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Local Farm Space; State Bill

The task force will work on development of an in-state food system for the production, processing, storage, distribution, sale and preparation of local and organic foods. The task force will also pinpoint bottlenecks hindering the development of an Illinois-based local and organic food system, making recommendations for new policies and funding by 2009.

"The history of this legislation is a perfect example of how a few like-minded people can work together to make an impact and change the world," said Ms. Hamos.

Debbie Hillman, one of the founders of the Evanston Food Policy Council said, "As a professional gardener, I became a part of this group because I was concerned about organic and local food availability in Evanston. Through working with farmers across the state, I have come to learn that over 90 percent of food consumed in Illinois is grown outside of the state. This legislation is an opportunity to keep those food dollars in Illinois, using them to revitalize decaying rural communities, and provide locally grown organic food across the state."

Ms. Hillman and the Evanston Food Policy Council met with Rep. Hamos last fall to talk with her about sponsoring state legislation to encourage the production of locally grown and organic food.

Accepting Rep. Hamos' challenge for the group to build a statewide coalition, the Food Policy Council built relationships with groups across the state, including hog farmers, grain farmers and local food producers.

According to a statement from Rep. Hamos, "Every time [I] charged them with a new task, they came back with more people from all over the state, increasingly well-versed in the topic, with more ideas and questions.

Through this process a small group of Evanstonians concerned about locally grown and organic produce have become leaders in a statewide coalition, drafting and now advocating for innovative state legislation."

Ms. Hillman said, "Rep. Hamos has been very quick to understand that anyone who eats is part of the food and agriculture system, and she understood that redeveloping a food and farming economy in Illinois is a natural, easy way to bring prosperity back to rural towns as well as providing the freshest, most nutritious food to all Illinois consumers.

"We in the Evanston Food Policy Council have really enjoyed watching Julie receive the admiration and acknowledgment from farmers and others around the state as we have brought these individuals and groups to meet with her and talk to her about these issues."

The Evanston Food Policy Council began in August of 2005 as one of eight organizations spawned by Network for Evanston's Future, a group of Evanstonians interested in different aspects of sustainability and social justice. The Food Policy Council began to see sustainability through the lens of food. The group did research on state and federal policy that impacts how food is grown, distributed and consumed.

The Food, Farms, and Jobs Act of 2007 passed out of the House of Representatives by a margin of 108-8. The bill needs to pass out of the Senate before it can be signed into law by the Governor.

Committee Recommends MWRD Property For Talking Farm

By Bill Smith

Supporters of the proposed Talking Farm won a local victory on April 4, when the Human Services Committee recommended that the City seek to lease land on the east bank of the North Shore Channel just north of Howard Street from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District for use as a farm site. The two vacant parcels involved are directly north and south of a parking lot leased by the MWRD to the Vineyard Christian Fellowship.

Talking Farm President Carolyn Zezima said group members have had discussions with MWRD officials who have said the agency would be willing to lease the property to a municipality. The plan could require approval of Skokie's Village Board, and Ms. Zezima said the group has begun preliminary talks with Skokie officials.

She said the group is focusing on having the City of Evanston lease the land because most of its members are Evanston residents and access to the property would be through Evanston.

Ms. Zezima said the site, about two acres in size, could yield 10 to 20 tons of produce annually, or enough to provide one plate of food per year to about 20 percent of Evanston's residents.

The five aldermen who comprise the committee appeared to be more impressed with promises that the farm would also provide job training and educational programs for young people.

"We all need to learn how to live on the land," said Debbie Hillman, who also worked on the Talking Farm. "When the name was proposed it was in the context of education. The Talking Farm has something to say."

If the MWRD agrees to the lease, it would likely cost the City $1 per year, said Ms. Zezima.
The aldermen made no other commitments, but the Talking Farm advocates say they would like to form a partnership that would involve working with the City's new office of sustainability. They hope to have the City provide a variety of in-kind services to the farm and make grant funds available to the farm.

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Art Class at Chute Middle School Gives Twist on Pop Culture

With the school's emphasis on recycling, said Ms. Adler, "it was a natural" to have her students design and create clothing from objects that are normally thrown away. The students began working on the project in September, she said. She allotted two weeks of class time for the students to choose a model (themselves, a fellow student or a teacher) and design the apparel. One afternoon last week Ms. Adler's students put aside their clay to don their recycled fashions for a RoundTable visitor: Kevin Torres wore a "restyled" T-shirt restyled with wrappers, designed by Hadley Gephart and created by Sonia Pollock and Kate McCarthy for one of their physical education teachers.

Shana Raven's pink and purple flip-flops matched her bubble-wrap purse, setting off the skirt of sky-blue newspaper plastic bags she and Gaby Kenyon designed.

Jesten Chacon modeled the bubble-wrap tiered skirt she and Nathasia Williams created. Another T-shirt wrapper was the creation of Melissa Mendoza, Raven Mercardo and Hannah Werner. A painted T-shirt, hat and pop-top chain completed the outfit designed by Cody Gonzales and Reggie Fleming. And Maddie Burkhart and Vicky Fan dressed Ms. Przekota in an overdress of clear plastic adorned with flowers and butterflies.

Some of these creations will be on the runway at tomorrow night's SWANCC Trashy Fashion Show, to be held from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel, 2875 N. Milwaukee Ave., Northbrook. The show is an extension of a workshop SWANCC offered to family and consumer science teachers in November 2006, highlighting solid waste technologies and waste-reduction solutions. Contact SWANCC at info@swancc.org or call 847-724-9205.

Council Highlights

By Bill Smith

At it April 10 meeting, City Council voted to approve plans to turn the former Catholic Women's Club at 1560 Oak Ave. into a museum featuring antique time pieces and Tiffany stained glass windows.

The museum would be owned by Cameel Halim, a real estate investor who owns the Carlson Building and other properties in Evanston.

His plans call for restoring the Evanston landmark property and adding a three-story addition at the rear of the property to house some of the largest clocks and windows that wouldn't fit in the existing building.

Mr. Halim said the museum would have a dining area for catered events but does not plan to operate a restaurant or offer take-out food service.

The museum requires a special use permit because it is located in a residential zone.

A neighbor, John Cleave, 1109 Grove St., asked for some consideration for residents regarding on street parking. Alderman Melissa Wynne, 3rd Ward, the head of the Council's Parking Committee, said that once the museum is open the City would be willing to consider setting up resident parking restrictions on the street if the neighbors want it.

Several aldermen said they were pleased with the museum proposal, noting that zoning would allow replacing the women's club with an eight-story condominium building.

Alderman Ann Rainey, 8th Ward, said the museum represents "almost unbelievable good fortune for the City. It's a very special and unique collection." In addition, the alderman said, the new use will place the property back on the tax rolls.

The museum proposal will be up for a second and final vote at the City Council's next meeting.

1414 Davis St.
The aldermen also unanimously gave preliminary approval to a request from owners Rebecca Kuchar and Scott Small that their house at 1414 Davis St. be designated an Evanston Landmark. The Craftsman style house, built in 1908 and located in the Ridge Historic District, has been approved for the landmark designation by the City's Preservation Commission.

Parks
The aldermen also approved plans to spend $297,543 to renovate Megowen Park, located in the 500 block of Hinman Avenue, and to spend $369,875 to renovate Smith Park, located at Ashland Avenue and Lyons St. Both projects are scheduled for completion this year.

Police Honor Citizens and Their Own

By Mary Helt Gavin

On behalf of the Evanston Police Department, Deputy Chief Sam Pettineo, Deputy Chief Joseph Bellino and Commander James Pickett recognized eight officers and three civilians on April 2.

The department bestowed honorable mention upon Madelaine Wood and her brother, Everett. The two took care of their mother, called emergency services and notified friends, schools and others when the son found the mother unconscious on their kitchen floor.

Commendations went to officers Anthony Sosa and David Cepiel, to officers Robert Pickrell and Matthew Hyatt and to civilian Colin Knight.

Mr. Bellino recounted that Mr. Knight pursued a smash-and-grab purse-snatcher from a car at the Main Street/Chicago Avenue stoplight. He continued when the suspect entered a van on Main Street and stabbed him in the abdomen and even then was able to give police the critical license-plate number that allowed police to arrest the suspect.

Officers Sosa and Cepiel apprehended a suspect in an armed robbery at an Evanston restaurant, having been alerted that the robbery was in progress.

The department commended officers Pickrell and Hyatt for demonstrating "uncommon restraint by not using deadly force" when a suspect attempted to pull a revolver on them rather than showing his hands, as he had been ordered to do.

Officer Yvette Hopson received a certificate of honorable mention for having intervened when a suspect in a cell block at the police station attempted suicide by hanging.

Officers Otha Brooks, Rebecca Niziolek and Kenneth Carter received fitness awards.

Noting that all the honorees had acted "above the ordinary and expected, "Mr. Pettineo quoted the late Arthur Ashe: "True heroism is remarkably sober and very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost but the urge to serve others at whatever cost."

Police Data Show Lowered Crime Index

A statement released late last month by the Evanston Police Department showed a slight decrease in the 2006 crime index from 2005. Overall reports of indexed crime (murder, arson, theft, burglary, vehicle theft, sexual assault, and aggravated assault/battery) have decreased nearly every year since 1997, police said.

However, the figures show that in some cases crime is becoming more personal: There were increases in burglary (50 percent, or 285 more incidents reported in 2006 than in 2005), robbery (27 more reports than in 2005) and sexual assault (two more incidents reported in 2006 than in 2005).

Reported thefts dropped 13 percent (306 reports), according to the police, aggravated assault/battery was down 10 reports from 2005, and vehicle theft decreased by two reports from 2005. There was one murder in 2006, as compared with two in 2005, the statement said.

Police Chief Richard Eddington, who assumed office on March 26, said, "The continued overall downward trend in index crimes is certainly welcome news. I congratulate the community and City leaders for remaining vigilant, working hard to bring peace to the neighborhoods and supporting the police-community partnership. I am also very grateful to the men and women of the police department for their dedication and hard work.

"I encourage everyone to stay involved to continue our successes. We know that beyond the downward trends in these crime statistics there are many quality-of-life issues that continue to challenge us every day - noise and disturbances on the streets, vandalism and graffiti, drug and gang issues, noisy cars and parties - and even less-threatening issues, such as litter and illegal parking, also affect how we feel about where we live and work.

"The community is able to take actions to address these issues that are beyond the scope and authority of police. By working together to solve these problems, I have no doubt we will continue to succeed."

Developer's Projects Draw Concern, Criticism, Approval

By Bill Smith

Two mixed-use high-rise buildings - one a condo development, the other, residential - proposed by developer Robert King came under discussion at the April 4 Plan Commission meeting.

Commission members voted unanimously to recommend approval of a proposed 14-story mixed-use building at 1890 Maple Ave.

The project plan calls for about 40,000 square feet of retail space, 152 rental dwelling units, 313 off-street parking spaces and a building height of 158 feet.

Concerns about the project
The project has drawn sharp criticism from some residents of the 28-story Optima Views condo development at 1720 Maple Ave. and from other nearby residents, although other neighbors voiced strong support for the plans.

Representatives of Evanston Northwestern Healthcare (ENH) - which owns the adjacent building, at 1001 University Place - also expressed concerns. Mr. King said that after meeting with them he made several revisions to the 1890 Maple Ave. plan. Those include redesigning the garage entrances and widening the access drive from 17 to 21 feet to reduce potential traffic conflicts between the buildings. He said he also agreed to design changes to reduce vibrations during construction that might affect research equipment used at the ENH site and to insulate apartments facing the ENH building from noise generated by ventilating equipment on its roof.

Ivan Kane, an attorney representing ENH, said his client still does not support the new development but said, "We've had some good dialog" on the issues.

1881 Oak Ave. fallout
The Plan Commission said the new project fits well with the height context set for the area by the 18-story 1881 Oak condo project that the City Council approved last fall, despite a negative recommendation from the Plan Commission.

Commission member David Galloway said, "The City Council has chosen to tell us that the actions we took on 1881 Oak Ave. were not to be respected. With the approval of that project the entire complexion of this area of Evanston has changed."

In light of that changed context and the high quality of this design and the good intentions and good execution" in addressing the issues raised by ENH, "I'm inclined to approve this project," Mr. Galloway said.

Commission member Stuart Opdycke said, "This does not reflect the consensus of the downtown subcommittee of the Plan Commission" about what should be built on the edge of downtown. "However, Oak is a fact, and I think this proposal fits in rather nicely as a neighbor to the Oak building."

"Oak is over and done with," Commission Chairman James Woods said. "The City Council has approved it and established a new context. This design does almost everything that everybody asked of the previous project, so clearly the developer was listening. This project is well-conceived and well designed."

Next steps
Mr. King said he hopes to be able to get off to a quick start with renting the units in the Maple Avenue project. "The rental vacancy rate is very low now," he said, "and there's been very little construction of new rental properties in Evanston for several years."

The project now advances to the City Council's Planning and Development Committee.

Regarding the 1881 Oak Ave. development, Mr. King told the Commission that he has not yet begun to market the condos. The delay, he said, is because the condo market in Evanston right now is very soft.

"We plan to start marketing this fall, assuming the market improves," Mr. King said, "and start construction early in 2008." He later told reporters that there is not a huge inventory of unsold new high-end condos, but that the number of buyers out looking right now is very small.

"Once interest rates improve a bit and the economy picks up, then I'm confident people will be ready to start shopping again," he added. He said slow sales of new condos is a problem not limited to Evanston and that there has been no problem getting financing for the 1881 Oak Ave. project.

Evanston Chamber Calls For Open Access to Cable, Video Technology

The Evanston Chamber of Commerce, representing over 625 companies, today announced its support for legislation proposed in the Illinois General Assembly that would end the monopoly regulatory structure for cable and video service and bring consumer choice. Currently, Illinois consumers have no real choice in cable television/video providers because most municipalities, including Evanston, sign exclusive franchise agreements with one provider.

The Cable and Video Competition Law of 2007 would establish uniform state-wide standards and procedures that would streamline the video authorizations process, administered by the Illinois Commerce Commission, and accelerate the benefits of video competition.

In Evanston, there is only one cable television provider. As in many other communities with monopoly markets, rates in Evanston have increased significantly in recent years. In communities where a competing video service provider entered the local cable market, cable rates dropped as much as 42%. With cable and phone companies now packaging their internet, cable, and phone services, this also means the cost of broadband access drops in markets where there is true competition.

"As a business organization that represents many knowledge-based companies, we need a regulatory environment for technology that encourages competition, investment, and access to a menu of choices," said Chamber President-Elect Don Huff, of Merrill Lynch.

"This is a business issue for our members because today's working style often means that employees and management are working at home as well as at the office," added Jonathan Perman, Evanston Chamber executive director. "The workforce of Evanston requires a strong and affordable residential telecommunications infrastructure," Mr. Huff added.

Residential homes, home-based businesses, and offices in Evanston would all benefit enormously from the results of the legislation because of the "packaging" of broadband and phone with video services. "The question is not just cable television policy but a broadband access policy that will mean my employees and my business can purchase all of our critical technology at lower rates," said Chamber vice president for marketing Jim Marsh, owner of Grotto Communications, a web design and marketing company founded in Evanston.

The proposed legislation would open cable and video services to new and competitive providers. Authorized video providers would have to comply with all Federal Communications Commission customer service standards. Also, authorized video providers would be required to pay a fee equal to the lesser of 5 percent of gross revenues or the lowest percentage paid by an existing provider. Municipalities would maintain existing authority over rights-of-way.

A number of discussions at the Evanston City Council have generated a call for alternatives to the current monopoly environment.

True video/television competition already exists in Texas, Indiana, Kansas, California, South Carolina, North Carolina, New Jersey, Virginia, and Michigan.