Subject

Planning The Harbor For The Future

I hope you all enjoyed peaceful holidays. During the down-time, JJR has made some progress. Here's an update:

My last public presentation was on November 14th, delivered to the Jackson Park Advisory Council. Understandably, the focus was on Jackson Harbor. JPAC expressed many of the same concerns that we have for all locations, with emphasis on access and parking. JPAC supported exploration of the Jackson Harbor concept, with the caveat that a final opinion would be withheld until a detailed design was presented that successfully addressed their concerns. JPAC is also involved in the formation of the Lake Michigan Ecosystems Partnership, and encouraged ideas that integrate aquatic habitat for all concepts.

JJR has started concept development for 87th Street and 31st Street. We have also initiated discussion of the Diversey harbor entrance with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, while simultaneously envisioning Diversey as a prototype for aquatic habitat and environmental sustainability. We look forward to sharing these ideas with you at our next working group meeting. MPEA seems to be closing in on some conceptual plans for Navy Pier, so we decided to hold on downtown locations until these plans become available.

As we've discussed before, Jackson Harbor and 87th Street can be seen as competing locations due to proximity, similarity in size, and role in meeting overall demand. Both locations have advantages and challenges. Of the two, 87th Street has risen to the top. At this point, we do not plan to develop concepts for an "outer, outer" basin at Jackson, but will look at improvements for the existing outer basin. I'll go back to JPAC with another update, but after we all discuss in more detail.

As previously proposed, focus design group meetings with local stakeholders will be held for each harbor. However, I'd like to get our working group together first to discuss all locations. Please let me know if you are available on January 23rd at 4:00pm. (Gibby: can you host again at the CYC?)

One last note: JJR will present to a panel of architects/planners at the John Buck Company Lecture Hall Gallery at CAF’s ArchiCenter, 224 South Michigan Avenue on January 19th at 5:30pm. Thanks to Erma and FOTP for setting this up. You will see the same information in more detail at the working group meeting, but please attend if you like.

Subject: harbor planning scheduleReminders: • We have a working group meeting at 4pm at the CYC (at Monroe) on October 17th. We will discuss results of community input, merits of ideas presented, and begin to evaluate ideas for conceptual development. • There will be a repeat performance of the last community meeting at 6:30pm at Loyola Park on October 20th. Thinking ahead, I'd like to propose possible dates for Community Meeting #3. This meeting will be similar in format to the Oct 17th working group meeting and focus on proposals for conceptual development phase. I would like to suggest the following possible dates for the 3rd Community Meeting: November 8, 6:30 pm November 9, 6:30 pm November 10, 6:30 pm Please let me know if you see possible conflicts with any of these dates. Thank you, Rob Rejman Director of Lakefront Construction Chicago Park District 541 N. Fairbanks Chicago, IL 60611 ph: 312-742-4685 fx: 312-742-5347 rob.rejman@chicagoparkdistrict.com

Subject: Harbor Study UpdateThe Chicago Park District website has been updated to include presentation materials from the September 27th public meeting and an announcement for the upcoming October 20th meeting at Loyola Park. http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/custom.harbors Sincerely, Rob Rejman Director of Lakefront Construction Chicago Park District 541 N. Fairbanks Chicago, IL 60611 ph: 312-742-4685 fx: 312-742-5347 rob.rejman@chicagoparkdistrict.com

In response to the request of the working group, I am confirming that a proposal for Monroe Harbor improvements will not be shown in the upcoming community meeting. It is clear to me that dialogue should continue, as there is interest in calming of waters, a greater diversity in product offerings, and landside improvements at this location. The nature or viability of any improvements is up for discussion. Smaller projects that could help to increase transient opportunity, create shared amenities, and increase capacity in existing harbors are important and will be briefly touched upon in the community meeting. These things can be more fully explored as we work through later phases. The main focus of the next community meeting will be on system-wide harbor locations and major renovation ideas, which will be tough to get through in a reasonable amount of time. On another topic: Mr.Vartan has graciously secured a board room at the Chicago Yacht Club on Monroe for our next working group meeting. This meeting will be from 4-6 pm, on Monday, October 17th. Rob Rejman Director of Lakefront Construction Chicago Park District 541 N. Fairbanks Chicago, IL 60611 ph: 312-742-4685 fx: 312-742-5347 rob.rejman@chicagoparkdistrict.com

Dear All, As a member of the District Wide Harbor Planning Project Committee/Working Group and in the spirit of cooperation but also for clarification, I do not agree with the following statement that is directly below in quotes and bolded that was copied from the email at the very bottom of the message below sent by Betsy Altman: "FYI, they did present a modification to the north end of Monroe Harbor which the group rejected as impractical and against their stated position of not making modifications to Monroe . No one in the working group supported even showing this option to the community and we asked that they not show it as an option as we wouldn't support them." As part of the committee/working group, I do not agree with this statement or that there was some sort of "stated position" and I never said that I rejected the Monroe Harbor concept idea. I am open to exploring it and think it is worth allowing the public to way in on it and to comment on it. I believe that the public input process is important. I did state that we need to meet the increasing demand for slips close to downtown Chicago and that the revenue associated with them can really help improve harbors and the adjacent shorelines as was done at the new, existing DuSable Harbor. This was a first rate project with incredible public benefits with little cost to the taxpayers: a derelict part of Grant Park was reenergized, redesigned, relandscaped and a whole new promenade built. We also need to rebuild the decaying and very visible lakefront "promenade" that runs along Grant Park/Monroe Harbor from Monroe to the Museum Campus that is crumbling, dangerous and I receive complaints about it regularly. This could be financed by some sort of increase in boat slips very near downtown Chicago. Thank you, Bob O'Neill Grant Park Conservancy Grant Park Advisory Council 312-829-8015.

All,I attended the Harbors planning meeting this week. They have established a website with planning information on it. The link is below. The presentation worked from south to north and showed their estimation of locations for new harbors and ideas for change. These are plans in the conception stage and not formalized, intended results. There is a public meeting next Tuesday at South Shore Cultural Center at 6:30 pm to present the concept plans with revisions based on our review. Feel free to participate and hear from the designers directly on these proposed changes. As far as Lincoln Park is concerned, they are proposing no changes to the three existing harbors, Diversey, Belmont and Montrose. The feeling is that they might add 6-10 slips in these harbors, but the harbors are full and further development is unnecessary. This means no transient docks are being contemplated either, therefore no restaurant development and no way to attract people to visit harbors or go for a walk in the neighboring parkland. This is an area that could be examined and I will pursue with the group going forward. I know Westrec is interested in this concept. Proposals exist for a high security harbor between Navy Pier and the Water plant at Ohio/Grand. this has always been a place that folks have wanted to see a harbor and would be good for downtown access. The security issues must be overcome to make this work. Transient docks are proposed on the south side of Navy Pier at the far west end. This would be terrific as people could go there and eat at navy Pier. also, overnight stays could be arranged. Chicago lacks any organized transient docking program so this would be a good start in the right area. At the north end of the City, in Edgewater, a harbor and new parkland is proposed east of Loyola University. The group was skeptical about access to this harbor and its viability but it is an interesting idea. Several people thought it would be better to put a harbor between Montrose and Foster where Simonds Drive is located. It's possible, but access to that area is busy on weekends with soccer and other activities. It is a fact that the north side harbors are terrifically popular so additional harbor space will be necessary in the coming two decades. We just don't have an obvious place to put a new harbor nor the infrastructure to support it. this will be a planning concept to keep on our radar in future years. As no cost projections have been done yet, nothing will happen quickly. I would appreciate input from LPAC members on your thoughts for a new harbor location and modifications needed to the existing harbors, and I will share them with the working group. FYI, they did present a modification to the north end of Monroe Harbor which the group rejected as impractical and against their stated position of not making modifications to Monroe . No one in the working group supported even showing this option to the community and we asked that they not show it as an option as we wouldn't support them. They had an interesting concept of adding harbor space east of Dusable, which the group agreed had significant merit. It is highly likely that new harbor space on the south side and in the downtown area will trump new harbor needs on the north side in coming years. It will give us the opportunity to identify improvements needed in these harbors and get them in the best possible condition. Thanks Betsy Altman LPAC representative to the Harbors Working Group

Just a few comments/clarifications: Tuesday's Community Meeting at the South Shore Cultural Center is at 6:00 pm, not 6:30 pm. A repeat meeting is being planned for the north side, for those who are not able to make it to the South Shore Cultural Center. I will forward details to the Working Group as soon as they are available. As discussed extensively in the first community meeting, as well as the first working group meeting, increased opportunities transient slips and amenities shared by boaters and park users will be considered for all harbors, including existing north side harbors. This will continue to be a central part of the design team's recommendations. At the working group meeting referenced below, the design team acknowledged that most, not all, existing harbors are near capacity and will not accommodate a significant number of new slips. At no time was it stated that restaurants or transient slips should not be considered at north side harbors. Smaller, but not unimportant, renovations of this nature were simply not the focus of this meeting, given the need to discuss possibilities for larger improvements. Information about the District Wide Harbor Planning Project, including scope, schedule, goals, and information on upcoming and past meetings, can be found at: http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/custom.harbors Many thanks to Betsy and other members of the working group for their input on the preliminary ideas presented at the working group meeting, and for helping to reach the larger community with information about this project. Sincerely, Rob Rejman Director of Lakefront Construction Chicago Park District 541 N. Fairbanks Chicago, IL 60611 ph: 312-742-4685 fx: 312-742-5347 rob.rejman@chicagoparkdistrict.com

Subject: Harbor Planning Harbor planning info is now available on the Chicago Park District web site. More information will be added along the way. Please feel free to reference this link on your website or in other communications to stakeholder groups who may be interested. <http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/custom.harbors>

Subject: 2nd Community Meeting - Chicago Harbor Planning This announcement contains information about the 2nd Community Meeting for long-range planning of the Chicago Harbor System, to be held at 6pm on September 27th at the South Shore Cultural Center, 7059 South Shore Drive. Please forward this information by word of mouth or email, and post the attached announcement with advisory councils, yacht clubs, in field houses, or other appropriate places. We are now quite familiar with the condition of existing harbors and the desire for standard amenities. This information will be incorporated into the design process, and we will not linger on these topics in the next community meeting. Instead, we will focus on big ideas for cultivation of unrivaled destinations along our world-class lakefront. I'd like to encourage participation by those in the planning and design community, and look forward to a healthy discussion of ideas presented. Thank you for helping to spread the word. Rob Rejman Director of Lakefront Construction Chicago Park District 541 N. Fairbanks Chicago, IL 60611 ph: 312-742-4685 fx: 312-742-5347 rob.rejman@chicagoparkdistrict.com 9-27 Harbor Meeting.pdf

To all FOMC Members, Boaters and Friends! Please put the information about the Chicago Park Districts meetings on your web sites, newsletters and pass this information below around in ALL the harbors. Get the word out, get involved, state what you see as issues on the lakefront, issues or problems within the harbors, give them some ideas, put forth your wishes, your hopes and your dreams for the future of a better and grander harbor system and lakefront. This is YOUR time and opportunity to speak up! The Friends of the Marine Community has always been invited and is always at the meetings that are normally closed to the boaters as well as the general public, in other words "not open to you personally". Well, with a lot of hard work, always stating the concerns of the boaters, continual involvement and perseverance we have opened the doors for you to voice your opinions. The best thing is that the Chicago Park District is willing to listen and learn. Best of all the CPD realizes that they have a lot of work to do to make a world class lakefront into a world class harbor system. Finally the CPD realizes that they have two parks, one that is GREEN and the other that is BLUE. Keep visiting the FOMC.NET web site for information on all up coming meetings. Contact me at HOTLINE@FOMC.NET if you cannot attend the various meetings and let me know what is on your mind. FOMC will print out your e-mail and personally deliver it to the CPD. We do this all the time and now is the best time to voice your concerns and issues. Tell others to visit our web site as well. As always, FOMC will keep you informed. Remember, "FOMC is your voice on Chicago's Lakefront!" IF YOU SPEAK UP AND SPEAK OUT THE PARK DISTRICT WILL LISTEN! Thank You! Captain Sonny Lisowski President, Friends of the Marine Community