken glass and debris that is actually embedded in compacted soil.  Anyone who has time to spare in the future could support bikers by helping remove it, as based on what we got done, it would take a team of 100 a weekend to get all of the glass out of the dirt.

Tim, I don't doubt you are a sincere fellow with good intentions, but I am curious if you have actually seen the staked-out area? 

Did you see the rowing organization's report on the appropriateness of the site & alternate suggestions (go to the link for those):

http://www.rowinggroup.com/north_branch_river_potential_location_re...

Clark Park was selected by the Chicago Park District as one of the original four locations for new boathouse development on the Chicago River.  Clark Park is approximately ten acres of green space in which two acres would be developed for the construction of the proposed 20,000 sq ft rowing boathouse, according to several Clark Park advocacy groups.  At first glance, this spot does seem like an excellent location for a boathouse.  However, there are a number of outstanding issues that cause concern regarding the development of a boathouse at Clark Park.  Because of these issues, which some would consider substantial, are the main reasons the Rowing Group concludes that the Clark Park location is not well suited for rowing boathouse development.  In our opinion, there are other more appropriate locations on the North Branch of the Chicago River that should be considered for rowing boathouse development before Clark Park.

The first and most significant issue is the high level of displeasure from local community members, especially the Clark Park Advisory Council (CPAC) and the Chicago Area Mountain Bikers (CAMBr). The Rowing Group has learned that communication from the Chicago Park District to these advocacy groups, as well as other individuals who use Clark Park, has been unsatisfactory at best and not transparent in anyway.  According to the CPAC, the boathouse plans have changed three times, requests by the CPAC for the addition of non-rowing amenities have not been included, and the amount of green space that will have to be removed to accommodate the rowing boathouse has grown to demand 1/5th of the current green space at Clark Park.  The Rowing Group concludes that this is an unfair request to be borne by the citizens who already utilize Clark Park for non-rowing activities, especially when you consider the limited amount of usable, public, uncontaminated green space on the North Branch of the Chicago River.

In addition to these issues of transparency voiced by the CPAC, there are a number of planning issues that have been overlooked by the Chicago Park District that should prove to be quite problematic. These would need to be addressed well before committing Clark Park to boathouse development.  

These issues are summarized and listed below:

  • The amount of green space that would need to be removed to build the rowing boathouse has been estimated at 1/5th the current green space at Clark Park.  That would mean approximately two acres of grassy playfields and recreational areas would need to be removed to develop the rowing boathouse as it is presented today. This is the primary reason why selecting Clark Park to build a rowing boathouse is an improper decision.  Removing green space is counter to the purpose of the entire boathouse development concept in the first place.  Mayor Emanuel’s boathouse announcement in September 2011 represented an optimistic vision of the transformation of the Chicago River into Chicago’s backyard.  Removing green space to accommodate this goal is inappropriate and surely not the intention of the Mayor.  Nonetheless, this is a significant issue that would need to be properly addressed.   

    The Rowing Group wants to highlight the inappropriateness of taking one recreational area away from one group only to give that same area to another group.  There are a significant amount of alternative locations on the North Branch that are far better suited for rowing than the Clark Park location.  These other possible locations for a rowing boathouse on the North Branch will be detailed later in this report.
  • Barge traffic on the North Branch is less frequent than on the South Branch; however the constant threat of collision from barges is an extremely high concern of all rowing and paddling programs currently operating on the Chicago River.  The Clark Park location on the North Branch of the Chicago River is a decent distance from the majority of riverside sites that utilize barge transport; however there is no 100% protected area close to Clark Park.  

    Images of rowing boats next to barges for perspective:


    In comparison, the back channel of Goose Island on the North Branch of the Chicago River is an ideal protected location away from all barge traffic.  The outstanding protection that the back channel of Goose Island offers and the lack of reliable protection the area around Clark Park offers, mainly from commercial barges, is another significant reason why the Rowing Group concludes the Clark Park location is suited poorly for the construction of a permanent rowing boathouse.
  • Parking in the area around Clark Park cannot accommodate the influx of rowers on a daily basis.  North Rockwell Street and surrounding streets are already in high demand from the Cook County Circuit Court on Belmont, the Chicago Police Department station house on Belmont, Lane Tech High School on Addison, DeVry University across from Clark Park, as well the high demand for parking from everyone who utilizes Clark Park on a daily basis.  Add in a new Chicago Cubs youth baseball diamond and a 20,000 square foot boathouse, you now have a substantial parking burden that would need to be addressed.

    The Rowing Group believes developing more parking features like multi-level car-parks in this area would lead to a blighted condition at Clark Park, detracting from the current pleasing appearance of the area. The cost of building a multi-level car-park also would be unnecessarily high for the purposes of a rowing boathouse.
  • Rowing teams need to use specially designed rowing trailers to transport their boats to regattas.  These trailers range in length from 27 feet to 41 feet, have tandem axles, and stand about 12.5 feet high.  Each rowing team needs to own their own trailer to transport boats to regattas. Sharing trailers is not feasible when you consider the variety of rowing competitions in the US and the wide range of programs that will likely utilize the rowing boathouse.  

    Images of rowing trailers for perspective. Each trailer is one single team's fleet of boats and are not shared among programs.


    The rowing boathouse in Skokie is about 1/4 the size of the proposed boathouse at Clark Park. Skokie currently stores five 39-41 foot trailers for rowing teams and one 30 foot trailer for a paddling vendor, all which take up the entire eastern side of the Skokie parking lot.  Using the Skokie boathouse as an example, the Rowing Group would estimate that the Clark Park boathouse parking lot would have to conservatively accommodate at least 10 - 12 rowing trailers and corresponding tow vehicles, which are typically purchased and maintained by rowing teams as well. The current Clark Park tarmac parking lot would be unable to accommodate these trailers and trucks. Chicago Park District plans omit this significant space requirement.
  • The dock location at Clark Park may need to be reviewed for safety.  The curve of the Chicago River on the eastern shore at the proposed dock location could prove to be problematic with the flow of traffic on the river.  The dock is shown to be extended into the “traffic” area of the river which, in the opinion of the Rowing Group, frequently could generate conditions where collisions would be likely.  Establishing safe procedures would be needed in order to reduce the conditions that would lead to a collision.  There are other locations on the North Branch of the Chicago River that are sheltered from conditions like this and will be detailed later in the report.  (video of Clark Park shoreline looking south)
  • The Chicago Area Mountain Bikers’ (CAMBr) “Garden” trail is directly next to the proposed rowing boathouse at Clark Park.  The members of CAMBr are concerned about any encroachment toward their well established competition grounds that have been in constant use for more than a decade.  They fear that the boathouse will be built in a way that directly will have a negative impact on their space along the Chicago River.

Permalink Reply by lorraine reder on May 17, 2012 at 4:44am

Tim S., my posting on YELP regarding "Native Garden In Danger of Becoming a Parking Lot" was a true statement.  You incorrectly assumed 'native garden' was referring to the BMX course.  I am thankful to you for your incorrect assumption because when this issue was picked up on chainllink, people at least had an opportunity to express their opinions on the boat warehouse/crewing facility.   

Permalink Reply by Davo on May 17, 2012 at 6:31am

So I just saw in the 47th wards newsletter that a $5million baseball stadium is to be built in Clark Park 

Permalink Reply by Tim S on May 17, 2012 at 7:16am

I assumed nothing only wanted additional information which was hard to come by. I know shame on the CPD.

Was the Native Garden in danger of becoming a parking lot? It seems that you folks backtracked on that statement as well as many others after being called out for the various assumptions/claims that had been made. Happy it got out for more to see, you are welcome. Guess the old adage that there is no such thing as bad publicity would apply here.

Backtracking on Yelp, Chainlink, CAMBr did nothing to help the cause nor does having people sign an inaccurate petition... BTW did that one get turned in with claims of a 3 story building + other mistakes or were they corrected.

Davo there are 2 Soccer fields, a DePaul baseball stadium and a new nursing school that are going to bring a ton of traffic to their park area the boat house has a potential to be the lowest impact on the area as far as the # of folks coming through but it is getting the most backlash. Seems if there was a real concern about density they should have fought harder earlier against the other 3 plans.

Carter I have not been in the past few weeks to see the stakes. Busy with a few other things but hope to make it up soon.

Permalink Reply by Bill Barnes on May 17, 2012 at 8:51am

They came to our February meeting to show us an entire presentation. It was a large meeting with five people from Devry there including the President of the campus.  We discussed the issues, addressed concerns and were given answers that were satisfactory plus a lot of new suggestions.  We felt it was a successful dialog and the CPAC, DeVry, and Friends of the Parks signed off on the project.  This was all done prior to  the Cubs going to the board to approve funding.

What's wrong with the boathouse picture is that there is no dialog.  They refute everything we say.



Davo said:

So I just saw in the 47th wards newsletter that a $5million baseball stadium is to be built in Clark Park 

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on May 19, 2012 at 11:41am

Rode by the site today.  Wow, the Riverwalk Trail is done for the duration -probably  years.  Nearly 1/3 of the park is behind construction fence now and closed-off.   The  fencing has  totally sectioned off  the North side 1/2 of the park from the smaller  wooded area on the south as it goes from the front gate, a few feet off of the road, all the way to the river, blocking the trail and cutting the park into thirds.  

I propose that this thread be renamed at least one more time as:

The Boathouse That Ate Clark Park

-or-

The Mistake on the River -sort of like like those of us from Madison call The Frank Lloyd Wright Convention Center, The Mistake on the Lake.  Hopefully this White Elephant won't cost so much to build and maintain and be a money pit year after year...

It's funny  how it takes YEARS to get most normal stuff going in this city and it all can be dropped at the drop of the hat but when certain interests are involved everyone MOVES and things get done overnight. 

Whatever happened to Meigs Field?

Permalink Reply by lorraine reder on May 22, 2012 at 7:50am

How about '9.5 Million Dollar Boondoggle on the River'.  I was there this weekend, and not only did Rejamn insult us by saying the project would only impact 2% of the park, he also lied that everyone who uses the park today for fishing and launching their own canoes/kayaks will be able to continue to do so!  Can you imagine launching a little canoe into the chaos that will exist in the river, with a blind curve and those enormous boats?  It will be like merging onto the Kennedy Expressway at the Junction in rush hour.

 

Check out the following link from the Park District.  They site 'community amenities, such as an indoor rowing tank, a gym with rowing machines and a community room.'  I wonder why they didn't provide ANY information on which facilities the public can use.   

 

http://fotp.org/news/chicago-park-district-to-start-construction-on...

 

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on May 22, 2012 at 9:25am

Thanks for the link lorraine reder!

It almost looks like there could be room for a Roscoe Ped/Bike Corridor Bridge there after all by the looks of that site.  Is that the whole boathouse or just the site?  If it is the boathouse then it is MUCH larger than the 20,000 square foot footprint or even the 40,000 square foot footprint everyone was arguing about.

Anyhow, maybe a bridge is in the works.  I rode by on the other side and it looks like there is construction fencing on Roscoe there too.   So either they are starting the Ped/Bike Bridge to link the Roscoe Bike Corridor or they are just going to rip up the street for other industrial uses like they have wanted to all along.

Your guess is as good as mine -but I bet you we will NEVER see a bridge there.  I'll bet someone a free wheel-build.  What will you bet me in return?

Permalink Reply by Carter O'Brien on May 22, 2012 at 9:53am

I actually took pictures of the fenced-off area from every angle yesterday, but got too depressed to upload and link them.  Hopefully that designated area is extra-large to accomodate equipment staging and for protecting tree root zones from compaction.

Permalink Reply by Carter O'Brien on May 22, 2012 at 10:03am

I will have to decline your generous offer, as I see the Cubs winning a world series first. 

I actually took pictures of the fenced-off area from every angle yesterday, but got too depressed to upload and link them.  Hopefully that designated area is extra-large as it is also accommodating equipment staging and protecting tree root zones from compaction.

I'm pretty confident at this point saying the CPD pulled a switch on the bridge and reallocated funding to the "underbridge" that will run along the river's east side connecting the south and north sides of Addison.  And that's a fine thing - except that this facility will be a conflict with those wanting to bike along the river's east side. 

It is very short-sighted to pave over a big chunk of what precious little pristine open space Chicago has left.  All the existing user base had wanted were some fairly basic facilities like restrooms and water fountains. 



James BlackHeron said:

Thanks for the link lorraine reder!

It almost looks like there could be room for a Roscoe Ped/Bike Corridor Bridge there after all by the looks of that site.  Is that the whole boathouse or just the site?  If it is the boathouse then it is MUCH larger than the 20,000 square foot footprint or even the 40,000 square foot footprint everyone was arguing about.

Anyhow, maybe a bridge is in the works.  I rode by on the other side and it looks like there is construction fencing on Roscoe there too.   So either they are starting the Ped/Bike Bridge to link the Roscoe Bike Corridor or they are just going to rip up the street for other industrial uses like they have wanted to all along.

Your guess is as good as mine -but I bet you we will NEVER see a bridge there.  I'll bet someone a free wheel-build.  What will you bet me in return?

Permalink Reply by Carter O'Brien on May 23, 2012 at 8:45am

h', there were multiple stories by the Roscoe Village Journal, so it did get some media coverage, hard to compete with NATO.  But this was a done deal, and the CPD prevented any effective organizing by deceiving the Clark Park Advisory Council/pulling a bait and switch at the 11th hour. 

If a decades-established community organization associated with the park got run over, it's clear the Mayor doesn't care what anyone in the area thinks, and decided this was going to happen (see James' note on Meigs Field) one way or the other. 

Of course, none of that means anyone has to like it, or that we shouldn't call it out for what it is. 

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