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Visit gardens throughout the neighborhood. Begin at 4334 North Greenview with a Master Gardener, gardening information and maps. 1460 Belle Plaine will also have maps. Over 30 Gardens and neighborhood green spaces are on the Garden Walk
. It’s a great day to bring your family or friends, meet gardeners, make new friends and enjoy summer.• Website: https://www.aldermanmartin.com/
• Email: info@aldermanmartin.com
• Phone: 773-868-4747
• Address: 4243 N. Lincoln Ave.
The GWCA Council participated in the 47th Ward “Ward Council” on July 2nd. Alderman Martin has asked us to sign up through his website to receive the new 47th Ward Newsletter. Because of privacy rules, you need to sign up to receive the newsletter, you can’t be rolled over from your prior sign-up.
Thanks,
GWCA Council
GWCA’s 37th Annual Garden Walk is Sunday, August 4th from 1-5.
Please call 773.348.1469 or email Donna donnaforsberg@sbcglobal.net to show your front and / or back yard.
Neighbors and visitors rave that ours is the most welcoming and beautiful Garden Walk of Chicago’s summer. Please invite your family and friends that day, enjoy our neighborhood gardens and meet your neighbors. A Master Gardener and Insect Petting Zoo, Gardening Literature and Maps will be available at 4334 Greenview, the starting point. Maps will also be available at 1460 Belle Plaine, at exhibiting gardens and in our GWCA news kiosks. Please see the stormwater absorption and pollinator habitat parkway corner – s/w corner of Belle Plaine and Greenview.
Donna, many thanks for chairing this event! We also all owe you more than thanks for keeping the traffic circle, Berteau Greenway and many Graceland West parkway corners green. Our beautiful neighborhood happens because of immense and tireless community effort by you.
All, please support Donna and GWCA by showing your garden. And please always post neighborhood photos and videos on our Face book page.
Hi GWCA neighbors,
GWCA Council Members will participate on Alderman Martin’s Ward Council and Green Committee. Launch meetings are in July. Available GWCA Council Members also met with then Alderman Elect Matt Martin, his Chief of Staff Laura Reimers and Director, Constituent Services & Community Outreach, Michael Seawall on May 1 regarding neighborhood needs and goals.
-Council Members Janice Horwich and Joanne Yonan were elected to additional 18-month terms. One seat is open.
Please contact Donna Forsberg to show your garden on August 4 from 1-5. donnaforsberg@sbcglobal.net
All, please take both Surveys:
• Berteau Greenway input: https://forms.gle/PtjorsKPyJS5jhZZ6
• GWCA – Your ideas for the neighborhood and business: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfO27x2YGf1-Guc3imm_toqFE9knTzbxeVp2xtaNN1q4QzFKA/viewform
Attendees rated speaker, Botanist Kelsay Shaw, a 10 of 10. Here’s a link to his website: https://www.possibilityplace.com/. Most profound were the documented biodiversity differences from using native shrubs vs. using cultivars. Attendees received a Joe Pye Weed or Swamp Milkweed pollinator plant as we continue our efforts to increase pollinator pathways and stormwater absorption from the Chicago River to Lake Michigan. Wish I’d thought to ask someone to video and live stream via our GWCA face book. 75 minutes in total with questions. We need someone to bring their power cord and a tripod each time. Attendees also commented that our 40th Anniversary Celebration cake was excellent. Rizal invited us all to Tango at 8 pm, fees waived, but by the time we finished the native shrub discussion, a dramatic storm and intermittent heavy rain had us racing for home. Reminder, please let Brad Pierce pick up all the parkway signs.
Calendar additions:
1. Graceland cemetery Tour. Barb, thanks for offering to put this together again. Attendees wanted Sunday, October 6, the first Sunday in October for the tour and suggested 1-3 pm. Don’t know if everyone aware, but as of 2015, GC is now Graceland Cemetery and Arboretum. From a historic perspective, is Pat Butler still giving tours? He was on the panel I did for Lake View History in 2018. Or is there a docent who has expertise in both the cemetery and arboretum features?
2. I’m working with Scout Troop 865 on a second Eagle Scout Project and presume it will receive final BSOA approval in the next few days. It will be a Graceland West Infrastructure Inventory and submitted via the Chicago 311 app. Volunteers from scouts and the Graceland West neighborhood are needed. Sam Cooper is the scout. GWCA, the Alderman’s office and CDOT are working together with Troop 865 on this project. One of the project volunteer days will be Saturday, August 17 and Rizal will have basically a luau with vegetarian dishes and roast pig to come back to. Time TBD. This is similar to the food at our Women’s History Month Event. Below are DCDOT terms we will use. An update with volunteers and the community to discuss status / results to date will be planned, possibly for October or November. .
Pothole in street
PHF
Note where located (bike lane, center lane, curb lane, traffic lane, bus stop, crosswalk, intersection).
Pothole in alley
PHB
This can include potholes in the alley and on the alley apron, because a question when submitting to 311 is where the pothole is located: alley apron, by garage, center of alley, or other. Also note how the alley is paved (in most cases, asphalt).
Sewer cave-in
AAD
These are certainly more severe issues that we want to report to 311 ASAP. If it’s in an alley, it’s technically submitted as an Alley Sewer Inspection Request, and our office can help escalating it. In the typical sewer cave-in request, there is an option to put Alley down, but I’ve been told it should still be input as an Alley Sewer to ensure its inspected appropriately. Other locations for cave-ins include: center of street, curbline, front yard, parkway, sidewalk. Often, a sewer cave-in will look like a pothole or sinkhole within about 5 feet of a sewer structure.
Grafitti removal
GRAF
Include a description of the graffiti and where it’s located (alley, bench, bridge, pillar, door, dumpster, fence, front, garage, garbage cart, hydrant, mail box, pole, sidewalk, etc.). Also note what kind of surface it’s on (siding, asphalt, brick painted/unpainted, cement, garage door, glass, limestone, metal, tree, wood, etc.).
Also very important to note: is the graffiti over 6 feet from the ground? If so, additional equipment may be needed. And is the graffiti hateful, profane, etc.? If so, it may expediate removal.
Dead tree removal
SEE
If they know, they can indicate what’s wrong with the tree and if it’s in relation to a specific insect/pest.
Speed hump repair or paint
SPHU
Document issues in a similar manner to potholes.
Hazard/other
H
I would recommend the scout just document any issues outside of these in detail so we can determine the best way to input it.
Standing water, flooding, crosswalk needs painting, handicap non-slip surface is defective, bad sidewalk, rat area, etc.
Important links
Aldermanic menu fund page: https://www.aldermanmartin.com/menu-money.
ChiStreetwork: https://chistreetwork.chicago.gov/map
Happy 4th to all!
What shrubs are best for Chicago yards?
GWCA Meeting Speaker, Botanist Kelsay Shaw will let us know soon. Wednesday, June 26, 6:45 – 8 pm, Rizal Center, 1332 West Irving Park. Free plant to existing and new GWCA members (while supply lasts).
The catch basin, n/e corner of Belle Plaine and Greenview is being rebuilt (7th collapse / rebuild in 36 years) and the s/w corner was cleaned last week for the second time this year. The s/e corner catch basin was rebuilt again last year.
Please notify 311, GWCA (via Face book or info@gracelandwest.org) and the Alderman’s office of any severe street flooding or street flooding lasting more than 10 hours or locations that persistently flood. It would also help if you would photograph or video and post to GWCA’s face book page and provide the location.
More we can do:
Build to 200 year flood guidelines
Help your corner neighbors keep sewer grates clear
Clean up grass clippings and leaves in the street when you mow or rake and educate lawn services to do the same
Do all possible to absorb stormwater where it falls so it doesn’t migrate to a neighbor or need to reach a sewer
Aerate your soil to 9″ or more before planting. Ask us how to engineer your soil for maximum absorbency
Plant native trees, shrubs, plants and grasses as they have longer roots than non-native species or grass
Use permeable concrete and pavers. Don’t seal pavers or use concrete.
Add a rain garden green roof, French drain
Report any construction sand / earth on the street to 311 etc.
Thanks everyone for all your work on behalf of your Graceland West neighborhood!
September 8 (Sun), GWCAFest “40”, Sunday, September 8,
1-6 PM. Celebrate with us!Notifications