Dear Neighbor,

Our 2027 Participatory Budgeting (PB) Idea Collection Phase will end at the end of September. I encourage you to submit any ideas you have if you haven’t already! So far, we have collected over 300 ideas for infrastructure improvements and investments across the 35th Ward. Thank you to everyone who has participated! As a reminder, you can submit ideas for improvements such as:

• Sidewalk repair

• Street resurfacing

• Alley resurfacing

• Concrete alley aprons

• Lighting improvements (“piggyback” lighting, stainless steel light poles)

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

• Pedestrian refuge islands

• Traffic calming improvements (traffic circles, raised crosswalks)

• Protected or painted bike lanes

• Curb and gutter replacement

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

After the Idea Collection Phase ends, our volunteer committee of ward residents will review and compile the ideas into categories on a ballot to be voted on by ward residents later in the year. Ward residents ages 14 and older, regardless of immigration status, are invited and empowered to vote on how we spend our $1.5 million in infrastructure improvement funds. You can review previous PB winners and capital improvement projects on our website here.

Some ideas that have been submitted to our office have been for routine city service requests such as street sign replacement, pothole patching, tree trimming, graffiti removal, and sewer cleaning. As a reminder, you can always call or text our office at (773) 985-3510, or email us at [email protected] for any help with those kinds of city service requests.

As recently reported in Block Club Chicago, the Comfort Station in Logan Square is set to begin renovation work later this month. Our office secured TIF funding for the Department of Fleet and Facilities Management to improve the building by repairing the facade and foundation, upgrading the bathroom by replacing aging plumbing and making it ADA-compliant, and preserving the building’s historic windows. Work is anticipated to wrap up by mid-2027.

Lastly, our office is working with the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) to expand our protected bike lane network in the 35th Ward. Starting in October, protected bike lane construction will begin on Kedzie, between Diversey and Schubert, and on California, between Addison and Roscoe. You can review the plans here.

On Kedzie Avenue, between Diversey and Schubert, the protected bike lane corridor will be completed that exists north of Diversey and south of Schubert, heading into La Placita and Logan Square. Metered and permit parking will remain on both sides of the street.

The second stretch of protected bike lane will be installed on California Avenue and will help many Lane Tech students utilize this street to get to and from school on this route. This investment will help protect those students and more.

Protected bike lanes are a data-proven investment that keeps cyclists, motorists, and pedestrians safe. Last year, the 35th Ward was one of the few wards in the city that had zero traffic fatalities. We are committed to continuing that track record by investing in infrastructure that keeps all of us safe and our public spaces accessible and welcoming.

As always, I hope 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 28th. 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).

CTA Bus Service Upgrades for the Northwest Side

At the end of August, 9 bus routes joined CTA’s Frequent Network, which includes bus service every 10 minutes or better between 6AM and 9PM on weekdays and 9AM to 9PM on weekend. One of those routes was the #74 Fullerton bus route which has brought 20% more service weekdays, 30% more service Saturdays, and 50% more service on Sundays and holidays. Additionally, the #76 Diversey bus will see a change in its service schedule and now service will start at 7:40 a.m. eastbound and 7:45 a.m. westbound on Sundays/holidays. Service will end at 10:40 p.m. westbound and 9:48 p.m. eastbound on Saturdays and end at 9:06 p.m. westbound and 8:17 p.m. eastbound on Sundays/holidays. For detailed route and schedule information, visit transitchicago.com.

Fullerton Arterial Resurfacing Updates

This week, crews have been working on the intersection of St. Louis and Fullerton, constructing the new bump outs on the north side of the street. The contractor also laid the final asphalt surface on Fullerton, from Karlov to Hamlin.

Next week, the contractor will be working on the south side of Fullerton installing the bump outs, and continuing to work to complete concrete work east of Hamlin.

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.

September  20th

October 3, 18, and 25th

November 7th

Irving Park Department of Water Management Project 7578 Updates

This week, The Department of Water Management (DWM) continued installation of the new sewer main on W. Waveland Ave between N. Drake Ave and N. Central Park Ave. DWM completed the new sewer manhole installation and connections in the intersection of W. Waveland Ave and N. Drake Ave.

Sewer & Water Schedule - September 21st, 2026 - Sept 25th, 2026

DWM will continue installing the new sewer main Westward on W. Waveland Ave between N. St. Louis Ave and N. Central Park Ave.A new manhole structure will be built at the intersection of N. Central Park Ave and W. Waveland Ave - The intersection of N. Central Park Ave and W. Waveland Ave will remain closed until sewer work is completed through the intersection (PLEASE SEE  RE-ROUTE FOR THE RESIDENTS LIVING ON N CENTRAL PARK AVE).  

Next week, DWM anticipates completing a watermain cut and cap in the intersection of N. Central Park Ave and W. Waveland Ave – The date is TBD, but the crew will notify affected residents a day prior to the cut and cap. I will also try to send out any notices I receive in advance. No water main work is scheduled – DWM completed the watermain project and has demobilized in the area.

Upcoming Bike Network Improvements in the 35th Ward

The Chicago Department of Transportation has announced several exciting new bike infrastructure projects for 2026 which will increase connectivity on protected routes for cyclists on the northwest side.

Kedzie Avenue Protected Bike Lane Extension

CDOT will install protected bike lanes on Kedzie Avenue, between Diversey Ave and Emmett St, which will complete a key connection of the protected bike lane network, creating consistent protected or off-street lanes from Addison, south to Logan Square proper. Work is expected to begin in October, and be completed before the end of the construction season. The width of the street will also allow for parking to remain on both sides of the street with minimal parking impacts.

California Avenue Protected Bike Lane

CDOT will install protected bike lanes on California Avenue from Roscoe to Addison. This project also includes the reduction in the speed limit on the stretch to 20 mph, to reduce vehicular speeds, creating a safer environment for all roadway users.

Grace Street Greenway

Through their participatory budgeting process, the 33rd ward approved funding for a neighborhood green way on Grace Street, between Kedzie and California (Albany to California falling in the 35th Ward). This project includes improvements such as road striping to better organize roadway users, better corner clearance signage, 20mph speed limit signage, and several speed humps. This project comes after the recent resurfacing of Grace Street between California and Francisco, which was funded through the 35th Ward’s participatory budgeting process.

Call for Artists- Request for Qualifications O’Hare Airport Concourse D

The City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) in partnership with the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) invites professional artists (both individual artists and artist teams) to submit qualifications for consideration for integrated public art opportunities in seven (7) locations at Chicago O’Hare International Airport’s New Concourse D, currently under construction. The deadline to apply is September 30, 2026. You can check out the RFQ and apply here.

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.

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: 09/17, 09/24

Time: 12- 1:30 pm

Location: 3000 N Kedzie Ave, Chicago, IL 60618

Community Food Pantry

Date: 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.

1412 Beat Meeting 3009 N Sawyer VFW Tuesday September 22 at 6pm