Austin Weekly News 031721

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Why so many dead fish in West Side ponds? Here’s an explanation,

Vol. 35 No. 11

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March 17, 2021

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austinweeklynews.com

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Also serving Garfield Park

@AustinWeeklyChi

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Arlene l Jones, PAGE 7

All West Side adults eligible for vaccination

The community-based vaccinations intend to make it easier for residents of Austin, Garfield Park, North Lawndale to get shots

By PASCAL SABINO Block Club Chicago

Coronavirus vaccinations are available for all adult residents of Austin, Garfield Park and North Lawndale.

The Austin and North Lawndale sites are part of the city’s Protect Chicago Plus program, part of an effort to immunize people in 15 neighborhoods hardest by the pandemic.

The community vaccination strategy has been effective in immunizing residents in areas where vaccination rates had lagged, city officials said.

In Belmont Cragin and Little Village, vaccination rates are up to more than 10 percent since Protect Chicago Plus began, Deputy Mayor Sybil Madison said. That puts those neighborhoods on pace with the city averages, she said.

“We’re seeing that the strategy works. …

That’s making us very excited about what we’ve been able to do because of our partners in a short amount of time,” Madison said.

Here’s how you can sign up:

Provided

ADDRESSING INEQUITIES: Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs into law the Healthcare and Hospital Transformation bill at Loretto Hospital on Friday. Read more on page 3.

Invest/South West’s Laramie Bank prize deepens old divides Oak Park Regional Housing Center wins competition, prompting outcry from Westside Health Authority, community leaders

Austin

By MICHAEL ROMAIN

Austin residents 18 and older can register to get vaccinated beginning March 12 at sites run

by Rush University Medical Center and Loretto Hospital. The program is expected to vaccinate about 3,000 Austin residents each week.

Editor

See VACCINATION on page 4

An Oak Park nonprofit has won the opportunity to help turn a historic, but long-vacant West Side landmark into a vital community institution, but the prize threatens to deepen old divisions between

Oak Park and Austin.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced on March 8 that the city had selected a request for proposal from a team of entities, including the Oak Park Regional Housing Center, to redevelop the Laramie State Bank building at 5200 W. Chicago Ave. in Austin.

The bank building was completed in 1929 and is beloved for its architectural features, particularly the bas-relief art deco terra-cotta sculpture on the facade.

The building has been vacant for at least at least seven years. In 1995, the city desigSee INVEST SOUTH/WEST on page 8

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Austin Weekly News, March 17, 2021

Austin Weekly News, March 17, 2021

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Healthcare law signed at Loretto Hospital

Pritzker signed the Healthcare and Hospital Transformation bill March 12

By ZACH CUNNING AustinTalks

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the Healthcare and Hospital Transformation bill on March 12 at The Loretto Hospital.

The law, which passed the Illinois General Assembly in January, authorizes $150 million for safety net hospitals, specialty care access efforts, cross-provider initiatives and workforce development, with a specific eye on underserved communities, Gov. Pritzker said.

Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford, who represents the West Side, said in a press release the legislature had seen the dis-

proportionate impact COVID-19 has had on Black and brown communities, like Austin.

“Putting these critical dollars into partnerships that will address the systemic inequities that exist will make for a healthier Illinois overall,” she said.

Pritzker called the bill “a much-needed step in the direction of healthcare equity.”

“We must demand true wellness for all of our neighbors for all of Illinois.”

No one should have to grapple with balancing money and medical care, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton said alongside other elected officials who gathered at Loretto.

“Can I afford to call an ambulance? And how much does it cost? Will my insurance cover it, or what do I do since I don’t have insurance? No one, and I mean no one, should have to endure this,” she said.

Rep. Camille Lilly led efforts to get the bill – part of the Illinois Legislative Black Cau-

Artists say public art can make streets more walker friendly

By PASCAL SABINO Block Club Chicago

Artists are planning a public art installation near the Kedzie-Homan station on the Blue Line, part of an ongoing neighborhood effort to make the area safer and more walkable.

The installation at the Homan and Harrison intersection is being designed to improve the streetscape for pedestrians who live in the neighborhood. The project is led by SAIC Design Homan Square, a course taught by Eric Hotchkiss at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Homan Square campus, which functions as a pro-bono design consultancy for projects in North Lawndale.

Designers are gathering feedback from residents “to help us figure out what we are designing and why we are designing what’s going to be at this intersection,” Hotchkiss said.

“It doesn’t matter what you put in the space if there’s no activation around it,” Hotchkiss said.

SAIC Design Homan Square has held community roundtables to collect ideas and in-

put from residents. The next engagement event is planned for 2 p.m. March 26, and login details will be posted on SAIC Design Homan Square’s social media channels.

To get involved with the design of the public art installation or give feedback, visit the project’s website or email saicdesignhs2021@ gmail.com for more information.

The public art installation continues efforts to improve the streetscape in the neighborhood kicked off by the WALK-H walkability assessment released in 2020. The study, conducted by residents in collaboration with SAIC Homan Square and the North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council’s transportation committee, was aimed at making key intersections in the area safer and more welcoming to pedestrians.

The study evaluated 22 intersections within a half mile of the Kedzie-Homan station, collecting data on the condition of streets, sidewalks, bump-outs, crosswalks, road signs and traffic lights. With the help of neighborhood youth, the Walk-H team also surveyed more than 130 CTA users and pedestrians on barriers to walkability in the neighborhood.

The report found poor pedestrian infrastructure, such as ineffective crosswalks and poor lighting, made the area difficult and unsafe to navigate on foot. The Homan and Harrison intersection lacked a painted crosswalk and had a poorly marked bumpout that cars frequently cut across while turning, according to the study.

anchored collaboratives, collaboratives in distressed communities, cross-provider care partnerships and workforce innovation and diversity inclusion collaboratives.

Entities who already have plans ready to go must apply by April 9 for the program’s first round of funding. All applications “will be evaluated using a racial equity lens before funds are awarded,” according to the press release.

The bill addresses one of the four pillars put forth by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus. Education legislation was signed by the governor last week, while a sweeping criminal justice reform bill was signed in February.

The economic access and equity bill was sent to the governor in early February and is awaiting his signature.

CONTACT: austintalks.org@gmail.com

GETTING CREATIVE: A 3D rendering of streetscape improvements at Homan Avenue and Harrison Street, one of the most dangerous intersections in North Lawndale.

Provided

Local art installation builds off a walkability study conducted by residents that suggested several improvements

cus’ health pillar – approved. She said the legislation takes into account “glaring issues that COVID-19 … has spotlighted.”

“It’s been said, and I’d like you to remember, healthcare is a right,” said Lilly, who also serves as Loretto’s chief external affairs officer.

The new law treats healthcare as an integrated model, allowing communities to assess their specific health needs and collaborate across the medical spectrum from hospitals to preventative care and specialty providers, including those who serve mental health and substance abuse populations, she said.

Funding is available to eligible providers across six categories, according to a press release.

Those categories are: collaboratives anchored by safety net hospitals, safety netanchored collaboratives dedicated to specialty care access, critical access hospital-

The study also found the design of the streetscape discouraged many people from walking. Trends from the survey showed residents felt unfamiliar with the walking routes in the area, and that lack of a visual identity and curb appeal made the neighborhood less pedestrian-friendly.

“We think about walkability in terms of physically, but also emotionally. It changes the way you think about an intersection if you’re always stressed about walking past the intersection,” Hotchkiss said.

The art installation may incorporate elements such as a mural and lighting to address those issues. The designers will also consider things like signs to make walking routes more visible.

At a recent community roundtable on the art project, designers asked residents what would be needed to make the intersection safer and more walkable.

The art project should involve young people in North Lawndale, especially those who loiter around the Blue Line station, resident Audrey Dunford said. Getting young people more involved will make them feel a sense of belonging in the community and can make the area feel safer for pedestrians.

“We need people who can actually get out there and motivate them to want to do other stuff outside of just standing out there

at night,” Dunford said. “A part of it, too, is that they don’t really have nothing to do.”

Residents recommended the installation incorporate lighting that will feel welcoming, a tile mosaic, green landscaping, an event space and visually appealing trash cans to reduce littering.

Community feedback will also determine the visual themes represented in the art so the installation will reflect the unique flavor, culture and history of North Lawndale.

Participants suggested the mural draw on themes like Lawndale’s history of mom-andpop shops, the historic Stone Temple Missionary Baptist Church and Martin Luther King Jr.’s visit to the neighborhood.

“Incorporating those stories and histories into this project will help it resonate better,” said Dylan Mattox, a member of the SAIC Design Homan Square team.

The SAIC Design Homan Square team will collect feedback from residents for 10 weeks before finalizing the design of the project in May. Pascal Sabino is a Report for America corps member covering Austin, North Lawndale and Garfield Park for Block Club Chicago.

CONTACT: pascal@blockclubchi.org

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Austin Weekly News, March 17, 2021

VACCINATION

Garfield Park

More shots coming from page 1 Loretto is vaccinating Austin residents Fridays and Saturdays at Amundsen Park, 6200 W. Bloomingdale Ave. Residents can make an appointment online or by calling 773-996-7937.

Rush University Medical Center is vaccinating Austin residents Sundays at Catalyst Circle Rock Charter School, 116 N. Central Ave. Make an appointment online or by calling 312-563-0767.

The Austin sites will offer first doses of the vaccines through April 18. No ID is necessary, but people are encouraged to bring proof they are residents of Austin, such as a utility bill.

The community-based vaccinations are an important strategy for making sure neighborhoods that have few medical providers still have equitable access to the vaccines, said Dr. Nikhila Juvvadi, Loretto’s chief clinical officer. Neighborhoods that lacked access to medical care already faced health disparities that caused them to get hit hardest by the pandemic, Juvvadi said.

“It’s not skipping the line. It’s about giving them an equal chance to get the vaccine … removing that barrier so they have the same ability to access,” Juvvadi said.

In Garfield Park, Breakthrough Urban Ministries is offering community-based vaccinations in partnership with St. Anthony Hospital.

To sign up for a vaccine, residents must visit one of two Breakthrough facilities in person.

Breakthrough FamilyPlex, 3219 W. Carroll Ave. Signups are open 9 a.m.-3 p.m. MondayFriday.

Breakthrough Fresh Market, 3334 W. Carroll Ave.. Signups are open 2-4 p.m. Tuesdays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursdays and 10 a.m.noon Saturdays.

The Breakthrough sites will schedule vaccinations for anybody who lives in Garfield Park, Austin or North Lawndale as long as they are 18 or older. Residents are asked to bring an ID to prove eligibility.

After a resident signs up, staff at the Breakthrough centers will schedule an appointment to administer the vaccines at St. Anthony Hospital, 2875 W. 19th St. “This is our way to make sure that our community … has an opportunity to get vaccinated,” said Martin Coffer, director of operations at the FamilyPlex.

North Lawndale Any North Lawndale resident who is an adult can get vaccinated at the Lawndale Christian Health Center clinic inside Homan Square Community Center, 3517 W. Arthington St. The clinic will vaccinate up to 200 people

Bring Home a Taste of Some of your Favorite Moments

RibFest Every Day! Mickey’s is the place!

Courtesy Chicago mayor’s office.

A Protect Chicago Plus Vaccine facility. each weekday with a goal of administering 1,000 shots per week.

All North Lawndale residents 18 and older can schedule a vaccination appointment by calling 872-588-3829. The vaccines are free regardless of insurance and no ID is required.

Pascal Sabino is a Report for America corps member covering Austin, North

Lawndale and Garfield Park for Block Club Chicago.

Block Club Chicago’s coronavirus coverage is free for all readers. Block Club is an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom.

CONTACT: pascal@blockclubchi.org

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Austin Weekly News, March 17, 2021

Dead fish piling up in city’s lagoons

Chicago Jesuit Academy

Temperature swings, heavy snow contributed to fish die-off at city’s ponds and lagoons, according to Park District officials and freshwater biologists

One common species of fish, the American gizzard shad, is especially sensitive to cold weather, Happel said. Chicago is at the northern edge of the gizzard shad’s range, so too many days with single-digit temperatures can cause them to die.

“They usually have a hard time in winters when it gets really cold,” Happel said.

Extended periods of snow can also cause a “winter fish kill” where many species of fish die suddenly, Happel said. When snow accumulates on a frozen pond, it blocks light from

By PASCAL SABINO nourishing algae and other aquatic plants.

Block Club Chicago “It’s completely dark in the system. None of the plants can photosynthesize and create As the city comes back to life after a oxygen,” Happel said. cold, snowy winter, heaps of dead fish have Several blizzards in January and Februwashed up on the shores of the ponds and la- ary dropped a whole winter’s worth of snow goons in the city’s parks. on the city. Over 40 inches In Douglass Park in North of snow fell within a threeLawndale, the shores of the week period, according pond were lined with piles to the National Weather of decaying fish carcasses.

Service. On average, ChiResidents were similarly cago gets 36 inches of snow dismayed to see how many across the entire winter, acfish in the Garfield Park lacording to their records. goon perished.

The massive die-off of “I’ve been a resident of fish may be jarring, said the Garfield Park area for Rob Kruml of the Chicago 57 years. I have never seen Fishing Club, but it is a this many fish dead ever natural response to the in the lagoon,” a neighbor weather conditions. posted on Facebook.

“It’s sad to see the fish The combination of the sitting there. It really is. cold streak in February, a But fish kills happen every mountain of snowfall and a year,” Kruml said. swift warm-up in March conSimilar winter conditributed to the mass die-off, tions in late 2014 and early park district officials said.

2015 caused a winter fish The fish died from sufkill, Happel said. Nearly 20 focation caused by tumulinches of snow fell on the tuous weather conditions city in a blizzard that ended reducing the oxygen supply early February 2015. in the water, officials said.

“We had super cold “If a spring warm-up hapweather and tons of snow,” pens very quickly, as it did Happel said. “Those comCourtesy Arloa Sutter and Ruth Flores/Facebook this year, the low [dissolved bined to create a bunch of oxygen levels] can cause SUFFOCATED: Dead fish at fish kills in the area.” some of the fish to die-off as Garfield Park (top) and DouJust last year, there were they become more active,” glass Park (bottom). also major fish kills in the said park district spokesMcKinley Park pond on woman Michele Lemons. the southwest side, and at The park district typically runs aerators LaSalle Lake in Marsaille, Illinois, said Briin the lagoons to ensure the water is rich in an Caunter, a staffer at Henry’s Bait Shop in oxygen through the spring, but the aerators Bridgeport. cannot be activated until the ice has fully Typically after a die-off, fishing is put on thawed, Lemons said. pause for a while to allow the population The city’s ponds are a sensitive ecosystem to recover, and the pond may be restocked since they are relatively small and shallow, with more fish. said Austin Happel, a freshwater research “Usually the next year, the fish are a little biologist at the Shedd Aquarium. smaller,” Caunter said.

“Being shallow they can be pretty influenced by the air temperature around them.

Pascal Sabino is a Report for America corps So if it gets really hot or really cold they the member covering Austin, North Lawndale water temperature will kind of migrate in and Garfield Park for Block Club Chicago. that direction at a rapid pace, which can be really stressful for fish,” Happel said.

CONTACT: pascal@blockclubchi.org

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Austin Weekly News, March 17, 2021

watched the royal interview and as soon as Meghan Markle professed that she never once Googled anything about the royal family, I called her a bimbo and was done. From that point forward, anything she said was taken with a grain of salt. And she didn’t disappoint.

I had never in my life heard the word “safe” bandied about so often. In truth, by the time she finished, I was unsure exactly what the word meant and what her vision of it was.

Especially when it came to keeping the baby safe. Is that not a mother’s protective role?

But like most folks who are hell-bent on giving out their side of any situation and appearing to be innocent about how she presented it, Meghan didn’t disappoint. She uttered the words that somebody had inquired just how dark the future baby would be, and Oprah’s reaction disappointed me to no end.

You see Oprah has a lot of melanin in her skin, so I would have expected her to be taken aback and inquire: What’s wrong

What’s wrong with dark?

with dark? Because Megan’s interpretation of it as a “mother of color” will set the stage for whether it is seen as a positive or negative to her child.

In my viewpoint, the power in its negativity or positivity is what we, the folks who have lots of it in our skin, give to it.

So for Oprah and everybody else to immediately take it as a negative, says a lot more about us than it does the person asking. Hasn’t the mantra been for centuries, out of the mouths of European descended women, wanting someone who was tall, dark and handsome?

And truthfully, no people talk about skin color more than American black folks! We know to look at the ears to see exactly what color a light-complected newborn baby will end up being. We profess our love of wanting a chocolate drop without clarifying about how chocolate that chocolate gets to be.

The fallout from the interview has been interesting as well. Black folks have taking Meghan under our wings, with no regard for how black she is mentally. Photos of

ARLENE JONES

her as a teenager showed her looking a lot more like a Black person of mixed ancestry than her adult self (I’ll let everybody make up their own mind as to just how those changes happened).

We’ve taken her words at face value without asking or inquiring about the context. And since neither she nor Harry will divulge who said what, what was the whole point of bringing it up? Their actions remind me of people that go on the Maury show with no regards for the innocent child who will one day have to look back at the

controversy as it applies to them. Meghan professed that she couldn’t get mental health while living with the royals, yet has no regard for the mental health of her child as he one day has to look at that interview and question all the meanings.

Should Meghan’s role have been to remain within the royal family and fight for her son’s birthrights? Or is running to America to be in the spotlight here best for her and her son? Maybe if Meghan had done that Google search to begin with …

Letters

Black-owned development matters

Last week, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced the awarding of three community development projects under the INVEST South/West Initiative, including the long-abandoned Citizens Bank Building in Austin, at the busy intersection of Laramie and Chicago avenues.

I grew up driving past this grand building daily and I, like many others, was saddened by its decay over the years. Oftentimes, my church would organize a group of guys to clean the debris on the site. I have also worked with local community organizations to shovel snow from the sidewalk on that corner.

The Mayor’s Invest South/West was a welcomed initiative, which brought hope to the people of Austin for spurring long overdue investment of this historic landmark.

The city touted that the project will be determined based on community desires and projects would be selected based upon the feedback of community stakeholders.

The project was to be seen as a catalyst for economic growth and the revitalization of the mostly black Austin community.

INVEST South/West offered that promise, yet in the end contradicted and decreased community power. After recommendations by the community, the city decided which project would be selected without community approval or community input on the selection before announcing. The process exploited the people to provide cover for a decision that was made in City Hall.

The owner/developers selected for the Citizen’s Bank project were ultimately not Black and not based in Austin. Very little consideration was made regarding the impact of groups and residents working and living in these areas.

Why can’t the funding ever go to the Black developers who are invested in the neighborhood and have proven their ability to build and manage these kinds of projects?

These groups struggle often with financing development while the larger, non-Black groups with connections to City Hall and local politicians, whose campaigns they finance, are given the grants to develop in OUR neighborhoods.

Somehow, when the project is going to be financed by the city and with other public subsidies, the neighborhood developers who have been doing work in the community for years just don’t measure up.

The Black Lives Matter movement and recent acknowledgements of systemic racism and inequities have created an opportunity for these outside groups to further exploit the “disparities” in our neighborhoods. These groups come in promising to create “equity” for Black people, instead of by Black people. This only perpetuates stereotypes of Black people as needy and victims instead of owners and developers.

Heartland Alliance and Oak Park Housing were awarded the contract in Austin to revitalize the most ornate building on the West Side. They are expecting $38 million in public subsidies to do it. They had no community meetings nor is either communitybased or connected to the people and/or culture in Austin. The city made a mockery of the community by hosting a “roundtable,” but despite the input, the city went with these outside groups. Even the local alderman, Emma Mitts, claims to be left out of the final decision.

Forcing change on any community can have devastating consequences to the fabric of the community. This goes against the stated goals of this INVEST South/West project and the desires of the people who live in the community. The city cannot claim to have an interest in community equity if it continues to force the community to accept their decisions based on their interests and power. Equity comes not by forcing change through the lens of an outsider, but by working to build capacity from within.

— Austin Community Stakeholders Partnership and Coalition for Black Developers

Austin Weekly News, March 17, 2021

RAMPING UP: The Bobby E. Wright Comprehensive Behavioral Health Center, 9 S. Kedzie Ave.

Recovery can be hard.

PCC will support you every step of the way.

Google Earth

West Side mental health nonprofit ramps up outreach Bobby E. Wright Comprehensive Behavioral Health Center in East Garfield Park says it’s hyper-focused on community presence

By IGOR STUDENKOV Contributing Reporter

Amid an increase in opiate addiction, the East Garfield Park-based Bobby E. Wright Comprehensive Behavioral Health Center, 9 S. Kedzie Ave., is ramping up its outreach efforts. In February, the center hired four additional outreach workers to find West Siders who are struggling with drug addiction and may be interested in getting treatment.

The center has also implemented additional pandemic protocols and precautions.

For instance, all of the center’s clients have to get tested before they get treatment.

During a Garfield Rite to Wellness virtual town hall on Jan. 25, Milton Johnson, Bobby Wright’s director of community relations, said the organization enhanced its operations amid a pandemic in order to increase its community profile during a time when the nonprofit’s services are needed most.

According to a recent report released by the Cook County Department of Public Health, between 2016 and 2020, West Garfield Park had the highest rate of deaths from opioid overdoses in Chicago, while Austin had the second-highest rate.

Bobby Wright offers a variety of mental health treatment programs, including drug addiction programs. The nonprofit also is part of a trio of area nonprofits that launched the Westside Community Triage & Wellness Center in West Garfield Park, at 4133 W. Madison St. The center provides around-a-clock referrals for residents dealing with addiction, among others services.

“We thought we needed to stretch a little bit in the community,” said. “We no longer

wait on a member to come to us, but we go out and enter the community.”

Lyn “Chip” Johnson, of Austin, has been reaching out to people with addiction and helping them get treatment since he got clean 17 years ago. He said he tried to be “a beacon of light for them, letting them know that there’s a way out.” About a year and a half ago, a mentor referred Johnson to Bobby Wright and he’s been working for them ever since.

Johnson was Bobby Wright’s only outreach worker until they hired the additional workers in February. The workers concentrate their efforts in Austin, West Garfield Park, East Garfield Park and North Lawndale.

“I approach them and ask them, ‘Are you interested in going for treatment?’” Johnson said. “Most of the time, they say ‘yes,’ sometimes they say ‘no.’”

If they do want to get treatment, Johnson takes them to the Community Triage, where workers refer them to a local hospital for medical detox, a process they must go through before getting treatment. Detox is especially important for clients who may be dealing with mental illness.

“Mental illness and substance abuse go hand-in-hand,” Johnson said. “They may not be taking medication for some years due to the drugs and the addiction. So, I try to get them into medical detox, so they can be seen by a doctor, so they can [get] the medication.”

Johnson added that he tries to get people who may not want to go through detox into methadone treatment, where they are gradually eased off opiates.

Johnson said that he was pleased with the impact his team has been making.

“We’ve really been doing a good job getting people in, where they can get some support,” he said. “it really, really works. All you have to do is give yourself a chance.”

For more information about Bobby Wright, visit bewcbhc.org.

CONTACT: igorst3@hotmail.com

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Austin Weekly News, March 17, 2021

SOLD SOLD SOLD

1142 Chicago Ave.

UNDER CONTRACT

1142 1142 Chicago Chicago Ave. Ave. 1142 Chicago Ave.

UNDER UNDER CONTRACT CONTRACT UNDER CONTRACT

IGOR STUDENKOV/Contributor

FRUSTRATED: Morris Reed, far right, and other community members, including members of Westside Health Authority, protest outside of Kehrein Center for the Arts in Austin on March 8.

INVEST SOUTH/WEST Process questioned from page 1

400 Madison St.

LEASED LEASED LEASED LEASED

400 Madison Madison St. St. 400 400 Madison St.

811 South Blvd.

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811 811 South South Blvd.

Blvd.

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Baird & Warner Warner Baird Theresa Jurgus Baird & & Warner Commercial RealEstate Estate Commercial Real Baird & Warner Commercial Real Estate 773-851-5479 773-851-5479 Commercial Real Estate 773-851-5479

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nated the building a Chicago Landmark.

The $37.5 million redevelopment proposal was selected as part of Lightfoot’s Invest South/West initiative, which the city launched in 2019 in order to revive commercial corridors in blighted neighborhoods on the West and South sides.

The Oak Park Regional Housing Center and the Heartland Alliance, an anti-poverty organization based in Chicago, anchored a team of designers, developers, architects and other stakeholders collectively called Austin United Alliance.

The Alliance team was one of seven groups competing to win the rights to develop the building. New Moms, which has offices in Oak Park and Austin, was part of a separate group that submitted a proposal.

The Alliance proposed renovating the Art Deco landmark’s structure and building a new facility on a 20,000-square-foot lot adjacent to the building.

The new campus will include a variety of “commercial uses that include a blues museum, bank branch, café, and business incubator. The adjacent land will be redeveloped with a mixed-income, multi-story rental building that includes a green roof, public plaza, social spaces, and outdoor art,” according to a summary of the project on the Invest South/West website.

The Alliance team estimated that the project would generate up to 150 construction jobs and 22 full-time positions once the development is completed.

Athena Williams, a longtime Austin resident and the executive director of the Oak Park Regional Housing Center, said this is the first foray into direct development in the nonprofit’s nearly 50-year history.

The Housing Center has a satellite office in Austin, where it offers homeownership workshops, rental and mortgage assistance, along with grants for home repairs and upgrades, among other resources.

“I am a product of the West Side and I’ve

always had this vested interest in advocating for the community and wanting to see it grow and thrive and do better,” Williams said in January, adding that Heartland Alliance had initially expressed interest in collaborating in the area of tenant selection.

Williams, however, suggested the organization do even more than that and team up in the area of development. She said the pitch was made smoother by the fact that Rob Breymaier, Williams’ predecessor at the Housing Center and a District 97 school board member, is now COO for Heartland’s housing division.

But the city’s selection of the Austin Alliance proposal prompted significant backlash from Westside Health Authority, a venerable Austin nonprofit that also submitted a proposal along with a team that included the development firm Brinshore.

On March 8, while the mayor took the stage of the Kehrein Center for the Arts in Austin to announce the winning Invest South/West proposals — the bid by Austin Alliance was one of three winning Invest South/West proposals in three different neighborhoods that the mayor announced that day — protestors gathered outside with signs that read “Say No to Oak Park Housing” and “Stop the Land Steal.”

Morris Reed, the CEO of Westside Health Authority (WHA), said he felt that the Invest South/West process was unfair and indicative of yet another instance of the city selecting outsiders to develop the West Side.

Reed said that his team’s proposal was tied with another team’s bid for the highest score on a survey sent to community members who attended at least one of two informational sessions held in January.

“Each proposal was scored on a five-point scale based on community feedback about diversity of the respondent’s teams, their ability to develop local business and create job opportunities, and their prior experience on the West Side,” AustinTalks reported this month.

Westside Health Authority’s Soul City Center, which included a proposal for a cultural museum, and 548 Development each scored a 3.6 out of 5. The Austin Alliance proposal scored a 3.5. Ethan Lassiter, a planner for the city, told AustinTalks that city officials received 27 total responses out of

Austin Weekly News, March 17, 2021 roughly 100 people who participated at each informational session.

The survey, however, was just one part of the overall selection process, according to multiple people involved with the process. Other determining factors included the number of potential jobs created by each proposal and organizational capacity.

The Westside Health Authority projected that 15 jobs would be created by their proposal, which Reed said was more realistic than Austin Alliance’s jobs estimate, which he said he believes are inflated.

During an interview on March 12, Heartland Alliance CEO Earl Chase said that “a lot of things are estimates at this point,” but added that the development will bring many temporary construction jobs and permanent staff positions to the area.

“The alderman’s office and the mayor’s office told us they’re going with Heartland, because they demonstrated more experience doing this kind of project and that they have a better track record than us, but I challenged them,” Reed said during an interview conducted shortly after city officials informed him that WHA’s proposal was not selected.

“We’ve been here for 32 years,” he said.

“Heartland does not have the same footprint that we have. But at this point, people seem more upset about the process than we are.

This is not WHA’s fight, this is the community’s fight.”

“We’re bearing witness to what has been a prevailing culture of communities being gentrified, being redlined, being given away to the powerful interest groups and developers while pushing poor people out,” said Virgil Crawford, an organizer with WHA. “In this case, they’re pushing Black people out and that’s not the new way of doing things.

That’s the old way. I’m actually seething right now, because I’m so put out.”

“You can’t just build a house or give somebody a job and think you’ve done community development,” said Jackie Reed, WHA’s well-respected founder, during a recent interview. “You have to give people ownership in the community and make people feel like they have a voice in shaping it.”

Westside Health Authority officials and other community leaders also gathered on March 8 outside of the Laramie Bank building for a protest.

Chase said that Heartland has a presence in Austin and other West Side communities through its READI Chicago program, which offers a range of services for at-risk men. She also lauded the organization’s track record for development.

The organization also has roughly 22 years of development experience on the West Side, said Breymaier on March 12. For instance, they developed the Mae Suites Apartments at 148 N. Mayfield Ave. in Austin, he said.

Chase lauded the Invest South/West process and the Lightford administration for their encouraging partnerships between developers and local nonprofits and other stakeholders.

“The process was very competitive and if you look at the other six development teams, everybody partnered with somebody,” Chase said. “To make sure we did right by

the community, the city required that [teamwork] and you had some very qualified developers who applied. So, we did what we had to do, mobilized and got it done.”

Chase, who is African-American, also said that the Austin Alliance team is racially and ethnically diverse. He said the team’s design firm, Latent Design, is a certified Minority and Women-Owned Business (M/WBE), as are other firms affiliated with the project.

During her comments in Austin on Monday, Lightfoot said the “level of community engagement” that went into Invest South/ West “has been historic,” adding that the program is not driven by a top-down approach “where we check the box on community engagement and do what we plan to do in the first place.”

But the mayor’s assessment of Invest South/West doesn’t exactly align with the perceptions of the Reeds, community leaders and even some aldermen.

Darnell Shields, executive director of Austin Coming Together, told AustinTalks recently that he’s heard community members raise concerns about the lack of deep community engagement between prospective developers and residents during the process.

“What is the city’s intention around actually designing how this requirement for the community engagement will actually be put into effect in a way that holds these applicants accountable … to the community?” he said. “There’s not a process for the community to hold [the developer] accountable to […] That’s an issue.”

Shields is a member of the board of Growing Community Media, publisher of Wednesday Journal and the Austin Weekly News.

Chicago Planning and Development Commissioner Maurice Cox, who administers Invest South/West, has come under scrutiny from aldermen in the past for what they described as his top-down management style.

Last year, Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29th) said he would give Cox, who Lightfoot lured from

Detroit in 2019, a “resounding ‘D’ or ‘F’” when it came to communication.

“Taliaferro complained of phone calls to the commissioner that go unreturned and being ‘left out of the loop’ on projects in his own ward,” according to a November 2020 Chicago Sun-Times report. “City planners communicate more with community groups than with the alderman,” he said.

During an emergency Zoom meeting Reed convened with roughly two dozen community leaders on Saturday, some people even criticized WHA’s lack of communication and engagement during the Invest South/ West RFP process. Reed said that development teams only had roughly two months to create and submit their proposals, a period of time he said was rushed and didn’t allow for adequate community vetting.

During a recent interview, Williams also acknowledged that “two-and-a-half months wasn’t enough time, but we made it work” and pointed out that city officials had been holding community roundtables about Invest South/West since the program’s inception in 2019 — well before the RFP process started. City officials have said that the community input they got during those sessions

Provided

WINNING BID: Top, the Laramie State Bank building in Austin, which members of the Austin United Alliance want to turn into a cultural complex. Bottom, architectural renderings of their proposal.

9

helped inform the RFP process.

During an interview on March 8, Ald. Emma Mitts (37th) conceded that she had no influence in the city’s selection of Austin United Alliance, although she submitted a letter of support for their proposal. She also submitted a letter of support for the WHA proposal.

“No, I didn’t have a say [in Invest South/West],” Mitts said. “I think that’s more the mayor and her agenda and goals. This is her program and she is fully committed to seeing inclusion and broadening the scope, so everybody can get involved.”

Mitts said she believes “everything” about the process “could have been strengthened,” but nonetheless believes the Invest South/ West process was “as fair as it can be during a pandemic.”

Deputy Commissioner Pete Strazzabosco told AustinTalks that “community input helped create the RFPs. Community input is going to help select the winning respondent, and it will further refine the winning proposal.”

Williams, who in the past has attempted to purchase the Laramie building and has a deep emotional connection to the landmark, said she also believes the process was fair.

Chase said that Heartland Alliance will “make sure the community is engaged along the way. I know Athena is doing a lot of work locally to make sure we have local support and to keep the community informed and engaged. We will be public about our plans, as we have been up to this point. We’re full disclosure on everything.”

On March 8, Mitts lauded Williams and vouchsafed for her role as a community advocate.

“Athena has lived in Austin her whole life. She’s worked with my office and she’s worked with Austin Coming Together [Williams co-chairs the organization’s Housing Committee],” Mitts said.

“She’s been around for a long time and she has a mindset of making sure she creates opportunities for our community using the resources she brings to the table and working with partners to get that done,” the alderman added. “She knows that has to be done by working with others.”

Still, WHA officials said they plan to vigorously fight the Austin Alliance development every step of what city officials admit will be a long and winding road.

Strazzabosco added that the proposal will have to go through a maze of city departments, commissions and City Council committees before work on the Laramie Bank Building starts.

Igor Studenkov contributed to this report.

CONTACT: michael@austinweeeklynews.com

10

Austin Weekly News, March 17, 2021

deadline: 9:30 am Monday office hours: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Monday – Friday

CLASSIFIEDS TO PLACE AN AD HELP WANTED SEASONAL FARMERS’ MARKET ASSISTANT The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Seasonal Farmers’ Market Assistant in the Development Customer Services Department.

This position will provide administrative support to the Farmers’ Market Manager to allow growers and producers of food to sell directly to the public within established guidelines. This position requires work in inclement weather conditions; some heavy lifting of up to 50 pounds; walking or standing for sustained periods of time. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website at http://www. oak-park.us/jobs. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application.

Open until filled.

CALL: 773-626-6332 | FAX: 708-467-9066 | E-MAIL: classifieds@AustinWeeklyNews.com Place your ad online anytime at AUSTINWEEKLYNEWS.COM/CLASSIFIED SUBURBAN RENTALS

SUBURBAN RENTALS

Apartment listings updated daily at:

Find your new apartment this Saturday from 10 am – 4pm at 35 Chicago Avenue.

Or call us toll free at 1-833-440-0665 for an appointment.

NOVENAS PRAYER TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN (NEVER KNOWN TO FAIL) Oh, most beautiful flower of Mt. Carmel, fruitful vine, splendor of heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. Oh, Star of the Sea, help me and show me, herein you are my mother. Oh, Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth. I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to succor in my necessity (make request).

There are none that can withstand your power. Oh, show me herein you are my mother. Oh, Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee (3 times).

Holy Mary, I place this prayer in your hands (3 times). Say this prayer for three consecutive days and publish; your request will be granted. CAC

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AUTOS FOR SALE 2003 LEXUS RX300 Silver w/ beige interior, 160,950 mi., great condition. New brakes, passed recent emissions test. $3275.00. Call Terry Baggett 773-988-6468

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REAL ESTATE FOR SALE IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVICING, LLC Plaintiff, -v.TERRANCE JONES, DEBRA JONES AS NEXT FRIEND OF T. J., A MINOR, DRMS, INC., UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LEGATEES OF TERIE JONES, IF ANY, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS, GERALD NORDGREN, SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DECEASED MORTGAGOR, TERIE JONES Defendants 2019CH03632 601 NORTH RIDGEWAY AVENUE CHICAGO, IL 60624 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on January 29, 2020, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on April 22, 2021, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 601 NORTH RIDGEWAY AVENUE, CHICAGO, IL 60624 Property Index No. 16-11-115-0160000 The real estate is improved with a single family home with no garage.

Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The

Attn: Home-Improvement Pros!

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Public Notice: Your right to know

AustinWeeklyNews • PublicNoticeIllinois.com

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

balance, including the Judicial Sale fee for the Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale.

The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required

by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4).

If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR

(HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC Plaintiff’s Attorneys, One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL, 60602. Tel No. (312) 346-9088.

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.

MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200 Chicago IL, 60602 312-346-9088 E-Mail: pleadings@mccalla.com Attorney File No. 2004628IL_613786 Attorney ARDC No. 61256 Attorney Code. 61256 Case Number: 2019CH03632 TJSC#: 41-285 NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

Case # 2019CH03632 I3165509

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Austin Weekly News, March 17, 2021

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CLASSIFIEDS

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12

Austin Weekly News, March 17, 2021

Do you live in Suburban Cook County and

need help paying rent and utilities

due to COVID-19?

The Cook County Emergency Rental Assistance program pays up to 12 months of missed rent and utilities payments and up to 3 months of future rent payments.

HOW CAN I APPLY? Applications open March 11, 2021, and will be accepted until April 2, 2021. Start the application process at cookcountyil.gov/recovery.

How do I know if I’m eligible? To be eligible, renters must: •

Live in suburban Cook County and rent their home (Landlords may apply on behalf of tenants)

•

Lack access to other support (e.g., don’t live in public housing or receive rental assistance from other programs)

•

Have proof of financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic

•

Have a household annual income at or below these requirements:

Household size Income

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

$51,000

$58,250

$65,550

$72,800

$78,650

$84,450

$90,300

$96,100

What documents do I need to apply? For the initial application, renters need: •

Photo ID

•

Social Security card (ifavailable)

•

Verification of income for 2020 (e.g., recent paystubs or tax returns)

•

Documentation of COVID-19 financial hardship (e.g., unemployement claims or proof of income decrease)

•

Latest utility bill (if applying for utility assistance)

To apply and learn more: •

Visit cookcountyil.gov/recovery

•

Get text alerts by texting: AlertCook to 888-777

For assistance with your application and language translation services, please contact the Cook County Emergency Rental Assistance Program helpline at 877-426-6515.

If you live in the City of Chicago and need rental assistance, visit chi.gov/housinghelp for more information.

You may also call Oak Park Regional Housing Center for more information: 708-848-7150