Sun, Dec 14, 2003
Friends Of Meigs Field Wows Chicago Budget Hearings
Chicago Mayor Richard
Daley has a problem. The man who bulldozed Meigs Field earlier this
year with the intention of turning the lakeside airport into a park
doesn't have enough money to pay for the pet project.
Awwww.
To do so means increasing mooring fees along Lake Michigan and
increasing local property taxes to fund the Parks Department.
Enter the Friends of Meigs Field (FOM). They're here to help.
The group presented its proposal, “Parks and
Planes,” at the Chicago Park District board budget hearings
Thursday, following up with a request to aviation enthusiasts
everywhere to express their support through a special message to
the board, accessed from its website. FOM wants to combine a
re-opened airport with new parkland—the Bessie Coleman
Skypark—and a new Chicago Air Museum.
The proposal includes tens of millions of dollars in federal
aviation funding that could be used for improving other parks in
the system. The cash-strapped park district faces a $30 million
deficit and proposes tax and fee increases along with spending cuts
to make up the difference. FOM estimates that their proposal could
bring in at least $41 million and as much as $139 million or more
for city parks.
The park board gave FOM
a full 15 minutes for their presentation. Most speakers were
limited to between 2 and 5 minutes. Group president Rachel
Goodstein and chairman Steve Whitney made the presentation,
complete will full-color illustrations, receiving loud applause at
the end of their remarks. The park commissioners listened
attentively to the presentation, some even appearing to nod in
understanding or approval. A significant number of the other
speakers also praised the plan, each receiving loud ovations. The
few opponents were greeted with silence from the crowd.
The Friends of Meigs urges all aviation supporters to visit
their website, in the coming days and compose a message of support
for the plan on the site’s automatic “Send a Message to
the Chicago Park District” form. Next Wednesday, December 17,
while the world celebrates the centennial of powered flight, the
park board will vote on the proposed budget. A vote for the present
budget—one that excludes re-opening Meigs—would not
kill the proposal, but would not move it forward.
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