GWCA Garden Walk (established 1982). The Garden Walk is hosted in July or August each year. Historically participation has ranged from 11-102 gardeners. In 2014, Lake View High School joined in with an Architectural Tour as their contribution to the Garden Walk.
Recycling (established 1984). GWCA sponsored a weekly recycling residential pick-up until the City of Chicago adopted the “Blue Bag & Blue Cart” program.
Corner Plantings (established 1980’s). GWCA sponsored an “adopt-a-corner” program in the early 1980’s. Planted Parkway Corners in Graceland West have a designated owner who ensures the maintenance and upkeep or are maintained by a GWCA Leader. GWCA has installed news kiosks in several corner plantings.
Graceland West Community Association Park (established late 1980’s). The east 25’ or 1/3 of Warner Park, a single city lot, was purchased as a vacant lot by GWCA, then developed into a park named the Graceland West Community Association Park. It has a 100+ year old Gingko tree, which Warner neighbor Lois Buenger helped save. GWCA voted to donate the park to NeighborSpace and combine it with Warner Park in the late 1990’s.
Warner Park and Gardens (established late 1980’s). This tranquil park, a double city lot, is an oasis of perennial plantings and shade. It was established by long term Warner resident Lois Buenger, who was a Chicago Public Schools special education teacher. Lois mortgaged her home in 1987 to acquire the property at 1446 West Warner to be Chicago’s first private park, Warner Park and Gardens. With unwavering determination the teacher turned a once untended lot into a gracious garden. To serve a wider community, the park was designed to meet a variety of needs – educational, social, and aesthetic. On any given day, one may find gardeners volunteering, students studying, children playing, families picnicking and neighbors reading or socializing. Warner Park and Gardens played host to Park Art 1995 and Park Art 2000. This outdoor art event was yet another dimension to its unique and special offerings to Chicago’s urban landscape.
In 2001 with efforts from the City of Chicago, Lois Buenger’s personal interests were bought out by NeighborSpace. The Chicago Park District has a long term lease for the park. In March of 2003, Lois passed away. Her legacy lives on with the park. The Park is maintained by the Warner Park and Gardens Board of Directors, which includes residents of the Graceland West Community and friends to the park. The Park is open daily from dawn to dusk. Warner Park and Gardens hosts several Graceland West neighborhood activities, including GWCAFest, the annual GWCA Children’s Halloween Party and the Fairy Tea party. It is also available for rentals. Information is on their Face Book page. Warner Park is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) and survives solely on the solely on the generosity of neighbors, local business and grants.
Neighborhood Stormwater runoff, standing water and flooding addressed with Greenview intersection and street leaf cleanup beginning in 2012. Expanded to all streets in 2016. With Climate Change, many leaves fall after city street sweepings end. GWCA Council Members and Block Reps lead this and GWCA and Lake View High School partner on this effort. The flooding issue impacts the neighborhood and school.
Lake View High School Campus / Community Park and Children’s Play Lot (opened 1997). Chicago lacks park and green space per capita, and creative ideas for location are necessary with land acquisition financially prohibitive. A pilot project was developed to add community park facilities on the Lake View High School campus with funding and maintenance by the Chicago Park District, City of Chicago and Chicago Public Schools. The Project was done by Ted Wolff Landscape Architecture. All parties, including the neighborhood, were involved in planning and design. Traffic and neighborhood street crossing safety analysis was conducted, especially as the park incorporates a Children’s Play Lot. Play Lot planning included bottom-up input from neighborhood children and parents. A wide half block long tree lined promenade – walkway with mosaic covered benches provides shade and space for reading, Thai chi, yoga, study groups, picnics and rest. The bench mosaics were done by LVHS art students. The resulting park is unique in that it’s designed for both the school and the community and takes into account needs of families, young children, students and seniors and those with disabilities.
Extensive landscaping was done for the 2.3 acre Campus Park and 80 trees were planted inside the bordering fence. A new canopy entrance was constructed, the track resurfaced, playing field irrigated and re-sodded, walkways, plantings, lighting, mosaic covered benches and a wall mosaic added. The park, with considerable green space, is available to the public when not in use by the school. The neighborhood voted to give up street parking on one side of both Greenview and Belle Plaine weekdays (originally agreed to as from 8 am to 3 pm) for faculty parking in exchange for expanded neighborhood park and green space. GWCA voted in 1995 for curb extensions with rain gardens at the Belle Plaine / Greenview intersection to make the intersection safer for children, families and students to cross, slow Belle Plaine traffic and help manage stormwater, but city funding was not available at that time. In 2013/2014 additional lighting was added, which better illuminates the Campus Park. In 2015, Alderman Pawar and Principal Grens addressed issues with worn out Play Lot equipment and chips, which were replaced. An updated campus and community park plan (2013) hasn’t yet been funded, but includes:
- Replacing dead and drought and cold stressed trees as needed
- Repairing mosaic benches
- Replacing the large mosaic, “One Red Wing”, ORW with an equally inspirational mosaic which has been properly installed for outdoor conditions (ORW can be repurposed indoors)
- Adding four sets of seating
- Amending soil for stormwater drainage (engineered soil), adding drought resistant native plants, a rain garden and otherwise addressing flooding related issues with greenscaping and drought resistant native plants.
- Planting the Ashland side with bulbs and shade loving drought resistant native plants. Reusing the garden stone.
- Adding raised gardening beds east of the faculty lot for teaching
- Adding large sculptures to flank the canopy entrance at the track and at other park locations
- Adding vertical garden space to help with stormwater flooding and provide habitat for birds and pollinators. A green roof is also desired for stormwater issues and to provide habitat for birds and pollinators
Principal Scott Grens would eventually like LVHS to have a Green Roof for ECO & Educational purposes (native plants for stormwater flooding reduction w bird, bat & pollinator habitat. A section for food production could be included) (2014).
The Campus and Community Park is popular with neighbors for yoga, Thai Chi, walkers, runners, for sports, picnics and children learning to ride a trike or bike. The tree-lined center promenade includes benches for seating, covered by mosaics by Lake View High School students. There is also a play lot designed with input from neighborhood children, who were part of the planning committee. It is also one of the practice sites for the top ranked LVHS Soccer Team, 2013 City Champs. Needed Campus and Community Park improvements may require raising funds.
Diesel Idling Law (2000-2006) GWCA worked with environmental law organizations, the Asthma Consortium, American Lung Association and other health care organizations to help pass a diesel idling law.
Berteau Greenway (2013). National surveys show young professionals with college and advanced degrees prefer to find jobs in cities where they can safely bike, walk and use public transit for work and pleasure. Families with young or school age children and seniors want the same walk, bike and transit access. With this in mind, Chicago developed a goal (2012) of being the best big city for biking and walking and planned to add 100 miles of protected bike paths. Berteau residents had voiced concerns about speeding and cut-through traffic and unsafe pedestrian crossings and the city observed increased bicycle accidents on Montrose and Irving Park. At this time the city was also looking at the Greenway concept. Greenways include greenspace, shared or contraflow bike lanes and curb extensions, which discourage cut-through traffic, reduce traffic speed and increase bike and pedestrian safety. The Berteau Greenway, the first Greenway in the city, was spearheaded by Alderman Pawar and subsequently planned, designed and developed. Traffic calming curb extensions with rain gardens additionally help reduce potential stormwater flooding on Berteau and curb extensions and a greenscaped pedestrian island on Clark increase pedestrian safety. Berteau is the only neighborhood street between Montrose and Irving Park to pass under the Ravenswood tracks and could also connect three arterial bike routes. The pilot project happened in one Ward, which made planning and community input easier. Additional bike connectivity is planned for the future in other Wards. Traffic calming curb extensions with rain gardens additionally help reduce some stormwater flooding.
GWCA leaders maintain the bioswale.
GWCA established an ECO (Ecological / Environmental) Committee (2014), which is a partnering of Graceland West Community Association, Lake View High School and Warner Park and Gardens, with representatives from each. This effort is to address climate change, stormwater runoff, standing water, and related neighborhood flooding and encourage the use of green space in this effort. Best ECO/Green practices are encouraged. GWCA and the ECO Committee would like to see Bee Keeping or bee habitat restored to Lake View High School as part of a future roof garden and the school and neighborhood as part of the National Bee Trail. GWCA encourages schools, businesses, homeowners, condo owners and apartment building owners to add 100 s/f of absorptive hardscape (permeable concrete, permeable pavers) and drought resistant native plant landscape including pollinator plants for every 3,000 s/f of lot.
CNT, Center for Neighborhood Technology developed a custom “Rain Ready” survey (2015) to help the Graceland West neighborhood better identify and troubleshoot neighborhood stormwater run-off and flooding issues including intersection, basement and vehicle flooding. Greenscaping solutions are among recommendations at a 2015 meeting with GWCA and Lake View High School. As part of the overall ECO effort, Lake View High School began a School and Community Composting Program in 2015. For 2016 GWCA plans Native Plants and Engineered Soil in 8 or more new Parkway Corners and will encourage residential use of Native Plants and Engineered Soil to reduce stormwater runoff and flooding while providing the beauty of bird and pollinator habitat. Lake View High School has received a grant for a Rain Garden. Warner Park and Gardens plans to add additional Native Plants. And GWCA has applied for an EPA sub-grant to help with application and education regarding the neighborhood stormwater flooding problem. The 47th Ward will use menu funds to install traffic calming bump-outs with bioswales at the Greenview / Belle Plaine intersection in 2016 or 2017 to help reduce flooding. Caution: in 2015, the signs depicting the Lake View High School Campus and Community Park were removed along with all depiction of the collaboration between the City of Chicago, Park District and CPS. These signs were replaced with signs stating that in was the Lake View High School Park. CNT encouraged the use of permeable concrete for Greenview sidewalks from Irving Park to Belle Plaine and for all new or replaced parking pads.
The GWCA ECO Committee, addressed loss of pollinator habitat and increased stormwater causing flooding and standing water by installing a Native Plant demonstration corner at the SW Corner of Belle Plaine and Greenview (2016). It is an example of what a home or condo owner can easily do to absorb about 2,000 gallons of annual stormwater. The native plats selected include habitat for the endangered rusty patched bumblebee, other pollinators, birds, bats and beneficial insects. Soil was amended 9″ deep (sand, soil, peat moss, clay and compost were incorporated) for maximum permeability. GWCA is encouraging all neighbors to add another 100 sq. ft. of permeable space (for a typical 25′ x 125′ city lot) to capture stormwater where it falls to help prevent stormwater runoff, standing water (which can attract mosquitos) and vehicle, street and basement flooding.
GWCA held a “Pollinator Party” with panel Peter Leki and Lisa Hish (2017). The 35th Garden Walk had 40 neighborhood gardens and green spaces including the Lake View Campus and Community Park, Warner Park and Gardens, the Berteau Greenway and two Pollinator Pathway Corners are displayed. Lake View High School shows new Campus Plan to community.
Alderman Tunney and Pawar invited GWCA Stakeholders to a March presentation on planned $20M in interior and exterior improvements to LVHS and a re-make to the Lake View High School Campus and Community Park (2017 – 2017), which includes 80 trees on the campus interior inside the school fence, a long promenade and mosaic seating and about 80 trees inside the campus is was a pilot with the City of Chicago, Park District and CPS and opened in 1997. Graceland West voted in 1995 to give up parking on the south side of the 1500 block of Belle Plaine and the west side 4000 blocks of Greenview from 8 am – 3 pm on school days in order to have this shared park and be able to use it when not used by LVHS. Additionally a Play Lot was added for the community. The community has always been able to share the track and field. The GWCA Community Bulletin Board installed for the community at Belle Plaine and Greenview will be reinstalled. The new plan will eliminate the Lake View High School Campus and Community Park by expanding the track and field and faculty parking. GWCA has been assured 80 interior trees in the 1995 park (inside the campus fence) will remain in the new park. And parkway trees will remain except for those located in the new 2nd entrance/exit on Greenview.
GWCA held a Green Roof presentation and demonstration (June 2018). Green Roofs are options for many flat roofs on neighborhood homes, apartment buildings, condos, schools, garages and businesses. Plantings beautify, absorb stormwater, reduce heat island effect and provide bird, bee, butterfly, bat and beneficial insect habitat. GWCA encourages all neighbors to add 100 sq’ ft’ more of absorptive hardscape or landscape for every 3,000 sq. ft. of lot, reduce grass (which sheds stormwater), add native plants and not use herbicide. Bombis affinis (endangered rusty patched bumblebee) habitat encouraged. The Rizal Community Center is proceeding with a Green Roof and installed the first panel, a donation from LiveRoof, the day after the Green Roof Community Meeting. Bees arrived almost immediately.
GWCA, the Rizal Center, BSOA Troop 865 Eagle Scout Candidate and his troop created a Native Plant Pollinator Pathway and Stormwater Absorption series of planters at Rizal (October, 2018), which will provide habitat for birds, our endangered Rusty Patched Bee, Butterflies and Beneficial Insects and absorb about 2,000 gallons of stormwater and snowmelt annually. Architect Marty Sandburg designed the planters.
Botanist Kelsay Shaw was GWCA’s speaker on Native Shrubs for Chicago, pollinators and the environment (June 2019). He and his family own Possibility Place Nursery in Monee. The nursery specializes in trees and shrubs indigenous to northeast Illinois.
GWCA’s ECO-Green Committee developed four additional Native Plant Pollinator Pathway and Stormwater Absorption parkway corners at the n/w and s/w corners of Belle Plaine and Southport and the n/w and s/w corners of Cuyler and Southport (June, 2020) . They will be introduced at GWCA’s 38th Annual Garden Walk on August 2nd. There are now 7 installations. Each installation absorbs and average of 2,000 gallons of stormwater annually.
The GWCA Environmental Committee received a Chicago Excellence in Gardening, CEGA, Honorable Mention Award for their seven Native Plant Pollinator Pathway and Stormwater Absorption Sites (June, 2023). They provide bird, bat, bee, butterfly and beneficial insect habitat and absorb stormwater. Each site is about 100 sqft. and soil has been amended / engineered for maximum absorbency. Each absorbs over 2,000 gallons of stormwater annually. They are each marked with and educational sign.
