Puddle Gone, No Thanks

The Bench is happy to report that the huge puddle in the 1500 block of W. Morse Avenue is gone. No thanks to DevCorp, no thanks to SSA#24, no thanks to 49th Ward Alderman Joe Moore. No thanks to a ditch digging mechanics liens attorney.

After months of writing about it, The Bench had a conversation with a locally influential resident on the corner of Morse and Greenview. She made a single phone call on Monday, June 9. On Tuesday, June 10 Assistant Commissioner Thomas LaPorte of the Department of Water Management and several other DWM people came to inspect the befuddling puddle. Alderman Moore tagged along, simply observing and doing his best to stay out of the way of people who actually know what they're doing.

On Wednesday, June 11 the puddle was gone. The manhole and the drain beneath it had been cleaned out. Problem solved.

Let's review. That puddle was there since last fall. DevCorp people, SSA people, Joe Moore's people paid it no attention. The Bench, however, stayed on it. Finally, within a three-day span, the problem was resolved with a single conversation, a single phone call, a quick visit from DMW, and a fast-working crew.

No thanks to DevCorp, no thanks to SSA#24, no thanks to 49th Ward Alderman Joe Moore. No thanks to any ditch digging mechanics liens attorney.

Related:
Joe Moore's PuddleScape
No "Service" In Special Service Area #24

Joe Moore's PuddleScape

Alderman Joe Moore, 49th Ward, finally put on a purple t-shirt and looked at the huge puddle at 1501 W. Morse Avenue today. The puddle has inconvenienced people for months. Accompanying Moore was Assistant Commissioner Thomas LaPorte of the Department of Water Management and several other DWM people.

Finally, after inconveniencing hundreds of people, presenting a challenge for elderly and handicapped bus riders, and scaring customers away from a coffee shop's sidewalk patio, it looks as though something might be done to unplug the street gutter drain.

The Bench has been complaining about the huge puddle for months. Nearly a month ago, DevCorp North's Rene Camargo said the puddle was "on the list" of things to fix. The Special Service Area #24 (SSA) did nothing. Alderman Moore did nothing.

Yesterday, however, I was talking with somebody whose name I cannot mention, but I can tell you that she is very influential in the 49th Ward. She said she's been reading about the puddle on The Bench. She said the plugged drain would probably not be fixed until "after Streetscape is completed."

"When will that be," I asked, "another ten years?" She laughed and shook her head, but she made a phone call right then and there. It was not to the alderman's office. Let's just say it was to another influential local person. That person, in turn, apparently made some phone calls of his own, which resulted in Joe Moore putting on a grape-colored t-shirt and staring at the puddle.

Let's hope that LaPorte's visit indicates that something will be done soon. And while Joe Moore is at it, perhaps he could walk down to the recently-closed Jamaican restaurant in the 1300 block of Morse and stare at the pile of gravel on the sidewalk.

It's been there for nearly 18 months.

Morse Mural Artist Caught in the Act!

The ugly mural on the CTA Red Line tracks over Morse Avenue in Rogers Park has just gotten uglier. The Bench caught "artist" Damon Lamar Reed in the act of painting ads on the east and west side of the overpass. The mural was painted last summer. Why the additions today? I asked him, "Hey Damon! How much did you pay for this advertisement?" "It's not an ad," he said. "It's got your name and number on it," I said. "It's not my number, so it's not an ad," he said. Okay, so if you see a big billboard with, say, just the word "Nike" on it, according to Damon Lamar Reed it's not an ad because it doesn't have Nike's phone number on it? When he finished, he dumped something into the sewer. Paint? Paint thinner? Was it environmentally friendly? RELATED: CTA Delays Murals, Breaks Promise

UPDATED: Murals With Meaning

UPDATED 12/4/07: An erstwhile reader of The Bench sent this poignant comment: "Hey Bench - it's Glenwood Springs, not Colorado Springs. And... it's a pretty unattractive mural. Hey, I'm all for public art, but this looked like it was done mostly by 6 year olds. Now, if you want a story, you should go back into their archives... My [friend] was telling me that with all the development in the Roaring Forks Valley, they've started to have real crime - in a two month period, a large number of businesses had break ins or attempts. I said, "So, you've got a gang problem." Also see this story, which makes us in the concrete jungle of Rogers Park feel as if we are not alone in our struggle with local crime. Why can't Rogers Park do this? The miserable failure known as the "Mile of Murals" - thwarted by CTA bureaucracy, local SSA stupidity, and good ol' fashioned inertia - has been a model of how not to conduct a neighborhood mural project. But look at what the folks in Glenwood Springs, Colorado have done. They get it, and they seem to have gotten it right: The Post Independent newspaper reports that "200 or so people who helped with the Great Community Mural Project will gather in front of their work inside the library in Glenwood Springs. Though it might seem that they are celebrating the mural's unveiling, in truth, they will be celebrating each other." Imagine that, Rogers Park, local neighbors coming together en masse to make a mural. Weird, huh? Here in the 49th Ward, we seem to prefer going outside of the neighborhood, have a small, elite group of self-appointed "leaders" decide the direction of the project, and then allow the project to languish. Perhaps it's the fresher air of Colorado that helps them to think more clearly. Renick Stevenson, 73, the artist-in-residence at the Glenwood Springs Center for the Arts, is quoted as saying, "Yes, it is nice to do murals, but its primary goal is to get people together, working together." I like Mr. Renick. Maybe Al Goldberg, Katy "call me Kate" Hogan and the rest of the Gang in SSA #24 could fly him in to do our murals next spring. Nah, that'd be too efficient. RELATED: CTA Delays Murals, Breaks Promise - Why the “Mile of Murals” Project Is DelayedIt was supposed to be done by mid-August, but in the first week of October the first drop of paint has not yet been applied for the seriously troubled “Mile of Murals” project in Rogers Park.

Mural? What Mural?

WARNING: This post contains dirty words.

The "Mile of Murals" project was supposed to have been finished by now.

It never even started. By "mid-August," said SSA #24 member and local developer Al Goldberg, the western wall along the CTA Red Line track between W. Morse north to W. Lunt was to have been painted.

In fact, today there is less paint on the wall than there was in July, when Goldberg announced the mid-August goal. The "No Parking" signs have flaked badly. But so has Goldberg, Katie Hogan, the SSA#24, DevCorp and CTA. This, folks, is known in some circles as a "cluster fuck." Perhaps the cluster fuck of Goldberg, Hogan and Company can get their shit together by August, 2008. Also see: CTA Delays Murals, Breaks Promise

Kudos to DevCorp and SSA#24

In all fairness, it must be said that DevCorp North and SSA #24 deserve kudos and praise for the Glenwood Art Festival, in its final hours right now. The weather, of course, was beautiful but was bestowed on us by God, not the SSA or DevCorp. But let's give credit where it's due: Mary Bao, Rene Camargo (photo, left) and all the rest who were involved did a nice job of organizing what has turned out to be a wonderful event for the community. Recently, the Clark Street Festival was also a great event, and DevCorp deserves praise for that, too.

Events such as the Clark Street Festival and the Glenwood Arts Festival pull in people who do not normally come to the areas in which the events are held. I witnessed a lot of networking between merchants, artists, and others who have booths at the Glenwood festival. New customers and clientele were gained by people who had booths. Residents benefit by having a good time and learning more about their community in a sort of crash course on the services and goods available to them in their neighborhood.

These types of events seem to be something that DevCorp does well. One of these festivals does more good for the local business community than 11 months' worth of wheeling, dealing and heavy-handed pressure does.

It would be great if DevCorp North could limit itself to events production and stop pretending that the private sector needs their Wisdom. They don't. But we would all like to see more events like the Glenwood Arts Festival. Kudos to all.

Attention SSA#24

Jocelyn has a great idea for the "Mile of Murals" project. Here it is...

DevMoore's Iron Will: Comply or Else

DevCorp is flexing its muscle lately. Merchants are being pressured by the alderman's office. It's the double fist of DevMoore imposing its will on the merchants of Rogers Park. It's all under the aegis of the "Clark/Morse/Glenwood
Special Service Area #24."

La Tienda del Dolar, the little dollar store at N. Greenview and W. Morse, is gone. But the building it was in is still there. A brand new steel and glass facade has been put in. It looks nice, but it hides a vacant space. It also hides the fact that DevCorp muscled the building's owner to put in the new facade. There is no tenant lined up for the space, according to a DevCorp employee who spoke to RPB recently.

"We made him fix it up," DevCorp Man said.
"You made him fix it up? What if he didn't fix it up?" RPB asked. Raised eyebrows from DevCorp Man.
"Or else?" RPB pushed.
"Or else." DevCorp man said. He didn't elaborate on what "or else" means.

RPB has spoken with merchants along the Morse Avenue corridor. A number of them have told RPB that Michael Land of Alderman Joe Moore's office, and Rene Camargo of DevCorp North, are pressuring merchants to remove security gratings from their windows, spend money on new signage, and are even going so far as to meddle in the interior decor of the merchants' stores. Together, Land and Camargo are the vanguard of what RPB calls "DevMoore."

Most of the "suggested" changes have nothing to do with safety or codes, but seem instead to be purely aesthetic. Apparently, Joe Moore and DevCorp are muscling their way into the interior design industry. Merchants are pissed off, frightened, and probably sorry that they put those Joe Moore campaign signs in their windows. The windows, that is, that DevMoore is now telling them to replace at no small price tag. It's all part of the "facade improvement program." It's a nice sounding title isn't it? But the real facade is the happy face put on by DevMoore to hide the iron boot waiting to drop on those who don't play along.

Merchants are being told sign documents, which are being distributed by Michael Land of Alderman Moore's office. The documents, which amount to contracts, impose some bizarre demands on merchants. The language is not even very good, with portions being vague or strangely noncommittal. For example, the phrase "I agree to consider" (doing X, Y, Z) is ridiculous. That statement translates to "I promise I'll think about it."

But the truly scary part of all this is the meddlesome aspect of it. Not just the intimidation, but what the merchants are being intimidated into doing. We can all agree that the city has a right to regulate signs for aesthetic value. But DevMoore is telling merchants how to paint their interior walls, reposition things such as merchandising shelves and coolers, and so on. As stated earlier, these are not changes that are needed to bring the merchant into compliance with codes. They seem to be purely aesthetic. DevMoore is imposing it's sense of interior decor on merchants, but there would not seem to be any law supporting such demands.

From DevCorp North's web site, a description of the program (emphasis mine):

"In an effort to assist business owners within Rogers Park's Special Service Areas (SSA). A Business Improvement Program (BIP) has been created to offer financial assistance to business owners looking to improve their facade...."

"The program provides financial and technical assistance to the owners and tenants of buildings that have street level commercial retail space within the published SSA boundaries. Matching grants of up to $5,000 are provided in recognition of the significant impact storefront improvements have on the appearance and marketing of Rogers Park’s commercial areas. Some examples of projects that would be considered eligible under the program are removal of exterior metal gates, replacement of old windows, installation of signage and/or awnings, and installation of security measures (i.e., exterior surveillance cameras and motion-detector lights). Interested businesses and building owners must submit an application and receive an approval letter from the SSA Commission to proceed. The applicant receives a rebate after his/her project is complete, all costs related to the project have been paid and adequate documentation has been submitted to DevCorp North."

There seem to be several problems with the above description on DevCorp North's web site.

First, it makes the program sound completely voluntary for "business owners looking to improve their facade." The business owners RPB spoke to were not "looking to" change their facade. The decision is being imposed on them by DevMoore.

Second, the "matching grants of up to $5,000." This is tax money, yours and mine, being funneled through the alderman's office and DevCorp's books. The amount of $5,000 is not enough to cover the merchant's total costs of "suggested" changes. The justification is that this money will help improve the appearance of Rogers Park. (Will DevMoore also grant up to $5,000 to every gangster who hangs out on Morse Avenue to get out of the neighborhood?)

Third, it says that "Interested businesses and building owners must submit an application." Again, many of the affected businesses are not interested. They are intimidated. Saying that they must submit an application, again, makes it sound voluntary. To speak with local merchants, it is hardly always voluntary.

Clark/Morse/Glenwood SSA special meeting scheduled
Notice: The Clark/Morse/Glenwood SSA#24 will hold a special meeting:
Tuesday, July 10, 2007 at 8:30 a.m.
DevCorp North
1557 West Howard Street

RELATED:

City grants available for renovation of business storefront space! APPLICATION DEADLINE is July 25th, 2007

Clark/Morse/Glenwood SSA

DevCorp North: Business Improvement Program

* Hypocritical Community Leaders

* SSA Planter Project Fails Miserably