Dear Neighbor,

This past weekend, I had a great time visiting the St. Hyacinth Parish Festival at the St. Hyacinth Basilica in Avondale. It was a great time to eat some delicious Polish food, listen to traditional Polish music and watch dances, and connect with the parishioners of this historic basilica.

If you didn’t know, St. Hyacinth was designated as a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 2003, and continues to serve as an important community and religious institution for the Polish community across Cook County.

Our team will be at St. Hyacinth tomorrow with the Cook County Board of Review for a Polish-language property tax workshop. You can come to learn more about your property taxes and get help with pre-filing an appeal free of charge. This event will be held at St. Hyacinth Basilica, 3635 W George, from 11 AM - 1 PM in the Resurrection Hall.

Second-installment property tax bills are now available online and will soon be mailed by the Cook County Treasurer. You can pre-file your property tax appeal with the Board of Review. You can do this online, or contact our office at (773) 985-3510.

Earlier this week, my Chief of Staff, Scott, and I visited the construction site for the new Megamall Plaza in Logan Square. We met with Dan from Capitol Cement, the contractor on this project. Capitol Cement also worked on the Milwaukee Avenue Streetscape and Logan Square redesign project, doing a great job working with residents and businesses to mitigate issues on this transformative project for our neighborhood.

We were so excited to hear that we would continue working with Dan and his team on the Megamall Plaza. It was great to see the progress already made. Currently, the contractor is working on the underground conduit, leveling, and framing the benches, which will be poured soon.

Additionally, our office is proud to launch a new pilot program, Pop Optics, to help provide low-cost glasses for neighbors in need. In partnership with the 33rd, 26th, and 12th ward offices, Commissioner Jessica Vasquez, State Senator Graciela Guzman, and Mijente, a national social justice organization, this pilot program is working with a municipal optical program in Chile called Ópticas Populares. I invite you to learn more about the program and visit the Pop Optics website to see available supplies. Please contact our office if you or anyone you know is interested and needs assistance.

This Sunday, a group of artists are hosting a social and happy hour at the Hairpin Arts Center to invite community members and other local creatives to learn about an immersive art festival they are launching next year called 2099: Race to Dystopia. Their project aims to imagine what life will look like in the year 2099 and the various socio, economic, and environmental challenges that may exist through the mediums of technology, art, fashion, music, and film.

Please note that the 35th Ward and 8th District Office will be closed on Friday, September 4th, to walk-ins for professional development, and will be closed on Monday, September 7th, in observance of Labor Day. We will reopen the office on Tuesday, September 8th.

As always, I hope that you have a safe and enjoyable weekend

Sincerely,

Anthony J. Quezada

Alderman, 35th Ward

Community Resources:

• Food Bank Locator and SNAP Updates

• Utility Billing and Relief

• Immigration Resources | Family Support Hotline 855-435-7693

• Parking Ticket Relief

• Tenants Rights Resources

Ward Updates

Upcoming Ward Nights

Our upcoming ward night is  September 14th. We schedule Ward Night visits by appointment to ensure ample time for residents to discuss community concerns and opportunities with the alderman. To schedule an appointment to meet with the Alderman during Ward Night, please email us at [email protected] or call us at (773)-985-3510 during our hours of operation (9am - 5pm, Monday through Friday).

Belmont Equitable Transit Oriented Development (ETOD) Study Survey

Have thoughts on potential transit-oriented improvements near Belmont and Kimball in Avondale? Help shape the Belmont Blue Line ETOD Plan by taking a community survey through Aug. 31 and adding ideas to the interactive map. Complete the survey at bit.ly/BelmontSurvey and learn more at Chicago.gov/BelmontETOD.

Irving Park Department of Water Management Project 7578 Updates

Sewer & Water Schedule - August 31st, 2026 - September 4th, 2026

DWM will continue the installation of a new sewer main Westward on W. Waveland Ave between N. St. Louis Ave and N. Central Park Ave. They will complete the last remaining service transfers for various addresses on the  N St Louis portion of this project (Between Elston and Waveland) as well - each respective home owner should receive notice on when this work will commence. DWM is also tentatively scheduled to install a new sewer manhole structure at the intersection of W. Waveland Ave and N. Drake Ave.

 ***PLEASE NOTE: Scheduled WM Shutdown:- Please be advised that a scheduled water main shutdown will take place on Tuesday, September 1st, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The affected areas include Elston Avenue from Bernard Street to Drake Avenue (south side addresses) . This shutdown is required to complete a source connection at the intersection of St. Louis Avenue and Elston Avenue.

***ADDITIONAL NOTE: Temporary water service interruption will occur during service transfer to the addresses scheduled for a transfer.***

Road Closures / Traffic Control:

During working hours, no residential parking/through traffic will be allowed on N. St. Louis Ave between N. Elston Ave and W. Waveland Ave or on W. Waveland Ave between N. Central Park Ave and N. Bernard Ave (No Parking Signs have been posted).

On Tuesday ( 9/1/26) traffic on N. Elston Ave. will be shifted to North Lanes from Bernard Ave to just North of St. Louis  for the installation of the Source Connection at the Intersection of N Elston & St. Louis Ave.

Fullerton Avenue Arterial Resurfacing

The contractor has completed paving in stage 1 of the project (Karlov to Lockwood), and is now working on landscaping restoration. In stage 2 of the project (Karlov to Kimball), the contractor continued concrete work. Next week will be relatively quiet in stage 2 as the contractor is awaiting updated plans for several intersections.

Upcoming Paseo Prairie Garden Work Days

The Friends of Paseo Prairie Garden will be hosting upcoming volunteer work days. Each work day will be held from 10am-11:30am at Paseo Prairie Community Garden, located at 2614 N Kedzie, and volunteers can assist with weeding, trash pickup, watering and planting.

Upcoming dates:

August 29th

Divvy for All - Chicago Program Highlight

The Chicago Department of Transportation has partnered with Divvy to provide accessible memberships for qualifying City residents 16 years of age or older. Divvy for Everyone provides a $5 annual membership, the option to pay with cash, and an option to keep the membership through a LISC-supported credit-building program. In order to be eligible for the program, applicants must show proof of annual household income at or below 300% of the Federal Poverty Level (family of 4 is $96,450). To apply and find more information, you can register here Divvy for Everyone or email [email protected] to schedule an appointment with the Divvy outreach team.

Cook County Board of Review Pre-File Appeals NOW OPEN

The Cook County Board of Review has officially opened the tax year 2026 session and ALL property owners may Pre-File an appeal with the Cook County Board of Review now OR you can wait and file an appeal when your township appeal period opens. If you have already had a reduction through a successful appeal in the last 2 years, we would not encourage you to file another appeal this year. As a reminder you can appeal your assessment every year with the Cook County Assessor's Office and with the Cook County Board of Review. You can appeal online via this link. If you need assistance, feel free to call the office of Commissioner Jessica Vásquez at 312-603-6386 or stop into our shared office at 2934 N. Milwaukee Unit C.

Small Business Improvement Fund - Chicago Program Highlight

The Small Business Improvement Fund (SBIF) opens for applications in September in the Fullerton/Milwaukee TIF district. Apply at chicago.gov/sbif by Sept. 30, and register for an informational webinar at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 2 bit.ly/sept26sbif .

Bickerdike Housing Waitlist 8/31

Bickerdike Redevelopment Corporation will be opening up its waitlist for the La Estancia and Lucy Gonzalez Parsons 2 bedroom apartments on Monday, August 31st at 9am. Those interested in signing up for the waitlist can do so online here or for those without access to a computer can call the Bickerdike office at 773-227-6332.

Policy and Zoning Updates

Request to Lift Liquor Moratorium for New Taproom at 3658 W Wrightwood

The 35th Ward Office has received a request to lift the moratorium on new consumption on-premises liquor licenses on West Wrightwood Avenue between Central Park Avenue and Lawndale Avenue. 

Brutalist Brewing, Chicago’s first co-operatively owned brewery, is seeking to lift the moratorium to establish a new taproom at 3658 W Wrightwood Ave. In line with 35th Ward Office policy, the applicants attended the CAPS meeting for beat 2524 on Thursday, August 20, 2026, to introduce themselves and answer questions from neighbors. 

In line with our process for evaluating requests to lift liquor moratoriums, we will accept feedback on this request until Friday, September 5, at 5 pm.  At the end of this feedback period, the Alderman will determine whether to introduce an ordinance to lift the moratorium in the City Council based on the feedback we receive. To share you feedback, please fill out this form.

35th Ward Participatory Budget Process

The 35th Ward invites you to submit infrastructure improvement ideas for brick-and-mortar projects for our Participatory Budgeting program to be implemented in 2027. Ward residents get to submit ideas and vote on how the 35th Ward office and the Volunteer PB Committee prioritizes Aldermanic Menu Program funds.

Projects must be located within the 35th Ward and must be on the public way or the property of a City of Chicago sister agency, such as the Chicago Park District or Chicago Public Schools. You can review a map of the 35th Ward here: https://app.chicagoelections.gov/documents/general/35th%20Ward.pdf

Examples of common infrastructure improvement projects are:

• sidewalk repair

• street resurfacing

• alley resurfacing

• concrete alley aprons

• lighting improvements (piggy back lighting, new light poles)

• pedestrian sidewalk bump-outs (detached bump-outs or curb extensions)

• pedestrian refugee islands

• traffic circles

• protected or painted bike lanes

• curb and gutter replacement

• beautification improvements (light pole repainting, planters, murals)

  
  

Please contact our office if you have any questions at (773) 985-3510 or at [email protected].

Participatory Budgeting Committee

As a part of our ward’s participatory budgeting process, residents of the 35th Ward are invited to participate in the volunteer participatory budgeting committee. This committee reviews projects submitted during idea collection, help spread the word about PB voting, and investigate and evaluate projects in winning categories. If you are interested in participating, please email Scott at [email protected].

Upcoming Community Events

Constituent Resources

35th Ward Office Phone: 773-985-3510

35th Ward Office Email: [email protected]

DSS recycling and garbage schedule:  chicagorecycles.org

Parking Zone Lookup:   http://smartchicago.github.io/zone-parking/  

Snow Plow Tracker: https://plow-tracker-chicago.hub.arcgis.com/

Street Sweeping Schedule: 2026 Street Cleaning Schedule

Street Sweeper Tracker: www.cityofchicago.org/sweepertracker

Street Sweeper “We The Sweeple” App: https://www.wethesweeple.com/Elected Official Lookup: https://chicagoelections.com/en/your-voter-information.html

Backyard service rodent abatement: (312) 746-5230

35th Ward Staff

Scott Jaburek - Chief of Staff

Alberto Cuevas - Ward Superintendent

Sara Rodriguez - Neighborhood Services Director

Chas Sirridge - Policy Director

Juan Cardenas - Neighborhood Services Advocate

Food Resources

On May 1, nearly 120,000 neighbors in Illinois lost their SNAP benefits due to new work requirements and other eligibility changes. This is the largest drop in SNAP participation in our state’s history, and we know local hunger is rising.

No one should have to worry about putting food on the table while navigating these changes. If you or someone you know relies on SNAP, take action to protect your benefits or reconnect to SNAP today. You might qualify to apply for an exemption from the new work requirements. There are also free resources like Job Ready Illinois and Serve Illinois to help you connect to job training, work, and volunteering, if you are not exempt.

Visit SaveOurSNAP.org for resources or contact the Illinois Department of Human Services at 1-800-843-6154 to talk to someone about your benefits.

35^th Ward Food Access Sites

Chicago Hope Inc.

2505 N Kedzie Blvd

Regular Program Hours:

Monday- 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Thursday- 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

New Community Covenant Church
2649 N Francisco Ave  

Regular Program Hours:

Wednesday 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Friday 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM

St Sylvester Parish

2915 W Palmer St

Regular Program Hours:

Wednesday 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Life Impacters Foundation
2100 N Kildare Ave  

[email protected]

Regular Program Hours:

Monday 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Wednesday 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

September Schedule for Northwest Side Solidarity Network Events - 3000 N Kedzie Ave (All food given on a first-come, first-served basis)

Community Dinners  

Date: 08/27, 09/03, 09/10, 09/17, 09/24

Time: 12- 1:30 pm

Location: 3000 N Kedzie Ave, Chicago, IL 60618

Community Food Pantry

Date: September 3rd & September 16th

Time: 12:30 - 1:30 pm

Location: St Nicolai United Church-Christ at 3000 N Kedzie Ave, Chicago, IL 60618

Community Flu Vaccination

Date: September 16th, 2026

Time: 10 am -3 pm

Location: St Nicolai United Church-Christ at 3000 N Kedzie Ave, Chicago, IL 60618

*Free vaccines for anyone 3 years of age and older

Employment Opportunities

The Illinois Department of Human Services is hiring! Check out open positions here.

People’s Gas is also hiring! You can find open positions in the region on their website.

The City of Chicago is hiring for several positions. You can find these positions at www.cityofchicago.org/jobs.

To find open positions at the Chicago Park District, please visit this link.

Goodwill is hiring for their new location in Avondale. You can find out more about the position and apply here.

Public Safety (CAPS) Meetings

CAPS meetings are an opportunity for residents to meet with the Community Engagement officers of their local police districts to discuss public safety concerns in their neighborhoods. The 35th ward includes portions of the 14th, 17th, and 25th districts of the Chicago Police Department. Visit the CPD website to find your beat.

Beat 1411 - The Art Colony 2630 W Fletcher St. 6pm Thursday September 3rd

Beat 2522 - Blackhawk Park 2318 N Lavergne 6:30pm Thursday September 3rd