3659 S. Halsted | Chicago, IL 60609 | 773.254.6677

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March 1, 2026

Dear neighbors, 

The culmination of many festivities for me was today, when we stepped off at the Lunar New Year parade in Chinatown! There are still more celebrations to come, too. The numbers haven’t come in yet, but it was a beautiful (albeit chilly) day with tens of thousands of people packing Wentworth and Cermak. Many thanks to all those who came out to join us today.  

I hope our local shops and restaurants saw lots of business over the weekend–between federal tariffs and changed shopping patterns after the pandemic, we know lots of people are struggling. If you need assistance with your retail business, please reach out to the ward so we can help connect you with resources and City grants and programs. Depending on the implementation/repeal of the high prices we’re seeing for many things partially as a result of the tariffs, I think it will be important for the City Council to address the rising costs small businesses are facing as well as the high tax on things like business licensure. Additionally, if you are going out for a night on the town, consider choosing Chinatown, or any of the number of great restaurants in the 11th Ward. 

Thank you to all our City workers who made sure the parade stepped off without a problem: the Department of Streets & Sanitation, CPD, CFD, and all the volunteers and local businesses who contributed to the success of the day! 

I stopped by the “Moving Archer Forward Study” open house and resource fair at McKinley Park Field House on Saturday. It was great to see so many people come out and get information on the progress of the study and provide feedback as well.  This study was launched last year by the Chicago Department of Planning and Development and funded by a grant from the Regional Transit Authority (RTA). For more information about the study, visit their website.  

I was disappointed that I wasn’t able to join the community at the CPD 9th District this week to wish Deputy Chief, Don Jerome (former 9th District Commander), all the best on a well earned retirement. The 11th Ward was so fortunate to have the 9th District under his leadership for so long. DC Jerome is truly one of Chicago’s finest and best members of the Chicago Police Department. Never one to get comfy behind a desk, he was ever present in the district and led his team by example. As Commander of the 9th District, he supported community efforts to make the neighborhoods of the 11th Ward safer, advocating for more resources where most critically needed as well as actively recruiting officers who could speak Chinese into the district. On behalf of the residents of the 11th Ward, we thank Don Jerome for his service and wish him all the best in his next chapter.

Our 11th Ward Blood Drive with CPD at the 9th District Precinct Community Room is on March 9th. Thanks to those who have already signed up – if you’re interested, there are still a few slots left. Click here to make an appointment.

White Sox opening day will be on April 2nd! In the coming weeks you residents with vehicles registered to the city within the Sox Residential Parking area should be receiving decals and a supply of guest passes in the mail. 

Upcoming in City Council 

The next City Council meeting is 3/18/26 at 10AM. 

Public Safety

On Saturday afternoon in the alley of the 300 block of west 29th Street in Armour Square, two men were shot by an offender while they were standing in the alley. I have been in touch with the CPD 9th District and understand that a possible offender was taken into custody. The incident appears to be isolated and doesn’t pose a threat to other residents. Area 1 detectives are investigating the shooting, any neighbors in the area with video or information that may be helpful in the investigation are asked to contact 312-747-8380. 

Around the Ward

Starting March 2, MQ Construction will begin their sewer installation along Parnell St. between Pershing Rd. and 35th St, as part of the $325 million federal loan program for servicing lead service line replacement projects through 2026. The City needs to draw down the money before the end of the year, which is good for creating healthy, safe drinking water for everyone, and especially for the kids, but not so great for construction and parking. The project affecting Parnell and Pershing is now halfway done. Beginning Monday, the construction teams will slowly work their way north from Pershing and 38th St. Pedestrian access will be maintained on Parnell, and the company has assured us that traffic access will be maintained on 38th. We do need to regard the No Parking signs throughout the area. When they get ignored, the work may get delayed because equipment can’t be brought in. WSP, who manages MQ Construction, has said they will try to give some kind of warning to neighbors, be that knocking on doors or direct contact, before having to resort to towing cars. 

Reminder that the ward office will be closed for Pulaski Day on Monday! 

Our next veterans assistance office hours are March 13, from noon to 4PM. No appointment necessary. 

Happy Women’s History Month! We have 18 women in the City Council, which is a record high, and I am proud to serve as the Chair of the Council’s Women’s Caucus. 

This time of year has people of many faiths and cultures celebrating.  From Lunar New Year and Spring Festivals to Lent and Ramadan, so many residents of the ward and the city are coming together. 

Ald. Lee 

Vote By Mail!

You may now apply online to Vote By Mail for the March 17, 2026 Primary Election– click here to get started!

To apply online, please enter your first and last name (no middle name), address (Street Direction and Street Name) and five number zip code to proceed. Please do not leave any spaces after the numerical value in the online form.

You will be asked to choose one Political Party ballot type for the upcoming election: Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, and Non-Partisan (referenda only). Per Illinois Election Code, voters may only choose one ballot and cannot vote multiple Party ballots.

Prefer to always vote from the comfort of your own home? You may also apply online to join the Vote By Mail Permanent Roster ahead of the next election –click here to join the Permanent Roster!

You may request to have your Vote By Mail ballot sent out of city or state, but not out of the country. Choose your best option for delivery in Step 3 of the Online Application. You may choose to receive your Vote By Mail ballot in Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, Polish, Korean, or Tagalog in Step 4.

You may also choose to join the Accessible Vote By Mail Program in Step 3. This program allows voters with disabilities to access and mark their ballots through an online system and then print out their ballots and mail in those ballots. Please note: You will not receive a ballot in the mail. Voters with disabilities will access and mark their ballot electronically – this is not online voting.

When you apply online to Vote By Mail, the Board will send you emails:

• When your ballot is mailed to you,
• When the Board receives your Ballot Return Envelope, and
• When your ballot has been processed and counted.

The Board will tentatively start mailing ballots by Feb 5, 2026. All Vote By Mail ballots come with postage-paid Ballot Return Envelopes.

When you receive your Vote By Mail ballot, you may return it through standard US mail and must postmark it before or on Election Day, March 17, 2026. You may also submit the Ballot Return Envelope in a secured drop box at any Chicago Early Voting site before and on Election Day.



Questions? Learn more here or call 312-269-7967 or email [email protected]

Sign Up to Be an Election Judge!

• You must be a US citizen and a registered voter in Cook County - and you can earn up to $230 for your service. Being bilingual is especially helpful.
• High School Juniors and Seniors can also apply. Do you know a student with a GPA above 3.0 and an interest in government? Let them know they can serve as an election judge and see how democracy works from behind the polling place curtain.
• You can go to pollworker.chicagoelections.gov or call 312-269-7984 to learn more and apply.

Wentworth AR Construction Project:

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

• Street resurfacing operations will commence once ambient temperatures reach 45 degrees, and it's weather permitting.

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

Schedule: 2/23/2026 - 2/27/2026 (Weather Permitting)

Work this week is ongoing between Lowe and Parnell completing pipe installation, sewer work and testing of the new water main for this section.



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. Impact on traffic is low from 7am to 9am but we will keep monitoring.



• North side of Pershing from Lowe to Canal - pipe installation completed between Lowe & Wallace. Pipe installation is ongoing between Wallace & Parnell. Pipe installation on Parnell & Canal, expected to resume next week.

• North side of Pershing from Stewart to Wentworth - Conflict with ComEd resolved by changing WM alignment. Expected to start late February 2026.

• South side of Pershing from Emerald to Union - Fully completed.

• South side of Pershing from Union to Lowe - WM installation complete. Testing and disinfection completed. Final connection delayed due to utility conflict. Concrete road base partially complete. Expected to be completed by 2/20/26 to 3/5/2026 (due to utility conflict).

• West side of Lowe from Pershing South - WM installation and testing and disinfection completed. Awaiting water service transfer to large food depot. Scheduling ongoing. Expected completion changed from late February to early March 2026.

• North side of Pershing (Halsted to Emerald) - Abandonment at Emerald completed. Abandonment at Halsted completed. Abandonment at NEX of Union expected to be completed on February 26th 2026 (material received). Concrete road base partially complete.

• Water Shutdowns - A shutdown is anticipated for 2/26/26 in Union from 35^th st to Pershing but there are no water interruptions to buildings expected since it’s a transmission line pipe.

• Pipe Installation - ongoing between Lowe and Canal (North side of Pershing)

• Final Connections and Concrete Cap - Completed on the south side of Pershing between Halsted and Lowe.

Ongoing Project - Lead Services Line Replacement (LSLR):

• 3000 - 3100 S Union Ave.
• Restoration will start upon all the LSLR projects completion.

Sewer Project

A Sewer Project is estimated to begin in September 2025 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.



• 35th St & Parnell - a full closure of the intersection and detour of eastbound and westbound 35th St. traffic.
• Once the work at 35^th and Parnell is completed, the contractor will mobilize to 39^th and Parnell and begin installing sewer south to north until they connect to this structure they're installing at 35^th Street.

Sewer Main & Lead Service Line Replacement

 The scope of work for this project in its entirety is as follows:

• S Canal St from W 31^st St to W 33^rd St
• W 33^rd St from S Canal St to S Normal Ave
• S Normal Ave from W 33^rd St to 50’ South of W 33^rd St
• W 33^rd St from S Emerald Ave to S Wallace St



Completed 2/16/26 – 2/20/26

• DWM Re-Mobilized to the intersection of W 33^rd St and S Union Ave following the completion of the emergency sewer repair as of my last update.
• DWM continued mainline sewer on W 33^rd St from S Union Ave to S Lowe Ave.

Schedule: 2/23/26 – 2/27/26

• DWM to continue installation of 30” Sewer main in W 33^rd St between S Union Ave and S Lowe Ave.
• DWM to complete Watermain relocation in the intersection of W 33^rd St and S Union Ave (Scheduled to be completed in 3 working days).

Road Closures / Traffic Control:

• The intersection of S Union Ave and W 33^rd St will be closed until further notice to allow DWM to safely relocate the watermain in the intersection of W 33^rd St and S Union Ave.
• During working hours, no residential parking will be allowed on W 33^rd St between S Emerald and S Lowe Ave (No Parking Signs have been posted).

Schedule: 10/1/2025 - 3/30/2026

Full Closure of 33rd Street at Emerald Ave. for sewer repair.

No parking or traveling during working hours (7 am - 4 pm). Upon completion of the sewer main installation, LSLR replacement will follow.

Most Recent Updates - 2/20/2026



• Peoples Gas contractors continue environmental cleanup activities at 2730 S. Eleanor Street.
• The central entrance gate to the site on Eleanor Street was closed this week so work could be performed safely onsite. Vehicles will use the northeast gate for several weeks until work near the central gate is completed. 
• We continue to excavate and haul soil offsite from the western and central portions of the site. This activity is ongoing, and may include noise from trucks, excavators and concrete removal.
• 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.



• We will post a red flag on the fence at the site entrance in the unlikely event that all remediation work on the site is stopped due to on-site, real-time air monitoring readings that remain elevated following implementation of mitigation measures (in accordance with our EPA-approved Air Monitoring and Fugitive Emissions Management Plan). Note that our plan is already designed to prevent air-quality-based health risks to site workers or the public, and the red flag would be posted for visual communication to the community.

Photos of the Week

43rd Annual Asian American Coalition Lunar New Year Gala

We were honored to attend the Asian Coalition Gala and celebrate the strength, unity, and achievements of our community.

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