CHICAGO PARK DISTRICT, CITY OF CHICAGO TO HOLD COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS TO DISCUSS FUTURE OF JACKSON & SOUTH SHORE PARKS
Meetings will include presentations from CDOT, Obama Foundation
The Chicago Park District and the City of Chicago today announced that they will begin to hold community meetings to discuss the future of Jackson and South Shore Parks in light of the addition of the Obama Presidential Center and related park improvements. The first meeting will be held on June 21 at South Shore Cultural Center from 6 pm – 8 pm, and the second meeting will be held on June 24 at Hyde Park High School from 10 am to noon. One additional meeting will be held at Alderman Leslie Hairston’s ward meeting on June 27 at La Rabida Children’s Hospital at 6 pm.
“The upcoming addition of the Obama Presidential Center and plans to enhance the golf courses at South Shore and Jackson Park provide a unique opportunity for community and city residents to help shape the future of the South Lakefront and surrounding communities,” said Michael Kelly, General Superintendent and CEO of the Chicago Park District. “Residents will be a critical part of this process, and we look forward to receiving valuable input.”
The meetings, billed as Community Conversations on the future of Jackson & South Shore Parks, will be hosted by the Chicago Park District and the City of Chicago and will include brief presentations from the Park District, the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) and the Obama Foundation. However, the main purpose of the meetings will be to obtain community feedback about the future of Jackson and South Shore Parks.
The meetings will kick off a framework planning process for a new South Lakefront Framework, an updated version of the 1999 framework plan encompassing Jackson Park, Washington Park and South Shore Cultural Center. Given the addition of the Obama Presidential Center and related park improvements, the framework will first focus on changes to Jackson and South Shore Parks, with a discussion about Washington Park to be held at a later date. The original South Lakefront Framework Plan, authorized in 1999, was intended to define the changing needs of the parks, provide a plan to enhance each of the park’s commitments to serving the neighboring communities and to preserve the intended historic character. These plans served as guides to future improvements within the park; many of these improvements have been completed, including ecosystem restoration and cultural landscape preservation of Wooded Island in Jackson Park, interior and exterior renovations to South Shore Cultural Center in keeping with its historic character, and new neighborhood activity centers such as playgrounds, basketball courts and a dance studio in Washington Park.
The Park District encourages community members/organizations to attend the meetings and voice their opinion on the updates to the South Lakefront Framework. For more information on these projects and the South Lakefront Framework, please visit www.chicagoparkdistrict.com.