3659 S. Halsted | Chicago, IL 60609 | 773.254.6677

January 18, 2026

Dear neighbors, 

What a heartbreaker tonight! So proud of the Bears for an incredible season, though my blood pressure will be better off. One thing is for sure, we are going to have so much to look forward to next season with this team.

We received the heartbreaking news this week that Healy Elementary School Special Education Teacher Linda Brown had passed away. My heart goes out to the family and friends of Ms. Brown, and the school community of Healy Elementary School for this immeasurable loss. The family has opened a , and opened a place where you can . Details of her memorial service are also included in the memory book link. 

This week, St. Jerome said goodbye to long-time pastor Father Paul Maslać. It was also meaningful to get a visit from Father Joe while he was in town for Father Paul's funeral.

St. Jerome celebrated their first annual “Taste of St. Jerome” today and by all accounts, it was a huge success. Everyone got to enjoy traditional Croatian, Italian, and American food. 

There will be a LOT of filming in the ward this week. Please look at the filming notices below. I know this will cause traffic and parking issues especially with construction in the ward, too. Please know that the Film Office approves permits for filming and our office shares notifications as soon as we receive them. All filming notices include a contact name and number for the location manager should you need to contact them.

This week, we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a powerful reminder to love your neighbor as yourself and to continue the legacy and fight for civil rights. I’ll be joining the Rainbow PUSH Coalition/PUSH Excel for their 2026 Dr. King Commemoration Celebration on Monday to celebrate the legacy of Dr. King. Kamala Harris came to Chicago this week for the MLK Interfaith Breakfast event, echoing a sentiment I think many of us are feeling, of being “sick and tired of being sick and tired.” She echoed Dr. King’s words that to love your country is to fight for your country. I thank everyone who has embodied this fight tirelessly in their daily lives, whether that's by distributing whistles, taking care of your children or others, or providing a home cooked meal for someone in need—all of which is fighting for our country. Our office will be closed on Monday, January 19. 

Rest in peace White Sox player Wilbur Wood. He was an Everyman who was a hero to White Sox fans in many of our generations--he was very successful and very relatable. 

Welcome to the neighborhood to a new exciting business, , an Art Social Club, with a film screening room, event space, co-working space, and much more! 

Join me at the Chinatown New Year Parade on Sunday, March 1st, 2026 at 1PM! Celebrate the Year of the Horse - 4724 and Chicago Chinatown's 114th Anniversary! 

Public Safety 

The 9th District is seeking feedback for their annual survey on CPD professionalism and conduct. Please take a moment to share your thoughts in the . 

Last week at the CAPS beat 913/915, residents and CPD community policing representatives discussed some specific patterns of thieves getting away with stealing people’s packages. Please be careful with your mail, as well as be careful with disposing of boxes for large electronics like televisions in alleys which can alert thieves to something they want to steal. 

We’re also dealing with a string of burglaries across the city that are targeting businesses, including one incident on the 3200 block of South Princeton Avenue in Armour Square, on Tuesday, January 13th at around 4:41AM. The culprits have been stealing money, cash registers, ATMs and merchandise, then fleeing in a getaway vehicle. had the burglars using sledgehammers or pry bars to break through glass doors or windows, in a group of four or five. Business robberies are becoming a big issue in the city and I hope we can figure out a better way to fix this from progressing further. 

Upcoming in City Council 

The next full City Council meeting is next Wednesday, 1/21/26 at 10AM. 

Around The Ward 

In 2026, Armour Square Park will receive an exciting upgrade to its water spray area. The Chicago Park District will rehabilitate the existing spray pool and add a brand new splash pad. The Chicago Park District would like input on what type of design to renovate with. Stop by Armour Square Park to cast your vote on your preferred design in person. 

The McGuane Park Pool is currently closed for repairs. The Park District has shared that they hope to have the repairs completed within the next two weeks. 

We have another upcoming Zoning Meeting on February 2, 2026 at 6:15PM for a property at 3363 S. Morgan. Join us in the office or online by Zoom. 

Zoom link:

Meeting ID: 842 0928 9428

Password: 560225

Dial in: +1 564-217-2000 

Have a great week! 

Nicole 

Father Joe is in Town!

Wilbur Wood

Wentworth AR Construction Project:

A Street Resurfacing & ADA compliant corners project between Cermak and 24th Pl on Wentworth began in October and will take approximately 3 months to complete.

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

Residential Lighting Improvement Work

The City is improving lighting in the ward: on S Parnell Ave from W 33rd to W 35th St.

The project on S Hillock Ave from 2935 S to S Lock St is completed.

This work, which is part of the Chicago Residential Lighting Improvements program, will involve some limited parking during work hours as crews install new residential lighting poles with piggy back lights and LED Smart Lighting luminaires. The existing light poles will be removed once the new lighting system is functioning properly.

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

Schedule: 1/5/2026 - 1/9/2026 (Weather Permitting)

Concrete pavement has been completed from Halsted to Lowe and the road has be re-opened. Current underground excavation activities are ongoing from Lowe to Canal.

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 - Continue pipe installation.

• North side of Pershing from Stewart to Wentworth - Conflict with ComEd resolved by changing WM alignment. Expected to start in 4-6 weeks

• South side of Pershing from Emerald to Union - WM installation completed. Testing and disinfection completed. Final connection completed. Cbase complete.

• South side of Pershing from Union to Lowe - WM installation complete. Testing and disinfection completed. Final connection delayed due to utility conflict. Cbase partially completed.

• West side of Lowe from Pershing South - WM installation and testing completed.

• North side of Pershing (Halsted to Emerald) - Abandonment at Emerald completed. Abandonment at NEX of Union expected to be completed in mid-January 2026. Cbase partially complete.

• Pipe Installation - ongoing between Lowe and Parnell (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. 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

Schedule: 1/5/26 – 1/9/26

• DWM continued mainline sewer on W 33^rd St from S Emerald Ave to S Union Ave.
• DWM continued lead service line replacement (LSLR) on S Canal St between W 31^st St and W 32^nd St.

 Schedule: 1/12/26 – 1/16/26

• DWM to continue mainline sewer installation on W 33^rd St between S Emerald Ave and S Union Ave.
• DWM will continue lead service line replacement (LSLR) on S Canal St between W 31^st St and W 32^nd St.

Road Closures / Traffic Control:

• The intersection of S Union Ave and W 33^rd St will be closed to safely allow new mainline sewer installation. – No through traffic will be allowed on S Union Ave between W 32^nd St and W 34^th St (Signage will be posted notifying residents that no through traffic will be allowed).
• 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 - 1/30/2026

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 - 1/9/2026

• During the holiday period, Peoples Gas’s contractors performed intermittent maintenance activities for the environmental cleanup project at 2730 S. Eleanor Street.
• Work resumed at the site January 5^th. During the week of January 5^th through the 9^th, the project team performed minor excavation to collect soil samples and completed site surface preparation in anticipation of hauling off soil starting January 11.
• 24 hour air monitoring has begun and will continue during all intrusive activity.
• During the upcoming two weeks, we anticipate excavating and hauling soil from the western portion of the site, and completing small excavations in the eastern area of the site. This activity may include noise from trucks, excavators, and concrete breaking.
• 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.

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