Jim Wales and Lelsie Recht presented on behalf of the Grant Park Advisory Council.
Part of the 2002 plan was preserving the Historic Core around Buckingham Fountain. Making baseball diamonds in Hutch Field. Decking over the railroad tracks southwest side of the park near Roosevelt Rd
Some of the items for the next plan from the Advisory Council is a look at Food service, inadequate signage, especially historical; possibly an amphatheater so that music festivals wouldn’t have to erect and tear down constantly.
The newest proposal for the park is El Grito , a music festival for Mexican Independence day.
So the discussion centered over how to strike a balance over the major festivals that block off parts of the park for residents and access to the park for residents. Pickleball courts is an example of what the council can propose and with fund raising , come to fruition.
Some questions from the audience:
Can we make Grant Park more of an “All Seasons” park with sledding, etc?
Grant Park is not a Fairground. Can’t we look at other nearby parcels of land for these events?
Can we deck over the tracks?
Do we ever have a say over events coming in? (Normally, the community meetings are driven by the entity that wants it to happen).
What do other cities do with their parks?
What about the Bears and White Sox proposal?
An attendee quoted Fredrick Olmstead who stated that parks should be open to everybody in an urban environment to enjoy the green space equally. He felt it promotes democracy. So Chicago can feel fortunate to have all this greenspace along our lakefront.
Park District has a feedback form on their web site
https://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/contact-us
Facebook page for the Grant Park Advisory Council