Traffic Guy

The Traffic Guy Hears ...

... that spring is just around the corner, one can tell by the moraines of trash in gutters and parkways. (Hint, hint.) Here is a sample of early-blooming jetsam:

Trash in the gutters; there's more to come. Photo by Allison Hagey

... that Council recently allotted some money to repave the brick street section of Asbury, up by the Civic Center. Does anyone know of any other brick streets in Evanston? How are they doing? Are they really preferable, as it seems, to concrete and asphalt?

... that Council recently authorized money to fix up the fountains at Fountain Square. How many knew that this drinking fountain is there, too?
The practical fountain at Fountain Square.Photo by Allison Hagey

... that not only have gray foxes been seen in northwest Evanston, a red fox has been spotted near Marcy and Colfax.

... that the alley north of Thayer and east of Lincolnwood will be paved this summer.

... that City Council recently approved a contract for maintaining the landscape along Green Bay Road, as well as money for the valve exercising program. The money for that came from the water fund, not, as one might suspect, the department of mollusk health. According to the Water Department, the "program" is basically two guys and a machine. The valves in the water mains have to be opened and closed regularly to adjust the flow of water, and doing this by hand saves wear and tear on the valves. The machine is for backup.

... that a private service collects the trash in the downtown refuse cans.
A downtown trash collector.

... that Lowe Enterprises and Golub & Company, the developers of 1603 Orrington want the City's help in relocating the garage ramp. They'd like about $1.25 million - half to come from TIF funds and the other half reimbursed from the sales tax generated by the new retail there.

... that the United States Postal Service wishes to lease 44 parking spaces in the Maple Avenue garage. You've probably seen the trucks there on the lowest level. Here's the scoop, according to the City: The USPS used to lease space in the City lot at 1614 Maple Ave., but when Church Street Station (the one just west of the Metra tracks on Maple) was being constructed in 2001, the contractor needed the space in the lot, so the P.O. trucks got to park in the Maple Avenue garage. The next year the USPS got some bigger trucks, and they wouldn't fit into the surface lot, so they went underground as well, in the MAG. But although the quarters were changed, the money required under the lease did not, so the City hopes to recoup its losses with the new lease by charging retroactively for the more expensive parking spaces in the MAG.

... that the former livery stable/barn behind the Daniel Burnham double-wide at 318-20 Dempster is going to be remodeled into living quarters. Ann Earle, the City's unofficial historian, whom it is a pleasure to hear speak, told Council members last week of the importance of barns in Evanston. She said they are an endangered species and named a few areas where they can be seen - along Asbury, Wesley and Ashland in the Ridge Historic District and in the Dewey/Darrow area southeast of Dempster. Most are frame, she said, rather than the brick veneer of the Burnham barn.

... that, it still being near St. Pat's day and all, perhaps you will indulge TG for a Celtic moment: Evanston resident J. Fraser Stoddart, Board of Trustees Professor of Chemistry in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern University, has been elected an Honorary Fellow of The Royal Society of Edinburgh, joining other distinguished predecessors such as Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein and Sir Walter Scott. The society is recognizing Prof. Stoddart, a native of Edinburgh, for his "creative fundamental research focused on the chemistry of the mechanical bond and employing it in nanotechnology for the building of operational molecular machinery. The impact of his seminal work on the mechanical bond has placed chemists at the forefront of the burgeoning fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology."

The RT staff enjoying pizza on pi day .... that Friday was π day (3/14) and the RT staff celebrated by eating pizza. They were through eating by 1:59.
Speaking of days, Saturday is National Corndog day, designated (according to www.corndogday.com) to coincide with the Saturday of the final 32 teams in NCAA basketball tournament. "This Saturday is the only day all year that one can watch a quadruple-header of college basketball games from start to finish without having to change the channel. Therefore, to celebrate the excitement of the college basketball tournament, and have fun with friends, many people eat corndogs," we're told. Check out The Wiener and Still Champion, 802 Dempster St., which owner Gus Paschalis says offers corndogs more ways than anywhere else on the planet.

... that the City will have access to the Cook County assessor's geographic information system (GIS). Wonder if this will show who put decks, patios or back rooms onto their houses. But now, here's something cool: The City GIS invites guesses in its aerial photography contest to coincide with the launch of its new color aerial photography, now available in mapping applications on the City's website. The City was photographed by plane in the spring of 2007, and community members are invited to take a good look at Fountain Square and guess the date and time of the photography of the structure. Check out the contest at the city's website. The closest guess will win a large-format glossy aerial photography map of Evanston. The contest ends on March 31.

... that the City of Evanston recently assumed jurisdiction of Sheridan Road from South Boulevard to the intersection of Ridge and Isabella. A few years ago, we had about $2.8 million channeled from the feds through IDOT, requiring about a $600,000 local match. Last year, though, EDOT (the Evanston Department of Transportation) compiled data showing we were about $3 million short on covering the costs. So IDOT (bless its street-pavin' heart) has agreed to fund most of the
shortfall.

... that, sadly, Café Luciano on Green Bay Road has gone out of business. Chili's, though, on Maple Avenue, is staying in business but has changed hands.

From our readers:
TG: You'd notice a very rough ride should you drive down Isabella just west of Green Bay Road. Is Evanston, Wilmette or both responsible for fixing this stretch of road that defines our border? What triggers the work to fix it?
- Bumpily, Jack Magnusen

The Traffic Guy thinks...

... that this Dumpster, installed along Sherman Avenue in downtown Evanston, is obviously our newest public art piece, contributing greatly to our edgy suburban/urban image.

... that things got acrimonious at the Plan Commission last week, as the gender split between the acrophiles and those who prefer less height in the downtown caused a premature halt to the meeting.