32nd Ward Newsletter April 24, 2026

32nd Ward Newsletter April 24, 2026

Dear John,

Earth Month continues! If you didn't have a chance to help in one of the community cleanups last weekend and still want to participate, there are events occuring in Roscoe Village and Churchill Park this weekend. More info on these below.

Did you know that we have a food composting site here in the 32nd Ward? It's located at the Lincoln Belmont Library at 1659 W. Melrose. I met with Streets and San onsite this morning to discuss the success of this program. Several neighbors showed up with their food scraps while we were there! If you're in the southern part of the ward and want to take your food scraps to a site closer to you, there's one also located at 2460 W. Cortland. See below for more info on this program and how you can utilize old food scraps to better our environment!

Enjoy your weekend,

Alderman Scott Waguespack

Working with our city recycling team of Susan Casey and Chris Sauve from Streets and San, as well as CPL staff, we were able to set up a food composting site at the Lincoln Belmont Library. Please make sure you only drop off allowable waste. We are working on other locations in the ward and will announce them as they become available.

New Bucktown Mural

Thank you to SSA 33, Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce, and the Bucktown Community Organization for adding this beautiful mural at 1945 N. Damen. Artist CJ Hungerman designed and painted this work of art exploding with native flora to welcome visitors and residents into Bucktown. Hope you'll stop by and admire the incredible work that went into this project! Thanks to the Rodriguez Family for allowing the community to use their building for the mural... as they enjoy a sunny day admiring CJ's work of art.

Monday Hearing on Status of Chicago's 2026 Budget

Next week we are having a hearing on the state of the city budget passed for 2026. In attendance will be the city budget director, chief financial officer, and comptroller as well as some department commissioners. The Committee on Budget hearing regarding the budget year to date will be available at this link on the City Clerk's website.

April CAPS Meetings

14th Police District

1434- April 29, 6pm

ZOOM ONLY

Webinar ID: 852 0799 8006

Passcode:289024

[email protected]

14th District Twitter

14th District CAPS- 312-744-1261

19th Police District-

1931- April 28, 6:30pm

Lathrop Advancement Center

2820 N. Leavitt

[email protected]

19th District Twitter

19th District CAPS- 312-744-0064



Beat 1932 CAPS Meeting Recap (Ashland/Lincoln/Fullerton)-

This meeting was a quick one. In the past two month period, there were no homicides, no shootings, no robberies, two burglaries, and one motor vehicle theft to a Kia on the 1300 block of Fullerton. For the burglaries, one was to a business at Southport and George of an ATM, and the other was a mail theft to a building at Ashland and Montana. There has been an issue of businesses getting their ATMs stolen citywide lately; there was one arrest made of a crew that has been doing this; it is unknown as of now if they are connected to the ones in our area.

Continued CTA safety issues was brought up. The police confirmed that now that the private contract with the CTA is over, they have been and will continue to patrol trains, stations, and buses more often. The police also wanted to highlight their court advocacy program, where residents can attend court cases to show support to victims of crimes and that neighbors are paying attention to the judges’ actions.

The 18th Police District Council is pleased to announce a special guest speaker for the meeting on April 28th at 6pm:

Anne McCord Rogers

Special Victims Bureau Chief

Cook County State's Attorney Office

The Special Victims Bureau oversees cases involving domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, hate crimes, crimes against children and other violent crimes involving vulnerable victim populations, including children, seniors, and disabled individuals.

The meeting will be held at The Anti-Cruelty Society at 157 W. Grand Avenue. Their in-door parking lot is accessible from Wells Street, just south of Grand Avenue.

The District Councilors will provide updates and Commander Bielfeldt from the 18th Police District, or his representative, will attend to comment on safety trends and answer questions.

Please try to attend as this will be an interesting meeting!

Click here to attend in person and if you'd rather zoom, click here.

2026 Street Cleaning Schedule

Street cleaning season has begun. Sweepers will do more than one pass on the block in their initial cleaning but will not come back to clean sections outside of their officially scheduled day.

Next week, street sweeping will occur in sections 15, 16, and 17 (Bucktown). Click on the map above to see your section's schedule.

Please be on the lookout for signs and make sure to move your vehicle on your scheduled day (south and east sides of the street are normally done on the first day, north and west on the second; please watch for signs).

Please take the time to help clear the curb in front of your property to keep the sewers flowing well. Any leftover landscaping debris from winter months should be bagged and put in the alley by your trash cans. Please do not sweep landscaping debris into the street. Piles of leaves and heavy garbage also clog the sweepers and will cause significant delays. Other large objects like branches will also damage the sweepers, so please remove them from curbs.

Residents can view street sweepers in real time using the Sweeper Tracker online tool. 

Water Main Project Update 4/24/26

Dickens, Damen to Avondale


All new 8” water main pipe has been installed and is 100% completed including the final connection at Dickens and Avondale.

All water services have been transferred from the existing water main to the new main, and lead service line replacements (LSLR) have been completed as part of the program.

DWM crews started demobilizing and will be 100% out of the site by Monday 4/27/2026.

Restoration work is planned to start mid next week and should be done within 45 days of starting. 

Lincoln Belmont Library Composting Site

The City of Chicago offers a citywide Food Scrap Drop-Off Program, and all Chicago residents are welcome to drop off their household food scraps for composting at one of 33 locations across the city– for FREE! We have one of these sites right here in the 32nd Ward at the Lincoln Belmont Library at 1659 W. Melrose.

Composting keeps food scraps out of landfills, reduces harmful greenhouse gas emissions, and recycles nutrients that enrich soil. Since the City's program started in 2023, over a million pounds of food waste has been diverted from landfills.

The program is free and open to all Chicago residents. To get started, residents can sign up at chi.gov/composting and watch a short instructional video. Residents can then start collecting their household food waste and bring it to the green carts at their selected drop-off site as often as needed. Accepted materials include all types of food scraps, including meat, bones and dairy. Non-food waste is not accepted. DSS collects the food waste, and it is transported to a local facility in Chicago where it’s processed into nutrient-rich compost.

Helpful Environmental Info

April is Earth Month. It also is a prime spring cleaning month. Here are some helpful links if you are looking to get rid of clutter around your house or are just looking to become more earth friendly.

Hard to recycle items and here

Items that can be reused

Reduce Chicago popup events

Charities that offer free pickups

The Wasteshed (art and school items to be donated)

Furniture donations

Shipping materials

Paint recycling

Hazardous materials

Food scrap drop off

MWRD Rain Barrels

Rain barrels capture rainwater from your roof and save it for later use. Rain barrels can help prevent basement backups, street flooding, and sewer overflows by keeping rainwater out of the sewer system.

You can use rain barrel water to:

•   Wash your car
•   Water your lawn or garden
•   Clean work boots, tools, and bikes

Rain barrel water is naturally free of chlorine, lime, and calcium and some gardeners swear their plants prefer it! 

Click here for more information.

Chicago River Day

Summer park programs and day camp sessions are now available to view online.

Chicago Park District summer day camp and program registration opens online on Monday, April 20 at 9 a.m. at parks located WEST of California Ave. Online registration for parks EAST of California Ave. opens on Tuesday, April 21 at 9 a.m.

This year, improvements to the Summer Day Camp registration process will include a new map feature that allows families to view nearby Day Camp options and identify alternatives if their first choice is full; improved registration checklist, including step-by-step guidance to help residents prepare in advance; and new icons to flag high-demand camps and encourage families to plan backup options. Learn more about the registration process by viewing this Webinar! 

Visit the this page to plan a memorable summer in the parks!

Bizarre Chicago has launched a new audio tour through Wicker Park. Bizarre Wicker Park: Beer Barons, Medicine, and Mobsters is a mile of easy walking, and lasts about 45 minutes. Bizarre Chicago will guide you to 15 spots packed with forgotten history, neighborhood lore, and genuinely surprising stories.

So grab your phone, an earpiece, and a friend, then get walking to experience Wicker Parkin in a way you never have before. To get the app and to see a full description of the tour, visit the VoiceMap website.

Upcoming Library Events

ABC Swap: (Anything But Clothes) Swap!

Saturday, May 9, 2026 

12:00PM – 2:00PM

Bucktown-Wicker Park, 1701 N. Milwaukee, (312) 744-6022

What is an ABC Swap?  

It's a community stuff swap where we'll swap Anything But Clothes! This is a community event aimed at reducing waste. You can dispose of unwanted items and leave with something new-to-you! Show up with items (or empty-handed) and take whatever you want! 

What can I bring? 

Anything but clothes! Think kitchen gadgets, electronics, decor, pet supplies, toys, books, and more! Anyone is welcome! Please be respectful of neighbors and only bring items you would proudly gift to a friend. Bring a box or bag of gently used or new items that you'd like to gift. No dumping! 

What shouldn't I bring?

Please do not bring any damaged, broken, expired, unhygienic, or soiled items. Also avoid items that would be difficult to transport like a mattress.  

Medicare 101

Thursday, May 21, 2026

6:00PM – 7:00PM

Lincoln Belmont, 1659 W. Melrose, (312) 744-0166

Join us for an education only seminar on Medicare.

Medicare is changing and it’s important to review your options annually. Whether you are currently on Medicare or aging into Medicare, learn about the new Medicare rules, options, and enrollment opportunities.

City News

• Departing Inspector General Targets Council Office of Financial Analysis
• CTA Lays Off Unarmed Guards, Redirects Funds to Police and Other Resources Amid Security Concerns
• 2 Teens Charged in Burglary, ATM Theft Crime Spree Across City, Chicago Police Say
• Cook County Amnesty Week Begins Next Week for Drivers Who Haven't Paid Fines
• Plan Could Speed Video Gambling Approvals in Chicago
• New Bird-Friendly Building Ordinance Stuck in City Council Purgatory, but Lead Sponsor Says Measure Still Has Wings
• Chicago’s New Zoning Chair on Affordable Housing, Construction Projects
• HUD Ends Mayor Johnson’s Bid to Make Former Ald. Burnett Cha Chief
• New CEO Takes Over Chicago Housing Agency Despite Mayor’s Objections
• Greg Hinz: Chicago’s Anti-Corruption Guardrails Are Starting to Slip

Alderman Scott Waguespack

2657 North Clybourn

Chicago, IL 60614

(773) 248-1330

[email protected]