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Resident group urges park district, school district to avoid removing hill and century-old trees for dance studio
Summary
A resident representing neighborhood groups told the District 97 Board that a Park District plan to build a dance studio on the top of the Mann School hill would remove century-old trees and harm the adjoining school field; he suggested building above the school's parking lot as an alternative.
Lehi Galvin addressed the board during public comment on May 13 to urge intergovernmental coordination to prevent a Park District plan from cutting trees and reshaping the top of the Mann School hill for a proposed 4,000—600-square-foot dance studio.
Galvin said the hill and its mature trees are a neighborhood gathering place used by children from several communities and argued the Park District presented the plan as a "done deal" to the community. He said his group gathered hundreds of signatures, had a mailing list of several hundred contacts and that a large community meeting was converted to a one-way virtual format when the Park District anticipated a big turnout.
He proposed an alternative: construct the studio over the Mann School parking lot on stilts, with ADA access via ramp or elevator, to preserve the hill and mature trees. "Put it on stilts. One story high, access for ADA, access would be via ramp and a one story elevator. The project is doable," Galvin told the board, and said an architect for the Park District had told him similar structures exist in South Chicago.
Galvin also flagged safety and traffic concerns if the studio were built at the top of the hill, saying after-school drop-offs and driveway patterns could create hazards on narrow nearby streets. He asked District 97 board members to begin communicating with the Park District leadership and said neighborhood attorneys and residents would be willing to negotiate alternatives.
Board members acknowledged receipt of his materials and said staff would review the "Let's Talk" letter he provided. No Park District action or school-board action was recorded at the meeting; the comments were entered during the public-comment period.
