...And That's My Opinion©

By Sandy Goldman

The Rogers Park Community Curmudgeon (RPCC)

Thatwasthesummerthatwas@RP.com

· Sometime in June, Forum 49 inaugurated a community chat room/web site for neighborhood discussion. It is very exceptional, professional and well organized. I can't wait for the local political campaigns to begin. Check it out at http://www.forum49.org/ (do it when you are done here!!)

• E-mailer extraordinaire and computer guru Dave Lawrence seems to have taken the position as information message conductor for Rogers Park. Beware Dave, of an ancient civilization ritual; to wit, if you don't like the message, essenger.
• Several people lectured about the need for a Block Club Organization Network. A good idea! But why do I think I see the reinvention of the wheel. It ran flat several years ago because most Block Clubs are single issue oriented with a limited amount of energy and a small scope of geography.
• D. Lawrence and M. Harrington carried on a spirited E-course on the responsibilities of community involvement; the latter calling for a Rogers Park Strategic Planning Session. Rather than more talk-talk, I would direct everyone's attention to the long range plan entitled Rogers Park in the Year 2000, directed, edited and prepared by Michael J. Realmuto and others in January, 1996. It was developed from the results of a several years of extensive and exhaustive community meetings. Perhaps the Rogers Park Community Council still has copies.
• There was positive response to the many requests for volunteer workers and helpers to build the playground at Gale School. It was successful and a job well done. It is a good-looking playground with interesting equipment. It is also an example of a community achieving a goal and working together. Lets look at it in five years or maybe three years or when the first child is injured and the legal eagles fly in.
• All-Star community activist Lorraine Dostal concludes her answer to an inquiry about the Safe Passages Project with "I fear that I have an opinion---". Welcome Lorraine, current committee person of RP 2000 (a publication of the new Rogers Park Community Council), to the "Opinion Club" from Sandy Goldman former Editor in Chief of the same publication. But be careful Lorraine, you know what happens to people with strong opinions. In any event imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
• On 8-27 A.G Kerr relates in his e-mail that he had his day in court after being severely beaten up while walking on the street near the lake. The assailant was a no show. Surprise!!! The judge issued a bench warrant for $10,000.If he should ever be seen. Who rents to people like this miscreant and what kind of neigborhood attracts them? Where did this guy really live and where does he live now?
• There was a serious amount of criticism and defense of Community Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS). Some think that it works great. Some think that it is a sham. No matter which side you take, it has become the Mayor's greatest public relations campaign. If you do not think so, tune into channel 23. In prototype area Rogers Park, of the nine police beats, there are few where anything significant is accomplished. The big exception is Beat 2422 where Karen Hoover would have excelled anyway. Competent policemen have always cooperated with citizens. The others have always ignored the community and still do!
• Then there is the District Advisory Committee (DAC). Oh, I don't think I want to get into that. It is totally useless. It has not operated effectively, efficiently or purposefully since Father White left the presidency to be followed through the years by many others.
• There was a flurry of E-mail activity concerning the Sam Leone Jr. Guard program at Touhy beach and the possible demolition of the headquarters building and reassignment of the program to Loyola Park. For those new to the community the Sam Leone Jr. Guard program is a seventy-five year old (or perhaps more) R.P institution which has served boys and girls as a summer water sports program. It is also a training ground for city lifeguards. Its fame has spread nationwide as alumni move to other areas and in some cases develop similar programs. For more information consult a newly published book titled "Sam's Boys" by Chris Serb a former junior guard and a R.P resident.

The last word from Alderman Moore (49th) was that the Park District has assured him that there were no such plans and that they would notify him of any future plans, which might include renovation. Others involved are Senator Carol Ronen and State Rep. Harry Osterman who attended the program.

The president of the Sam Leone Alumni Assoc. is Pat Colleran (e-mail: pat_colleran@msn.com). He welcomes all help.

Click here to download Ald. Moore's reassuring letter to Carol Goldman.

• Correspondent Michael Harrington pens an eloquent drama about the mugging of his nest door neighbor Frank at 1608 Sherwin last August .It has been given great distribution including the Lerner paper. In case you missed it you may access it at www.forum49.org/. Then ask yourself a lot of questions.

Watch how everybody blames everybody else for the slow response of the police. Alderman Moore (49th) together with representatives from the above-mentioned DAC, the new RPCC and Comdr. Boggs (24th) indicate "that upon review of the tapes" the fault lies with the response time from the dispatcher at the new $300 million 911 system. Yeah-right!! We used to hear the same music when it was only a $90 million facility at some other location. Is it pin the tail on the donkey or a game of musical chairs?

• Citizen Jeanne Stiles calls for more upscale establishments in R.P. She suggests in her e-mail---"maybe a branch of Rezas---a high end workout facility like the Cheetah Gym in Andersonville along with a juice bar, health food store and a workout clothing store---maybe a Sport Mart---a nursery like Gethsemane---a Discovery Center---a Piano Bar/wine bar---Police outpost on Howard street to make sure all the new stores are safe---Kinko's or some other office supply/fax service---a deli, think how successful Belden Deli was (her words not mine-editors note)---an optical shop---a butcher shop on the order of Bornhofers---a candy shop---individual professional offices---".

Jeannie Stiles' dreams may be accessed at www.forum49.org/. Do I see a candidacy??

By the way to Jeanne and all the others who agree with her, if you would like to see when such things WERE in R.P pick up a l960 or l970 yellow pages telephone book. Those types of business and many more were here before a lot of social engineering took place and before the administration of the past and present Progressive Democratic 49th Ward leadership.

• By way of Dave Lawrence (caps-rp@Northwestern.Edu), Ald. Joe Moore (49th) addresses the e-mail clucking concerning the Urban Investment Trust development for the S.E corner of Howard and Ashland. He states that he ís not privy to Urban's day to day marketing efforts---nor is he an expert on urban retailing. He then explains the difficulty Urban has in securing major tenants for R.P. This he says duplicates his difficulty in his efforts to attract a Walgreen Drug store.

He is not, he says, a commercial real estate broker, but that he has attempted to bring business people and store owners to R.P throughout his nine years in office.

I encourage all readers to read this offering and make up your own minds. It can be accessed at www.forum49.org/ and then to the Over The Back Fence link.

• And finally I wonder how Joan Rivers would have begun her standup comedy routine in the age of the Internet? "Can we talk" would not work. Can we e-mail? No, that does not do it. Oh well, some things must fall in the path of progress.

...And that's my opinion.

And I'm Sandy Goldman

Send me your e-mail address or those of others who would be interested and I'll add them to my rapidly growing distribution list.

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To Email Me: smgoldman@ameritech.net