EDITORIAL

Your Evanston Vacation

With the economy tanking and tank prices skyrocketing, one could do worse than vacation in Evanston this summer. Outsiders say the City is attractive because it is such a quick train ride from Chicago. We say it is intrinsically attractive because of its local beauty and culture.

Need we say lakefront, arboretum or parks? Should we mention our four local theatre companies - Fleetwood-Jourdain, Next, Piven and Piccolo? Or the Evanston Art Center and the Noyes Cultural Arts Center? In addition, many coffee shops and restaurants allow local artists to exhibit their works. The unique décor or atmosphere makes dining there an enjoyable cultural detour. Others offer outdoor dining or simply wonderful food.

We have houses and institutions with local or national landmark status. We have a museum dedicated to a pioneer for women's rights and founder of the Women's Christian Temperance Union - the Frances Willard House - as well as one celebrating the great mugs in ale-drinking history - the Toby Jug museum. We have a fossil museum and a museum dedicated to the American Indian.

And the Chicago Architecture Foundation has just added a walking tour of downtown Evanston to one along the Lakefront.

It would probably take more than a day to appreciate Evanston's many public art pieces.

And that is just the permanent stuff. In summer, almost every weekend is dedicated to a festival - Custer's Last Stand Festival of the Arts, the Fountain Square Art Festival, the Fourth of July celebrations, the Ethnic Arts Festival, the Lakeshore Arts Festival.

Are you exhausted just thinking of the possibilities? Then grab a fishing pole and head to the pier off Church Street or get your beach token and your library card and choose your own summer adventure.

Memorial Day In Evanston

Memorial Day observances this year took place at Fountain Square, with a test-run of the new bubblers for the fountains.

It was during last year's Memorial Day services that Mayor Lorraine Morton said publicly she was embarrassed by the look of Fountain Square and asked the City Council to see that it was fixed up in time for services this year.

The tug-of-war continues between the pro-tower and the anti-tower factions - which may ultimately determine the long-term fate of Fountain Square - but the weak real estate market may temporarily put plans to either move or rehab Fountain Square on hold for a few more years.

If that is the case, we suggest the Council revisit a suggestion made several months ago by the Parks/Forestry and Recreation Department: Fill the fountains and the area with potted trees and plants.

This would not only make the place beautiful again, it would accommodate the temporary status of the place, so that when final plans are made the trees and plantings can be carted off and planted permanently to beautify another section of Evanston or perhaps at a rehabbed Fountain Square

Perspective

By Charles Wilkinson

Indonesia, Myanmar, China: tsunami, cyclone and earthquake. Tens of thousands of deaths in our human family, millions of homeless left to find another life - and no sense of meaning in it all. The loss is all of ours, even here on the other side of the world where hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, earthquakes and wildfires may do less damage but leave us all looking for meaning as well.

I will not attempt to solve that forever-quandary here. Others, like Rabbi Harold Kushner, in his insightful and somewhat comforting "Why Bad Things Happen to Good People," have done that far better than I am able to. But I would like to offer a perspective on the saga of creation that, for me at least, helps.

Ours is a universe, a world in process. Evolutionists, creationists and those believing in intelligent design have to admit there is nothing static in our still-expanding universe. The same is true of our world and our selves. Change is an absolute characteristic of creation, of being and becoming.

Ours is also a fragile world and existence. We live on a piece of cosmic dust where the tragedies of today are not new to our histories. Google "worst natural disasters" and read about another earthquake in China, in 1556, that killed 830,000; a cyclone in India in 1839 that took more than 300,000 lives; or another more recently, in 1970, in Bangladesh that claimed close to a million.

To try to be philosophical about such catastrophes is easy at a distance. But when one considers the fragilities of our cosmos and our individual worlds, distance ceases to be a factor. Ever since (and perhaps even before) Adam, we have been out of control of how the universe, including Earth, shapes itself.

That is why I have adopted a simplistic mantra for myself: "Trust the process." There is little logic to such a thought but it helps me to admit to powers at the heart of the process larger than all of us. My mantra offers no answer to the meaning of such events. It holds, however, a potential for patience, tolerance and acceptance of all that happens wherever, whenever. It also reminds me that creation is a journey toward a better life.

My mantra comes with a whispered footnote that adds, "Nothing happens by chance." Again, no logic, no answer. Questions, like catastrophes big and small, global and personal, keep us humble and learning and searching for meaning we may never find in this world of time and space. Whatever happens faces all of us with the responsibility to grow toward a better world, a better self.

So much for my mind. My heart is another matter. It is filled with prayers for those whose lives have been lost and for the survivors whose worlds have been forever changed. Still, the saga continues. We are all intimate parts of it.

Runaway Child

By Peggy Tarr

A friend recently told me that her niece (10 years old) had run away from home. Her niece was angry with her mother for demanding that she complete a task or they would not go to a show. The child'smother stepped out for a few minutes to run an errand, and when she returned, her daughter was not at home. After looking around the apartment and noting what belongings of her daughter were missing, my friend's sister surmised that her daughter had left home with the intention of being away from home for some time. The mother called the police.

"Now you feel like the whole world's pickin' on you
But deep down inside you know it ain't true
You've been punished
‘Cause your mother wants to raise you the right way, Yeah
But you don't care ‘cause you already made up your mind
You wanna run away, yeah
You're on your way
Runaway child, running wild
Runaway child, running wild
Better come back home
Better come back home where you belong
Where you belong ..." (lyrics from "Runaway Child," sung by Temptations)

That evening two women saw my friend's niece near the Lakefront, alone, and were concerned enough to call the police. The police came, picked up my friend's niece and took her home. Thanks to the concern of these two women, this story about a runaway child had a good ending.

There are lots of reasons why kids run away from home. Some certainly leave home to escape abuse, but in the above case, my friend's niece has been allowed to get what she wants or make everyone miserable if she doesn't. Her mother is now suffering the consequences because her child isfinding other ways to coerce her into letting her have her way. Sadly, my friend's sisterwill havetocope with the threat of her daughter's running away again.

Statistics: "One in seven kids between the ages of 10 and 18 runs away at some point and there are 1 to 3 million runaway and homeless kids living on the streets in the United States."

Our Downtown

Guest Essay By Edmund Moran, Sixth Ward Alderman

Recent public discourse in Evanston has flared over one proposed redevelopment at 708 Church St., otherwise known as "The Tower." As the rhetoric has escalated, I have felt the need to step back from the heat and examine the issues raised with respect to "The Tower" through an examination of the broader palette of our downtown.

One reason for this is the admonition in the lawn signs that exhort us to "Save Evanston - Stop the Tower." It seems that the "Evanston" sought to be preserved must encompass more than the building currently located at 708 Church St.. Otherwise the signs would say "Save 708 Church Street."

Further, the damnation of Evanston would seem to require more than the construction of the tallest building in town in the place of 708 Church. I hope that the motion passed by a majority vote of the City Council to table further consideration of this proposal until our Downtown Plan is completed will assist in the consideration and resolution of issues related not just to 708 Church St. but to our downtown as a whole.

Downtown Evanston has been transformed over the last 20 to 40 years in numerous respects. The retail stores that made Evanston the North Shore retail hub, including Marshall Field's, Lyttons, Wieboldt's, Rothschild's, Woolworth's and others, either fled to Old Orchard or other destinations, or ceased to exist. Old-line corporate organizations such as American Hospital Supply, Tenneco and Washington National fled to corporate "parks" in the outlying suburbs. Traditional entertainment venues such as the Valencia and Varsity Theatres closed down.

Fortunately for us, pioneers such as Leslie Ries (Café Provencal, Bodega Bay) and Steve Prescott (Davis Street Fish Market, Tommy Nevin's, Pete Miller's, and Merle's) gave people a reason to "go downtown," an activity that had drifted to the fringes of Evanston activities. The seeds planted by these pioneers led to the greatly expanded hospitality platform of restaurants, pubs and entertainment options that have led Evanston to become known as the "Nighttime Capital of the North Shore."

Then a new phenomenon presented itself. John Buck bought the old, derelict Washington National Headquarters and converted it to the stylish Park Evanston that also gave us the new Whole Foods store, the first grocery store in the downtown for many years. This was followed by numerous other developers entering the newly emergent urban/downtown housing environment including the numerous Optima, Focus, and Rozak developments in or near our downtown. The advent of these buildings also presented a new era for downtown Evanston in that they introduced a mid-to-high-rise residential environment that was a precursor to the now-ballyhooed transit-oriented sustainable-development model that fits so neatly into Evanston's enviable public transit network that provides access to downtown Chicago for commuting workers and consumers of the cultural gems of Chicago.

We also saw the skyline of downtown Evanston grow through the construction of mid-to-high-rise commercial/office developments for American Hospital Supply (now the Rotary Center) and the State National Bank Building.

Downtown Evanston has changed considerably over the past few decades. It has shown great adaptability. Its built environment has grown dramatically. It has become a different place from what is was 40 or even 15 years ago.

The "Old Evanston," with all its charm, still exists. Our lakefront, fantastic park system, good schools, Northwestern, our public transit lines, neighborhood business districts (Central, Dempster, Main, now Church-Dodge), farmers' market, our fabulous design/architectural heritage continue to make Evanston a grace note among cities and a fabulously desirable place to live, work and play.

Of course, no living organism can live in a static environment. We either advance or atrophy. This rule includes cities such as ours. So where do we go from here?

We need a downtown plan in order to:
a. Establish height and massing standards that will "organize" the built environment so that it discourages the "fallen-souffle" phenomenon and encourages the "wedding cake" phenomenon where our tallest buildings are in the core downtown area and heights gradually recede in buildings on the perimeter of downtown;
b. Encourage sustainable development where the buildings in the core reduce their carbon footprint by achieving greater mass and are located near transit hubs, reducing the reliance on auto travel;
c. Promote greater density in residential developments that will allow for the further promotion of a 24/7 lifestyle and a market for downstream development in the office, retail, commercial and entertainment areas;
d. Gain density in certain, well-delineated areas that will allow the development of adjacent leading-edge open spaces reminiscent of the European square;
e. Provide certainty in height, massing, and design so that not every new development proposal results in mass civic angst;
f. Give explicit expression and recognition to the fact that downtown Evanston is and will be in the future a fusion of urban and suburban experiences giving full expression to the best of both worlds;
g. Lead to the continuing expansion of Evanston's economic base, so that it can retain its leadership in the areas of diversity, affordable housing and strong social service network, while allowing the City to meet its financial obligations, including full funding of pensions, increased attention to worn and aged infrastructure, and to blunt escalating real estate taxes;
h. Continue to promote street-level commercial activity.

Let us decide what our downtown should be first. Then let us cast our eyes to its core.

Letters to the Editor

Setting the Record Straight on Downtown Evanston
Editor:

For the second time in as many months, I have heard a senior City of Evanston official give a speech about the success of downtown Evanston's redevelopment projects. In those speeches, negative comments were made towards citizens of Evanston who opposed the projects years ago. In one of the speeches, the official referred to a comment I made (quoted then in the Chicago Sun Times) that "the last business out of downtown Evanston should turn out the lights." As the person who made that comment, I would like to set the record straight once and for all.

Back in the late 1990s I was part of an organization called the Evanston Small Business Association (ESBA) which today almost seems like an oxymoron. I got involved with a few other business owners and the beloved Harry Schubart and took issue with how the City of Evanston was handling "the process." Though I do just speak for myself, my beliefs were shared by others who don't deserve the continued criticism.

With that said, here are the facts:
1. We were never against development. We were for appropriate development, and some of us felt what was being proposed (at least what we knew about) was inappropriate for Evanston. When the condominiums were added to the project (which ironically was first proposed by ESBA), all opposition to the projects from those of us associated with ESBA stopped. We knew if the condos were built, sold, and occupied, everything else relating to businesses in downtown would take care of itself.
2. We strongly opposed the City's going behind closed doors to hold meetings to discuss the project in order avoid dissent. The City of Evanston was criticized recently in the media about the need for a transparent government, as I have been advocating for a transparent government (at all levels) for years. In an ironic twist, the City of Evanston engaged once again in closed-door meetings, and that action ultimately resulted in my not reopening my business (Ofischl Tees & Tanks) in downtown Evanston - that story for another day.
3. We strongly opposed the diversion of tax dollars to subsidize developers who don't need subsidizing in the first place. Some of us believe the developers deceived the City about the need for the projects to be subsidized with tax dollars. If a developer has a project, he needs to fund it without diverting tax dollars away from teachers, first responders, and the City with the promise of a better return down the road.
4. The motivating force behind the approval of the projects was the millions in projected tax revenue the projects would generate. Let the never-ending tax increases speak for themselves.
5. We were promised that local businesses would not be cannibalized, yet the Borders and Barnes & Noble buildings remain vacant.
6. At the time these projects were being debated, my business neighborhood consisted of Rosie's Toy Store, Joan's Sweet Shoppe, Gimcracks, Ganache Bakery, Verdi & Puccini Café, The Peking Book Store, Mindscape Art Gallery, Peggy Robinson Jewelers, Evanston Photographic Studios and my Ofischl Sports. Half of these businesses closed their doors and the other half moved out of downtown Evanston. When I made the comment "the last business out of downtown Evanston should turn out the lights, I was referring to my fellow small independent business owners, not the chains.

So is the downtown Evanston revitalization project a failure? Not by a long shot. Whether we like the appearance of downtown Evanston or not there is no getting away from the unprecedented demand for expensive condos being built throughout Evanston. What better gauge is there for a city's vitality than the demand for unaffordable housing?

Evanston is a great town to live in, and each of the new condos coming on line represents additional tax revenue we desperately need. But like everything else in life, it comes at a price. Evanston will remain diverse, but sadly, it will become richly diverse.

Finally, I was devastated to hear of the resignation of our city manager Julia Carroll. Evanston will never know (as Naperville does) how incredible this woman really is. She was the real deal and was someone who could have put us all (independents, chains, NU, the schools, etc.) on the same page. We have missed a great opportunity. I hope the City is able to find someone just as remarkable to replace her.

My thoughts and prayers are with Ms Carroll and the hope for a speedy recovery.
-Tom Fischl, Ofischl Tees & Tanks

Thanks for Successful Aging Well Conference and Festival
Editor:

As co-chairs of the 10th Annual Aging Well Conference and Film Festival, we want to thank all those who participated in this year's events. Both the film festival and conference, for older persons and those who care for them, was a terrific success. Over 185 seniors, family members and professionals attended Aging Well events in celebration of Older Americans Month.

We are indebted to our conference welcome speaker, Evanston's dynamic Mayor Lorraine Morton, a sterling example of "Aging Well." We wish to thank Rick Hauser of Laughing Yoga and Pam Brockman ­­ of the Art of Living Foundation for their inspiring workshops that opened and closed the Conference. The Evanston Community Media Center videotaped some of the conference so that it can be shared with others in our community. We are particularly fortunate to have Reeltime Independent Film & Video Forum as our partner again for this year's film festival. Reeltime also gave invaluable help in publicizing the film festival.

Michael Jacoby, producer/director of this year's groundbreaking film, "Ten More Good Years," joined us for the film festival and we thank him for sharing his film and himself with us.

As always, we are especially grateful to the wonderful staff and residents of the King Home, our gracious host for all 10 years of the Aging Well Conference. In addition to providing a beautiful and comfortable home for the conference, the King Home also furnishes much of the audio visual equipment and a delicious continental breakfast for our guests.

The Aging Well Film Festival & Conference are free due to a generous consortium of people and agencies that serve the senior community by giving their time, expertise and in-kind services. Those are The King Home, CJE Senior Life, Covenant Methodist Home Care, Evanston Commission on Aging, Levy Senior Center, Evanston Mental Health Board, Evanston Police Department Senior Services, Evanston Public Library, Evanston/Skokie Valley Senior Services,

LivHOME, Inc., Mather Lifeways, Mental Health Association of the North Shore, Metropolitan Family Services, McGaw YMCA, North Shore Retirement Hotel, North Shore Senior Center,

PEER Services, Inc., Reeltime Independent Film & Video Forum and Seniors Action Service, Inc.

To these agencies, our speakers and all those who attended the events, we extend our gratitude. We couldn't have done it without you.
--Margaret Gergen & Christina
Ferraro, Co-chairs: 10th Annual
Aging Well Conference & Film Festival

D65 IEP Services Data Too Much Trouble to Maintain
Editor:

In the RoundTable's otherwise superb reporting on the May 12 District 65 Board of Education meeting, there was, regrettably, one error. You report that I "suggested in the public comment section that the staff maintain data showing whether special education services provided in each student's IEP was being provided."

I did not "suggest" that the District maintain such data. I reminded the Board that three years ago it had unanimously directed that such data be maintained, and I observed that this Board mandate had not been complied with.

Following my statement, Dr. Murphy confirmed that such data were not being maintained, because, the Board's mandate notwithstanding, he believes it is unnecessary and burdensome to do this. The Board members did not express themselves on what they think of this defiance of the Board's mandate.
--Jonathan Baum

Alderman's Move to Table Tower Came as Surprise
Editor:

Alderman Eb Moran's (6th Ward) conduct at the special Planning and Development Committee meeting on May 7 embodied the reasons that many in Evanston have lost faith in their elected representatives.

I attended this meeting expecting Ald. Moran to represent his constituents' strong and consistently voiced calls to reject the ill-conceived Klutznick/Anderson proposal for a skyscraper at 708 Church. As soon as the public comment period ended, Ald. Wynne [3rd Ward] moved to reject the Klutznick/Anderson proposal. Her thoughtful comments, as well as those of Alds. Hansen [9th Ward], Tisdahl [7th Ward] and Bernstein [4th Ward], demonstrated that these aldermen had heard the voices of their constituents and were prepared to honor them.

I was dismayed, however, to find my own alderman, Mr. Moran, deaf to his constituents' voices. In a rambling and condescending fashion, Mr. Moran lectured attendees for over 30 minutes about why he wants the skyscraper to be built. To many, he appeared bent on eroding the moving testimony of the many Evanstonians who had spoken so eloquently against the skyscraper during the public comment portion of the meeting.

When four aldermen announced their intention of voting "no" to the proposed skyscraper despite Mr. Moran's seemingly interminable speech, most people attending the meeting rejoiced: It seemed clear that the skyscraper proposal was going to be rejected that evening.

In a move stunning everyone present, however, Mr. Moran abruptly moved to table Ald. Wynne's pending motion to deny approval of the proposed skyscraper. In the political fumbling that ensued, Mr. Moran's motion was approved, an action which drew audible gasps of dismay from many of the people present.

Now, thanks to Mr. Moran's political maneuvering, it appears that Evanstonians (citizens, aldermen, City staff), who have already spent thousands of hours on this proposed development, will be expending still more time and energy in the months to come. It is exactly this type of political gamesmanship which has contributed to the loss of faith of many Evanstonians in their City's governance.
--Barb Rakley

Board Compromises Middle Schoolers' Education
Editor:

If you will be the parent of a middle-school child in District 65 next year, your child's education was compromised at the last Board meeting and you probably missed it.

As part of the new math textbook adoption, the Board approved a plan to increase instructional time for seventh- and eighth- grade math from one period to two. Since they are not planning to increase the number of hours in the school day, the time devoted to math is going to have to come from somewhere else. And that somewhere is every other discipline.

To find the time, the administration is proposing an elaborate shell game called "block scheduling." The administration is considering a schedule which moves from nine 40-minute periods per school to ten 37-minute periods. That means students who used to get one 40-minute math period will now get a math "block" of 75 minutes.

Some subjects, like math and language arts, will meet every day; others like PE, fine arts, science and social studies, will meet every other day, also for 75 minutes. Foreign languages will meet every day for the reduced 37-minute period.

Losing three minutes per class per day doesn't sound like much, but over a school year of 176 days, it amounts to two and a half weeks class time lost. And that's a lot of science, social studies, foreign language, PE and fine arts instruction to trade off for more math time.

There are many benefits to block scheduling, according to the administration, including reducing the time and stress of passing periods, and the ability to do more differentiation in class. But will the benefits of more concentrated class time make up for a loss of more than two weeks of instruction?

District 65 seems only to care about meeting the demands of No Child Left Behind. But is meeting federal benchmarks for math and reading so important that we must put all of our children behind in science, social studies and foreign languages?
-Mindy Wallis

The Dawes House Was Meant For the People of Evanston
Editor:

Many thanks to a passionate and concerned group of Evanston residents and Evanston History Center supporters who gathered at the Dawes residence to see General Charles Gates Dawes, who (after rolling over in his grave) came back to his home last Thursday, and asked for his intentions to be honored by Northwestern University.

As reported in the Evanston RoundTable on April 16, the Evanston History Center has been closed to the public since April 16, 2008. Northwestern University and the Evanston Fire Department have cited life-safety concerns for the closing of the historic house museum.

While all will agree that life-safety is always a concern where the public is involved, the contents of the letter written by the fire department does not seem to indicate that closing the building was necessary. It does appear that with a few modifications, such as clearly posted exit signs, and restricting the number of people touring the building to 50, the Center could continue with its mission.

The former U.S. vice president wanted the people of Evanston, via the Evanston Historical Society, to experience his house and its contents, where history lived. To ensure this he entrusted the university with the maintenance of his house and left a sizeable endowment for its care. What is most important regarding this issue is that the wishes and intentions of arguably one of Evanston's most famous residents be honored and carried out. The beautiful lakeside building was never intended to be used for institutional use or financial gain by the University.

Northwestern University is once again presented with the opportunity to honor its commitments, to heal old wounds and to do what is morally right.

Join our efforts to help Dawes get his house back for the future of Evanston's history at www.generaldawesreturns.org.
-- Mimi Peterson

People Should Not Have to Pay to Spend Money
Editor:

It seems like Evanston is doing everything it can to discourage people from doing business in the downtown area. It is ridiculous to increase the parking meter rates, and it is no wonder people prefer to go to the malls to do their shopping.

People should not have to pay to spend money in the downtown area but should be provided with an incentive to do so. We have to buy a City sticker for our cars every year, and it would be a good idea that everyone with an Evanston sticker on the windshield be allowed free parking for two hours in the downtown area. It might encourage them to patronize the local establishments.
--Hal Gustafson

Watch Out, Evanston - No More Warnings, Just Tickets
Editor:

I thought you might like to make the citizens of the North Shore and Chicago aware the Evanston Police Department is/has instituted a new quota for the Patrol Officers.

The new deputy chief has instituted what he chooses to call a "standard." The "standard" is 20 parking tickets and 10 traffic tickets per officer per shift. It is being called a standard but it is really a quota. This is being told to us during roll call. This has not been put on paper yet. My suspicion is they know this is nothing but a quota.

Should we not do this it will be noted during our evaluation, marked against us and used as a reason to deny our annual raises. For example should we only give him 19 parkers and nine traffic tickets we would receive a 4 or 5 out of 10 for those categories.
This removes all officer judgment and unfairly punishes the citizens that live, work, and do business in the City.

Thought you might want to make the citizens aware that they will no longer get warnings or passes.
--Charlie Smith

City Council vs. Actually Getting Something Done
Editor:

To those who have read the latest City of Evanston referendum -- unfortunately one in a series -- the City Council should not and cannot speak for the citizens of Evanston.

Whether people agree or disagree with the policy referred to, the citizens of Evanston do not speak with one voice and have a variety of opinions and ways of expressing those ideas.

The City Council has enough to do in trying to deal with the budget, which is catching up with them after years of pension promises they could not keep (and felt they could push into the distant future), high taxes that are driving people and business (service and manufacturing) out of the City, zoning decisions that go on ad infinitum, a crime rate that scares people, and on and on.

Instead of "feel good" referendums to reaffirm their North Shore liberal credentials, the City Council needs to start making business decisions that bring decent shopping and jobs back to the City.

So if you read about City Council referendums, take them with a grain of salt - Evanstonians can think for and express themselves.
--John Fuqua

Do Not Approve the Tower
Open Letter to City Council:

I have been out of town for the past three weeks, but having recently caught up with all that has transpired regarding the proposed tower, I must express my disappointment to my alderman, Lionel Jean-Baptiste, as well as all the other aldermen. After all of the citizen input over the past few months that was clearly against this project, and especially after the stalling on the part of the developers, followed by a feeble and even less acceptable revision, that you as a group did not flat-out reject this project is unbelievable.

This developer's "solution" to address the community objection feels like an in-your-face remedy. We are not stupid. This is reminiscent of what I understand happened with Optima Horizon. The tall, stylish building that was planned became a squatty, dense mass. You can prevent that from happening this time.

Who's in the driver's seat?

You are being told that if they bring down the height, they will have to spread it out. No, they don't. Who are they to dictate to us? We don't need ultimatum-like offers. This is Evanston. This is a great town in a great location. We can pick and choose our projects.

You, City Council, were on the cusp of rejecting this proposal. You certainly should have. This is the first time you have tabled a project pending the downtown plan. But then again, this is the first time the vote appeared to be going against the project. Thank you, Alderman Melissa Wynne and Alderman Anjana Hansen, for your unequivocal stand on this issue. If you are generous enough to run for re-election, surely your respective wards will reward your good work. I would love to see this tower issue on a ballot as well. Perhaps only then will it be clear to the others of you that you are not acting in the interests of your constituents ... or maybe it will take the next election to demonstrate that.

Please vote against this project.
--Maureen Posner

Rebuilding Together Thanks Supporters
Editor:

On Saturday April 26, Rebuilding Together-North Suburban Chicago, along with local sponsors and volunteers from the community, performed free home repairs and improvements for homeowners who needed help. Teams worked on eight homes in Evanston. Altogether, volunteers targeted 30 homes in the northern suburbs, from Evanston in the south to Zion in the north, in connection with Rebuilding Day.

The mission of Rebuilding Together is to improve the quality of life for homeowners who are primarily elderly and disabled. We repaired leaking roofs, installed handicapped access, replaced broken appliances, painted the insides and outsides of homes, performed outdoor and indoor clean-up services, and more.

We would like to thank all who supported us. We have received help from local businesses, community groups, religious organizations, a hospital and schools. Our sponsors and volunteer groups included First Presbyterian Church of Evanston, Sojourner Covenant Church of Evanston, Northwestern University, Evanston American Legion Post 42, Saints Faith Hope and Charity, Evanston Lighthouse Rotary, Beth Emet Free Synagogue in Evanston, North Shore Electric, Evanston Boy Scout Troop 3. We are grateful for the assistance of these organizations and of many others who helped.

This annual event is a wonderful opportunity for neighbors to help neighbors. This type of activity is what makes our communities such great places to live.
--Steve Spinell, President
--Mike Murdock, Vice President
Rebuilding Together-North Suburban Chicago