3659 S. Halsted | Chicago, IL 60609 | 773.254.6677

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May 3, 2026 

Dear neighbors,



Hope everyone got out this weekend to enjoy the nice (albeit chilly at times) weather! If you were out around Archer Avenue on Saturday you may have seen a group of neighbors picking up trash. Join me in giving a big shout out and thanks to the volunteers from Bridgeport Environmentalists. They are out every month helping to keep our community clean.

This past week was May Day, or International Workers Day–a celebration of working people and the labor movement. Our community is home to so many union workers who make our city run, and we are grateful to all of you, on May Day and every day!

Mayor Johnson announced the appointment of a new Inspector General, David Glockner. IG Glockner has an impressive background, and is clearly well qualified for this important job. I look forward to seeing him get to work to ensure accountability at the City on behalf of taxpayers. 

I am grateful Commissioner John P. Daley and I got to join the Bridgeport Little Major League Opening Day Parade to Donovan Park on Saturday! My mom and I broke a new record Saturday morning, preparing 250 hot dogs for the players and their families. Big thanks to Vienna Beef for their dog donation! Thank you to everyone who came out, especially the parade grand marshall, Southpaw. Wishing good luck to everyone this season. 

I joined Holden Elementary School on Wednesday for their Career Week. It was inspiring to meet so many future leaders. 

There were two non-baseball events at Sox Park over the weekend. While they were fundraisers for great causes, we need to do better about informing our neighbors about these events moving forward. The Sox schedule is available online but there is not currently a place where the public, especially those who live within the Sox Residential Parking area, can find information about upcoming events for which the Sox Residential Parking zones will be enforced. As a reminder, the zones are enforced for all events, not just baseball, at the stadium. Two years ago, I asked the Chicago Department of Transportation to work on a plan to replace all of the Sox Residential Parking signs in the ward—first, because many signs are faded and unreadable, and second, to accurately reflect what the ordinance for the zone says about its application. I’ve asked the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority about updating their website with a calendar of events, and my office will work with them to ensure information about events is available with much more notice in the future.  

I am saddened by the news that we may have a (hopefully temporary) closure of ward business Tasty Place. I have been a customer, and loved their egg tarts and budget friendly, always tasty meals. It’s hard to lose longtime businesses that have been staples in the community. I’ve read they have a plan to ensure it stays open with a new owner within a few weeks. I’ll be working to hold a seminar on business succession planning to the ward so we can continue the conversation to protect local businesses. 

Happy Jewish American and Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month! I joined OCA Chicago (Organization of Chinese Americans), the Asian American Executives Network and the Asian American Chamber of Commerce of Illinois on Friday to kick off AANHPI Heritage Month with a small business expo. You can learn more about events celebrating AANHPI Heritage across the city and the region thanks to the Chicago Asian Network’s free calendar. 

Due to cuts from the Trump administration, many people will be losing their SNAP food assistance benefits starting this week. If you are on SNAP and need to find out if you are losing your benefits, you can click here. If you need assistance finding a local food pantry, click here or call our ward office at 773.254.6677. 

Changes in SNAP will impact many people in our community. If you’d like to help, please consider dropping off shelf stable food at the 11th Ward Office. Since the beginning of the year, we’ve maintained an area in the office where residents in need can pick up available food. It’s not a full-fledged pantry, but it’s here for those who need it. To make your financial contributions go the farthest, please consider making a donation to the Greater Chicago Food Depository – $1 donated provides 3 meals to someone in need. GCFD supplies food to all of our area food pantries, including Benton House and Midwest Asian Health Association. 

On Friday, May 8th, Officer John Bartholomew will be laid to rest. To honor Officer Bartholomew, we’ve partnered with Midwest Lighting to offer free blue light bulbs to the community. Hang a blue light on your porch to honor him and to show your support for his partner who remains in critical condition and the Chicago Police Department. Get your free bulb at the 11th Ward Office while supplies last.



Upcoming in City Council

I serve on seven City Council committees: Finance; Budget & Government Operations (Vice Chair); Economic, Capital and Technology Development; Aviation; Ethics; Education; and Rules. This week, I’ll be attending the following:

The Joint Committee on Budget and Police and Fire will be meeting on May 5th to hold a Subject Matter Hearing with the Chicago Police Department and the Office of Public Safety Administration on Q1 CPD Overtime Data and EIS Implementation (EIS is Early Intervention System) and the Q1 2026 Office of Public Safety Administration Medical Services Section Audit Quarterly Report. 

The Committee on Police and Fire will meet on May 6th to consider two appointments to the Community Commission on Public Safety and Accountability

The Committee on Health and Human Relations will meet on May 7th. I will be presenting an ordinance I introduced to create a pilot within the Chicago Department of Public Health and the Department of Family and Support Services to disaggregate demographic data on the Asian population collected on three programs. The idea is that disaggregated data allows for more targeted and efficient service delivery.

The next full upcoming City Council meeting is May 20 at 10AM. 

This Week in City Council 

The Committee on Budget and Government Operations got briefed on how some of our new financial initiatives are being implemented, as well as anticipated timelines, on Monday. 

Around the Ward

Zoning Meetings

3540 S Halsted at 6:15PM on May 18.  

3834 S Ashland at 5:00PM on May 18. 

Both meetings will be available on Zoom or in the Ward Office. See graphics below. 

As a reminder the Department of Planning and Development (DPD) and SomerCor rolled out these Small Business Improvement Fund (SBIF) grant program for applications in the following TIF districts in May:

• 35th/Halsted, Bridgeport
• 47th/State, Grand Boulevard and Washington Park
• Bryn Mawr/Broadway, Edgewater
• Elston/Armstrong, Jefferson Park
• Ogden/Pulaski, North Lawndale and South Lawndale
• 
  

Applications open: 9 a.m. Friday, May 1

Applications close: 5 p.m. Saturday, May 30

The SBIF program uses revenue from TIF districts to help owners of commercial and industrial properties to repair or remodel their facilities for their own business or on behalf of tenants. Tenant businesses are also eligible to apply on their own.

Program participants can receive grants for 30 to 90 percent of project costs, with a maximum grant of $150,000 for commercial properties and $250,000 for industrial properties. The grants are administered by SomerCor on the City's behalf and do not have to be repaid. Those interested in applying can verify that their property is located in an eligible district by using the SBIF Locator Map tool.

DPD and SomerCor will host an informational webinar to review program requirements and the application process. For additional information, visit www.chicago.gov/sbif.

SBIF Informational Webinar

1 p.m. Wednesday, May 6 | Register

Save the Date for an 11th Ward Community Town Hall on June 3rd, 6:00-8:00PM at the Ramova Theatre. The agenda is still in formation, but we’ll cover public safety, infrastructure, a parks update and a dedicated conversation about new Additional Dwelling Units (ADU) legislation that was passed late last year and gather input on the development of the 11th Wards process for approvals in single family residential districts. 

Have a good week,

Nicole

We have seen a noticeable increase in thefts involving Honda and Acura vehicles. Offenders are specifically targeting these makes due to known vulnerabilities, and in many cases, the vehicles are taken quickly and without much noise or attention.

We strongly encourage residents and business owners to take the following precautions:

• Utilize steering wheel locks or other visible anti-theft devices
• Park in well-lit areas whenever possible
• Ensure vehicles are always locked
• Avoid leaving keys or key fobs inside vehicles
• Inquire about a GPS system from the Manufacture

Wentworth AR Construction Project:

A Street Resurfacing & ADA-compliant corners project between Cermak and 24th Pl on Wentworth will be completed in the spring.

• Street resurfacing operations will take place from Wednesday, April 15^th 2026 to Friday, May 22^nd 2026, weather permitting.
• Wentworth Ave. will remain open, but there will be rolling closures and flaggers during construction.
• The existing roadway will be milled, and the first layer of Hot-Mix Asphalt (HMA) will be placed the following day.
• Please be aware of the posted "No Parking Signage".

Ongoing Project - Lead Services Line Replacement (LSLR):

A Lead Services Line Replacement on the North, South and East side of the Donovan Park, the LSLR work along W 37^th of Donovan Park has completed. The work along W 36^th St has been postponed until further notice. 

The East side portion of Donovan Park along S Lituanica Ave has been postponed after mid-term election.

• 926 W 36^th St - Postponed until further notice
• 919 W 37^th St - Completed
• 3620 S Lituanica Ave - Completed

Parking may be restricted during the daytime between 7:00 AM - 3:30 PM for the below addresses:

• 3600 - 3631 S Lituanica Ave.
• 900 - 937 W 36th Street
• 900 - 939 W 37th Street

Restoration will start upon all the LSLR projects completion.

Ongoing Project - Water Main, Sewer Main & Lead Service Line Replacement Project - Pershing Road:

Schedule: 4/27/2026 - 5/1/2026 (Weather Permitting)

This week will be continue water main installation from Stewart to Wentworth. Complete disinfection between Parnell to Canal. Complete final connection at Lowe/Pershing (south side of street)

Most work will be going on between Stewart and Wentworth this week. There is a White Sox game on Wednesday 4/29/26 so there will be no work in that area that day and restoration of Cul-de-sac at Lowe is ongoing.

One lane open in each direction (east and west) during construction hours from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Northernmost westbound lane between Lowe and Wallace is permanently closed due to pipe and hydrant installation.



• North side of Pershing from Lowe to Canal - WM installation ongoing (Lowe to Parnell complete, including LSLR. Parnell to Canal completed (testing and disinfection ongoing)) LSLR completed from Lowe to Parnell.

• North side of Pershing from Stewart to Wentworth - Pipe installation ongoing.

• Water Shutdowns - No planned shutdown.

• Pipe Installation - Stewart to Wentworth is ongoing

• Final Connections and Concrete Cap - Ongoing between Lowe and Canal (90% complete)

Sewer Project - 3500 - 3900 S Parnell Ave.:

A Sewer Project between 3500-3900 S Parnell, with work expected to take approximately one year to complete.

• Jan 20 to end of April – Water service replacements along Parnell Ave.
• Feb to June: Replace sewer main along Parnell Ave.
• October to December: Construction @ 35^th intersection.
• Spring 2027: Street restoration/landscaping.

Access for residents will be maintained throughout the project. Parking may be restricted during the daytime between 7:00 AM - 3:30 PM.

Sewer Main & Lead Service Line Replacement - 3100 - 3300 S Canal St. & 33rd St Canal - Normal & 33rd St / Wallace - Emerald:

•  Restoration to commence starting April 28^th

Most Recent Updates - 4/24/2026

• Peoples Gas contractors continue environmental cleanup activities at 2730 S. Eleanor Street.
• During the next several weeks, the primary activity at the site will be backfilling excavations with clean stone. Trucks will visit the site throughout the day to deliver stone, which will then be placed in excavations by excavators. The number of trucks arriving at the site each day will be similar to the number that were required to haul soil to the landfill during earlier phases of work. 
• We anticipate that backfilling will be the primary activity through the month of May. 
• 24-hour air monitoring is taking place and will continue during all intrusive activity.
• As a reminder, if you have questions about this project, please contact the Peoples Gas project number at 877-380-0522.

Holden Elementary School's Career Day

Bridgeport Little Major League Baseball Opening Day

Bridgeport Environmentalists - Archer Avenue Clean-up

11th Ward

School and Parish Information

The 11th Ward office is happy to announce has a free ‘Constituent Education Resource Card’ available to residents wishing to visit select museums and zoos in the Chicagoland area. Constituents can reserve our Constituent Education Resource Card on a first come first serve basis (more instructions below), to visit any of the following museums in 2026:

• Adler Planetarium
• The Art Institute of Chicago
• Brookfield Zoo
• Chicago Botanic Garden
• Chicago Children’s Museum
• Chicago History Museum
• Dusable Museum of African American History
• The Field Museum
• Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center
• Lincoln Park Zoo
• Museum of Contemporary Art
• Museum of Science and Industry
• National Museum of Mexican Art
• National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture
• Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
• John G. Shedd Aquarium

Only one group of up to four (4) can reserve the pass at a time. The pass must be picked up and brought back to the 11th Ward Office. Constituents need to call for an appointment to come to the office to pick up the pass before visiting the museums. We recommend calling two business days before your scheduled visit.

It is strongly recommended that families utilizing the card contact the museum they plan to visit to learn if pre-registration is required to visit. 

9th District Police District Council & Beat Meeting Schedules

The office has extended hours on Monday nights until 7:00 p.m., is open on the first Saturday of each month from 9:00am - 12:00 pm, if it's a holiday weekend, the office will

be open the following Saturday and/or Monday.

Alderwoman Lee will be happy to see residents on Monday nights from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. If you'd like to make an appointment, please call the ward office at 773.254.6677.

11th Ward Office| 3659 South Halsted Chicago, IL 60609 | 773-254-6677