Present: John Davidson (Park Supervisor), Thalia Solano (Park Physical Instructor), Susan Fontana (WPAC – Co-President), Denise Browning (WPAC-Co-President), Richard Tilley (WPAC Treasurer), Doug Wood (WPAC – Secretary and Garden Club), John Shirk (Urban Encounter), Adam Housley (Dog Park), Tim Kolecke (Web Master), Ryan Jackson (Softball), Christina Vargas (WPPA), Lisa Stauff (WPPA), Allen Shepard (WPPA), Toni Anderson (WPPA), : Anais Vargas (WPPA), Devon Fabijanski (Student-DePaul), Kathleen O’Leary (Student-DePaul), Brenna Walsh (Student – DePaul)
- Minutes – Doug Wood – April Minutes were read and approved.
- Treasurer’s Report – Richard Tilley submitted treasurer’s report and reported in filed the yearly report with the state.
- Committee Reports
- Dog Park Committee – Adam Housley – A Dog Park Cleaning Day scheduled for Saturday, April 17 – 11am – 2pm went well. He will order more pea gravel and add soon. Susan offered to assist with the order from Lake Street Landscape.
- Web Site Committee – Tim Kolecke – Website will be updated with Summer Programming, events, and Park Hours.
- Softball Committee – Ryan Jackson – Soft ball lock box arrived and is located inside until cement base can be installed. The group purchased 150 ft. of hose to water the field. The team will offer a clinic for children.
- Gardens and Landscape Committee – Doug Wood
EARTH DAY – Psychobaby – WPGarden- WPAC presented event – making bird feeders, planting tomatoes and herbs to take home, drawing recycling art for trash cans, playing Jens Jensen game ‘Prairie Prose.’
MULCH DAY – Cancelled due to rain – working on rescheduling date.
PLANT SALE – 50 volunteers – 2,000 customers – students – both workshops filled. Sales this Sat of a few ornamentals – vegetables all given to Music Garden Families.
MUSIC GARDEN – 24 students – Learned green techs – rain barrels – worm composting – soil prep – vegetable hort techs. Planted plants from seed and transplanted. Worked on designs for park Music Garden. Created garden designs extrapolated from musical scores. Took home vegetables to grow in home gardens. Working to complete home garden designs.
GREEN DEED TREE PROGRAM – Chamber will purchase a tree for Jan Metzger. I will work with Barbara Wood to identify location and tree type in accordance with the family’s wishes. Family will receive a frameable certificate and no plaque on tree. Dead trees to be removed-planted too deeply (Along Schiller) and in dog Park.
Landscapers – working on Problems with field – growing grass around basketball court – trying to determine who will fix Damen/Schiller Corner – City – SSA or Park District.
VOLUNTEERS IN PARK – Volunteers sent on Earth Day by Alderman Moreno-not sure what to do – no coordination with Park Staff or WPGarden. Talked to Alderman’s staff to coordinate volunteers in future. All who want to volunteer with landscaping to funnel through landscape committee – WPGArden.
OUTREACH – Talk at Rogers Park Garden Society – Creating Community Gardens and obtaining volunteers – May 25. Upcoming – Oak Park Conservatory – Fall planted bulbs – designing into landscape. Coordinated soil exchange with Realtors and Neighbor Space organization.
FOTP Advisory Council meeting – May 25 – sent info to all. Newsletter May – No info received – June Deadline – Friday, May 21 Mr. Wicker is waiting to return.
- Collaboration Committee – Faces of Wicker Park – John Shirk – John is waiting on Partnership letter and artist waiver documents.
- WPPA – Toni Anderson – Scholarship fund for summer camp introduction – worked to define objectives of the fund, Music Series June-August (No groups booked yet), Activities for children who may become bored at music concerts-thinking of options-face painting, etc, car washes to raise funds, donation from Soft Ball for scholarship fund ($500 – $50 for sodas; $450 for scholarships). Discussed vending tables for soda at Farmer’s Market. Where can this money be housed-fiscal agent? Can this be housed in WPAC account or Parkways. Parkways account is for large capital improvement projects only. Richard Tilley stated that we needed to know criteria for who was chosen and how funds were distributed and then decide if WPAC houses funds.
SURVEY – Toni will conduct a new Park survey and have results at the June WPAC meeting.
RESPONSE FROM Dana Andrews after meeting – supervisor of all Advisory Councils– The description of the scholarship procedure must be documented and run by legal before it can be a WPAC activity and before WPAC can be fiscal agent for the campaign. Only Advisory Councils and Park Partners can conduct fundraising efforts on park property if they receive the approval of the CPD and have a permit to do so. Emailed to WPPA – no response from WPPA to date.
- Staff Reports – Thalia Solano – discussed soccer which is going well, rainouts, and track and field. WPAC asked Thalia what adult classes she has taught in the past – middle aged fitness using weights – equipment cost $300.
- Staff Reports – John Davidson
Park Kid’s / Youth Programs
- Monday – Gym Games, Lead Up Games and Circle Games
- Tuesday – 5 on 5 Soccer, Art with Lara and CC Baseball
- Wednesday – MSI Science Club, Cheerleading and CC Baseball
- Friday – Fun Friday, Track & Field and CC Baseball
- Saturday – Cubs Care Instructional baseball league
Summer Camp Update
- Packets will be made available at the June AC Meeting
Upcoming Special Events
- 5/22 – Science Club Field Trip – Museum of Science & Industry 10am-2pm
- 6/5 – Park Voyagers Field Trip – Art Institute of Chicago 10am-2pm
- 6/18 – End of the School Year Bash
- Barbecue
- Carnival Games
- Field Games
- Water Games (weather permitting)
- 7/10 – PRO/AM Family Softball Tournament
- 7/28 – Movies in the Park – Planet 51 (movie starts at dusk)
- 6/20 – 8/8 – Music in the Park (Subway Series) Chicago Park District, WPPA, Farmers Market (DSE)
Adult Programming
- Monday – Jazzercise, 16 inch Softball League
- Tuesday – Dodgeball
- Wednesday – Jazzercise
- Thursday – 5 on 5 Basketball
- Friday – Jazzercise
- Sunday – 16 inch Softball League
Regional Special Events
- 7/28 – Summer Fitness Fun Day – Humboldt Park – 10am-2pm
Recent Service Request Repairs
- Exhaust fans in gymnasium
- Entrance way lights re-lamped
- Gym light re-lamped
- Mirror replaced in men’s restroom
- Restroom Stale dividers replaced
- Seeding of passive area between baseball backstop and outdoor basketball court
Q&A
Comments from WPAC
- Exciting Programming
- Park Kid’s/Youth Programs section –On Thursdays, Park Kids Grow Music Garden Funded by Parkways, FOTP and WPGarden was omitted from report – please include.
- Adult Program Opportunities – On Saturdays, Community Gardens in the Parks – WPGarden’s Garden Tending – Hands on Hort Experience was omitted from report – please add.
- Please add – Lil Kickers
- The teen program is excellent – please send description to include in June newsletter
Adjourn 8:50PM