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PLAN COMMISSION RUBBER STAMPS, AS EXPECTED
The Chicago Plan Commission met on Thursday, August 21 at City Hall and unanimously approved the Latin School artificial turf soccer facility in Lincoln Park.
Members of POP testified that no site plans, no environmental studies, no engineering studies and no marketing studies were done before construction because the project was the result of a secret and illegal deal made with the Latin School. Several commissioners commented that they were not interested in the origins of the construction.
The experts called by the city included the Vice President of Marketing for Field Turf, the firm that is supplying the artificial surface for the project. According to him, there are no health risks associated with playing on synthetic turf. We hope he’s right.
Alderman Vi Daley testified for the project because “thousands of people play soccer.”
Also testifying for the project was Lincoln Park High School Principal, Dr. Betsy Karvelas, who said their soccer teams had to play on a pitted Oz Park field. Why Oz park field can’t be maintained properly was not addressed. Dr. Karvelas and the parents who coach for the Lincoln Park High teams should contribute to POP’s legal fund. Without our intervention, Latin School would be monopolizing this field when completed and her students would never have access to it.
No commissioner asked us a question or conceded one point of our argument. Commissioner Doris Hollub did admonish the Park District. “It is our role to look at uses of the lake front. It was inappropriate not to have come before us before decisions made and contracts let.” Her position on the soccer field? “I’m very much in favor of a field there!”
The highlight of this charade was the arrest of POP co-founder Peter Zelchenko. Peter’s testimony was interrupted and his mike turned off. He completed his remarks without the mile and scolded the commission by asking how they could sleep at night. After he was finished he stood in the back of the City Hall chamber silently watching the proceedings. He was hustled out of the chamber by two policemen and he was held in a stairway for 40 minutes before being handcuffed and arrested. He was booked, finger printed and had a mug shot taken. He was released after about seven hours in custody. He was charged with disorderly conduct and will return to court on October 15.
What a joke. This was Chicago city government at its worst. On the same day that the Chicago Plan Commission slavishly rubber stamped the illegal construction project, local Democratic operatives put Emil Jones III on the ballot to replace his father as the Democratic nominee for the State Senate from the 14th District. Also in the news, a former Chicago electrical inspector was sentenced to 3 years in prison for taking bribes. Chicago, the city where clout talks and the citizens are screwed.
Protect Our Parks co-founder, Peter Zelchenko chides Commissioners, “How can you sleep at night?” He refuses to leave after watching silently from the back of the chamber. He is arrested and booked. Photo by Felicia Dechter.
DOWNLOAD OUR OFFICIAL SUBMISSION TO THE PLAN COMMISSION
READ A SUMMARY OF OUR OBJECTIONS TO THE ILLEGAL SOCCER CONSTRUCTION PROJECT
Read the latest news coverage:+
- Chicago Reader – It’s Not Illegal to Be Obnoxious
- Sun-Times – Latin soccer field back on track
- Skyline – Peter Zelchenko Arrested
- Chicago Tribune editorial – City Hall’s Soccer Rules
- Skyline Press editorial – Menial Moves – Why did the park district take the scoreboard out? -
- The Reader – An Artificial Battle – The latest round in the soccer wars is about turf – in more ways than one
IF YOU WERE IN THE PARK TUESDAY MORNING, AUGUST 19 AND SAW THIS ACTIVITY IN THE SOCCER STADIUM CONSTRUCTION ZONE – PLEASE CALL US AT 312-276-5165 AND LEAVE A MESSAGE WITH YOUR NAME AND PHONE NUMBER.*
THIS WAS ILLEGAL ACTIVITY ON THE SITE AND VIOLATED OUR COURT ORDER THAT PROHIBITS ANY ACTIVITY ON THE SITE UNLESS WE ARE NOTIFIED AND GIVE OUR PERMISSION.
POP Says “Yes!” to Soccer (but not in the North Meadow)
IS “PROTECT OUR PARKS†AGAINST SOCCER? NO WAY!!!
Protect our Parks is the grass-roots organization which successfully sued the Chicago Park District, the Latin School of Chicago and the City of Chicago to stop construction of an artificial turf soccer field in the North Meadow of the South Field in Lincoln Park for the reserved use by the Latin School.
Does this mean Protect our Parks is against kids? Against soccer? Against building new athletic fields for soccer?
The Answers: NO – NO – and NO!!!
There is a misinformation campaign underway about our position, falsely alleging to the soccer community that we have our sights set on stopping AYSO from using the fields that they’ve been playing soccer on for over 20 years so that they can be “returned” to meadows. This is patently UNTRUE!! The only field we want returned to a meadow is South Field because it is the wrong structure in the wrong location for the wrong reason.
Protect Our Parks has never opposed improvements at Foster or Montrose or the many inner city locations where there is dearth of recreation
facilities. And POP has repeatedly said that the Park District should use the $1,000,000 or $2,000,000 that the Park District wants to give Latin School instead for those truly needy locations where multiple fields would benefit and expand use for the public, instead of for a wealthy private school
WHAT WE’RE FOR:
We’re all FOR soccer fields! BUT – where they are appropriate.
We’re also for transparency and democracy in public process
We’re for equal opportunity and access, not just for the wealthy
The fact is that the present location in south Lincoln Park is, arguably, the MOST INAPPROPRIATE place possible to insert a soccer field! It was selected SOLELY because of its proximity to the Latin School, for their convenience. No studies were undertaken to determine where the need for new facilities was greatest and would serve the greatest number of people. The only criterion applied in this case was that LATIN WANTED IT THERE FOR THEIR USE.
The Park District now says it has $2,000,000 to give to Latin School.
That money would build or improve at least three new public use soccer fields in the neediest locations. And when the Park District withholds the money already promised to those other locations and tries to hold the soccer community hostage to the Latin School, they are deliberately injuring the innocent in order to force support of a wealthy, PRIVATE school!
Yes – the kids – and more of them, deserve to be able to play, regardless of where they live in Chicago and what their economic circumstances! Our
Fight against the soccer field in South Field is not a fight with children nor with the soccer community. It is with the Park District, whose decisions and priorities too often are in the service of special interests, and whose modes of operation are too often dishonest – and with the Latin School for selfishly attempting to make Lincoln Park their de facto Athletic field, because they did not plan adequately for their own outdoor needs. They are a private school and their problems should be solved in the marketplace, not at the expense of Chicago’s park goers and taxpayers.
What do you think a soccer player should do when he or she is the victim of a foul? Be conned into supporting the foul or insist that the referee play fair?
Soccer, YES! In the North Meadow: NO!
Protect Our Parks – info@cklpp.org – www.savelincolnpark.org – 312-276-5165 – Donate to our legal fund -
Even a Second Grader Knows What’s Right
A proud parent sent us this editorial her very smart second grade daughter wrote for her school newspaper. Tim Mitchell, are you paying attention?
