Why We Write

On March 28, Mary Gavin accepted the Studs Terkel Community Media Award on behalf of the Evanston RoundTable. Here is an excerpt fom her acceptance speech:

"From the beginning we wanted the RoundTable to be a community paper to look closely at Evanston, and we wanted it to be a free paper, so it would be accessible.

"Two values of a community newspaper, I think, are providing objective information and connecting the parts of the community to one another.

If we provide objective information, we can begin a dialogue on important issues - schools, housing, taxes, development, the location of our civic center, protection of our elm trees and post-top traffic lights.

"If we write about what is going on with the different cultures within Evanston - a new ethnic restaurant or retail shop, the knitting club at a local school, the Caribbean cricket team, persons with developmental disabilities making baby quilts for a day-care center, creative housing for persons with a mental illness, poetry by teen mothers who are determined to finish high school and college - we are, I believe, helping to unravel the fear that too often accompanies difference and show the connections among the community.

"If we write about a problem, we know that there is or soon will be an official committee appointed to look at the problem.

"Also, we know that, because it's Evanston, it is likely that there will be at least one grassroots ad-hoc committee formed shortly afterward to propose even more solutions and act as a watchdog on the official committee.

"Studs Terkel is the pioneer in revealing the importance of what we do in our daily lives. His work appreciates the value of commitment and hard work while celebrating the strength and dignity of people's lives.

It is humbling and gratifying that you have deemed our newspaper and my part in it worthy of this award.”

Everybody Vote Now

It is as counterintuitive as it is axiomatic: School Board elections do not draw the same interest as aldermanic and mayoral elections in this town, and neither has as big a draw as national and local elections.

Yet Evanston's two School Districts, 65 for grades K-8 and 202 for Evanston Township High School, spend from our tax dollars more than three times what the City spends. The 11 candidates for School Board have been running hard since early February, writing letters, handing out yard signs, attending coffees and participating in forums - all for a job that pays nothing and appears to attract more public criticism than credit.

They have already invested much in this community, and they deserve your attention and your vote on April 17.

In addition, there are dueling referendum questions about the future location of the City's headquarters. While no one is certain what a "yes” or a "no” vote will mean in response to the City's question, the question placed by the Friends of the Civic Center is straightforward and easily answerable.

You can vote early or on April 17. You can check with the City Clerk about where to vote or find your polling place on line. There is no excuse not to vote. The City, the Friends and the School Board candidates deserve your response.

The City Should Disclose All Relocating Costs

Guest Essay by Friends of the Civic Center

In February, 2138 Evanston citizens signed petitions to put the following referendum on the April 17 ballot:

"Shall the City of Evanston municipal government rehabilitate and continue to reside in the Civic Center located at 2100 Ridge?”

Friends of the Civic Center are supporting this referendum for the following reasons:

Rehab estimate of $31M is too high
· The City's estimate of the rehab cost is too high, which the Civic Center Committee admitted at its last meeting. Our estimates show that the rehab could likely be done for between $8 and $15m.

A new Civic Center would cost more
· The high cost and complications of buying a site and building a new Civic Center could far exceed the estimates, as many public building projects routinely are over budget. The City Council has also projected an unrealistically high sale price for the current site in the midst of a significant real estate market downturn.

Rehab can be done in stages
· Renovation could be done in stages, with departments relocating as sections are finished. NU's Tech Institute did this, as did St. Francis Hospital. This staged project could also be paid for out of portions of the annual capital budget.
Effect of a TIF on school revenues
· One of the City's plans to sell the Civic Center to a developer and create a TIF could result in adding 50-100 more children with NO tax revenue from the development to support District 65 or 202 for 23 years.

Location of a new Civic Center
· The Civic Center Committee has looked at numerous sites, all of which have significant drawbacks. The potentially costly environmental cleanup at an Emerson street site, the lack of parking at many places in downtown, and the potentially controversial use of eminent domain in a few others make positive site selection a real problem. There is also the negative issue of removing properties from the tax rolls.

Destruction of Evanston's unique character
· There is growing dismay among citizens over the continuing destruction of the character of Evanston, where attractive, historic, and low-rise buildings are being replaced with anonymous high-rises, all in the name of development. The present building is a prominent historic structure, on a spacious site on one of the most important streets in Evanston. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and has been nominated as an Evanston landmark.

Density and congestion
· Any developer would want to maximize density in the new subdivision by putting in between 150-200 townhouse and condo units. Almost every planned development in the last few years has asked for increased density above what is permitted in the zoning code. The less dense the zoning permitted, the lower the price a developer would pay for the site, thus dramatically raising the ultimate cost to taxpayers for a new Civic Center.

Creative funding options
· Currently unused space in a renovated building could be rented to State and U.S. representatives, the Township Supervisor and Assessor, the County Commissioner and the Community Media Center, all of whom used to be at the Civic Center, and all of whom currently lease from private landlords.
· Air rights over the Civic Center parking lot could be sold to a developer for a sensitive and modest condo and/or townhouse development plus garage that could contribute funds to the cost of rehabbing the main building.

Friends of the Civic Center urges the City to stay at a renovated building. For more information, please visit our website at www.friendsoftheciviccenter.org.
If you agree, please vote "yes” for the referendum on April 17.

-Dan Garrison, Brian Becharas, John Kennedy, Emily Guthrie, Jay Lytle

"Can our Grandkids Trust Us?: Evanston and Global Warming”

Guest Essay By Debbie Hillman, Network for Evanston's Future

At a breakfast meeting recently, a friend called me a name. He accused me of being a megalomaniac. Initially cut to the quick, on reflection I think the label accurate and one I'm willing to wear.

You may wonder how power grabbing relates to global warming and our grandchildren's trust.

It is exactly that point I was trying to convey to my friend, that there is a direct correlation between the state of our world, future generations' experience of the world they receive from us, and the power we feel in our own hands. It is this kind of power I want, and indeed have.

That is because I am an adult, at the "no nonsense” stage of life. It's the point at which, if we previously had doubts about our abilities, wisdom, or moral sense, those doubts fade away.

More importantly, if we previously doubted our role in the world (or, in the case of women, felt our role doubted by the prevailing society), as elders now our role cannot be questioned. I am responsible for the world and how I leave it to future little ones -- who are already watching.

So I ask my fellow adults, how do you find your world right now, here in your hometown, Evanston, Illinois, USA?

Is the air clean, the water pristine?
Can those who work here afford to live here?
Is every bite of food so lip-smackingly tasty and nutrition-packed that you feel delighted to be alive?
Do children feel part of the community's story?
Are there shops within walking distance of your home?
Can you take a midnight stroll down to the lake without fear?
Do you have peace of mind?
Or are there some nagging questions?
Why is the winter snow, so beautifully white when it first gets laid down, in days black as soot?
Why are bees disappearing?
Why do we feel driven by unseen forces to work and work?
In designing our City, why does it seem that automobiles are more important than humans?
Why are people chronically rude?
Where does all our garbage go?
Do you wonder what will happen if we run out of oil? out of food? out of power for our machines?
Are you disappointed at how powerless you feel as an adult?
As children we imagined our adulthood, looking forward to when we would be the decision-makers, the respected elders in the community.
Didn't we see ourselves as knowledgeable, experienced, fair? As caretakers of our resources?
Didn't we think we would be so connected to our place, so rooted in our community, that the meaning of our lives would never be in doubt?

Didn't we imagine ourselves accepting the responsibility of being attentive to whatever was going on in the community, including our own personal well-being? Didn't we see ourselves as powerful, in a deep, caring, benevolent way?

On all counts I plead guilty; I answer "yes.” I embrace responsibility for my world, and I embrace the power necessary to shoulder that responsibility.

But how does that power play out? How, in the face of the enormity of global climate change, does one act?

I would say, wherever and whenever, one just acts. In every facet of one's life one acts as if one is responsible, as if one is the expert, aware of the consequences of every action.

If I can't grow my own food, I should at least honor and know something about those who do grow my food.

Instead of a leaf blower, I use elbow grease and a rake, saving on health club dues. If I need to travel, I want to use my personal locomotive skills; or, if I use motorized transportation, I understand there are certain effects of gasoline combustion.

The less time I spend thinking about things -- how to make them, where to keep them, how to maintain them, how many of them do I need, how to make the money to get them -- the more time I have for my life. And the less destruction I've caused to the Earth's climate.

On Sunday, April 29, Network for Evanston's Future sponsors its annual Earth Month forum.

I invite everyone to come and learn how to become a megalomaniac. Becoming mega-responsible and mega-accountable in daily acts, we become that much more powerful, individually and collectively, becoming the elders our grandchildren look to.

Hear keynote speaker Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and sustainability reports by Evanston City Manager Julia Carroll and State Representative Julie Hamos.

In between, participants can attend action-oriented breakout groups on topics such as energy conservation, Evanston's urban farm, green buildings, best practices for congregations, sustainable transportation. Groups for middle-school and high-school students are also planned. NEF will present awards to community members for outstanding sustainability efforts.

This free program will be held from 1:45 to 5 p.m. on April 29 at Beth Emet Synagogue, 1224 Dempster St. For information call Steve Perkins, 773-269-4055.

Same Old, Same Old

By Charles Wilkinson

As the Cubbies head east from their Cactus League spring, I am bracing myself - again - for, early on, a season of hope and entertainment but, come September or sooner, ultimately one of reality and broken dreams. I feel like Charlie Brown preparing to kick the football Lucy is holding, believing this time it will be different but knowing full well what the final panel of the cartoon strip will show.

Still, that does not deter me from combing the sports pages for every nuance of possibility for the coming season. I know I am not alone in doing so. And even though I tell myself, "It is only baseball,” while at the same time tsk-tsking that unworthy thought, the Cubbies of ‘07 have taken residence in my heart.

That being so, I have formulated a few reminders for myself to help me come out whole, if not holy, by season's end: first, that major league baseball is a welcomed, engaging and necessary distraction from far heavier events in today's world; second, that the Cubbies' mystique of being "loveable losers” is no excuse for being less than professional when they take the field; third, that no single element of the game - pitching, hitting, fielding, base-running - is more responsible for losing or winning than any other, except maybe managing; fourth, that, unfortunately, though realistically, the name of the game is money after all and that somewhere in that truth I find the belief that the Cubbies' owners want a winner as much - no, even more - than Cubby fans do; and fifth, that there is no purer place on earth to watch a major league ball game than the "friendly confines” of Wrigley Field.

A couple of notes on the above:

The first speaks for itself; in the second, "professional” means "focused,” not "perfect”; third, it takes a very special talent to manage and mold a mob of millionaires into a big league team with Little League intensity; fourth, I hope my belief is not too naive; and, fifth, who can argue?

Finally, despite all that is written above, I have to admit an all-too-familiar feeling that Opening Day's "Play Ball!” will send tingling through my being: "This is it; this is THE year!”

Right, Lucy?

M.O.M.!

By Peggy Tarr

Today, April 4, is the birthday of my late mother. And as we all should note, it is also the day on which Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, a tragic loss that should be mourned by the world forever.

Unlike the late Dr. King, my mother lived to "a ripe old age” and was not known the world over. But like Dr. King, my mom believed in a better future, and this belief encouraged her to prepare her children for a better life - an educated, ethical and fair life.

In preparation for our future our mom spent endless hours Molding Our Minds.

As an adult, I am ashamed to (and won't) admit to some of the things one of my sisters and I did as children that our mom had to address (correct). One of the torturous deeds in which I took part involved this sister and a neighbor whom I shall call Pestina. The three of us were somewhere between 4 and 6 years old.

My sister and I did not like Pestina. We felt that Pestina couldn't do anything right and was always forcing herself into and spoiling our games whenever she saw us outdoors.

One day when Pestina came over, my sister and I asked Pestina if she wanted to race with us. Of course, she said, "Yes.” My sister and I put Pestina between us and each of us took Pestina by a hand.

We raced up the alley. Pestina could not keep up with us and fell down.

My sister and I continued running for a short while until Pestina cried out for us to stop; her knees were scraping on the ground.

Pestina went home screaming at the top of her lungs. My sister and I thought our deed had been accomplished; Pestina would never bother us again. We continued playing outdoors without the pest.

What we had not foreseen was Pestina's mother telling our mother what we had done. Our mom called us into the house. The first thing she did was to let us know that she knew what we had done. (Uh-oh!)

Then the question, which produced much squirming was, "Why did you do it?” Our defense was that Pestina said she wanted to race with us, etc. (Uh-oh! Our defense was too weak. The pointed finger was coming at us.) My sister and I moved our heads back and forth as Mom's finger wagged back and forth at us. We feared that finger touching us more than words could express.

Our mom thundered on about how ashamed she was that we would purposely gang up on someone and hurt someone who had not hurt us. We dared not say anything, as we kept dodging the finger that looked bigger and bigger as it came near us.

My sister and I were quaking in our boots. We looked at each other and started bawling as though someone had hit us. At last, we were given permission to go ("get”?) outside. We went outside and sat on the back steps, licking our emotional wounds.

Pestina saw us and came over. "Do you want to play?” she asked.

The fact that I've never forgotten this incident shows what an impression it made on me. It was an important lesson in not abusing people because you don't like them or you feel you're more powerful than they.

M.O.M. was and is appreciated. Thanks, Mom. Happy Birthday!

Letters to the Editor

Endorse Jane Colleton

To Whom It May Concern:

Please allow this letter to serve as an endorsement for Jane Colleton to continue to serve as a District 202 Board Member as she has for the past sixteen years. As a member of the Student Services Department at ETHS, I have been the Family Focus Instructor for over twenty years. Although I am on the ETHS faculty, my classroom is located in the Family Focus Center at 2010 Dewey, where I offer instruction to pregnant teens and teen parents who wish to enroll in our program during the latter months of their pregnancy through at least six weeks after delivery. I work as a liaison between these students and their regular course instructors at the high school. In addition to academic instruction, our program offers support services to these girls that focuses on parenting training and skills. One of these programs is the Picture Book Project which Jane Colleton and community volunteers offer on a weekly basis in my classroom. Jane has been in charge of this program for over fourteen years. This program focuses on the importance of reading to infants. Jane and her staff provide reading materials and instruction on how to nurture newborns. Over the years, Jane has served hundreds of students in our program. I think it is important for the community to know that Jane is a hands-on educator/volunteer who understands the rigors of dealing with ETHS students at risk and in need of special services. Her experience with my students serves as testament to her dedication and genuine concern for the quality education students receive at ETHS. Her service in my classroom is just one small example of the many hours of commitment Jane has offered the high school as classroom volunteer and board member over the years. She deserves the vote of every Evanston resident who wishes to see the high school continue to grow and prosper as a safe and challenging space for its students and staff.
- Tom Sollers

Say ‘Yes' to Preserving Civic Center

Editor:

I am writing about the conflicting ballot issues regarding the Civic Center that residents will face when they go to the polls April 17. One asks whether we should preserve the Civic Center; the second asks if we should spend $31 million to renovate the Civic Center. The two questions are very confusing and our aldermen should never have added the second question to the ballot. But enough about that; I'm not writing this letter about ballot questions.

I propose that we save the Civic Center. Here's why: After more than two years, the City council has failed to find a suitable site to build a new City Hall. Although the meetings and negotiations have been conducted in secret so we don't know what has gone on, we do know this: The sites identified by City staff are either too costly or simply aren't feasible. Some in City government may want to leave the Civic Center, but the simple truth is that there is no good place for us to move.

Here's another reason: It's always more expensive to build something new than it is to renovate. Ask any architect and, if he or she is honest, he'll tell you that. (I'm married to one, so I get my advice free of charge.)

City officials say one reason to sell and relocate is that the Civic Center is too big; only half of it is being used for City business. Fine. Renovate it and other tenants will step forward to move in. Some say the cost of renovating is high: Replacing the roof will cost $2 million, the slate on the exterior of the building is falling off and the building's heating system and other parts are so old they are not being manufactured anymore. Fine. The heating system and slate and roof can be replaced - and for less than it will cost us to sell the land, sell the building, put the City staff up in temporary quarters and build anew.

What is needed is a careful analysis of the work that needs to be done, and not by a developer who stands to make a profit. I've heard estimates ranging from $13 million to $31 million. Do we really know exactly what we need and how much it will cost?

The City Council's plan originally called for selling the Civic Center to a developer, realizing a profit and using that money to buy land and build a new City Hall. This plan was supposed to be great for taxpayers because it wasn't going to cost us a dime in higher taxes. Trouble is, in this era of huge cost overruns, slumping real estate prices and sky high construction costs, I have a hard time believing that.

Yes, renovation will cost us. But doesn't it make more sense to preserve that stately building, with its beautiful surrounding park, easily accessible parking lot and handy location? Isn't that old building part of Evanston's history?

So when you go to the polls on April 17, vote "yes” to preserve the Civic Center. And when it comes to the second question, which asks if we should spend $31 million to renovate it, leave that blank. We don't know what renovation will cost. That's what we need to find out.
-Nancy Traver

Keep the Civic Center Where It Is

Editor:

As an architectural historian, I am writing in support of keeping the Civic Center at 2100 Ridge Avenue. It is a historic building, on the National Register of Historic places, and selling it to developers is short-sighted and out of keeping for a town of Evanston's stature.
Evanston's own Comprehensive Plan discusses the particular quality of Evanston's architectural stock, stating that, Evanston's unique identity is represented by tree-lined streets and fine architecture. Evanston has maintained an ongoing commitment to quality architecture made real through the work of master designers like Daniel H. Burnham, Frank Lloyd Wright, William Holabird, and Dwight H. Perkins. The cumulative achievement of these and other architects give Evanston a physical character found in few other communities and one that is worthy of being preserved and promoted. To that I would add the 100-year-old Georgian Revival Marywood Academy designed by Henry Schlacks.

Sadly, this is not the case. The Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois has placed an Evanston building on its "Chicagoland Watch List” every year except one since the list began in 2002, it highlighted the plight of the Civic Center by placing it on the 2005-06 Watch List, and recently placed the entire city of Evanston on its "Chicagoland Watch List” for 2006-07. Too many citizens across Evanston are aware of the reality of the promises made by developers against the resulting projects.

Evanston should be at the forefront of preserving its historic heritage and specifically its architectural stock, not selling its precious resources to developers. This begins with its magnificent Civic Center - preserving and rehabilitating it, recognized as woefully overdue by many, would send a clear message to its citizens and the larger community, whose eyes are on Evanston.

Evanston has identified Cambridge, Mass., as a "benchmark city” in the past and should look to its example now, as the City of Cambridge was recently in a situation nearly identical to Evanston's.
Needing more space in its historic 1888 City Hall building, it beautifully refurbished a nearby historic 1871 school building to be re-purposed as the City Hall Annex. While maintaining the building's historic integrity, the City created its first "green” public building. Not only was it preserved and restored using the latest in environmental technology, which reduces its energy consumption by 50 percent, it's now fully handicapped- accessible, and has an impressive public art component and public green space.

There are many other good arguments for remaining at the Civic Center, such as new-building costs, including the long-term ramifications of creating a new TIF designation, potential relocation costs, and the environmental impact of new construction. But I'd like to add my voice for preserving Evanston's historic character and making a long-sighted rather than short-sighted decision by asking the City Council to be both a steward and leader in the community and to preserve the Civic Center.

Robin Schuldenfrei, architectural historian.

Hockey Kudos

Editor:

Thanks so much for running the story about Evanston Varsity Hockey. The team has come a long way under Jaisen Freeman's keen eye.

I have to mention that the Junior Varsity Wildkits team, coached by Don Howard (and assistant coach Tom O'Brien) also made it to the AHAI state playoffs. They won the first round, but lost the second round. The team played well, though.

Evanston Hockey is fortunate to have these great coaches. Under their tutelage, our high school players improve every year. Next fall, they will be even better and will capture the state title - I have no doubt!
Hockey Mom, Kim Garrett

Exemplary Evanstonians Contradict Stereotypes

Editor:

When I picked up the recent Evanston RoundTable, I felt very proud of my community. One article featured Aaron Beck, a Golden Apple awardee, whose teaching at ETHS has disrupted stereotypes of the Middle East. Another reported on Evanston's City Council unanimously approving zoning for an Islamic Center.

My pleasure in these features relates to the ardent work I've done since the attacks of 9/11 to counter the stereotyping and profiling of Arabs, Muslims, and, by irrational extension, Hindus, Sikhs, South Asians, etc. As founder of the Campaign for Collateral Compassion (collateralcompassion.org), I became closely acquainted with the families of innocent men who were murdered in hate backlash attacks following 9/11.

I've worked since then to raise awareness of the scope of extreme, polarizing characterizations purveyed in the media, the internet, even by civic and religious leaders, elected officials, ecetera. Examples of the virulent incitements include bumper stickers that proclaim "It's time to play Cowboys and Muslims," and CNN's Glenn Beck asking new U.S. Congressional Representative Keith Ellison (a Muslim), "Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies.”

Every day brings new examples of the range of attacks that generalize the attitudes and beliefs of all Muslims. Muslims are the new "Other.” It seems we are, indeed, in a truly frightening cultural climate, with no holds barred when speaking of a group that comprises 1/5 of the world's population. This contributes to war, which requires a casual sanctioning of so-called "collateral damage," inevitably impacting innocent civilians, as long as they are "Them,” not "Us.”

As a Jewish woman who grew up reading Anne Frank, wondering what I would have done had I been her neighbor, I believe we have to stand firmly against injustice, profiling, hatred. We have to connect with real individuals and not let ourselves be indoctrinated, which history proves is all too possible. I am grateful for Evanstonians who are exemplifying this ideal.
Anya Cordell