Ridge Fire Station community planning meeting MINUTES January 22, 2008

Greetings!

attached are the minutes of the January 22, Ridge Fire Station community planning meeting and a recap of Alderman Smith's perspective on the planning process. ECC will continue to provide updates on the planning process and development of the fire station.

Ridge Firestation Community Planning Meeting

January 24, 2008 Summary

Open Meeting/Introductions

Sue Morales of the ETNA Block Club welcomed 20 people to Edgewater Baptist Church, folks who showed up on short notice in the bitter cold. Most were at the initial October session, but a few new folks brought youth services and architectural expertise to the table.

Research/What We've Learned Since Last Meeting

Mike Rohrbeck, volunteer facilitator called on Ernie Constantino of the Alderman's office, who toured the fire station facility, shared an assessment of the building condition, albeit less than ideal, definitive or comprehensive about compatible new uses of the property. Here's the overview.

The building has over 7,000 square feet, 4 floors, 10 parking spaces, and some big open areas where the fire engines park and to a lesser extent on the basement level. The exterior is in excellent condition, with some tile work potentially needed on roof. Windows are good, plumbing is older but serviceable, flooring is in good shape, there is no central heating and ventilation, nor disability access. There's smaller rooms in the upper floors, including sleeping quarters, offices and "weight room". The basement is mostly open but has a tool shop. The kitchen and appliances are in good shape, but heavily used. Ernie fielded questions and said, at the request of the group, that he could arrange a walk-thru for participants and interested groups, tentatively scheduled for February 9th 10:00 a.m. (Contact Sue Morales if you're interested.)

A few leaders, including Nancy Schroeder and Rae Ann Cecrle, provided reports on what they had learned about adaptive reuses of other firestations. Examples include restaurants, museums, churches, community or youth services centers, theatres or arts facilities, including cooperatives, incubators for entrepreneurs or non-profits. In some cases, firestations have been converted for other public/municipal uses, like ward yard facilities.

In talking about improvements/impacts to nearby properties, the planning group felt like these should be included in ongoing discussions. Talk about the possible reconfiguration of the intersection of Hollywood was lively, and, because some of this has been hashed over before, it was felt like a number of options should be developed and presented to block club and community reps (principally ETNA and BARGE block club members); that the Chicago Dept. of Transportation staff should be there to discuss the pros and cons of various options; and, that leaders could weigh in on if a change makes sense or complements new end uses anticipated for the Firestation. This whole matter seemed inextricably tied to other measures to enhance the pedestrian friendly feel of Ridge Avenue vicinity and to promote greater north-south and east-west access to the area. The alderman's office is planning off-peak parking on Ridge Avenue after the firestation vacates the facilities. This will be one step in the direction of making the area more welcoming to pedestrians.

Various people provided updates on "Exploration of Ideas" and "Compatible Uses" for Facilities.

Environmental Center or Programming did not advance since the last meeting. The International Rescue Committee is a potential tenant or sponsor, but for them to explore the option, there should be some indication of an openness from the community to the services possible.

Someone shared an example of a San Francisco program model, a "Sew Op" that emphasizes use of recycled materials.

Several local programs were mentioned which could expand existing efforts in at least some of the firestation facility.

Communications have happened with Art Smith ('Common Threads' program) and related youth programming around the culinary arts; there were different versions of this group's potential interest in using the firestation facility which should be investigated.
The Afterschool Program at Edgewater Baptist Church is busting at the seams. They do afterschool programs and summer camps for kids up to 8th grade. Expansion to high school age kids is possible with added space. Right now they engage in education and recreation activities, conduct life skill training and have personnel ready to do weight training, dance, and cooking.
"Art for All" is an afterschool and summer program spearheaded by instructors associated with Northside Catholic Academy. The expansion of their programming could be enhanced and broadened to public elementary and high school kids with added space.
The "Quest Theatre Ensemble", now artists in residence at St. Gregory's Church, are a growing and widely acclaimed organization for their free and community-oriented theatre presentations. Their work with puppetry is truly a unique experience. (See their next show February 15th.) They'd need space for afterschool programming in a addition to other things.

People discussed need for greater accessibility between floors. The fixes could be expensive for organizations that might need financial assistance on improvements to building. State Rep. Harry Osterman may be a potential ally in this regard. Others pointed out the potential of having a multiple use facility. Property management was seen as a key to long-term success. This capacity and accountability may be even more important if there are multiple tenants or community users. People were looking forward to sharing meeting notes with other organizations potentially interested in this facility.



Planning Session Around Community Priorities

Knowing that the Alderman Mary Ann Smith would ultimately have to make the call on end uses and sponsors for the redevelopment of the firestation, Mike met with her briefly to discuss the planning process. He reported on their conversation (see attached recap). In short, she was hoping planning work could complement vision for Ridge Avenue "Arts Corridor". She felt like community input into a formal "Request for Proposal" process was unnecessarily bureaucratic, but that she was open and anxious to meet with planning leaders to discuss how outreach to potential sponsors might happen.

With this as a context, the group brainstormed a framework of Community Priorities that should be shared with the alderman and potential sponsors/tenants for the firestation.

Ø PARKING, TRAFFIC AND PEDESTRIAN IMPACTS OF PROPOSED END USES MUST BE CRITICALLY EVALUATED RELATIVE TO PROPOSALS FOR THE FIRESTATION. One aspect of this evaluation is determining "what service is valued" by people who walk and use public transportation. The success of any plans for the firestation may require continuous efforts to assure that the vicinity is pedestrian friendly and the north-south divide of Ridge Avenue is effectively bridged.
Ø IMPROVEMENTS TO PROPERTIES NEARBY WOULD BE IDEAL.
Ø THE COMMUNITY IS OPEN TO CONSIDERING NEW TRAFFIC/OPEN SPACE OPTIONS, PROVIDED THAT BLOCK RESIDENTS PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN DECISIONMAKING.
Ø COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS PREFER END USES FOR THE FACILITY THAT REPRESENTS VALUED AND NEEDED "SERVICES", BUT THIS PREFERENCE MUST BE BALANCED AGAINST THE NEED TO HAVE AT LEAST ONE ANCHOR TENANT WHO CAN GENERATE/RAISE THE INCOME NECESSARY TO OPERATE THE BUILDING.
Ø GETTING CAPITAL SUPPORT FROM THE CITY OR STATE FOR FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS COULD GREATLY ENHANCE FEASIBILITY OF EXPANDED LOCAL OR NON-PROFIT PROGRAMMING.
Ø POTENTIAL SPONSORS OF THE FIRESTATION'S RENAISSANCE MUST DEMONSTRATE A HISTORY AND TRACK RECORD IN OPERATIONS AND DOCUMENT MAINTENANCE CAPACITY.
Ø PLANNING PARTICIPANTS WANT THE ALDERMAN TO SHARE HER THOUGHTS AND ENGAGE IN A DISCUSSION WITH A LEADERSHIP TEAM ABOUT POTENTIAL SPONSORS SHE WANTS TO CONSIDER; INCLUDE IN CONSIDERATION OTHERS THE GROUP HAS IDENTIFIED; AND DETERMINE HOW PROPOSALS WOULD BE EVALUATED.
Ø OUTREACH TO SUCCESSFUL LOCAL BUSINESSES AND ORGANIZATIONS SHOULD BE EXPANDED IDEALLY BEFORE CONSIDERATION IS NARROWED.

Follow-up

The group agreed that we'd disseminate notes from the meeting. Sue Morales would receive and inventory comments and inquiries from the community. A Firestation tour would be arranged, tentatively for February 9th 10 a.m. A leadership committee would meet afterward to consider what was learned from community input and the tour, and to plan an agenda for a working session with the Alderman.

Firestation Community Planning Task Force
Aldermanic Perspectives on Community Planning and Input
Meeting Notes from January 22, 2008
By Michael Rohrbeck
o Alderman Mary Ann Smith is determined to have Firestation complement other plans for facilities on Ridge Avenue that will define it as an "Arts Corridor"
o Her major additional priority is that the general public have access to and be able to enjoy the interior and exterior of the facility, even if it occurs as part of special events, evenings/weekend activities
o The Alderman agrees with the sentiments of our planning group that the development sponsor needs to have a capacity to do capital improvements and generate adequate income via the operations of a business or program
o She disagrees strongly with the strategy to do a "Request for Proposal" (RFP) as too bureaucratic, and favors direct approaches to potential development/program/enterprise sponsors
o The Alderman favors the idea of an "Arts Café". She has ideas about potential sponsors who rely mostly on pedestrian traffic or off-peak parking, but recognizes that there may be any number of other kinds of programs/enterprises that have equal or better prospects to feasibly pay the bills, while encouraging general public access related arts, cultural or leisure activities.
o She is disinclined to support some kinds of public uses or enterprises significantly removed from "arts and cultural" connection, including general retail or environmental services, but would be open to hearing ideas for services that complement local needs e.g. youth programming, possibly targeted to high school age kids
o The Alderman hopes adjacent building and reworking parking/intersection can be part of overall plan -- specifics not yet known. She is willing to engage with block and planning committee residents to explore options with the intersection.
o She plans to implement long-sought parking (during off-peak hours) on Ridge Avenue to slow thru-traffic (to be implemented after fire department vacates facility); this will presumably increase pedestrian access from north and encourage walking traffic from east and west
o Her view of community input and planning is that it should take into consideration the priorities and preferences described above, while refining and inventorying community priorities/issues to negotiate with potential sponsors e.g. parking etc. and "compatible uses" seen by residents
The Alderman was looking forward to direct meetings on the follow-up strategies for outreach to potential sponsors.