Wicker Park Advisory Council

Wicker Park Advisory Council Meeting Minutes

ATTENDED: Tim Kolecke (President WPAC), Scott Venable (Vice-President and Mosaic Church), Richard Tilley (WPAC Treasurer), Doug Wood (WPAC Secretary), Adam Housley (Dog Park), Denise Browning (Former WPAC President & WPGarden), Susan Fontana (Former WPAC President and WPGarden), John Shirk (Wicker Mic & Urban Encounter), Sylvia Ramos (Pritzker & Neighborhood), Ryan Michelle Wilson (MCHAC), Luke Wilusz (Patch Wicker Park Bucktown),

  1. Minutes from October 2012 – Read, Approved – Doug Wood
  2. Treasurer’s Report – Richard Tilley – Submitted Report.
  3. Park District Report – Absent – Submitted report including registration dates for Winter Session and reminder of the November and December Family Movie Nights.
  4. Dog Park Committee – Adam Housley – The fundraiser for the Dog Park and the WPAC will be scheduled for early 2013. This is a fundraiser to be held at Robert Gomez’s Subterranean Bar. Adam has not heard any details from Janice Taylor (Chicago Park District Dog Park Administrator) on the timetable of the purchase and installation of the bulletin board for the Dog Park. The project received $440 from the Friends of the Park’s seed grant and the remainder of the cost will be paid by the Dog Park Committee’s funds.
  5. Website – Tim Kolecke – The website lost 6 months of data. He will install a new structural format, reload all the information by the end of November, and commit to backing up the site on a regular basis.
  6. Teen Group & Mosaic Church Volunteer Support – Scott Venable – The teen group has been restructured and is now more manageable in respect to size and age group. Participants will be exposed to music, dance, poetry and spoken word.
  7. Landscape & Education – Doug Wood & Denise Browning – Gardeners have been regular on Saturdays. The Landscape Design lecture series is going well and is well attended. The garden club, in collaboration with the Advisory Council and Chicago Park District, will hold the Fountain Decorating Social on Saturday, November 17 from 10am – 2pm. The Garden club funds the purchase of the trees and The Care of Trees donates the LED lights.
  8. Family Fun Fest – November 17 – Ryan Wilson (MCHAC) discussed the details of the Family Fun Fest to be held on Saturday, November 17. This event is a proposed partnership with the WPAC and the Chicago Park District. It will serve as a fundraiser for the WPAC and MCHAC with 10% of the profits going to the WPAC and 90% to MCHAC. Partnership requests for rental and equipment have been submitted and are pending. The event will cost $45 per family and be held from 10am – 4pm that day in the gym and East meeting Room.
  9. REPORT – Visit to Alderman Moreno – Tim Kolecke and Scott Venable – The alderman stated that he will support our budget requests and believes the vending issue is dead. He stated that all vending must past through his office.
  10. Update on Vending in the Park – Doug Wood distributed a document he found on the Chicago Park District Website – Concessions section – Document called 2013_New_Available_Opportunities for vendors. The document listed Wicker Park as a site for carts and kiosks. A discussion then took place with the resolution to contact the Park District. Luke Wilusz stated that he would write an article on the topic – vending in the park. The Wicker Park Committee and Friends of the Parks wrote letters requesting that no permanent vending be allowed.
  11. 2013 Budget Hearing – Dates were given for the 2013 Budget Hearing Meetings scheduled in November by the Park District and by Friends of the Parks. No one stated that they would attend. No response was received from the letter sent to Park Staff on the WPAC requests for the budget.
  12. BOO-PALOOZA RECAP: The council discussed Boo-Palooza’s element and made comments for change. The event was produced by 50 organizations, 30 Activity and Info Tables, 160 volunteers and attended by over 2,000 participants.

    Set UP – The straw stack should be set up the night before; items need to be grouped and moved before volunteers arrive; more people need to read and understand timetable for set up and commit to their assigned roles

    Bingo – Make cards larger and extend time period.

    Costume Parade – needs more focus – perhaps too long – extend route – issues not resolved? All children should get a sticker will lined up. The fountain area should be completely cleared before the parade begins. Post the security guards at the parades to keep it moving and the fountain court clear.

    T-SHIRT – Scott Venable suggested that we get T-shirts for 2014 and find a vendor and sponsor – he felt the name tags were too small and the event volunteers need a more visible marking.

    Apple Bobbing and Apple on a String – prepare more apples the night before – string more apples in advance.

    Maze – The maze was confusing since it only had one entrance which also served as the exit – this confused and angered individuals – it is believed that the maze should have an entrance and an exit as distinct areas.

    FOOD Vendor at Event – The food donated served the volunteers well. The Event participants needed food and drink during the event, since many stayed for about 3 hours. Work to obtain a vendor who will give the WPAC a percentage of the profits.

ADJOURN 8:45