Sun, Jan 09, 2005
Park District refuses reasonable requests for changes to
planning process
The Chicago Park District has refused a request by supporters of
Meigs Field to modify its process for planning for Meigs Field.
Last October, the Chicago Park District announced that it would
seek public input on the future of Meigs Field (aka "Northerly
Island.") The Friends of Meigs Field --though concerned about
how such a process might be conducted -- determined to work
cooperatively within the system as long as that system was fair,
open-minded, and inclusive.
When the first planning meeting was held, several concerns were
identified, including censorship of ideas, disrespectful and
divisive statements by Park District representatives, and the lack
of public hearings on the closure of Meigs. The Friends of
Meigs Field requested five specific and reasonable changes to the
process.
- One or more public hearings on the closure of Meigs
Field. The current meetings are not public hearings, are not
held before decision-makers, and have no opportunity to present
written or oral testimony. The only hearings since 1996 on the
closure of Meigs Field were in 2001, from which the decision was
made to preserve the airport until 2026.
- Display of all relevant proposals to the development of
Northerly Island. Friends of Meigs' Parks and Planes proposal
was specifically excluded from display at the planning
sessions. When Friends of Meigs complained, all other
organizations' proposals were also censored. We believe that
the best approach is to air all ideas.
- Modification of the "visioning" exercise to include images of
mixed-use park/airstrip/air museum elements similar to those
proposed in the Parks and Planes proposal.
- An opportunity to present the Parks and Planes/Bessie Coleman
Skypark proposal to the head of the Park District and the Mayor of
Chicago.
- A commitment by the Park District to cease disrespectful,
divisive and knowingly false statements by officials and to correct
the record when statements are shown to be false or misleading. The
Park District did not reply before the second of seven planned
meetings, and no changes in the process were observed at that
meeting.
Instead, on January 3, Mr. Arnold Randall, Director of Planning
and Development for the Park District replied via letter, saying
"concerns about airport development can best be addressed through
the City of Chicago, who manages airport operations... It is not
our intention to conduct any planning sessions that focus on
airport development or any area that is not strictly related to
park development."
In other words, there is to be no public say on either the
decision to close Meigs nor the possibility of a park/airstrip
combination, no matter how good it may be.
Welcome to Chicago!
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