SWAN-Elgin

The City of Elgin is hosting a series of Community Conversations throughout the summer to solicit residents input on neighborhood and community wide issues, and to express their thoughts on the future direction of the city. The meetings will be held at five sites, located in different neighborhood areas of Elgin.

All meetings will begin at 6:30 p.m. and end at 8:30 p.m. Residents unable to attend the meeting nearest their home are encouraged to attend any of the other meetings scheduled at other locations.

The Community Conversations are scheduled for the following dates and locations:

Thursday, July 8 at The National Bank, 3151 US Highway 20, at the corner of Nesler and Rt. 20.
Tuesday, July 13 at Provena St. Joseph Hospital Auditorium, 77 N. Airlite
Tuesday, July 20 at Boys and Girls Club of Elgin, 355 Dundee Avenue
Tuesday, July 27 at Elgin Art Showcase, 8th Floor of the Professional Building, 164 Division St.
Wednesday, August 4, Elgin Recreation Center, 1080 E. Chicago Street

Spanish translation will be available at the meetings on July 13 and August 4. A sign interpreter is available upon prior request.

For more information email strategicplan@cityofelgin.org or call 847-214-5861.

For more information call 847-931-5667

Below are the minutes from the October 19, 2009 SWAN meeting, as approved on November 16.

Procedural

• Charlene called the meeting to order at 7:07 PM. 21 people attended
• New format – speakers in even months, business in odd months
• New chair of Safety Committee – Tina Fisher – streetlights
• Steering Committee – of all committee chairs. Will meet monthly to share ideas, brainstorm
• Jody Stepnowski will be PR chair
• Turn in any fundraising orders to Mike
• Tom motioned to approve minutes; Mike seconded. Motion carried.

Guest Speaker – David Kaptain, City Council

• New Urbanism, Sustainable Urbanism
• Charlene – our goal is to become the first sustainable neighborhood in Elgin

Sustainability Master Plan

• Working with several firms, including Neighborhood Technology Consultants, ERA – will work together with 9 workgroups to determine plan for sustainability plan. Will develop new ordinances, determine which existing are obstacles
• Transportation, Urban Design, Green Infrastructure, Green Buildings, Water, Alternative Energy, Outreach, Recycling, two others as workgroups in Elgin – volunteers still needed, talk to Dave Kaptain

Tips from 1917 Plan of Elgin

• Remove overhead utilities
• Playground within sight of every home
• Extend Souster to river, connect to Bluff City Blvd via bridge
• Walnut Ave – subway with long ramps to connect National Street Metra with State St via Standish
• Limit Elgin to one train station

Adjourn

The meeting adjourned at 8:50 PM. Next meeting will be November 16.

“An application has been filed by Alex Matsas, requesting a variation of Section 19.50.080 Wall and Integral Roof Graphics, to allow the construction of a projecting wall sign on the building. The subject property is located at 214 Walnut Avenue.

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ELGIN — Next week marks the nationwide Bike to Work Week, but some locals don’t need any convincing of the benefits of pedalling instead of driving to the office.

“It’s good exercise, and I’m cheap,” Stuart Nelson said. “I’ve probably saved the thousands of dollars just in vehicle wear and tear, let alone using less fuel and making fewer doctors visits.”

Weather permitting, Nelson frequently rides from his home on Elgin’s east side to his job as a water plant operator, alternating time between the city of Elgin’s two plants. He’s been riding to work since the early 1990s, and more consistently during the past five years.

Nelson is among a small number of area residents who bike to and from their jobs. It’s a number the city hopes to increase through efforts that include the upcoming Bike Week events, a bikeways master plan the city council approved last year, and a Bicycle & Pedestrian Action Committee being formed.

Seven residents will be appointed to that group by the city council. Because the appointments need to be staggered, the first three appointed members will serve three years, the second three will serve two years, and one member will serve only one year. The council also will appoint one member to serve as the committee chair. Applications must be received by Friday.

“We’re encouraging as many as we can to hop on their bikes,” said Paul Bednar, Elgin park development coordinator.

Pedal power is part of Elgin’s “sustainable city” dreams, doing what it can to become a more environmentally friendly place. In terms of biking, Elgin took baby steps forward when it opened three quarters of a mile of bike lanes on Walnut Avenue last summer and another half-mile cycling stretch along Wing Park Boulevard in the fall. Already, through the Fox River Trail, Elgin connects with an extensive trail system in northern Illinois that can get you close to Chicago, south past Plainfield and north to Wisconsin.

Bednar bikes to work during good weather and puts in about 110 miles a week pedalling in season. He has used the aforementioned trails to head as far north as Lake Geneva, Wis., and as far south as Montgomery.

He lives just a mile from his office in The Centre of Elgin recreation facility and realizes that biking is not an option for a lot of people. But Bednar feels people can be encouraged to bike for short trips of any sort, be it visiting friends or going to the store.

For Nelson — one of three water department workers who occasionally bikes to work — “one plant is five miles one way, which doesn’t sound bad until you throw in some hills.

“I have to leave a bit earlier than I would driving for that ride,” he said. “The other ride is about the same as driving, concerning time, since it’s more direct than driving and I can avoid traffic. Neither ride is too difficult or dangerous, once I figured out routes that keep me off busy streets. The longer ride takes between 25 and 30 minutes, which would take about 15 minutes driving. My shorter commute is between 12 and 15 minutes, which equals the drive time.”

Sheridan Elementary School art teacher Laura Potterbaum moved closer to her job in part so she could walk or bike to work in nice weather. Potterbaum said a handful of her fellow teachers bike to the school, too. And she started such commuting last year after joining The Kickstands, a local group for bicycling enthusiasts formed by Marjorie Gohl.

“It’s mostly young people. We’ve even all biked up to Algonquin for dinner, though not as much as we’d like,” Potterbaum said.

Potterbaum said biking leaves her in a good frame of mind for her day and allows her to be a role model for students who see her coming to the school by bike. When it’s nice outside, some kids do indeed still bike to Sheridan, which holds class all year.

“We have a full bike rack,” Potterbaum said.

Potterbaum is a friend of Elgin resident Jessica Thompson, a project planner for the 1,200-member League of Illinois Bicyclists. The advocacy organization is working this summer with the city on bicycle education and encouragement activities, including having two bicycling ambassadors patterned after Mayor Richard M. Daley’s Bicycling Ambassadors in Chicago, Thompson said.

While Chicago has a national reputation as a bike-friendly big city, suburban Schaumburg and Naperville also are recognized by the League of American Bicyclists as Bicycle Friendly Communities, Thompson said.

“The Bicycle Friendly Community designation gives these awards at four levels: platinum, gold, silver and bronze. Both Schaumburg and Naperville are bronze, while Chicago is silver …. Schaumburg, for example, has 86 miles of combined bike trails, routes and lanes. They also have a very strong encouragement campaign,” Thompson explained.

“Elgin has only been implementing its bike plan for about one year,” she said. “Implementation of a bike network takes several years and is done piecemeal as funding becomes available. I believe Elgin will have a strong chance at the bronze-level BFC award in a year or two.”

© Copyright 2009 Digital Chicago, Inc.

LINK: http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=299973

With renewed momentum from the city’s sustainability movement, Elgin’s Harvest Market kicked off the season even though the sun refused to cooperate.

The market is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Thursday through Oct. 8 and offers an assortment of locally grown produce, breads, arts, meats and even some specialty items like gourmet dog treats.

Debbie Kasprzak, president of the St. Charles-based Pawprint Barkery, said she has participated in Elgin’s market for three years.

“Elgin has a lot of people who walk around with their dogs,” Kasprzak said. “I bake everything in my kitchen with fresh ingredients so they know where it’s coming from. A lot of people visit the market. It is one of my better markets (out of six).”

Jennifer Benson, program director at the Downtown Neighbors Association, said regular customers have endearing nicknames for vendors. For example, the owner of the Lombard-based Olives 4 You is known as the “olive guy.”

“People are shopping locally. They don’t want to drive farther,” Benson added.

Bill Morse, an Elgin antique dealer, picked up some olives Thursday.

“It’s something different. It’s something outdoors,” he said. “There’s a lot of good stuff here. Rather than driving around to different places, it’s nice to have it all here. I hope it gets bigger.”

The market is sponsored by the DNA with partners Activate Elgin, Elgin Climate Change Organization, and Elgin Community Network. It’s held in the city hall parking lot, 150 Dexter Court.

More vendors are expected as the season progresses. For details, visit DOWNTOWNELGIN.ORG or call (847) 488-1456.

Copyright © 2009 Daily Herald Inc.

SWAN meetings take place the 3rd Monday of every month at Zion Lutheran Church located at 330 Griswwold Avenue, Elgin 60123

Title: NISRA Family Fun Fair
Description: Family Event for special needs individuals and their families.
WHERE: The Centre of Elgin
100 Symphony Way
Start Time: 11:00
Date: 2009-09-27
End Time: 14:00

Daily Herald Report

Title: Walkabout: Theatre on Your Feet
Description: Presentented by Elgin Cultural Arts Commission
WHERE: Downtown Elgin
Tickets: Contact Sean Hargadon at 847-363-3573
Date: 2009-08-22

Title: Walkabout: Theatre on Your Feet
Description: Presentented by Elgin Cultural Arts Commission
WHERE: Downtown Elgin
Tickets: Contact Sean Hargadon at 847-363-3573
Date: 2009-08-15