Austin Weekly News 050824

New mural at Austin Health Center celebrates healthcare workers

Ar tist Robert Valadez is painting the mural with help from sta members and the community

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

The Cook County Health Austin Health Center is getting a new mural in its main waiting room to celebrate healthcare workers. Full-time artist Robert Valadez is painting the mural, which will be completed June 12.

“I wanted to tell a story about how important healthcare workers are to everyone’s daily life,” Valadez said.

as much during heavy rainfalls.

‘Green alleys’ help prevent ooding, but vulnerable neighborhoods must wait in line

‘It’s a little bit of a shot-in-the-dark implementation strategy,’ a key City Council member said. PAGE 12

By ALEX NITKIN

| Illinois Answers Project, This story was originally published by the Illinois Answers Project

Hura Hillman, 55, of the Austin neighborhood, says a green alley behind his home has meant his basement hasn’t ooded

BIG WEEK May 8-15

A Growing Community Media Partnership

Sasha Phyars-Burgess, Untitled and yet to be determined, 48.9109°N, 2.5461°E -Sira, Ateliers Médicis, Clichy sous-bois, 2023.

Opening Pa ssages

Talk and Reception, Wednesday, May 8, 7 – 9 p.m., Exhibit runs through May 10

Hosted at BUILD Chicago. This is pop up exhibition presented as a par t of a city wide, multi-site photographic exhibition produced by Villa Albertine and its City/Cité program. It is also part of Art Design Chicago, a citywide collaboration initiated by the Terra Foundation for American Art, highlighting the city’s artistic heritage and creative communities. The exhibiton will also feature Sasha Phyars-Burgess’s Austin photography projects.

Register at: https://ow.ly/vgTZ50RvK71. 5100 W. Harrison St.

Aging Well Together

May 10, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Kehrein Center for the Arts

Share the gifts of wellness, food, music and fellowship. This free program is for older adults 55 and older. 5628 W. Washington Blvd.

Louis Price Concert

Saturday, May 11, 10 p.m., Kehrein Center for the Arts

Former Temptations and Drifters lead singer and native Chicagoan Louis Price returns to delight audiences. 5628 W. Washington Blvd.

Mother ’s Day Block Part y

Saturday, May 11 12 – 3 p.m.

Join the fourth annual par ty hosted by state Sen. Lakesia Collins. Stop by and enjoy food, activities, for kids, gifts for mom, live music and enter tainment, resources, and more. RSVP here: https://ow.ly/8q6u50RvKa7. 3605 W. Fillmore St.

Ar t of Stor ytelling Program

Monday, May 13, 12 – 2 p.m., Front Porch Arts Center

Attend the info session hosted by the Front Porch Arts Center. This is a 6-week writing and theater program for youth ages 16-24. Youth will engage in various art forms to explore personal narratives led by professional artists and actors, with collective writing and performance of their original work. For address and questions, please contact Front Porch Ar ts Center at info@frontporchar tscenter.org. Register: https://ow.ly/LN4C50RvKh6

AU STIN WEEKLY news

Editor Erika Hobbs

Sta Reporters Jessica Mordacq Amaris Rodriguez

Special projects reporter Delaney Nelson

Digital Manager Stacy Coleman

Digital Media Coordinator Brooke Duncan

Reporting Partners Block Club, Austin Talks

Columnists Arlene Jones, Aisha Oliver

Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead

Editorial Design Manager Javier Govea

Designers Susan McKelvey, Vanessa Garza

Sales & Marketing Representatives Lourdes Nicholls, Ben Stumpe

Business & Development Manager Mary Ellen Nelligan

Circulation Manager Jill Wagner

Publisher Dan Haley

Special Projects Manager Susan Walker

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chair Judy Gre n

Treasurer Nile Wendorf Deb Abrahamson, Gary Collins, Steve Edwards, Darnell Shields, Sheila Solomon, Eric Weinheimer

CIRCULATION Jill@oakpark.com

ONLINE www.AustinWeeklyNews.com

Loretto Hospital o ers free STI, HIV screenings

Access to screenings aims to curb high rates of sexually transmitted infections on the West Side

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

Loretto Hospital is offering free STI and HIV screenings through June to raise awareness about early detection, a key factor in decreasing rates of sexually transmitted infections on Chicago’s West Side.

“We want to remove some of the stigma and discrimination associated with STIs through education and also work on some of the barriers to access to care,” said Dr. Carlos Zambrano, who has worked at Loretto Hospital for about a decade and is president of the medical staff there.

Loretto Hospital, which serves Austin, North Lawndale and West Garfield Park, started offering free STI and HIV screenings

at the beginning of April to acknowledge this year’s National STI Awareness Week from April 14 to 20.

STI screenings, Zambrano said, help confirm subtle symptoms that often go unnoticed.

“If people don’t know they have it, they could spread it to others, and we want to decrease the number of STIs, instead of increasing the number of STIs,” Zambrano said, especially on the West Side, which has high rates of STIs.

Black people are disproportionately affected by STIs and HIV. According to the CDC, in 2019, African Americans accounted for 42% of new HIV diagnoses in the United States, but made up only 13% of the population.

In 2018, reported chlamydia cases from

Black females were five times that of white females and nearly seven times higher among Black men than white males, according to the CDC. That same year, gonorrhea cases in the U.S. were 7.7 times higher among Black people than white people.

The Chicago Department of Public Health reported that North Lawndale and West Garfield Park were among the top three Chicago neighborhoods in 2020 with the highest reported rates of chlamydia — 2,378 cases and 2,255.4 cases per 100,000 residents, respectively

West Garfield Park was also one of the three Chicago neighborhoods in 2020 with the highest rates of reported cases of gonorrhea, following Washington Park and Greater Grand Crossing, with 1,394.4 cases

per 100,000 residents

In addition to screening, Zambrano said there’s also preventative medication. T hose who are at risk of g etting an STI can take an oral antibiotic up to 72 hours after exposure to prevent syphilis, gonorrhea or chlamydia. T here are also pills to prevent HIV after exposure.

“We are here to help with education, screening and treatment,” Zambrano said. Loretto Hospital is offering free STI and HIV screenings Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Though appointments aren’t necessary, to make one, call 773-8545475, visit https://www.lorettohospital. org/ or walk-in to the clinic on the hospital’s sixth floor. It is located at 645 S. Central Ave.

As Mars Wrigley’s Chicago plant nears closure, the company nalizes a developer

When the factory terminates operations this year, the facility’s land will transfer to a developer with a project to bene t the community

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

In January 2022, Mars Wrigley, the maker of Milky Way, Snickers and Three Musketeers candy, announced its plan to move operations from its Chicago plant at 2019 N. Oak Park Ave. to its other facilities throughout the United States.

It is now one step closer to determining what will happen to its property.

When it closes later this year, Mars Wrigley will transfer the 20-acre Chicago site to a developer and is in the process of finalizing who that will be.

“The ultimate goal is that it will provide benefit to the community,” said Anne

Vela-Wagner, the executive director of the Mars Wrigley Foundation, about the future of the site. “What that looks like is quite complicated, and it’s been a very inspiring journey to go on.”

The process to find a developer to take over the Mars factory started in 2022, when a group of Chicago organizations — Austin Coming Together, the City of Chicago, Galewood Neighbors, Northwest Center, and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation of Chicago (LISC) — organized a series of five meetings to collect community feedback about what should take over the space at 2019 N. Oak Park Ave.

LISC compiled the main takeaways from the meeting into a report, which recommends the site be a mixed-use space and receive historical designation.

The City of Chicago will decide whether to re zone the property from a Planned Manufacturing District to mixed-use zoning. The process is public, involving community feedback, and could take at least a year after a developer applies to change the site’s zoning.

“The re zoning aspect of this whole proj-

ect is going to drive a lot of the timing,” Vela-Wagner said.

In October, the building’s facade on Oak Park Avenue was submitted to the Commission on Chicago Landmarks to receive historical designation. T he Mars Wrigley plant in Galewood opened in 1929 as the first of the company’s manufacturing sites outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the factory housed its corporate headquarters there for decades. If the city approves the facade’s historical designation, the chosen developer is required to leave the facade

Mars received several proposals from developers to take over the site, according to Vela-Wagner. Criteria for choosing a developer includes the developer’s alignment with both Mars’ and the community’s vision, plus the developer’s past experience and financial terms, officials said in a statement with the process’ update.

But just because the Chicago Mars site will cease to exist, the candy company’s presence in the city won’t.

In January, Mars Wrigley announced the opening of a global research and

development hub on its Goose Island campus, the world headquarters for the company’s snacking business, which will continue operations

“We are definitely dedicated to the City of Chicago,” Vela-Wagner said. “We have a long history here and we honor that and want to continue to work closely with the community throughout this.”

Vela-Wagner said that the community engagement process in preparing to transfer the Chicago factory’s property to a developer is a new endeavor for Mars.

“Transparency has been key,” VelaWagner said. “We’re coming at this really grounded in mutuality. It’s one of Mars’ principles and how we work. So, it’s not just about what’s good for Mars, it’s about what’s good for everyone.”

“We feel we’ve been good neighbors,” she added. “We’ve been surrounded by good neighbors, and we want to continue that in the years to come.”

Vela-Wagner said Mars Wrigley will announce a developer in the next few months. The Mars factory will close before the end of the year.

Elephants in the room

There are a lot of elephants in the room in Chicago. The biggest elephant is “Da Mayor.” Brandon Johnson gives me the impression of a deer caught in the headlights. When he was running, he never had a concise answer to any question. Even more irksome was his responding “right?” to the interviewer as if that person should ag ree and therefore concur on whether Brandon’s replies were accurate and true. He is totally out of his league when it comes to running a big city. His being a for mer Cook County Commissioner did not put him in charge of a budget; it only allowed him to vote on it. It’s very easy to spend taxpayer dollars. One would think he would be a little bit more fiscally responsible when spending other folks’ money, but he’s going through our money as if there’s no tomorrow. Has he really been looking at this city? Look at Michigan Avenue and all the vacant storefronts. It no longer has the feel of shoppers spending their dollars. Take a look at downtown Chicago. Madison and Pulaski looks better.

front-yard candy stands close up their entrepreneurial business on their personal property. Nowadays, start at 63rd Street and drive north on Kedzie. There are more folks establishing businesses on public sidewalks than ever. And they’re selling cooked food as well as fruit, vegetables and whatever else they can. How much money is the city losing by not getting tax dollars on the transactions of those businesses? Why is it OK for some but not others? How can the city sidewalks, which are publicly owned, be turned into private entrepreneurial locations? There is a lot of basic unfairness occurring. Another elephant in the room.

Oak Park is looking for an experienced driver for their 14 passenger bus. No special license is required. Must be 21 or older with a good driving record. $30/hour, $150 a week:

At some point, the city of Chicago needs to have a class action lawsuit filed against it. For years, citizens were prevented from establishing any kind of businesses on the public way. Lord knows in the Black community, they made the people that had

Seeing that Brandon is willing to give away anything and everything in his quest to find his footing, the 100-ton elephant known as the Chicago Teachers Union has their hands out. Once they get their goodies under the current mayor, the next mayor is going to be stuck with the mess. The proposed new Bears stadium is not a benefit to the average person. If the privately owned sports group want a stadium, let them pay for it! Where will the cars park? And most importantly, who will get to build it? The unemployment rate for Black men is still atrocious and how the city deals with that elephant is something we all should watch.

Pay attention, Chicago!

MURAL Adelante

from page 1

The Cook County Health Foundation put out an open call late last year for muralists to create public art at four of their health centers, including Austin Health Center, 4800 W. Chicago Ave. The foundation also paid three muralists last year to decorate Cook County health centers

“Over the last two years, we’ve been focusing on beautifying our clinical spaces and creating art that’s not only for our space, but reflective of our communities and the patients that we serve,” said Alexandra Normington, Cook County Health’s associate chief communications and marketing officer

Cook County Health held community eng agement meetings with local residents and Austin Health Center staf f so they could share their thoughts on the mural.

“They would put in their input, and I would try to adapt their ideas into a final design,” Valadez said of the process

The mural will be installed on polytab,

CREDIT: HOLA AMERICA NEWS

Robert Valadez stands in front of his mural, “Adelante,” in Sterling, Illinois.

a non-woven fabric. Valadez will paint the mural with acrylics in his studio, then his work will be photo graphed, printed on the fabric and installed in the waiting room like wallpaper. On June 12 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Austin Health Center staf f, patients and community members will help him paint the piece’s background, a bold floral motif.

The artist ’s journey

Valadez, who lives near Midway International Airport, grew up in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago and has known he’d be an artist since elementary school.

“I knew I wanted to do something creative,” Valadez said. “I couldn’t articulate it back then, but it was probably always in the cards. It was my nature.”

started painting while attending High School, then studied at the Art Institute of Chicago merican Academy of Art. Since, public art throughout the country, ut mostly in the Midwest.

aladez helped paint the mural

A La Esperanza at his high school in 1979, and others in the school’s atrium in following Chicago mural sites include ashington Library, The Hideout, nternational Airport and the CTA’s Pink Line station at 18th Street.

career hasn’t been without

e had some health challenges of my own, een tended to by people who work ry hard,” he said of healthcare workers. “I’ve grown to admire the work that they do.” Valadez plans to include the likeness of one of the technicians who took care of him during his 20 rounds of radiation for prostate cancer last fall.

“The ones who are doing the day-to-day work are the ones that I really want to honor,” said Valadez of technicians and nurses He hopes that will be the takeaway of those who see his mural. “Healthcare workers are an important part of any community, and the work that they do should be appreciated.”

CULTURAL & CREATIVE ARTS

National Museum of Mexican Art | 1852 W. 19th Street

Upcoming Dates: May 30, June 27 | 1:00–3:00 p.m.

CREATIVE AGING EXPO & LUNCH

Blue Door Neighborhood Center | 2551 W. Cermak Road

Meets every Tuesday from 2:15–3:00 p.m.

WALKING & WELLNESS CLUB

Salvation Army Freedom Center | 825 N. Christiana Avenue

Meets every Friday from 8:30–10:00 a.m.

Celebrating Mother's Day

lin F ane, A gent

Marion Street Fl G Park, IL 60302

08-383-3163 www.colinfane.com

Monday & Friday 9am-5pm s/Wed/Thurs 9am-7pm Saturday 9am-12pm

Here’s the deal. The right insurance should help you feel confident and comfortable. I’m the right good neighbor for that. Call me today.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Right coverage. Right price. Right here in town.

Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.®

Larry Williams, CPCU, CLU, ChFC, CASL

Right coverage. Right price. Right here in town.

5932 W. Lake St., Chicago, IL 60644

Colin Fane, Agent

Bus: 773-379-9009 Fax: 773-379-0323

Colin Fane, Agent

212 S Marion Street Fl G

212 S Marion Street Fl G

Oak Park, IL 60302

Oak Park, IL 60302

www.larrycarwilliams.com larry.williams.b0bk@statefarm.com

Bus: 708-383-3163

Bus: 708-383-3163 www.colinfane.com

www.colinfane.com

Here’s the deal. The right insurance should help you feel confident and comfortable. I’m the right good neighbor for that. Call me today.

Here’s the deal. The right insurance should help you feel confident and comfortable. I’m the right good neighbor for that. Call me today.

Monday & Friday 9am-5pm

Tues/Wed/Thurs 9am-7pm

Monday & Friday 9am-5pm Tues/Wed/Thurs 9am-7pm Saturday 9am-12pm

Saturday 9am-12pm

Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.®

Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.®

Join us for Volunteer Saturdays facilitated by Austin Garden Collective and support the beautiful gardens in Austin.

Whether you’re an experienced gardener or just looking to lend a hand, we welcome volunteers of all levels and ages and provide all the necessary gardening supplies. Plus, we offer delicious snacks and drinks, to keep you energized.

June 1 - Rosie’s Peace in the Valley (168 N Laramie)

June 8 - Garden of Love (620 N Lorel)

June 15 - TBD

June 22 - Bethel New Life Mildred Wiley Garden (1140 N Lamon) June 29 - TBD

July 6 - No Volunteer Saturday due to July 4th

July 13 - Hart Peace Garden (645 N Latrobe)

July 20 - SANA Veteran’s Peace Garden (5413 W Madison)

July 27 - Unity Garden (5102 W Fulton)

Aug 3 - Rosie’s Peace in the Valley Garden Tour (168 N Laramie), 9 am start

Aug 10 - Vision on Menard (1201 N Menard)

Aug 17 - Paradise Community Garden (658 N Latrobe)

Aug 24 - LeClaire Community Garden (415 N LeClaire

RSVP at www.austingardencollective.com Questions? contact Chamika.AGC@gmail.com.

Where the Birth of Your Baby is More than Medicine - lt 1 s Personal

At Sinai Chicago, we understand that your journey into motherhood is a deeply personal experience. We provide support at every step of your journey into parenthood with our safe and comfortable birthing rooms, a multicultural and caring staff, and our expert guidance.

We believe in creating meaningful connections with you. After all, the birth of your baby is not just about medicine... lt's personal.

Scan QR Code to learn more. health.sinai.org/WelcomeBaby2024

SINAI CHICAGO

GREEN ALLE YS

Runway for rainwater

from page 1

More than 100 residents of Chicago’s Austin neighborhood called 311 in August 2023 to report flooding in their basements or on the streets after a storm dumped nearly 4 inches of rain on their neighborhood, city records show.

Hura Hillman was not one of them.

With a first floor that’s a few feet higher than the neighbors, the one-and-a-halfstory bungalow where Hillman lives with his 80-year-old mother, Bernice, had one advantage over their neighbors.

But Hillman’s home got another boost from a special type of alley the city had installed a year earlier behind the house.

A “green alley.”

When it rains, the green alley behind the home in the 5400 block of Race Street acts like a sponge and a runway for rainwater, letting some water seep into the ground while the rest gathers into a grooved channel and streams into a manhole that connects to local sewers. Its underground trench system can absorb thousands of gallons of rainwater every hour.

T he special infrastructure d oes have i ts limits

A month before the August 2023 storm, when a far worse deluge dropped more than 7 inches of rain over a single day on the West Side last summer, sewage water seeped into the basement of the Hillman household.

“It flooded bad,” said Hillman, 55. “The hardest part was trying to keep the water away from the furnace.”

The new pavement behind Race is one of the roughly 400 green alleys city workers have built around Chicago since 2001 to help neighborhoods handle storm water runof f better and prevent surrounding basements from flooding.

Wherever they are implemented, the green alleys have proven popular, welcomed by neighbors like Hillman who had grown tired of the crumbling pavement the projects typically replace. Experts say the per meable alleys and other for ms of “green infrastructure” that break up pavement to let rainwater soak into the earth are becoming increasingly needed as climate change makes storms more erratic and damaging.

But more than two decades after the first green alley was installed, an Illinois An-

e 40th Ward (le ) is home to 23 green alleys, the second most in the ci ty, despite ranking 19th in ood-related complaints between 2021 and 2023. e 24th Ward (right) had more complaints during that period but only has ve green alleys.

swers Project analysis of their locations shows they’ve been heavily concentrated in some of the Chicago neighborhoods least prone to flooding. Neighborhoods like Austin are left to wait in line amid a city construction process that prioritizes ward map boundaries before residents’ needs.

Green alleys are expensive — converting one block of an alley can cost up to $500,000 — and the city funds the construction of only several dozen a year, with the end result being denser, more affluent wards receiving more benefit from the program than poorer wards that are more spread out.

A solution in search of funding

It was the early 2000s when the Chicago Department of the Environment began turning its attention in earnest to climate change and its risks to the city, according to Suzanne Malec-McKenna, who began working for the de partment in 1993.

The department funded a pilot program that paid for four alley replacements between 2001 and 2006, leading to the publication of a “Green Alley Handbook” in 2010 that showed how the permeable surfaces could be used with other green fixtures, like rain gardens and green roofs, to sop up rainwater and take pressure of f the city’s sewer system.

By that time, the program had shown its value, said Malec-McKenna, who led the

department as commissioner from 2007 until Mayor Rahm Emanuel took office in 2011 and moved to dissolve the agency.

“We were looking for any opportunity for permeable surfaces to start gathering our rainwater,” Malec-McKenna said. She noted that Chicago has nearly 2,000 miles of alleys, more than any other U.S. city. But unlike Chicago’s streets, most alleys have no sewer drains.

“The green alleys were really part of [the city’s plan for] how we manage stormwater at the residential level,” she said.

The program soon ran into a problem: each green alley project’s deep landscaping work and coordination with nearby sewer mains made it far more expensive than a typical repavement job.

By the time Mayor Rahm Emanuel dismantled the Department of the Environment in 2012, green alley construction had no dedicated funding source. Increasingly, the only way neighbors could see one built was by asking their alderperson to dip into their annual “menu” fund for infrastructure.

Relying on those menu funds for the green alleys puts each council member in a bind, according to Far North Side Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th). Each alderperson is allocated $1.5 million in menu funds per year and must balance special projects against bread-and-butter infrastructure needs like street resurfacing and sidewalk repairs.

“Doing the green alleys really does help when you have that permeated pavement,” Vasquez said, adding that a long list of his residents have asked for them. “The challenge is, it costs anywhere from $250,000 to half a million dollars for one block, so we have to tell our neighbors that, at best, we can do two or three a year.”

Each green alley takes at least three weeks to build, according to Erica Schroeder, a spokesperson for the Chicago Department of Transportation. Construction involves excavating 7 feet beneath the surface and installing a 5-by-4-foot trench filled with “porous stones and a perforated pipe” to channel the water, Schroeder said.

In 2021, city leaders set aside a portion of the Chicago Works capital plan to boost green alley construction. Since then, the Chicago Department of Transportation has invited each of the city’s 50 alderpeople to select one green alley project per year, not including any projects they fund through the menu program.

Thanks to the new policy, the city averaged nearly 30 new green alleys each year between 2021 and 2023, up from an average of 24 per year between 2007 and 2020, according to transportation department records. The department has fallen short of 50 new alleys per year because of “variables throughout the design, engineering, utility coordination, and construction pro-

DATA FROM CITY OF CHICAG O, OPENSTREETMAP/MAPS AND ANALYSIS BY CAM RODRIGUEZ

cesses,” Schroeder said.

It’s not nearly enough to meet the need, Vasquez said.

“We definitely need more money for green alleys, whether it’s state, federal — whatever it means for infrastructure to get that done,” he said. “Because it’s clear we don’t have many solutions for [flood control in] alleys. And this is one that’s effective.”

A typical city-installed green alley can divert more than 3,700 gallons of rainwater from the sewers every hour, Schroeder said.

Similar green alleys built by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District are built to hold at least 30,000 gallons of rainwater each — approximately 1 inch’s worth of rainfall in a typical location, officials from that agency said.

Most green alleys on the North, Northwest sides

Amid the overwhelming demand for green infrastructure, Vasquez said he was surprised to hear that as of December 2023, his ward had the second-most green alleys of any ward in the city, with 23.

Green alley construction has skewed heavily toward the city’s North and Northwest Side. Out of the 10 Chicago wards that have the most green alleys, nine either border the downtown area or are on the North Side, like Vasquez’s 40th Ward.

Fewer than one-third of the roughly 400 green alleys built through 2023 were sited in one of Chicago’s South or West side wards, city records show. Those same wards accounted for nearly three out of every five flood-related 311 complaints filed with the city last year.

Ald. Monique Scott’s 24th Wa includes most of the North Lawndale neighborhood on the city’s West Side, was among the hardest hit by last year As of last December, the 24th Wa five green alleys.

“I’m in a community where of flooding,” Scott said in an interview last month. “I wish we could have [green alleys] in all of my 49 miles of alleyways.”

Scott has more urgent infrastructure needs for her ward than many of her colleagues do, she said — not only because of the 24th Ward’s geographic size because of its historic lack of private investment. That means her ward is being left behind by the city allocating the same amount of infrastructure money — and the same single new green alley per year — to each of the city’s 50 wards.

ber, Scott called on city officials to look for funding sources for the green alley program outside of menu dollars. In response, transportation department engineer Anne Zhang pointed to the capital plan that pays for each ward to add one new alley per year but said the department “can explore other sources of funding to expand the program.”

T he department has not since identified any other funding sources, a spokesperson said.

The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago funds its own green alley program, but its spending is targeted to suburban Cook County. Out of 33 green alley projects undertaken by the district through 2023, just one has been in Chicago, according to a district spokesperson.

‘There’s

nothing strategic about it’

The aldermanic menu program, which has funded most of Chicago’s green alleys to date, has been widely criticized as inequitable by design.

A 2017 audit of the menu program by the Chicago inspector general found that the flat annual sum allocated to each ward “bears no relationship to the actual infrastructure needs of each ward,” resulting in “significant ward-to-ward funding disparities.”

Those disparities help explain why relatively few green alleys have been built in the neighborhoods that need them most, said Joe Ferguson, who served as the city’s inspector general from 2009 to 2021.

“Menu goes a lot further in a number

of the affluent wards because … they’re geographically smaller, which means they have less residential street surface,” said Ferguson, who is now president of the nonpartisan Civic Federation. “They also have fewer alleys. So it absolutely makes sense as a matter of simple math that we would see more green alleys in those higher-density wards, which tend to be the more affluent wards.”

City leaders rebu ffed the 2017 audit and have since defended Chicago’s practice of giving each ward an equal amount of resources.

“We’re very happy with those investments,” Chicago Department of Transportation Commissioner Tom Carney told Illinois Answers about the green alley program last month. “The change that it has [brought] for the residents is amazing, and it’ll last 40 years. It’s the right way to address flooding in an alley.”

Carney acknowledged that a “need exists citywide” for more green alleys but said allocating an equal number to each ward is how the department can ensure they’re built “all over.”

“There’s nothing strategic about it,” Malec-McKenna said. “In areas where there’s particular flooding — that’s where a lot of our green infrastructure should be absolutely prioritized.”

During the original implementation of the green alley program 20 years ago, the Department of the Environment was responsible for coordinating across city

During a City Council committee hearing held to discuss flooding issues last Octo-

DATA FROM CITY OF CHICAG O, OPENSTREETMAP/MAPS AND ANALYSIS BY CAM RODRIGUEZ e 25th Ward (right), which has the most green alleys in the city, registered 1,105 ood complaints to 311 between 2021 and 2023. e 21st Ward (le ) had more than three times as many complaints during the same period but had only two green alleys as of December 2023.

agencies to decide where green alleys and other anti-flooding infrastructure should be built, Malec-McKenna said.

The Chicago Department of Water Management analyzes 311 complaints to decide how to prioritize sewer main replacements, according to a senior department official. But the water department does not coordinate on the placement of green alleys, which is exclusively overseen by the transportation department.

“The DOE was never a massive organization,” Malec-McKenna said. “But what we were able to do was to help bring together the research, look at the best infrastructure, work collaboratively with the departments, help get pilots going, look at the economic impact … and try to inte grate it into the infrastructure of the departments.”

Ald. Maria Hadden (49th), who chairs the City Council Committee on Environmental Protection and Energy, described Chicago’s green alley siting process as “a little bit of a shot-in-the-dark implementation strategy.”

“If the goal of the green alley program is to give better alley infrastructure options to each ward, then it’s probably a fine implementation strategy,” Hadden said. “However, if green alleys are supposed to be more of a tool to help with flood mitigation and other water management issues, then I think we’d probably do better in having a different approach in how the locations for those alleys are selected.”

Angela Tovar, Chicago’s chief sustainability officer and commissioner of the newly reconstituted Chicago Department of the Environment, wrote in an emailed statement that the Department of the Environment will “collaborate [with] and advise” other city agencies on flood-related policies as it continues to staf f up, and that her team is working with the mayor’s office on “outlining a strategic direction for water policy issues in the city.”

Around the corner from Hillman and his mother’s home on Race Street, many of their neighbors were not as for tunate during last year’s storms.

Steve Richard, who lives on the 5300 block of West Ferdinand Street, had to pay to re pair his water heater and re place a refrigerator and washer-dryer system after nearly a foot of sewage water gushed into his basement in July

The green alley that was built up the street from him caught his attention, he said, noting that his driveway often turns into a pond during periods of heavy rain. “I would love for my alley here to be replaced like that,” he said.

PUBLIC NOTICE OF COURT DATE FOR REQUEST FOR NAME CHANGE

STATE OF ILLINOIS, CIRCUIT COURT COOK COUNTY

Request of REGINALD LASHUN ABERNATHY Case Number 2024CONC000504

There will be a court date on my Request to change my name from: REGINALD LASHUN ABERNATHY to the new name of:

Reginald Lashun Abernathy

The court date will be held:

On June 13, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. in Courtroom # 1706 on Zoom.

ZOOM ID 970 3250 0245 Passcode 895226

Published in Austin Weekly News May 1, 8, 15, 2024

ESTATE

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENTCHANCERY DIVISION US BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION AS SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE TO LASALLE BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR BEAR STEARSN ASSET BACKED SECURITIES I TRUST, ASSET BACKED CERTIFICATES SERIES 2007-HE4; Plaintiff, vs. REOLA JERNIGAN; MIDLAND FUNDING LLC; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS; UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LEGATEES OF ROBERT LEE JERNIGAN AKA

ROBERT L. JERNIGAN, DECEASED; CONSTANCE JERNIGAN; THOMAS P. QUINN, AS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF ROBERT LEE JERNIGAN AKA

ROBERT L. JERNIGAN, DECEASED; Defendants, 18 CH 5964

NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Monday, June 10, 2024 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 16-02-302-019-0000.

Commonly known as 1119 North Springfield Avenue, Chicago, IL 60651.

The mortgaged real estate is improved with a multi-family residence. The successful purchaser is entitled to possession of the property only. The purchaser may only obtain possession of units within the multi-unit property occupied by

individuals named in the order of possession.

Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection.

For information call Sales Department at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Manley Deas Kochalski, LLC, One East Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60601. (614) 220-5611. 18-010728 F2 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3243216

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENTCHANCERY DIVISION THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON FKA THE BANK OF NEW YORK,AS TRUSTEE FOR THE CERTIFICATEHOLDERS OF THE CWALT, INC., ALTERNATIVE LOAN TRUST2006-11CB MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2006-11CB

Plaintiff,

-v.ELENA NAVARRETE A/K/A ELANA VILLANUEVA A/K/A ELENA CHACON, ROBERTO NAVARRETE, JESUS CHACON, AS TRUSTEE OF THE VILLANUEVA FAMILY IRREVOCABLE TRUST DATED DECEMBER 20TH, 2018, REAL TIME RESOLUTIONS, INC., AS SUCCESSOR TO MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC., AS MORTGAGEE, AS NOMINEE FOR COUNTRYWIDE BANK, N.A., UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON­ RECORD CLAIMANTS Defendants 22 CH 06054 2131 WEST 18TH STREET CHICAGO, IL 60608 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on February 26, 2024, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on May 29, 2024, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 2131 WEST 18TH STREET, CHICAGO, IL 60608 Property Index No. 17-19-304-0120000

The real estate is improved with a two unit apartment building. 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 balance, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. 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. 22-09828IL_792007

Attorney Code. 61256

Case Number: 22 CH 06054

TJSC#: 44-922

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 # 22 CH 06054 I3242400

We’re

growing

community, one story at a time.

Support our

Spring

Welcome to Growing Community Media’s Spring Fund Drive.

Between now and the end of June, we’re working to raise $130,000 to support our nonprofit newsroom. With your active help, when we reach that goal, we’ll have completed our most successful year yet in total dollars raised and, happily, in the total number of readers supporting our journalism.

Every dollar from our readers goes into the newsroom to pay our hard-working reporters and designers to tell stories that unite and empower our communities. Each story we share serves as a building block in the foundation of stronger, more connected neighborhoods across the Greater West Side – from Austin and Garfield Park, into Oak Park, Forest Park and Riverside and Brookfield.

These are the communities we cover with our four publications. Austin Weekly News. Wednesday Journal. Forest Park Review. Riverside-Brookfield Landmark.

Over the next eight weeks, we’ll be sharing inspiring stories, showcasing the impact of our journalism and asking you to join us in keeping local news vital and strong.

Together, we will make a difference – one story at a time.

Let’s get this started. Invest in our newsroom at AustinWeeklyNews.com/donate

With gratitude.

Dan Haley Erika Hobbs Publisher Editor

AT HOMEONTHE GREATERWESTSIDE

Two Inherent homes on the 600 block of North Ridgeway Avenue are available for first-time buyers under the city’s Building Better Neighborhood and Affordable Homes program.

In West Humboldt Park, vacant lots are turned into affordable homes

The Better Neighborhoods and Affordable Homes program offers qualified buyers up to $100K in down payment assistance

By DELANEY NELSON and FRANCIA GARCIA HERNANDEZ Contributing Reporters

Two brand-new modern single-family homes sit across the street from a West Humboldt Park elementary school and health center at the intersection of North Ridgeway Avenue and West Huron Street. They boast new windows, a beautiful facade, new fences and landscaping, a sign of the high-quality modern finishes and amenities found inside.

See VACANT LOTS on page B2

and economic

FRANCIA GARCIA HERNANDEZ

(Above) Inherent L3C CEO im Swanson (middle) poses with Heather Hayes, director of construction operations and Sonia Del Real, vice president of sales

development on April 30, 2024. (Left) The kitchen at one of the West Humboldt Park homes.

VACANT LOTS

Continued from page B1

The homes have sustainable and smart home features, boasting energy-efficient construction, all-electric connections and high-end Google smart home devices such as thermostats, security cameras, WiFi routers, keyless locks and speakers. They are even ready to install an electric vehicle charging station if their future homeowner chooses to.

These West Side homes stand as a beacon of opportunity – proof of what can be built on thousands of vacant lots citywide.

“We are not just building homes, we’re really focused on making sure that we’re building home ownership,” said Sonia Del Real, vice president of sales and economic development for Inherent LC3, the West Side company that manufactured and installed these modular homes.

About a mile from the homes, a crew of local construction workers assembles the homes that will soon be installed on the West Side and other

neighborhoods in the city. Rather than building on-site, Inherent LC3 assembles the modules of the home at their West Side warehouse, a process that takes 10 to 12 weeks. Once the two modules are finished – one for each story –they are transported to the parcel where they are set and finished.

“A neighbor could leave for work at eight o’clock in the morning, they come back and there’s a whole house,” Del Real said.

In total, a new home could be ready in 15 weeks. Unlike traditional construction, construction crews are not restrained by weather, allowing for efficiencies and faster construction times, Del Real said.

Inherent LC3 will bring 24 properties to the neighborhood, turning vacant lots into affordable homes. The lots were owned by the city and transferred under a land redevelopment agreement that requires new construction on these lots to remain affordable.

The company has also built homes for lots owned by the Cook County Land Bank and created a micro-home prototype last year that was proposed as a solution to temporarily house migrants.

Two West Humboldt Park homes have been sold and two are currently on the market, Del Real said. More houses are underway and will be installed on North Lawndale Avenue in the proj-

CREDIT PROVIDED, INHERENT L3C

Vacant lots in West Humboldt Park will become new single-family homes for first-time homebuyers.

CREDIT: PROVIDED, INHERENT L3C

Homebuyers can select from several facade designs with different porch, fence, window and landscape options.

How a $418 million lawsuit settlement could affect West Side homeowners and Realtors®

By DELANEY NELSON Special Projects Reporter

Apowerful group of real estate agents agreed to settle a lawsuit that alleged the group’s commission rules forced homeowners to pay higher fees when they sold their houses.

A federal judge granted preliminary approval to the settlement terms in March, and as part of it, the group, National Association of Realtors®, is expected to pay $418 million in damages.

Key changes to the process of buying or selling a home will be made, as well, to account for more transparency and encourage market competition.

Before the settlement, broker commissions were typically paid by sellers. The seller’s agent usually agreed to split the commission with the buyer’s agent. These commissions typically range from 5% to 6% of the total cost of the home — an industry-wide standard that is much higher than in other countries.

But buyers are not always made aware of the full cost of purchasing a home, particularly when it comes to the broker’s commission. The same goes for sellers. Homeowners sued the NAR, alleging the organization fixed broker commissions at high rates and discouraged clients from seeking better terms, which cost them more money

The lawsuit also argued that the trade group

violated antitrust laws by mandating that the seller’s agent make an offer of payment to the buyer’s agent. As it stands, the settlement will end the practice of sharing commission rates on the Multiple Listing Service (which is only accessible to agents) and theoretically make the process of negotiating compensation more transparent.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR WEST SIDE BUYERS, SELLERS

Beginning in late July 2024, agents will require prospective homebuyers to sign an agreement that discloses their broker’s commission — how much the buyer will compensate their agent if they go through with the purchase — and who will pay it. A contract must be signed before a Realtor® can represent a client and show them properties.

Agreeing on the terms before viewing properties provides clarity for buyers on what services they can expect from their agent, experts say. It also guarantees buyer’s agents will get paid for their work.

For some, the process won’t change much. Commissions were technically always negotiable, even before the proposed settlement. Many Realtors® already used buyer-agent agreements, although they were not previously required in Illinois.

There is now no option for agents to show a

ect’s first phase, with more homes coming to West Huron Street and West Ohio Street in the future.

Once completed, the homes will be available to first-time homebuyers who qualify for financial assistance from the city’s Better Neighborhoods and Affordable Houses program.

This city program aims to promote affordable housing by pro-

house to a buyer without written agreement, said Michelle Flores, a Chicago-area Realtor® who represents both buyers and sellers.

The agreement will state how much the buyer is willing to pay the agent to represent them, with the understanding that when they want to view house, the agent will first to negotiate for the agreedupon compensation on the listing side, Flores said.

“But in the event that don’t receive compensation from the listing side, the buyer is responsible to pay the buyer’s agent,” she said.

On the seller’s side, the settlement bans advertising a commission for the buyer’s agent on the MLS, the online listing platform that only real estate agents have access to.

“Instead of me offering compensation on the MLS to the buyer’s agent, the buyer’s agent has to come to me and say, ‘Hey, Michelle, I see a listing. I have a potential buyer, I would like to show that listing to the potential buyer. Are you offering compensation?’” Flores said.

She would respond with the compensation for that particular unit, she said. Then, the buyer’s

viding up to $100,000 in a forgivable grant for downpayment assistance, closing costs and appraisal gaps to eligible first-time homebuyers. The grant amount varies based on buyers’ income and neighborhood residency

Homebuyers complete the traditional homebuying process and an additional process to obtain the BNAH grant. The program requires buyers to live on-site for 10 years after purchasing. It is available for single-family homes and multifamily buildings with up to four units. Yet, all properties must have been developed on citys

agent will say, “Great, that works for us!” Or say no, because the compensation is outside the amount they agreed upon with their buyer client.

The main widespread effect of the settlement will likely be lower commission fees for sellers, as agents try to compete for business.

Flores said one potential downside of the settlement is that it could put lower-income buyers or those who don’t have a lot of cash at a disadvantage.

“If sellers are adamant about not paying a buyer agent commission, then who’s going to pay the buyer agent?” she said. “Buyers who don’t have the funds will fall in that category of not being able to buy — we already know which demographic is going to suffer.”

Flores also said this might make the home-buying process take longer or seem more daunting to prospective homeowners.

Realtors® say the details of how the settlement will play out haven’t been determined. And although a federal judge granted preliminary approval to the settlement in March, the final approval hearing won’t be until late November of this year. It is widely expected to be approved.

In addition to the city’s homebuying assistance program, Inherent LC3 provides homeownership assistance services for five years, including quarterly maintenance and energy efficiency checks.

“We feel that the first five years or we know that the first five years are critical in homeownership or for home or sustainable homeownership, “ Del Real said.

Through a partnership with Northwestern Mutual, the company offers death and disability insurance subject to underwriting at no additional cost. For the first five years, buyers also obtain free services from security company ADT

Homebuyers can select between a two-bathroom, three-bedroom home without a basement and a one-bathroom, two-bedroom home with a basement developed by Inherent LC3. The homes have a kitchen, on-site laundry, a living space and an enclosed backyard.

When possible, buyers can select from several facade design options and customize some of the kitchen, bathroom and flooring finishes. The hallways are wide enough for wheelchair access, increasing accessibility for aging families.

“We don’t want to call these starter homes. We want people to stay in them for a long time and pass them on, that’s how you build generational wealth,” Del Real said.

Michelle Flores National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals

FRANCIA GARCIA HERNANDEZ

Soon-to-be West Humboldt Park homes are built by local workers, including West and South Side residents, women and returning citizens at Inherent’s West Side production facility

How community land trusts combat rising home prices and fighting displacement

By DELANEY NELSON Special Projects Reporter

Amid rising costs and gentrification, some organizations have found a creative way to obtain homeownership and to combat the displacement of longtime residents: community land trusts.

The goal of this shared ownership model is to provide affordable home prices, and in the process, keep people in their own neighborhoods.

A land trust, typically a nonprofit organization, buys the land on which a house sits, then sells the house at a discounted price to a community member while retaining ownership of the land underneath the home. In exchange, the buyer will sell the home at a discounted, affordable price if they decide to leave.

“It’s essentially a vehicle to increase community control over what happens in the real estate market, and also to preserve the affordability of housing in a rapidly gentrifying market context,” said Geoff Smith, executive director of the Institute for Housing Studies at DePaul University.

Black southern farmers are credited with starting the first community land trust, or CLT, in the United States during the Civil Rights Movement. Now, there are about 230 community land trusts throughout the country.

Research from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy showed that land trust properties had substantially lower foreclosure rates in the aftermath of the 2008 housing crisis than conventional properties. This allowed community members to ride out price increases in their neighborhoods.

Lower-earning homeowners were disproportionately hit by subprime lending and the high unemployment rates that followed the housing crisis. Because CLTs kept homeowners from obtaining subprime loans in the first place, they were buffered from the impact of the economic recession, according to Lincoln Institute researchers.

Julio Pensamiento, Here to Stay Community Land Trust board member, said land trusts are an opportunity to give homes back to the community, rather than having them fall into the hands of predatory developers.

“It’s essentially to provide somebody a second chance, instead of the alternative, which would be to sell your home, foreclose, whatever

it may be, and then move elsewhere,” he said. “We want to be able to keep those legacy families here operating in our neighborhoods.”

WHERE TO FIND THEM IN CHICAGO

Here to Stay is one of three CLTs operating in the Chicagoland area. The nonprofit, which serves low- to moderate-income households across Hermosa, Avondale, Logan Square and Humboldt Park, has acquired seven homes since incorporating in 2019. It has sold three homes, with two more sales expected within the next month, said program director Kristin Horne.

The Northwest Side land trust was born in response to community members’ need for affordable housing. It can curb displacement, allowing residents with varying income levels to live in neighborhoods such as Logan Square and Hermosa.

“(People) were afraid of being displaced, pushed out of the community entirely. They wanted homeownership so that they were able to have permanent roots in the community,” Horne said. “We know we can’t stop gentrifica-

tion outright — but we can at least slow it down.”

The goal is long-term affordability, made possible through a 99-year ground lease. During that period, the organization retains the rights to the land and controls its use. Major renovations that would change the home’s value must be approved by the trust. That keeps properties from being flipped for profit, Pensamiento said. Here to Stay also requires the homeowner to live on the property

Wealth accumulation — a main benefit of homeownership — looks different in a community land trust. Depending on the agreed-upon terms and resale formula, a homeowner will collect a share of the home value appreciation rather than its entirety. They will also earn home equity, although at a limited rate compared to the amount generated by conventional property value appreciation.

CLTs have the potential to promote sustainable homeownership and community stability by lowering housing costs and providing housing support. But the model may not fit all neighborhoods, said Smith, who is also a member of the Illinois Community Land Trust Task Force.

In a neighborhood like Logan Square, which

has become highly inaccessible to people with modest incomes, the community land trust creates an opportunity for affordable homeownership — and an amount of wealth accumulation.

Questions remain about whether the CLT model provides the same benefits in neighborhoods like Austin that are relatively more affordable and have more available housing for sale.

“It’s not a one-shoe-fits-all. We’re not saying there should be a million land trusts and this is the only way to promote affordability,” Pensamiento said.

Aside from promoting affordability, community land trusts can be a vehicle for long-term residents to stay in the neighborhoods they have called home, preserving some of the neighborhood’s identity and culture, Pensamiento said.

“Being able to push folks out right and uproot families and uproot cultures is something that we want to put a stop to.”

Follow us each month in print and at https://www.austinweeklynews.com/ at-home/, where you’ll find additional resources and useful information.