The Chainlink

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 Carter O'Brien on May 2, 2012 at 9:30am

Huge thanks Bill.  Is there a preferred contact method for the Mayor? 

Permalink Reply by Carter O'Brien on May 2, 2012 at 10:58am

Here's the reply I received from the 47th ward Alderman's office.  When the meeting is called I will spread the word.  This is serious and permanent cyclist-friendly infrastructure, and what I would call a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

>While I know they have many concerns about the boat house, prior to it being proposed, the bike bridge plan was being reevaluated to connect the parks (Clark to California and Horner Park) and maintain a riverfront bike path rather than a connection to Roscoe. We expect CDOT to call a community meeting about the bike/ped bridge once more of the initial planning for it is done; keep an eye on our newsletter for more information.

 

Best regards,

 

Bill Higgins

47th Ward Program Analyst & Coordinator

Permalink Reply by Night Owl on May 2, 2012 at 11:13am

I'll just once again reiterate a comment I made in this string a good while back:  Roscoe St. from California Ave. to the River is going to be sold and closed to the public in the very, very near future...which will likely kill this project.  The street is in the 33rd Ward and we all know that Dick "Bikes Need Permitting" Mell has not been friendly to bicycling in the past, so I doubt it is a priority for him. 

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on May 2, 2012 at 11:23am

Is this donation the $2 million "purchase price" to which you refer for the sale of a City of Chicago Street?

Night Owl said:

I'll just once again reiterate a comment I made in this string a good while back:  Roscoe St. from California Ave. to the River is going to be sold and closed to the public in the very, very near future...which will likely kill this project.  The street is in the 33rd Ward and we all know that Dick "Bikes Need Permitting" Mell has not been friendly to bicycling in the past, so I doubt it is a priority for him. 

Permalink Reply by Night Owl on May 2, 2012 at 11:27am

Doubtful - Chicago does things through the backdoor, but I don't think they could be that blatant.  There will have to be a formal contract and things of that nature, but it has to be related, right?

Permalink Reply by Duppie on May 2, 2012 at 11:28am

Nice find, Kevin!

Note to self: Stop believing once and for all that Chicago politics changed when Emanuel took office. Nothing really did.

Kevin C said:

Is this donation the $2 million "purchase price" to which you refer for the sale of a City of Chicago Street?

Night Owl said:

I'll just once again reiterate a comment I made in this string a good while back:  Roscoe St. from California Ave. to the River is going to be sold and closed to the public in the very, very near future...which will likely kill this project.  The street is in the 33rd Ward and we all know that Dick "Bikes Need Permitting" Mell has not been friendly to bicycling in the past, so I doubt it is a priority for him. 

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on May 2, 2012 at 11:38am

Well...thanks. But I still doubt the underlying premise that a City of Chicago Street is being sold to a private "person," closed to the public, and is being taken off the grid.

Duppie said:

Nice find, Kevin!

Note to self: Stop believing once and for all that Chicago politics changed when Emanuel took office. Nothing really did.

Kevin C said:

Is this donation the $2 million "purchase price" to which you refer for the sale of a City of Chicago Street?

Night Owl said:

I'll just once again reiterate a comment I made in this string a good while back:  Roscoe St. from California Ave. to the River is going to be sold and closed to the public in the very, very near future...which will likely kill this project.  The street is in the 33rd Ward and we all know that Dick "Bikes Need Permitting" Mell has not been friendly to bicycling in the past, so I doubt it is a priority for him. 

Permalink Reply by Carter O'Brien on May 2, 2012 at 12:26pm

I would be tremendously surprised if they are not related.  The only constituency that would seem to come out ahead if this bridge wasn't built would be WMS, as they essentially have this little parcel of Roscoe all to themselves right now & obviously have their sights set on the whole thing.

That said, Duppie is spot-on, it's just business as usual, and the problem is these guys aren't idiots who are going to get caught trading bags with big dollar signs on them, I can't even imagine how one would prove (to legal standards) a quid pro quo here, much less connect it to the bridge issue.

All I can say is, make some noise.  This appears to be the guy stuck with being the Alderman's front man for this boondoggle, I don't envy him that role as he seems like a decent guy who supports cycling on the whole.

http://chicago47.org/resident/bike-47/


Night Owl said:

Doubtful - Chicago does things through the backdoor, but I don't think they could be that blatant.  There will have to be a formal contract and things of that nature, but it has to be related, right?

Permalink Reply by Bill donahue on May 2, 2012 at 9:48pm

Permalink Reply by Bill donahue on May 2, 2012 at 10:03pm

The photo above is from a race held in Tennessee. This should give some idea of what parking is like anywhere near a race or a regatta.  What we now have in the immediate vicinity of, and within Clark Park is the following: 

1- A tremendously active soccer league with games scheduled all summer  2- a very active and growing BMX track within the wooded area which is drawing riders from all over the midwest.  3- A new CUBS sponsored baseball stadium, (regulation high school stadium) with hundreds of seats being built across the street, the front door is 50 feet from the Clark parking lot. 4- a new multi story DeVry nursing school is being constructed right now immediately south of the new baseball stadium site, which will take up DeVry parking. 5- the Chicagoland Canoe and Kayak is open spring, summer and fall and is more popular and busier than ever after being in business at the public canoe launch now for about 10 years. 

Clark Park has a parking lot which fits 12 cars.  Rockwell is jammed with soccer players cars, during the week it is loaded with cars from Lane and DeVry students who do not want to pay or are not eligible for parking. 

Where will trailers and buses, cars and vans and other vehicles in support of boating regattas be parking in the vicinity of Clark Park?? Remember, the average crew is 9 individuals on a craft.  If there is even a much smaller event than that posed in the photo above, it still adds up to hundreds of people AND cars, trucks etc. NOTICE in the photo, that we only see trailers, no vehicles whatsoever.  Are we getting the picture??  Not much room at Clark Park for even a much smaller event than this. 

In my opinion, this is not a good location for a rowing facility. Do you see the "perfect storm" which is being proposed here?  Once all these new buildings are built, and no particular remedy for the parking, then add in the traffic which will try to "go around" the intersection of Belmont and Western, which will have no viaduct overpass, and even more cars will be pouring into this area.

Permalink Reply by Tim S on May 2, 2012 at 10:12pm
What does that pic have to do with anything Bill... Another shot of half truthyness on the part of the Clark Park supporter group?

It is a great shot of a large Regatta though.
Permalink Reply by Tim S on May 2, 2012 at 10:27pm
Ah gotcha, just saw the follow-up to the pic, you make me laugh.

Why don't you protest the soccer fields, baseball field, or Devry? They will bring in far more of a steady stream of cars on a regular almost daily basis than the Boat House. That regatta looks like a major event and not a regular weekend. Has anyone suggested that the Boat House will be used fro regatta's or is it a practice facility?

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