GUEST ESSAYS

Evanston's Lakefront Master Plan Provides a Blueprint for the Future

A Guest Essay by Douglas J. Gaynor

Evanston residents are proud of their lakefront. It boasts a blend of open green lawns, picnic and play areas, huge sandy swimming beaches and a dog beach, and both motorized and non-motorized launch facilities. Residents have access to areas where they can enjoy peace and quiet undisturbed for hours at a time, or they can choose to attend free concerts and arts festivals with thousands of their neighbors.

Although the lakefront is one of Evanston's jewels, it has not been polished for many years. The infrastructure at the lakefront has not had a major update in decades, except for the renovated playground at Burnham Shores Park and the tennis courts. Restrooms are outdated and inaccessible, pathways are worn and the lighting is antiquated. Some areas are very congested because of multiple uses in a confined area. To sum it up, minor renovations have taken place piecemeal since the 1960s because there was no overall plan.

Evanston's lakefront needs some improvements, but it also has some wonderful attributes. Therefore it is time to discover how it can be improved, not just how it can be changed. There is no one right model for a lakefront, and every community must determine how the land adjacent to a lake should be treated.

Some cities allow and encourage retail businesses, industry or high-rise condominiums to be situated overlooking the lake, while others keep the area in a natural state, free and open to all residents and visitors. In order to discover what will work best in Evanston, we can "test" concepts used elsewhere in the region, state or nation. After a wide variety of options are evaluated, a plan can be created to suit Evanston's needs.

A few years ago, the City of Evanston's Parks/Forestry and Recreation Department applied for and received a grant for $550,000 from the Illinois Department of Transportation to renovate the bicycle and walking paths along the lakefront. In order to locate the pathways in the best possible place, an overall lakefront plan was needed.

After approval by the Playground and Recreation Board and the Evanston City Council, the Parks/Forestry and Recreation Department hired a consultant group in fall 2006 to work with community stakeholder groups. They invited members of the public to develop a vision for the lakefront. Stakeholders represented a wide range of interests: the Evanston Bicycle Club, garden club presidents, bird watchers and the Boat Ramp Association, to name a few.

The consulting group held a series of focus group sessions, followed by a workshop in January 2007 to which residents were invited and at which they were encouraged to express their vision of the lakefront. The vision the group created included five broad themes to be used in developing the master plan: Preserve the lakefront's unique natural environment; create better access to the lakefront and better access from one lakefront area to another; evaluate facilities and then renovate, relocate or rebuild as necessary, to ADA standards; focus programming on lakefront-appropriate activities that will serve a wide range of user groups with a commitment to guard against over-use; and create lakefront policies that will support and fund planned programming and development, while emphasizing equitable access for all community residents and visitors. Vision documents are available on the City's website at www.cityofevanston.org/lakefrontplan.

A second consulting group was hired to develop the lakefront master plan based on the vision.

Part of the master plan process was to ask, "What if?" and to propose new ideas in a wide range of directions and then to refine them after discussion and consideration. At the start of the master plan process, the consultants outlined five guiding principles for the process:

• The master plan is intended to provide a road map for the implementation of the lakefront vision over time.
• The plan must consider the needs of ALL Evanston residents, all age groups, all cultural backgrounds, from all parts of the City.
• The task is to create a plan to build the very best lakefront park environment we can imagine.
• The task of the participants is to explain what "the very best lakefront park environment" means to the residents of the City of Evanston.
• In this process ideas will be tested and refined over time based on community input. This must be the residents' plan if it is to succeed, not the consultants' plan.

Three public workshops were held at the Civic Center in September so the general public could review conceptual plans that were created from the vision. There were three totally different plans presented at the first meeting, ranging from pastoral to recreational. About 80 residents voiced their opinions, which were used to create two different plans for the second meeting. Following input on those plans, a draft consensus plan was developed and presented on Oct. 4. However, at that time it was determined that additional input was needed from a wider range of age groups and demographics. Therefore, three additional workshops were held between Oct. 30 and Nov. 8 in three new locations around the City, in hopes of drawing more people into the conversation.

After comments made at these three additional meetings were incorporated, a revised draft consensus plan was presented at a public meeting held on Nov. 15. Based on the citizen comment portion of the meeting, it was apparent that the revised draft plan was very well received. Some residents commented that their original concerns about aspects of the plan had been addressed and either resolved or modified to be acceptable. Of course, any time a change is suggested, not every resident will be happy with every aspect of the plan.

However, Evanstonians can judge the plan for themselves. The revised draft consensus plan is posted on the City's website at www.cityofevanston.org/lakefrontplan. Those who do not have Internet access and would like a printed copy of the drawings (at a reproduction cost of $6.50), please contact me at 847-866-2914. The next step in the process is to present the plan to the City Council's Planning and Development Committee for approval; the meeting date has yet to be determined. Please check the City's website for an update.

Finally, do not expect major changes to occur soon. It is expected that improvements will take place over a number of years. The City of Evanston's Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan does include funding identified for lakefront improvements. However, the only funding currently available is the grant money and some capital improvement funds for the pathway system. If additional grants are awarded, it will help speed the process. That was another compelling reason to create a comprehensive lakefront plan; it is practically impossible to obtain grant money without a master plan.

I am pleased with the support shown by the City Council, the Recreation Board and the community regarding this project. The master plan will serve as a blueprint and provide direction for future improvements, ensuring that Evanston's lakefront will reflect the values of its citizens.

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D65 Updates From the Superintendent Guest Essay

By Dr. Hardy Murphy

I am pleased to share developments currently under way this school year and briefly describe important programmatic directions for the future in District 65. In my Opening of Schools Letter to the community, I referenced the academic success that our students are experiencing as we address requirements of the state and federal accountability systems. Since then several of our schools received recognition for academic achievement.

In a Chicago Sun-Times poll, Willard ranked #8 and Dewey ranked #31 of the more than 2,600 elementary schools in Illinois. Similarly, compared to other suburban schools, Dewey, Willard, Dr. Bessie Rhodes and Haven are in the top fifty in their categories. Dr. Bessie Rhodes, King Lab, Walker and Washington were identified in Cook County for the high academic achievement of their low-income students. And Chute, Dawes, Haven and King Lab were recognized as Illinois honor roll schools.

These successes could not happen without the dedication of our teachers and staff. They are deserving of recognition for their achievements. They are the key to our successfully addressing the challenges before us as achievement targets in the accountability system become higher each year.

Yet, meeting these requirements alone does not define our success. We know that education is about much more important things than test scores. Preparing students to be successful in the 21st century involves ensuring that they develop an appreciation for the creative aspects of literacy, find innovative ways to apply mathematical thinking in problem-solving, understand the application of the scientific method in their pursuit of explanations for phenomena in their world and appreciate how the arts and their various forms improve the quality of life for all of us.

Several events highlight our efforts to enrich children's educational experiences. These range from school science fairs to the fall tour of the Black Earth Strings Ensemble; from "School Nights at the Apple Store" to math nights for sixth-grade families at Chute.

They also include our middle schools participating in the community-wide "Evanston Reads!" program, participation in the U.S. Constitution Contest sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Evanston, the many talented school band, orchestra, choral and drama performances. Also, the new middle school athletics program is regenerating school spirit and school pride. The recent basketball match between Haven and Chute was attended by more than 200 spectators.

A 21st-century education also requires an acknowledgment of the role of technology in teaching and learning. A recent National School Board Association article opined that technology truly makes learning come alive.

I believe that this is because technology has become an indispensable part of our daily lives. This new way we live is reflected as much in the education and life experiences of new generations of teachers as with their students. Interactive white boards and internet connectivity make schools and classrooms windows to the world and universe beyond.

They unlock the archives of history for teachers and students so that lessons of the past can be used to find solutions to improve the world today and in the future.

Determining the role of technology in our operations and instructional programs is one of the Board's annual goals. To this end, a committee of stakeholders is meeting this year to form recommendations for addressing this goal.

Developing recommendations for improving school and instructional experiences for students across the spectrum of academic readiness is another goal. To meet this Board goal, a committee of stakeholders, including parents and teachers, is preparing a set of recommendations that I know will help our District to become even better.

The work of both committees will be presented and discussed during the second half of this school year. I believe that their work will be useful for planning the District's future. These and other programs and initiatives prepare students for continuing success.

We are pleased that more District 65 students are exceeding state standards this year than last. Our programs and strategies are differentiated to address the needs and expectations of all students. Still, we know that to continue creating challenging learning experiences that unlock the imagination of each and every student our instructional programs and strategies continuously must be updated.

And, to prepare students for success in high school, we coordinate efforts with Evanston Township High School. Recently District 65 staff hosted a joint planning meeting with ETHS staff to review student progress and instructional programming and to plan for transitions from elementary to high school. These efforts, along with those mentioned previously, are part of an improvement process that will continue as we strive to ensure that your children thrive in a 21st-century educational environment.

Thank you for your support. I wish a safe and happy holiday season to all families and citizens of the Evanston-Skokie school community.

Hope

By Charles Wilkinson

These days between Christmas and New Years have a feeling all their own; a catch-your-breath, letting go, looking-ahead sensation filled with gratitude, regrets and a mix of anticipations for the coming year. They are days of hope.

In Greek mythology hope was one of the evils in Pandora's Box, in fact, the last to be released in order to counteract the chaos the others had managed to create throughout the world.

In its simplest sense, hope enables one to believe in positive outcomes of the darkest scenarios, even in the face of despair. Hope was considered an evil by the ancient Greeks because, despite their gods, they were fatalistic. To them, hope was a pretender, denying and delaying reality.

The not-so-ancient Friedrich Nietzsche wrote, in "Human, All Too Human," (1878): "In reality, hope is the worst of all evils because it prolongs man's torments." Perhaps there are those still today who think likewise. I am not among them.

Our men's group met about two weeks ago, and our host presented the following question for after-dinner discussion: "Where do you find hope in today's world?"

The easiest answer came quickly from a number of us: "In our grandkids." But as we spoke of our national and worldwide problems - war, natural disasters, global warming, disease, violence, corruption, clerical pedophilia - Pandora's Box seemed wide open, and hope for the year ahead felt fragile indeed. That was when our discussion turned to faith.

Hope, we agreed, is a feeling and will never solve the evils that abound. But it is a feeling that encourages perseverance and embodies a faith that tells us we can be and do better, that nothing is impossible if we believe in the meaning of life.

We talked of the Big Bang and all that creation has gone through up to this point. And we spoke of God. I said my hope depends on the belief that God is continually creating, even, and especially out of, our humanness.

The fact that the universe/cosmos is still expanding gives tangible hope when one remembers a primary law of physics: To every action there is an opposite and equal reaction. By all indications, the Big Bang is still happening, and the beginning of any reaction is nowhere in sight.

I know that says nothing about the world right now, except that it is still in process; nor does it give any guarantees for the future of our country's power and place in the world.

But faith gives me hope that despite even our worst choices, wewill eventually get to being what God envisioned us to be"in the beginning. ..." That is why Thomas Merton's line, "God writes straight with crooked lines," speaks so much hope to me.Our crooked lines, our too-human choices, are keeping God very busy.

Hope may be just a feeling, but the faith it engenders is much more than that. In these final days of 2007, I doubt if I am alone in thinking that in the years ahead we will need all the faith we have - and then some.

Something in Common *

By Peggy Tarr

The old white man sat on a bench with paintbrushes in his hand, staring and staring and thinking about how to capture the land with paints on canvas or paper as accurately as he could, painting the scene quickly but still making it good.

He was still sitting there pondering, when along came his friend, a much younger black man with a beard and caramel skin.

"How're you doing?" said his friend as they shook hands and his friend sat down on the bench, "Bet you you've already decided how this landscape is a cinch!"

"Not yet," laughed the old man, "Can't seem to make up my mind.

Every time I think I have it, a different focus I find." The caramel man just nodded because he already knewwhat size he'd make his painting and his choice of dominant hue.

The two painters kept sitting together, still staring at the view, their silence only broken when the black man said, "Hey, you!

We'd better get to painting 'cause you know it'll take a while." The old man looked at his cohort and gave him a knowing smile.

But they didn't get up as they knew they should; they kept right on sitting there, even though they noticed the smooth gray sky and the uncomfortable nip in the air.

It was New Year's Eve. They had separate plans for the last night of the year.
They would eat and drink and celebrate with others they held dear.
The two men sat with shoulders touching. It began to snow.
Without saying a word, they both got up. They knew it was time to go.
They picked up their things and silently they began to walk.
The old white man and the young black man didn't need to talk.
They had something in common, a mutual spirit that went beyond words.
It included, but was not limited to, their passion for land, trees, and birds.
They arrived at their familiar endpoint, the place where they ended their days,
The place they always regretted, for now they'd go separate ways.
The old man and the young man slapped gloved hands in a muted high five.
The young man started laughing and said to his friend, "Now wasn't that some jive?"
The old man joined in the laughter; then they gave each other a hug.
The old man, while patting his young friend's back, said, "We're snug as a bug in the rug!"
They walked away from each other but turned around simultaneously,
"Happy New Year," they yelled to each other, "Make a toast to you and me!"
Best Wishes for a Happy New Year!
* Title of a collection of stories by Langston Hughes.

Letters to the Editor

Critical Time for the City; Public Trust Is Failing
Editor:

Evanston is at a crossroad. For more than 30 years the City has enjoyed the status and tax savings of its Aaa bond rating. That is no more.

Moody's downgrade begs the question as to whether the proposed pension obligation bond scheme is still viable (or as attractive) as the gap between what it will cost to borrow money and the potential return on bond proceed investments narrows.

Since the City Council adopted its Strategic Plan with only nominal public involvement, the City has commissioned a series of planning studies involving West Evanston, Central Street, Ladd Arboretum, the Civic Center, the Lakefront and the downtown.

The most recent is a 20-year multi-modal transportation study set to begin early next year at a cost of nearly $350,000. The total cost of these studies exceeds $1.5 million (mostly paid for with our tax dollars), money that could have gone toward a new roof for the Civic Center or Evanston's police and fire pension fund obligations.

While several of these initiatives have sported elaborate public-participation events, a common theme among citizen participants is that plan recommendations crafted by the consultant teams and City staff bear little resemblance to the public input provided or the desired community direction.

It is becoming increasingly obvious that there is a very real disconnect between long-standing community values and the vision of senior City staff and, by extension, the Evanston City Council.

Public trust is fading at an increasingly rapid rate, and it does not appear that our elected representatives either know or care.

So what is the answer? A new City Council? More responsive and connected City staff?

It is a near certainty that our property tax bills will rise to get Evanston out of the funding mess that current and previous administrations have gotten us into.

Referring to residents as "those pesky citizens" or stating that anyone who doesn't want a 40+ story tower is, by definition, "anti-development" is not helpful.

In view of the current development climate and the time needed to bring even the most acceptable private development projects on line, we are simply not going to be able to build our way out of Evanston's financial woes.

Hard choices need to be made. We should make them together based on full disclosure of the available information, not just the bits and pieces the City picks to share.
-- Jeanne Kamps Lindwall

Great Article on Pension Funding
Editor:

The article on pension funding in the Dec. 12 issue of the RoundTable was an outstanding job and a textbook example of what local newspapers should be about. The author wrote a most informative story which is balanced and factually accurate. This is not an easy subject for a financial layman to understand, and I know how hard she must have worked on this story to get it right. The end product is that that the article fairly informed the community in a very comprehensible way of an enormous problem facing it. Thank you,-- Richard Romano, Romano Brothers & Co.

Reader Responds to Letter From Religious Leaders
Editor:

The "Open Letter to Legislators and Government" from "Religious Leaders and Organizations of Greater Chicago" which appeared in the Nov. 28, 2007, Evanston Roundtable, concerning conditions in Gaza is extremely biased and one-sided.

These religious leaders neglected to consider the following:
Gaza was returned to Palestinian control in 2005.
There is constant deadly fighting between Hamas and Fatah in Gaza.
Rockets are launched from Gaza into Israel almost daily.

Israel lives under threat from suicide bombers from Gaza.

Hamas refuses to acknowledge Israel's right to exist, and regularly calls for its destruction.

While Arab countries have left Palestinian refugees in "temporary" camps for over 60 years, Israel has welcomed Jewish refuges from all over the world.

Palestinian and other Arab children are taught in their schools that Israel does not exist.

The Palestinians, tragically, have missed the opportunity to build a new, exemplary state in Gaza when they regained control in 2005.

The concerns of the religious leaders who signed the letter are misguided and their demands are misdirected.

Instead of demanding action from the U. S. government, who just completed the Annapolis Conference, they should have demanded that the Palestinians settle their differences, stop their internecine squabbles, start to build a society and an economy, and provide their people the hope, opportunity, dreams, and prosperity, to which they are entitled.
- Gerald M. Gordon

Mather, the Grinch
Editor:

Mather Lifeways was running into resistance in its bid to replace two aging buildings. The Georgian, on the south side of Davis Street, and its companion building on the north side of Davis Street were slated for demolition and replacement.

Mather Lifeways took a new tack in its bid to replace the two aging buildings. Part of this strategy involved recruiting me as a community advocate.

I was brought in and met with the C.E.O of Mather Lifeways. The C.E.O requested community support for The Mather project. The Mather, in return for this support, would hire local residents on this $200 million-dollar construction project.

I kept my end of the deal. I went before the planning commission on Aug. 10, 2005, and spoke on behalf of The Mather project. The Mather C.E.O promised me it would "establish a local hire program that would set a new standard." The Mather received a building permit for the project.

The project has been under way for eight months, and I, the local-hire advocate, have no knowledge of any Evanston residents working on this project.

Repeated phone calls, faxing and visits to The Mather headquarters have not moved The Mather to give Evanstonians the promised construction jobs. I offered to submit the local-hire issue to non-binding arbitration with The Mather. The Mather expressed no interest.

I, along with job applicants, have begun picketing Mather headquarters at the Chase Bank building in downtown Evanston. I dress as the Grinch, and my dog is dressed as a reindeer. The picketing theme is" Mather, the Grinch who stole Christmas" (i.e., jobs for Evanstonians).

The Mather has made another promise, saying that early next year it will look at applicants for the construction jobs.

The Mather's law firm sent me a letter via messenger, condemning the picketing, handbills and "public misrepresentations." The letter threatened to "take all necessary actions under the law to protect [The Mather's] interest." My response is that we will continue to exercise our First Amendment right to picket, and we invite The Mather to a short discussion on Chicago television.

I sincerely hope The Mather's exposure to the public eye will move them to end the debacle and hire Evanstonians on this three- to four-year construction project.
--Charles Sheridan