State of the South Loop

Second Annual State of the South Loop
The Second Annual State of the South Loop meeting took place at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, November 20, 2010 at Britten Banner, 1420 S. Michigan Ave. There was a meet-and-greet, with coffee supplied by Overflow Coffee Bar, from 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. The meeting was planned and organized by the Greater South Loop Association.

 South Loop residents came out in force for the State of the South Loop

Aldermen Present the State of Their Wards
The main speakers were 2nd Ward Aldermen Bob Fioretti and 3rd Ward Alderman Pat Dowell. Both gave overviews of their wards, the current challenges ahead, and their respective accomplishments. Fioretti pointed to the Pete’s Market in development at Madison and Western and the Target at Jackson and Racine. Fioretti also talked about the road repair work on State and S. Indiana currently taking place (both Fioretti and Dowell are responsible for this work). Dowell took pride in the development and construction of the Columbia College Media Production Center at 1600 S. State, as well as the establishment of the DayStar School at 1550 S. State. Both aldermen reiterated that there are many challenges ahead, in part due to the downturn in the economy. In spite of these challenges, their outlook was optimistic.

Ald. Bob Fioretti, Greater South Loop Association president, Deb Soelig, and Ald. Pat Dowell

Neighbors, Organizations, Local Educators, and Schools
Other speakers included Eve Kronen, a South Loop realtor, Gail Merritt from the Alliance for a Greener South Loop, Pam Focia from the South Loop Dog PAC, and Bill Van Emburg from the Prairie District Neighborhood Watch. There were additional brief presentations from Tara Shelton, principal, South Loop Elementary School, Danielle Croyer, law teacher at Jones Prep, and Julie Murphy from the Local School Council.

Board Holds Annual Election

Following is a release from the Greater South Loop Association on their annual elections.

The board of directors of the Greater South Loop Association received nominating petitions for the board of directors and held an election on Saturday, October 9, 2010 at Britten located at 1420 S. Michigan Ave.

Deb Soehlig will continue to serve her second year of her term and has served on the board for a total of 5 years to date. Priorities for this year will include our "Shop the South Loop" initiative, hosting candidate forums for the upcoming aldermanic elections and, as always, "bringing neighbors together."

• Effective October 9th, Gail Rutkowski continues as vice president, Eric Westberg, secretary, and Bob Wilson, treasurer
• Other directors on the board are Dennis Beninato, Jeanette Johnson, Jeff Key, Joe Leamanczyk, Mark Stern, and Norma Jordan.
• Bill Van Emburg is newly elected to the board and will focus on safety and community policing efforts. Bill manages the "Prairie District Neighborhood Watch" and looks to offer his leadership to other areas of the South Loop that are looking to establish similar programs.
• Special thanks to Gail Moody who has served as the Bash on Wabash Volunteer chair for the past two years. We wish her continued success in her new job at Private Bank!
• We invite all community members to attend community events, neighborhood and association meetings, and by supporting our local businesses.

For more information, please contact Jeanette Johnson at 312-296-7563 or info@greatersouthloop.org.

www.greatersouthloop.org

2nd Annual "State of the South Loop" Saturday November 20 at 9 a.m.

The 2nd Annual State of the South Loop event will take place on Saturday November 20 at 9:00 a.m. at Britten Banner, 1420 S. Michigan Ave. Featured speakers for this event include 2nd Ward Alderman Bob Fioretti and 3rd Ward Alderman Pat Dowell. Both will give updates on their respective wards.

Additional South Loop Community information will come from the following individuals, groups, and organizations.

• Grant Park Advisory Council, Bob O’Neil
• Real Estate Overview, Eve Kronen
• South Loop Dog PAC, Doug Freyman
• Alliance for a Greener South Loop, Gail Merrit
• Prairie District Neighborhood Watch, Bill VanEmburg

Coffee service will be provided by Overflow Coffee Bar.  Contact them to place an order for coffee beans and they will deliver them to you at the meeting with a 10% off discount.

To print a flyer to post in your building or office, click here.

Fioretti Has Cancer, Won't Run for Mayor

 Today's Chicago Sun-Times and other media outlets are reporting that 2 Ward Alderman Robert Fioretti has cancer. The treatment, reported to take two months, will make it impossible for Fioretti to run for mayor of Chicago. However, he is planning to run for reelection as alderman.



Alderman Fioretti (center) at the GSLA's Fall Classic last month



Fioretti, 57, postponed his entry into the mayoral race due to an emergency tonsillectomy, first reported as routine and "inflammation of one tonsil." As a run-up to his bid for mayor, Fioretti was planning to run on a platform of hiring 1000 new police officers and turning the east building at McCormick Place into a temporary casino.

2010 GSLA Fall Classic Recap

Neighborhood Networking Event
The 2010 GSLA Fall Classic was held last night from 7-10 p.m at the Glessner House Museum at 1800 S. Prairie Ave. The museum coach house and courtyard was the setting for this neighborhood networking event. Food, including appetizers and drink, was provided by area restaurants, including Cafe Society and Weather Mark Tavern.

"Signature" sponsors included Glessner House Museum, Hyde Park Bank, Turbo Coaching, Weather Mark Tavern and Wilson Rental.

Second Ward Alderman, Robert Fioretti mingles with neighbors and constituents at the GSLA's 2010 Fall Classic

To see what the evening was like and who attended, check out the video and additional pictures below.

 

Good food, friends, and drink

The coach house at the Glessner Museum was almost filled to capacity.

The Glessner House Museum is an ideal place to host your next event or business meeting. For information on rental fees and packages offered, please visit the museum Web site. To read a recent blog post on the Glessner House, click here.