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11th Ward Newsletter - July 26th, 2026

Nicole Lee Ward 11 📞 773-254-6677 ✉️ [email protected]
Relevance: 4/10

Summary

In Alderman Nicole T. Lee’s 11th Ward newsletter, the City Council meeting (July 26) focused on proposed nonbinding referendums for the November and February ballots, including a resolution urging the City to pursue lawful recovery of costs tied to federal ICE operations. The main zoning/development items are two upcoming hybrid zoning meetings on August 10 for 3539, 3541, and 3545 S. Union and 295 S. Bonaparte. The newsletter also highlights ongoing road and utility work (including 33rd Street repaving and sewer/water main/lead service line work on Pershing Road) and announcements such as National Night Out (Aug. 4), Back To School Bash (Aug. 12), and the Chinatown Summer Fair (July 25–26).

Email from Alderman Nicole T. Lee

3659 S. Halsted | Chicago, IL 60609 | 773.254.6677


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July 26, 2026 



Dear neighbors, 



How is your summer going? It’s great to see the White Sox still doing so well! 


We were proud to welcome home to Rate Field on Friday our first-ever White Sox All-Star Game ball girl, Kayla Corbett! Thank you for being such an amazing role model to the youth in the ward, and to us all. 


Congratulations to St. Mary of Perpetual Help who had their grand opening weekend for the St. Mary’s Catacomb Cafe! This new cafe will be open to the public Thursday-Sunday, 9-3PM when they open on July 30, officially. I haven’t gotten a chance to stop by yet but I'm looking forward to it! St. Mary’s is such a beautiful part of the neighborhood’s skyline. 


Thank you to everyone who came out and supported the 46th Annual Chinatown Summer Fair this weekend! Thank you as well to all the organizers, vendors, performers who put on the great event. 


Who else is excited that 33rd Street was repaved this week?! I know it's been a tough construction season across the ward but we can now see the fruits of all this labor. Construction in the ward means infrastructure investments that go beyond the $1.5 million in annual menu funds we get. We also know there is still much that needs fixing, know that my staff and I are working hard every day to take care of the ward. 


July in Disability Pride Month, which we celebrated in City Hall earlier at this month’s meeting. 




Honored to represent you,




Alderwoman Nicole Lee

This Week in City Council

This week on Wednesday, we had a City Council meeting to debate what proposed nonbinding referendums should be added to the November and February ballots. We voted almost unanimously to include: 


  • “The City shall pursue all lawful means to recover financial compensation from the federal government for the costs and economic harm caused by the Donald Trump administration's ICE operations to recover lost tax revenue, public safety response costs, and services provided to residents and families affected."


A lot of Alders felt strongly about this resolution. The effects of Operation Midway Blitz had a big impact on the City’s budget as well as many communities including Chinatown here in the 11th Ward.

Upcoming in City Council

The City Council will be taking its customary break from meeting for the month of August. We’ll be reconvening on September 23rd.

Events in the Ward

Upcoming Zoning Meetings: 


3539, 3541, 3545 S. Union

August 10, 2026 at 5:15PM

Hybrid meeting: In person at the 11th Ward Office located at 3659 S. Halsted or virtual: 

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89897927839?

pwd=pWkjQlswoyOunfiEAzVBn7PMXybqGT.1&jst=2

Meeting ID: 898 9792 7839

Password: 644281


2952 S. Bonaparte

August 10, 2026 at 6:15PM 

Hybrid meeting: In person at the 11th Ward Office or virtual: 

Zoom Link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88041605237?

pwd=pzbVh1EgQ1omy970bATWbl3wbjOkTD.1&jst=2

Meeting ID: 880 4160 5237

Passcode: 494309


Events:

July 29: Beat 914 Meeting - Chinatown, 6:30-7:30PM, Chinatown Branch, Chicago Public Library, 2100 S Wentworth Ave


August 1: Lakeside Bank’s Bridgeport Branch 2nd Annual “Lot Party” in their parking lot at 3855 S. Halsted. For the kids --fun, food, Reptile Show, Balloon Animals, and more! No RSVP required, 12PM-2PM. 


August 4: National Night Out at Armour Square Park, 5-8PM


August 12: Back To School Bash at Holden Elementary School and Bosley Park 12:00PM-3:00PM. Join me, Commissioner John P. Daley, State Representative Theresa Mah, and State Senator Celina Villanueva for a resource fair. We'll distribute backpacks and school supplies, and there will be food, activities for kids and other resources. Quantities are limited and will be distributed on a first come, first served basis.


August 15: Velika Gospa - St. Jerome Croatian Catholic Church - 2823 S. Princeton Ave., all day

Public Safety

This year’s National Night Out is August 4, an event hosted by local police districts for families and neighbors! Meet your local police officers, enjoy activities for kids, food, raffles, and more! I’ll be at the event with my staff to meet constituents, we would love for you to stop by to see us. 

This event is at Armour Square Park from 5-8PM.

Ongoing Construction &

Street Closures

Ongoing Project - 33rd Street & Canal Sewer Project Update:


  • Landscaping work is scheduled to begin Thursday, July 16, 2026, and expecting to be completed in the next 1-2 week.


  • Milling on 33rd Street is scheduled for Wednesday, July 22, 2026, with paving planned for Thursday, July 23, 2026.

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


Projected schedule: 7/13/2026 - 7/17/2026 (Weather Permitting)

  • Going forward our updates will focus on the completion of restoration activities which are currently under way. 


  • Concrete road base is expected to be fully completed by Thursday, July 16th 2026, and the project will be handed over to MWRD/IDOT shortly after.
  • Small paving by Pershing and Lowe will start Thursday, July 23, 2026 and pave Friday, July 24, 2026.

Ongoing Project - 3500 - 3900 S Parnell Ave.:


Most recent updates - 7/17/2026


We are currently finishing restoration of roadway on the 3500 block, 37th St. intersection, the 3600 block from 37th to the alley, and 36th intersection along Parnell Ave. Concrete pours are taking place in the order listed above and should take about 2 weeks to complete.


Roadway restoration is occurring in the following phases over the next 4 weeks:

  1. 38th St intersection
  2. The north half of the 3600 block
  3. The south half of the 3600 block and 37th St intersection.
  4. The 3500 block and 36th St intersection

 

See below for updates on traffic control:

  • 37th intersection is closed.
  • 3500 block South of the alley closest to 35th St. is closed.

The ComEd Project






Most Recent Updates - 7/17/2026


A ComEd notification was issued for work beginning May 25, identifying the full design area (31st street to 39th street between Lituanica to Normal Street) as potentially impacted. The project has been segmented into smaller work areas to enable more precise notifications. Scheduled work updates will be provided weekly. Below is the Pershing project work planned for the upcoming four-week period.


  • Weeks 1 -2 WEEK (7/20/26 – 7/31/26)

We will be working between 33rd Pl & 33rd St and Lituanica Ave & Halsted St. We are reframing two existing poles and replacing four existing poles. We are installing 270’ of new Overhead wire.

  • Week 3 (8/3/26 to 8/7/26)

We will be working on 34th St between Lituanica Ave & Halsted St. We are replacing four existing poles and reframing two poles. We are replacing two existing overhead transformers.

  • Week 4 (8/10/26 to 8/14/26)

We will be working between 33rd Pl & 33rd St and Lituanica Ave & Halsted St. We are replacing two existing overhead transformers and adding wildlife protection.

Peoples Gas South Station Remediation

Most Recent Updates - 7/17/2026


  • Peoples Gas contractors continue environmental cleanup activities at 2730 S. Eleanor Street.
  • The primary activities at the site for the first two weeks of July will continue to be excavating and hauling away soil, followed by backfilling excavations with clean stone. Trucks will visit the site most days to pick up soil or deliver stone. 
  • 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.

Photos of the Week 

On July 23, 2026, the 11th Ward summer interns had the opportunity to visit the headquarters of the Chicago Park District, located at 4830 S. Western Avenue.

11th Ward Summer Fair in Chinatown



The 11th Ward Summer Fair in Chinatown took place on July 25–26, 2026, thank you to everyone who attended and to our volunteers, community partners, vendors, and sponsors for helping make this year's Summer Fair a tremendous success. We look forward to seeing everyone again next year!

Announcements & Information 
Flyer from Alderman Nicole Lee (11th Ward, City of Chicago) titled “11th Ward 2026 White Sox Residential Zone Parking Updates,” featuring a background image of a night baseball game at Guaranteed Rate Field. The flyer is divided into two sections: Traffic Updates: “This season, 35th Street will be closed between Wentworth and Normal in both directions 90 minutes prior to the start of a game or event at the ball park and will reopen one hour after the close or when OEMC advises. The street will remain open for emergency vehicles, CTA Buses, IDOT and cyclists. Small map showing 35th Street closure area near the ballpark. “Parking Lots”: Event guests will be directed to access Lots A, B, C and G from Wentworth & 33rd Street. Lots F and L will be accessible from Pershing Road. Accessing residential streets: We recommend using 31st Street to access all North South Streets between Wentworth and Wallace. From the South, we recommend Pershing from Wallace to Halsted Reminders: If you live within the White Sox Park Residential Parking Zone and have a vehicle registered with the city of Chicago at that address, a packet with a decal and supply of season and single game guest passes was mailed to you in the last week. If you do not receive your packet in the mail, you may come to the 11th Ward Office beginning Monday, March 23rd to pick up decals and passes. Vehicles parked in White Sox Residential Zone Parking during events at the ball park must display a decal or valid guest pass. Decals are only valid on vehicles that also display a valid City of Chicago vehicle registration sticker. White Sox Park Residential Zone Parking is enforced two hours prior to the start of a game or event and one hour after. For areas where there is a city designated Residential Permit Parking and White Sox Residential Parking Zone - vehicles must display both permits or guest passes or be subject to citation. Pay close attention to signs on the street within one block of the perimeter of the ball park for additional restrictions. All signs will be updated to No Parking 4 hours prior and 2 hours after events.
Flyer titled “Residential access to local streets” explaining traffic and access changes for residents near a ballpark. Top section: Asks if the reader lives north of 33rd Street and south of 31st Street between Wentworth Avenue and Normal Avenue. A map highlights streets in this area with colored markings indicating closures and access routes. Text explains: o access Wells St., Princeton Ave., Shields Ave., Stewart Ave., Canal St. and Normal Ave., area residents are advised to come from the north and utilize 31st Street. Two hours prior to the start of an event, 33rd Street from Wentworth Ave. to Canal St. will be converted to a one-way, west bound street for parking access only – this means no residential access to Wells St., Princeton Ave., Shields Ave., Stewart Ave., or Canal St. Northbound from 33rd St. Access to Wells, Princeton, Shields and Stewart will be for residents only at 32nd Street. Once the game is over, 33rd Street from Canal St. to Wentworth Ave. will be converted to a one-way, East bound street to expedite traffic from parking lots. Bottom section: Asks if the reader lives south of the ballpark between 35th Street and Pershing Road, and between Normal Avenue and Wallace Street. A second map shows this area with marked routes and restrictions. Text explains: To access Wallace, Parnell, and normal to/ between 37th and 38th streets, area residents are advised to come from the north and utilize 35th Street at Wallace or from south and utilize Pershing rd. Access to 37th St. and 38th St. will be for residents only at Normal Ave.

11th Ward July Zoom Beat Meetings QR Codes

Beat 914 - Chinatown (July 29th)

Community Programs and Events

Jobs & Opportunities

Park District Programs

Services
Home Energy Savings Program - For Spanish
For Spanish
For Spanish
For Chinese 中文
For Polish

Link

Link

Link

Link

Link

Link

Link

Link
For Chinese

11th Ward

School and Parish Information

one hope united Affordable Child Care - Spanish and Chinese

Waste Management

11th Ward

2026 Constituent Education Resource Card

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. 

Chicago Public Libraries

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

 
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Alderman Nicole T. Lee | 3659 S Halsted Street | Chicago, IL 60609 US
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