volunteer help needed at Ridge Park on 11/5

Friends of the Parks is seeking volunteers to help spread the fibar surfacing in new playgrounds across Chicago. Fibar is the wood material that lies under and around swings, slides, monkey bars and other playground equipment.  

Volunteers must be at least 18 years of age. Please dress appropriately in clothing suitable for active outdoor work and closed-toe shoes: boots or sneakers. You will be working with wheel barrels, rakes and such.

The Ridge Park workday is scheduled for Tuesday 11/5 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

household hazardous waste collection on Sat. 11/2

The Green Sanctuary Group of Beverly Unitarian Church will collect household hazardous waste and electronics for recycling Sat. 11/2, 8:30 to 11:00 a.m. in the church parking lot, 10244 S. Longwood Dr. (the Castle).

The following items will be accepted:  computers, laptops, printers, monitors, stereo equipment, boomboxes, mercury-flourescent lamps and bulbs, televisions, cell and land line phones and small microwaves, as well as eyeglasses, washable athletic shoes, and textbooks.

The following Hazardous items will be accepted if PROPERLY SEALED:

Anti-freeze, used motor oil, old gasoline, OIL-BASED paints, paint thinners, aerosol paints, car batteries, reusable batteries, herbicides, insecticides, pesticides, lawn chemicals, solvents, drain cleaners, pool chemical, and hobby chemicals.

In addition, we will accept unused or expired Prescription Drugs (non-controlled only) for transport to the Chicago Hazardous Waste Facility.

We CANNOT accept any latex, acrylic or water based paint, Freon, incandescent bulbs, or products you can clean up with water, Bio Hazardous Material or needles.

Thanks to Beverly Bank & Trust and Com2 for their ongoing support of this community service.

Modest contributions to help offset transportation costs are appreciated. To volunteer or obtain more information contact: Eileen Klees, eklees@gmail.com, (773)968-3396 or Fran Sowa, frannevpk@yahoo.com (708) 423-6392.

non sequitur Friday

BIA family bike ride on 10/20

The Beverly Improvement Association invites everyone to join your neighbors for a short but beautiful 2.5 mile bike ride along the Major Taylor Bike Trail departing from Cosme Park at 3:30 pm on Sunday, October 20th.  Paul Weise, owner of Beverly Bike & Ski at 9121 S. Western Ave., will be there to help with minor tuneups. If you are coming from a distance, there is plenty of parking.  The Beverly Improvement Association (BIA) will provide light refreshments.

non sequitur Friday

Friends of the Major Taylor Trail meeting tonight (Wed. 10/16)

Friends of the Major Taylor Trail have their monthly meeting tonight - Wed. 10/16, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at Ridge Park fieldhouse, 9625 S. Longwood Dr.  The agenda includes upcoming tree planting workdays and rides.  Anyone is welcome.  Please join us!

Vincennes bike train

Have you been wanting to try the new Vincennes bike lane but thought it would be better with a ride buddy or two?  I've done it a few times now.  Drivers respected the lane and gave me room.  The most challenging section has been near Simeon High School, where lots of parents were dropping their kids off for school.  Most of the pavement is in good to excellent condition now, making the ride much easier.

I'd like to have a morning group ride at least once a week for as long as the weather allows.  I'll be riding from Beverly to the Loop (approx. 12-14 mph riding pace).  If you want to ride north (commute or recreation) for part or all the ride, you're welcome to join the train.  If you know anyone who would be interested, please share this info with them.

Stops will be brief to keep the train moving.  If I've gotten no confirmations for a specific stop and I don't see anyone waiting, we'll keep moving past that stop.

If you're joining in, please leave a comment below saying where you're going to join, along with any questions or suggestions, or text me at 312-520-1641.  Here's an estimated schedule.

99th and Wood - LEAVING at 7:30 a.m.

95th and Vincennes - 7:36

91st and  Vincennes - 7:39

There will be a few more stops along Vincennes, depending on how many folks are joining in.

From 71st and  Vincennes, we'll cross the Dan Ryan, then continue north.  I'll be going to the Loop.  Take as short or long a ride as you wish.  On the way, we can talk about possible future rides, including weekend rides.

Get on the bike train!  Let's create a positive bike presence in the Vincennes bike lane.  Come out on Friday morning and bring a friend.

non sequitur Friday

just say NO to anti-BYOB ordinance

How many of you have heard about the proposal by Alderman Graham to ban all BYOB in dry precincts?  From the map in the news story, it appears that this affects a small number of precincts in her ward and most other wards in the city.  It affects a substantial portion of our ward and a few nearby wards.

BAPA has started a petition against the proposed ordinance.  If the health of our business districts, having a good variety of restaurants, and keeping jobs in our neighborhood matters to you, I hope you will sign it.  The ordinance would affect the 19th and 34th wards more heavily than most other wards in the city, as we have the highest number of dry precincts.

Having a BYOB option allows many of our restaurants to compete and stay afloat, especially when there are comparable restaurants nearby that can sell alcohol.  This ordinance has the potential to harm or kill off existing businesses - something we don't want at any time, but especially not in this economy.  The last thing we need is more vacant storefronts, fewer businesses and fewer jobs.

If you're a Chicago resident who doesn't live in the 19th ward, I hope that you'll sign it and encourage your alderman to oppose the proposed ordinance.

103rd Street construction detour

Got this from CDOT today, after being puzzled by seeing 103 buses running on 99th St. this morning.

TRAFFIC ALERT: 103rd at Seeley will be closed for a water main installation 9am to 3:30pm Wed through Fri. CTA buses to use 99th; cars 107th .

Ridge Park playground construction

Yesterday I noticed construction fencing and equipment at Ridge Park playground. Looks like construction is beginning.

non sequitur Friday

Metra construction alert - Sunday 10/6

News from Metra:

In order to remove two bridges, the Rock Island Line will be closed north of the Gresham Station on Sunday Oct. 6, and there will be no service to and from the LaSalle Street and 35th Street stations during the shutdown. Access to and from downtown will be provided via a transfer to extra Metra Electric Line service at Blue Island-Vermont Street.

Passengers south of Blue Island who are traveling downtown can take inbound Rock Island trains to Blue Island and transfer to the Metra Electric Line's Blue Island branch, where special trains will take them inbound to the 18th St., Museum Campus, Van Buren and Millennium stations. The special Metra Electric trains also will make the reverse trip to Blue Island from Millennium Station.

Passengers north of Blue Island - those who normally board at Gresham or at stations along the Rock Island's Beverly branch - can travel downtown by riding outbound Rock Island trains south to Blue Island and transferring to the special inbound Metra Electric trains north to Millennium. They will have to make the reverse trip on the special outbound Metra Electric trains to Blue Island and then on regular inbound Rock Island Beverly branch trains north to their destination. Riders will be charged the normal fare for their zone to downtown and back.

For a full schedule for Sunday, click here.

Regular Sunday service on the Rock Island Line will resume with the 6:25 p.m. departure from Joliet, arriving at LaSalle Street at 7:49 p.m., and the 6:30 p.m. departure from LaSalle Street, arriving in Joliet at 7:55 p.m.

About 1,800 inbound passengers and about 1,000 outbound passengers normally ride on the affected Sunday trains on the Rock Island Line. Metra apologizes for the inconvenience but it was determined the temporary closures were the best option for carrying out the work.

The two bridges at 60th and 66th streets are being removed and the viaducts filled in as part of the Englewood flyover bridge project. The flyover is a new bridge that will carry the Metra Rock Island tracks over a set of tracks used by Amtrak and freight trains at 63rd and State, eliminating conflicts between trains and cutting pollution and noise from idling trains. Closing the streets and filling the viaducts provided design flexibility and cost savings compared to replacing the viaduct structures on the new track work alignments.